One of Those Years I Guess

["Richard Quan" <r.quan@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm sitting here at my computer looking for the cancel account button with
audio league pass as the Celtics are losing by 17.  Vin Baker has gone back
a year, (source of concern), and I am getting that same sinking agonizing
feeling all over again.  For the past few games, real networks has
disconnected the stream during the broadcast just as the Celtics have
disconnected any continuity in their play.  I'm switching to the Phoenix
broadcast and classy Al McCoy and Cotten Fitzsimmons are saying that the
Celtics won't go away.  Well, they don't.

Now it's the end of the 3rd and we are tied.  I gave up looking for the
cancel button, the stream is back and so is the continuity and flow in play.
Still concerned about Baker but the rock in my guts is lessening and I am
beginning to think that there's a future with this team.  They can play
together.  One thing that is certain though is that as Paul Pearce goes, so
do the Celts.

There is an uneasiness of young teams though; the same kind of feeling that
you would get if jason the guard Williams, Memphis, ran your team.  The
stability that you felt when Antoine, Eric, and even Tony Battie instilled
is gone; this is a different time.  We may be back a bit in terms of
experience but O'Brien is more of a stabilizing influence than Pitino.
O'Brien will judge a player's worth on basketball smarts not basketball
hype.  Just hope Danny has the same sense to wait for these young players to
mature.  I know that such patience is hard to find; I almost gave them up
to-night.

As I keep writing, they are playing well, It's now 5"21 left thanks Sean,
and the Celtics can go up by double digits.  I certainly liked the way Mike
James played during the 5-game streak but I think Marcus Banks is the future
of this team and he will inherit the job before the year is out.  The lead
is 9.  I'd better continue on because the lead is now 5.  You want to say in
your heart that no matter what happens,, they played well and can be excused
if it should get away from them but you know that as a fan, it would hurt.

Mark Blount is playing incredibly.  Banks just fouled out; that's okay
though for to get 6 fouls, he had to be very active and he was.  This was a
signature game for him.  He clamped down on Marbury.

Well, it's crunch time and the lead is 4.  Harvey just made it 3.  Time for
the OB defense.  Think of the future as Jacobson, who could have been the
pick makes one of 2.  51 seconds to go and how can you have a confident team
when the refs are killing you?  Tied and time out.

As the commercials come on I am thinking whether I would feel worse if they
lost going away or lost after making such a valiant effort.  I think as a
Celtic fan, I would feel just awful either way.  Screaming, Mike james, Mike
James, did I say he would be the point guard for the rest of the year?  who
knows and who knows?  A 3-pointer who but Max and everybody else had the
same feeling.  Just like the Philly game.  What a sequence, a 3 by Pennie,
and Ricky Davis just hit a 2 from the corner.  It's not about Boston or
Phoenix any more, it's the NBA and about basketball. 2.8 left, Welsch
knocked the ball out, throw in, deflected, it's over.  It's all over.  It's
over.

I am drained and will now hit send.  Enjoy and thank you for looking at my
ponderings.

Richard






Richard Quan

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