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Re: Blame Jordan!

"Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in!"

Well, Kim's arithmetic was a bit off... 30 out of 707 is more like 4%. Nonetheless
the point is right - someone who shoots less than one three-pointer a game isn't
exactly "staying behind the line and firing away" as Lance asserted. Even if
Mercer shot at half that rate of that the year before. We're talking pretty tiny
numbers here. If Shaq shot 0 three pointers one year and 2 the next, you could
hardly argue that "Shaq's become a three-point bomber because Kobe's such a
ball-hog!! He shot an infinite times more three-pointers because of Kobe's influence!"
Well, technically you could argue it but let's say you'd convince very few people,
especially if you also insult them (hint hint).

That lockout season with Walker, Pierce, and Mercer really did show bad
chemistry though and Paul was partially to blame. You could see him sulking
after going long stretches without the ball, and then he'd get the balls in his
hands after a rebound and take it sideline to sideline. It looked pretty selfish.
But Mercer was plenty selfish too, playing for his extension. I think it was
obvious even then though that Pierce was a far superior player than Mercer,
which has been borne out since then. I wrote about this a lot back then;
Mercer gets great elevation and form on that 18 ft jumper off the screen,
which basically means that he can get 18 ppg on 45% shooting year after
when used properly. That sounds pretty decent and aesthetically it looks
even better. But... he never goes to the foul line, because when he drives,
he twists away from contact. He can't hit a 3. He doesn't make his
teammates better because he doesn't create his own offense. He's a decent
complementary piece and no more.

Paul on the other hand is a flat out offensive star in the NBA. I didn't watch
the world championships so I can't comment on his play there. In the NBA,
he's mastered an essential trick for a guard to become a scoring monster,
which is drawing a ton of fouls. It's kind of cheesy and non-aesthetic at times
(especially in the hands of the master flopper, Reggie Miller) but when you
flop and hit two free throws, it's the same on the scoreboard as a beautiful
midrange jumper off a screen - and a much higher percentage play.

Anyway, if the point is that the Celtics offense is ugly because it is designed
like "Walker, Pierce, and a bunch of three point shooters," then that's another
discussion. If it's "Pierce could improve his game", ditto. But if it's "Pierce
hurts this team because he's a selfish player and I'm going to prove that by
repeating myself 100 times per day while insulting you", then I, like most
of the rest of the list, am not convinced, and moreover, will soon stop listening
entirely.

Alex

At 04:39 AM 9/12/2002 -0400, Lance Jacobson wrote:

Kim Malo writes:

<<Mmmm. and the firing 3 points shots thing is simply dead wrong for Mercer.
30 of his 707 shots that year were attempted 3s. Less than half of 1%? Not exactly
firing away.
Actually that was one of the biggest continual criticisms about him then - he was
a pure SG who couldn't shoot the 3 and *had* to develop one to play his
position. Which was not something I agreed with, then or now. Have I
mentioned that I HATE that shot? Anyway, the reliable mid-range jumper that was
his bread and butter was actually a lot more rare in the league these days, even if it
lacks the flash. That mid-range jumper and some surprisingly powerful drive/dunks
(usually MUCH 'louder' than Walker's, which always amused me given the differences
in their perceived attitudes) were his game

This may confirm something I was beginning to suspect about Lance and some other
way out of line perceptions. His real problem is with his eyesight. Can't tell a 3
pt shot from a 15 ft jumper, can't...>>


Kim. you're adorable, but next time you try humming, check out the melody first.
How'd you like to look at those stats again? Here's Mercer in '97-98: played 80
games, logged 2662 min and made 3-28 3pt shots. In 98-99, he managed to play in on 41
games or Boston, and managed to shoot 30 threes.

Now, perhaps arithmetic isn't your strong suit, but with the arrival of Pierce, he
doubled his three point shooting. DOUBLED IT. From a guy who's range was well inside
of the arc.

Keep up the good investigative reporting, Archie Comics is looking for a crack
newshound. Oh, and the gist of the comments were that nobody was moving for Kenny to
pass to that year, PP, RM, and AW were firing up from the perimeter.


97-98 Bos 80 62 2662 515-1145 .450 3-28 .107 188-224 .839 125 17 132 213 2 109
171 280 176 1221
98-99 Bos 41 40 1551 305-707 .431 5-30 .167 83-105 .790 67 12 89 81 1 37 118
155 104 698