Go Celts!

["hironaka@xxxxxxxxx"<hironaka@xxxxxxxxx>]

Its basically going to be the Milwaukee Bucks versus 
Hickory HS, Indiana, tonight. It should be fun for a 
change to root for an underdog/lotto team.

The ball still has to rotate around a lot, and all the 
role guys (Eric, Kedrick, Walter etc.) have to be on with 
their top-of-the-key and corner threes. We could use 
another 25 assists, to have a chance at the upset. 

I agree with everyone that Vin Baker has to be a kick-out 
machine, and thus much more integrated into the offence 
by his pals Bremer and Shammond. Our superstar, Paul 
Pierce, also has to set the tone by setting up 
teammates...then later deliver the whammy when it counts.

There is a perception that all of us bash on Paul Pierce 
for trying to do it all by himself in the 4Qs (at the 
expense of ball movement and team play). 

But I'm sure I'm not the only one who has watched 
basketball long enough as a fan to know what 4Qs actually 
look like. Without Paul Pierce doing more or less 
precisely what he is doing, the Boston Celtics would be 
toast this year.

You've got teams out there like Sacto spot-up shooting 
and whipping slick behind the back passes all night long 
like the Harlem Globetrotters, but then when the last 
three minutes roll around against the Lakers it always 
becomes a game of "hot potato" as no one (except "Mini 
Me") asks for the ball, or wants to dribble it.

Meanwhile, a guy like Kobe (no matter what he's done all 
game) will suddenly improvise, slash for fouls, get the 
other team over the limit, kick out to the open guys. 

Fans on the Celtics e-list blame Paul for bottlenecking 
our 4Q offense. Fine, to an extent that's always true.

But my point is that by far the main thing is that 
defenses are different in the late 4Q and in the 
playoffs. In every game you channel surf through, its 
exactly the same situation. You know it, and I know it.

NBA teams can't keep playing like its still the middle 
quarters. Someone has to step up and break the mold. 
Someone has to not be afraid to fail. 

If Paul (and Antoine) left it up to others in the 4Q, the 
opposing teams superstars would step up and take those 
games from us. It used to happen all the time. 

On a much lower scale, we'd be like the Sacramento team 
without Mini Me...except that Boston's spot-up shooters 
are truly lousy compared to what they have. (BTW, I 
wonder if the bench-warming Turkoglu is available?)

Setting all of the above aside, it is also patently 
obvious this year that Paul Pierce (his 40% accuracy on 
treys a thing of the past) has won more games for Boston 
in the 4Q than other superstars are doing for their teams.

Do you think Boston is a truly great team when you break 
it down to individual talent? Or do we just seem to have 
a lot of guts and pride? Yesterday, the Globe or Herald 
called the Philly game the second biggest 2nd half 
comeback of the season. I must be losing my memory (what 
was the first?) but that's the kind of team we have.

But what's impressive about the Philly and Milwaukee wins 
is not that we came back from (or nearly blew) monster 
leads.

Its that Philly was STILL up 95-91 with a minute and a 
half left or whatever. They had it back under control. 
Milwaukee (or was it Indiana?) had built back a 5-point 
cushion late in the game. 

But that's always (ALWAYS)when the "real" 4Q starts, and 
that's when Boston's stars stepped up and won, instead of 
quitting with frankly all the excuses in the world.

Everyone in the house knows exactly who on Boston is 
going to get the ball. Call it a breakdown in team 
concepts. You can even (idiotically) call it "selfish". 
Yet that is at the root of what creates shots and winning 
opportunities for the Celtics. 

Our crunchtime guys have been DANGEROUS. In Boston, we 
are NOT talking about Doug Christie and Chris Webber type 
personalities. Paul Pierce may not be a great dribbler 
like Kobe, or a good much less great outside shooter this 
season. But he is a 6-foot-and-7-inch freaking Mini Me. 
Sure he needs to trust his teammates. In fact, I'm 
probably giving Bibby too much credit.

With good reason, I feel very comfortable when the ball 
is in Paul's hands in the late 4Q, in the same way 
Antoine Walker always hands the ball off to Paul late in 
the game. No one is forcing Walker to do that, that's for 
sure.

Joe H.



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