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Re: Utah game

"Only Miami would qualify as a cupcake in that lineup."

I would say that after getting manhandled by Denver, the C's cannot look at anyone as a cupcake.







From: "Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>
To: "'celtics@igtc.com'" <celtics@igtc.com>
Subject: Utah game
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 09:53:39 -0500

The Utah game was a good sign. The defensive effort was the best we've seen
in weeks. The offense is what it is, but if they play defense like they did
last night, they'll be OK. They lost to a good team on its home floor, and
one that is patient enough to handle the C's attack defense late in the
game. On the other end, the Celts didn't have the offensive patience to keep
up (surprise, surprise). But against most teams, the increased defensive
intensity will be enough.

They very easily could win the next four games-Golden State, Cleveland, at
Cleveland and Miami. That doesn't mean all the problems are solved, but it
at least stops the bleeding. Of course, after that it gets really tough.
Washington twice, Philadelphia, Orlando, Miami and Detroit. Only Miami would
qualify as a cupcake in that lineup.

The one concern in the wake of last night's game is the team's state of
mind. Will they take the result as an encouraging step in the right
direction, or will they look at it as wasted effort and not put out the same
kind of energy tomorrow?

I'm too lazy to look at the numbers, but is Grant Long that much better on
the boards than Walter? I don't sense it watching the games. That's the
reason Obie gave for Long taking Walter's minutes in the rotation. I think
the increased team-wide energy during Walter's extended stint last night
might be more than just a coincidence. The team played its best ball of the
season when Walter was getting more minutes-think back to the earlier West
Coast trip. Just seems strange.

I don't know if Bremer is regressing or if Obie is ruining him, but he's now
become Tony Delk and Shammond Williams-if he's on from the perimeter, he's
effective. If his shots aren't falling, he's not. He's no longer the
aggressive, penetrating point guard we saw earlier this season. What a
shame, and what a waste. With his strength and the fact he's left-handed, he
could be deadly attacking that side of the basket on penetration.

Did you all read the mock drafts Ray posted yesterday? And the comments
about T.J. Ford? I'm driving the T.J. Bandwagon now. It's so rare that you
see a player who would so perfectly fit a team and solve so many of its
problems (if he were allowed to do so-a big if with Obie coaching). Here's
one exciting blurb from Heisler's draft:

7. T.J. Ford, 5-10, 165, sophomore, Texas. Mind-blower. The pros scorn
tiny point guards who can't shoot but flat-out, to a man, love him.
Think of a playmaker version of Allen Iverson. Says a general manager:
"There are very few personalities who impact winning and losing like
T.J."

I'll take two, please. Really, isn't this what we desperately need? Package
the picks with Kedrick (or EWill, whoever... ) and move up for this guy.
Then give him the ball, scrap the long-ball offense, add some motion and
watch T.J. create for Pierce and Walker, the finishers. Leave the spot-up
shooting to Delk. Of course, they won't do that. They'll draft Reece Gaines
and add him to the bomb squad. Or they'll draft some other stiff. If the BDT
is still calling the shots, that's a given. How depressing.

Anyway, did anyone watch Ford against Purdue Sunday? He had about 20 points,
9 rebounds and 8 assists. Strange as it sounds, those nine rebounds tell me
a lot. Certain guys just have a nose for the ball, and those guys are the
ones who make it. That's why I don't worry about Ford's size (5-11). Kidd
has that kind of nose for the ball. It's an instinct. The good ones have it.
Watch Texas this week.

Mark

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