Re: Why is anyone surprised we won?

["Dan Forant" <dforant1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

What will happen Pierce only scores 25?????????

DanF

----- Original Message -----
From: "Snoopy the Celtics Beagle" <snoopy@celticsbeagle.net>
To: <celtics@igtc.com>
Cc: <Celticsstuffgroup@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, April 20, 2003 11:43 AM
Subject: Why is anyone surprised we won?


> Everyone's been going on and on about the Pacer's depth and talent.  But
> there's a forgotten element--their coach.  Isiah Thomas is a second--if
not
> third--rate coach who has delusions of grandeur that make Rick Pitino look
> like a pilgrim monk.
>
> Isiah thinks of himself as a "finesse" player, and capable of handling the
> subtleties of the game.  His teammates included Bill Laimbeer and Rick
> Mahorn.  On THAT team, Jungle Jim Luscotoff would have been a finesse
> player.  He's spent his career being schooled by the likes of Larry Bird
> and Michael Jordan.  Is it any wonder that he benched Reggie Miller in
> favor of the likes of Jermaine O'Neal?  He's not going to be beholden to
> Reggie if he can help it.  As a result, Pierce is left free to turn in a
> fourth quarter that drew praise from, among others, Reggie.
>
> On paper, Isiah had it easy.  Team depth, talent on his side.  The Celtics
> were injured, sick, and lost their starting Center after the refs
> demonstrated studied incompetence once again.  (I was looking to see if
> Scott Wall or Kenny Maurer was anywhere in the building.)  All he had to
do
> was platoon the C's and the game was done, probably by halftime.  Let
> Reggie dance on the C's much as Jason Kidd had done in the Bucks earlier
in
> the day.
>
> But Isiah decided to shorten the rotation by keeping his best players on
> the bench down the stretch.  He sabotaged his team by trying to act like a
> big-time Coach.  Isiah is not, in general, a stupid man.
>
> But as a coach, he's an idiot and a bungler, and should be canned,
> quickly.  Well, not TOO quickly.  Wait until the C's finish off the
> series.  THEN fire him.
>
> Of course, the loss wasn't by any means "just" Isiah's fault.  The Pacers
> themselves gave up a double digit lead.  They couldn't execute offense
> throughout the entire fourth quarter.  Their defense wasn't able to
contain
> the C's except in the third.  The fact is, had the C's shot a little
better
> in the first half, they'd have had a sizeable lead going into the second
half.
>
> Then, late in the fourth, they made defensive mistakes that were
> staggering.  What idiot leaves Pierce open at the arc to shoot an
> uncontested three with the game on the line instead of doubling him?  Then
> there's Ron Artest, fouling Pierce in the backcourt so he could give the
> C's the lead by extending his perfect streak at the free throw line.
Maybe
> they gave passing thought to stopping Walker at some point on his way to
> the hoop.
>
> All week, the Pacers stated they had this cold.  The sports people who
> specialize in deciding who should win all picked the Pacers, because they
> forgot one thing, something the people we sent overseas could have told
them.
>
> It's not just your troops, it's who leads them.
>
> While Coach O'Brien may not be everyone's favorite coach, he does know how
> to lead the troops, as his playoff record shows.  Isiah Thomas' playoff
> record also shows how he leads his troops, to his dismay.
>
> The Celtics executed down the stretch after a difficult game, and won.
The
> Pacers blew a double digit lead and lost.
>
> Don't be surprised if the Celtics fans get those Pacer brooms off the
floor
> and put them to good use.
>
> Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
> Please visit the <http://www.celticsbeagle.net/>Celtics Beagle Website