OB has his "head in the sand".

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

CELTICS NOTEBOOK

Pieces finally fitting


By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 5/3/2003

or the first time since Vin Baker was suspended Feb. 27, coach Jim O'Brien
publicly mentioned the center yesterday. For all intents and purposes, Baker
has been a forgotten man. But O'Brien briefly mentioned Baker when asked if
Boston ''had to do more with less'' given, in part, Baker's absence.



''You can look at it a number of ways,'' said O'Brien. ''Vin left us really so
long ago at this point in time from an NBA season standpoint, that our guys
have been able to adapt to not having him on the club. We were very, very
fortunate to get Mark Blount in a trade to shore up our center position,
especially since Tony Battie has been banged up most of the year.

''Somebody said to me that we're pretty much operating on a $41 million player
budget this year and that we're getting the most out of the guys, and I
believe we are. It might be one of the reasons why we're just hitting our
stride right now because in January and February we added four players [ Grant
Long, Blount, Mark Bryant, and Bimbo Coles]. In order to get them acclimated
into what you're trying to do, it takes some time.

''Right now, there's a good argument for the fact that we might be playing the
best basketball of the year. It might simply be because of the turnover and
adding players.''

Memory serves

To put it politely, the FleetCenter was not exactly a fun place for Jason
Kidd, his wife, Joumana, or his young son, T.J., during last year's Eastern
Conference finals. The Nets' All-Star point guard was taunted with chants of
''Wife Beater'' and his wife was harassed by fans. But the Nets had their fun
when they celebrated their clinching victory on the parquet in Game 6. So what
does this mean for the growing rivalry between the teams?

''I think our guys remember mostly everything that was said, especially by the
fans,'' said Nets coach Byron Scott. ''We know we're going into a very hostile
environment for Games 3 and 4. There's obviously no love lost there. Listening
to our guys talk about it the other day, they had smiles on their faces. I
think they're looking forward to it. They're looking forward to the challenge
of playing in Boston, playing against a hostile environment.

''I think [the rivalry] is pretty much there. Both teams have a certain
dislike for one another.''

''If there's a dislike, I don't think it's like a bad dislike,'' said O'Brien.
''I think there's a respect. I think the longer you play against a group in
the playoffs, the longer the series goes, there's a natural animosity from the
standpoint of familiarity breeds contempt. I don't think it's any big deal.
I've seen rivalries where there was true animosity. You think back to the
Knicks and Miami. They really disliked each other. I don't really necessarily
see that. If it's there, then I have my head in the sand.''

The Nets had better be prepared for more of the same at the FleetCenter, at
least when it comes to passionate fans. Games D and E, the next two contests
at the FleetCenter, sold out yesterday in 1 hour 15 minutes. As of last night,
the Nets had yet to sell out Continental Airlines Arena for Game 1 of the
second round.

Thanks,

Steve
sb@maine.rr.com

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