Good win

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The Celts answered the bell last night. I thought they played hard
consistently throughout the game and were mentally and physically tough on
the defensive end. This is as close as we've seen to last-season's style of
play since the strong start.

Things weren't perfect, of course. The offense still looks out of synch.
Pierce and Walker look like they're playing in quicksand. Delk makes getting
the ball over halfcourt an adventure. Baker didn't play... did he? On the
positive side offensively, they made a concerted effort to attack the
basket. They didn't always do it smartly, but at least they were doing it.
It's strange... as much as Obie goes on and on about loving the 3-pointer
and encouraging everyone to take it, whenever they really need a win, he
seems to direct them to attack the basket. Why not more consistently?

But the offense is secondary (frustrating, but still secondary). You want to
judge this team? Look at the defensive end. They made it very difficult for
the Hornets (admittedly, playing without Baron Davis). It was an ugly game,
but I felt all along that the Celts were in their tough-minded mode. In a
lot of ways, this was a must-win. They didn't want to lose this one, then
head to Texas for the final three games on the trip. Now, if they get just
one win in Texas, the trip is a rousing success. Even if they lose the next
three, it's not disastrous.

Anyway, great win. It's not going to be pretty this season. They just don't
have enough depth or any semblance of a good offense (or the players
necessary to run a good offense) to play pretty basketball. The wins are
going to be scratch, claw, defend and hustle wins. I just hope they can keep
it up with such a thin rotation and the real grind of the season just
starting.

Mark

P.S. Mikki Moore is a real stringbean. Just what we needed...