Re: All You O'Brien Groupies Can Rejoice

[Cecil <cecil@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mark,

My comment about some folks on this list not truly being Celtic fans, only
applies to you if you take great delight in our losses.  You were not on my
mind when I wrote it.  I know you are a fan of this team and I do not
question your allegiance.

Cecil



----- Original Message -----
From: Berry, Mark S <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>
To: <celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2003 12:12 PM
Subject: RE: All You O'Brien Groupies Can Rejoice


> Cecil, we're Celtics fans, but we're Celtics fans who don't want to root
for
> a 44-win team. We're Celtics fans who don't want to settle for the first
or
> second round of the playoffs in the NBA's consolation bracket (the Eastern
> Conference). Just because the team was so bad for so long doesn't mean
that
> being average is enough. Remember the Lakers before Shaq? They had Vlade
> Divac, Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell and some decent role players
(Anthony
> Peeler, George Lynch, Nick Van Exel). They were OK. The playoffs were a
> realistic goal for that group every year. But what did Jerry West do? He
> started giving guys away-Peeler, Lynch-to get under the cap. Why? To sign
> Shaq. It wasn't a sure thing that he would sign Shaq, but he swung for the
> fences. He could have played it safe and kept his group together, preached
> patience and continuity, and collected first- and second-round playoff
> profits for a few years. But his goal was NBA championships. So he did
what
> he had to do to put the team in position to sign Shaq, then he made it
> happen. Then he traded another established player and All-Star, Divac, for
> some high school kid named Kobe Bryant. My point? West's goal wasn't to be
> good. His goal was to be NBA champions, and he didn't just pay it lip
> service with a catchy name for a corporate partnership (Banner 17). He
went
> out and made it happen.
>
> As for Tommy... I agree with Kestas. His harping on the officials is so
> tired. The sad thing is he has brought Mike Gorman over to the same crap.
> Every time a whistle blows, Mike starts questioning it and Tommy starts
> blasting it. As for his constant "run, run run... " stuff. We'd all like
to
> see it. But this is a half-court team and has been for a long time. It
would
> be nice if he noticed that and started analyzing the team as it is and not
> as it was when he was coaching. I hardly ever get anything interesting
from
> Tommy anymore.
>
> Mark
>
>
> --- --- ---
>
> Cecil wrote:
>
> But we are Celtic fans....at least most of us are, Kestas.  There are some
> folks on this list who I do not think are truly Celtic fans because they
> take such great delight in our losses and poor play.  When we win, they
are
> silent about it.
>
> If the bottom line is business, than the Celtics are succeeding.  They
have
> emerged from the land of the lotto, to make the playoffs in two
consecutive
> seasons.  As a business person, one would want the additional revenue.  As
a
> fan, one would want their team to go as deep as possible into the playoffs
> to improve the self esteem of your players.  These guys have played ball
> their entire lives, but none of them, prior to last year, had ever
> experienced the intensity of the ECF.  That builds character and hopefully
> will make them work harder to address their weaknesses.
>
> As far as Tommy is concerned, though you do not agree, he has a point
about
> the refs on many occasions.  But I find it odd that he is the guy who
wants
> them to do what will appeal to you the most, run, run, run, rebound, look
up
> the floor, pass the ball to the open man, and you can't stand him.
>
> Cecil