Zeroing in on dubious legacy

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Zeroing in on dubious legacy


By Dan Shaughnessy, Globe Columnist, 5/1/2003

f you are the Celtics, you have to hope you win tonight, or even Saturday. Win
either game and the horrors of Game 5 at Conseco Fieldhouse become nothing
more than a footnote.



But... If the Celtics lose two more times, then Tuesday's nightmare in
Indianapolis goes down in infamy. It will simply never be forgotten. It will
take its place in the New England Sports Museum Hall of Shame alongside Bill
Buckner's error and Too Many Men on the Ice.

Think about it. If the Red Sox had come back and won Game 7 of the World
Series back in 1986, then Buckner wouldn't have had to move to Idaho. He'd be
just another ex-batting champ with more career hits than Ted Williams or Joe
DiMaggio. Instead, he's a synonym for Charlie Brown and his stellar career has
been reduced to a stupid video clip - like the ''agony of defeat'' ski jumper
on ''Wide World of Sports.''

Now we have the 2002-03 Celtics. They had a chance to close out a playoff
series but blew a 9-point fourth-quarter lead, then pitched a shutout in
overtime. Incredible.

It truly was amazing to watch. For 3 minutes 53 seconds, it looked as if it
might be a 0-0 overtime. It had the feel of a World Cup soccer game. One point
would represent an insurmountable lead.

Who ever imagined that the NBA could have a sudden-death overtime? That's what
this was.

Finally, Ron Artest made a free throw with 1:07 left in extra innings and that
was the ballgame. Including free throws (two bricks by Antoine Walker), the
Celtics took eight shots at the basket in the extra period and missed 'em
all.

So now the pressure has shifted to the Celtics. Walker and Paul Pierce are two
of the great front-runners in hoop history. When they have it going, no one is
better (remember Byron Scott in the open floor with the Showtime Lakers?). But
now they have to get it done while carrying new weight that comes with
failure.

They were scoreless for the final 7:02 and missed 14 of their last 15 shots.
They failed to finish the job. And if they lose tonight, they'll be carrying a
Steinway baby grand on their backs when they return to Conseco Fieldhouse
Saturday.

Pierce, who had four airballs in Indy, is shooting 36 percent (33-92) in the
series. Coming on the heels of his 36 percent masonry against the Nets last
spring, he needs to step it up. This sounds strange given his Larry Bird-like
heroics earlier in this series, but it's true. He's had a couple of 21-point
quarters, but overall, he's shot poorly. The Celtics are back home tonight and
Pierce has to put the ball in the basket the way he did in the third quarter
of Game 4.

''We had a 9-point lead and we could not put them away,'' Pierce said during
the midnight confessions after the OT doughnut. ''You've got to give them
credit. They were fighting for their lives ... They were desperate. We were
trying to close them out. Offensively we were doing the same stuff we've been
doing all series. There weren't any tricks or anything with what we were
doing. We just couldn't put the ball in the basket.''

Maybe there were no tricks, but it's time Artest got a tip of the cap. He's
been a steady force throughout the series and should start getting some credit
for shutting down Pierce. He's also shown us better manners than Eddie
Haskell, electing to put his Carl Everett instincts on the shelf for the first
five games.

Walter McCarty snapped slightly late Tuesday when a radio doofus rushed him
and asked, ''Walter, who do you think the pressure is on now?''

''Who do you think the pressure is on now?'' answered the ever-polite
forward.

It's on the Celtics.

''No pressure,'' insisted Walker.

Eric Williams added, ''We don't need to get refocused for the next game ...
There is no pressure on us in Game 6. We have the home court and the short
turnaround shouldn't hurt us. This loss won't linger because we can get right
back out there and get after it [tonight].''

This is the attitude they should have. These are the things they should be
saying. But until they beat the Pacers one more time, the overtime doughnut
will hang around their necks. Lose the series and they'll carry that weight a
long time.

Thanks,

Steve
sb@maine.rr.com

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