Celtics will be looking to draw from crowd

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Celtics will be looking to draw from crowd


By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 5/9/2003

egardless of Byron Scott's opinion of ''hostile,'' ''crazy,'' ''cruel,'' and
''abusive'' Boston fans, the Celtics hope a raucous FleetCenter crowd will
play a factor in Games 3 and 4 of their best-of-seven series against the Nets.



The Celtics, who dropped the first two games of the series in New Jersey, have
been perfect at The Jungle this postseason, clinching their first-round series
against the Pacers at the FleetCenter in six games. New Jersey has not been
dominating on the road this year, compiling a 16-25 regular-season record.

But the Celtics know better than to look for outside help tonight in Game 3 (8
o'clock). They tried to complete a fourth-quarter comeback in Game 2, but were
hurt by poor perimeter shooting. And misses from 3-point range hurt their
chance for a similar late-game rally in Game 1. Antoine Walker blamed himself,
but everyone in the eight-man rotation could do well with some introspection.

There has been only one quarter in which the Celtics have succeeded in
following coach Jim O'Brien's game plan -- the first quarter of Game 2. They
have fallen short particularly in the phases of the game on which O'Brien
placed special emphasis. Boston has been outscored on the break, 46-12, and
committed 36 turnovers. And twice it has faced double-digit deficits in the
second half.

''You can't get down,'' said Paul Pierce, who did everything he could in Game
2 with his first career playoff triple-double (32 points, 10 rebounds, 11
assists). ''Everybody knows that. They're a great team. You can't get down,
especially in the playoffs. We're kicking ourselves in the butt by getting
down so many points.

''You expend so much energy getting back into the ballgame and, at times, it
sometimes wears you down. But this ball club is determined. I don't think
fatigue is ever going to be a factor with us. We have a lot of guys who play
with a lot of heart and don't worry about getting tired. If we're out there,
we're going to finish the game. Regardless of if we're down 16 or 20.''
O'Brien gave the Celtics yesterday off to rest and reflect. Pierce (mildly
sprained right ankle) will be ready, as he did not have the ankle wrapped for
the flight home Wednesday. Walker will review film so he can play better
against Kenyon Martin. Given the way the Celtics faltered in Game 2, they
could use the rest.

With the pressure mounting, Boston must get another strong performance from
Pierce, plus a much better effort from Walker and continued scoring from Tony
Delk and Walter McCarty. While one of the Celtics' two All-Stars has faltered,
the Nets have found additional support from role players Aaron Williams,
Lucious Harris, and Jason Collins. In Game 1, Williams set a career-playoff
high with nine rebounds. In Game 2, Harris recorded a career-playoff high with
six assists and Collins also set a career-playoff high with three steals.

''We've just got to concentrate and make sure we don't try to force
anything,'' said McCarty, referring to the Celtics' 21 turnovers in Game 2.
''We've got to take our time and take it possession by possession. We got back
in [Game 2] and I think we were a little bit too anxious to make big plays and
get ahead. We shot ourselves in the foot by doing that.'' The Celtics believe
the FleetCenter crowd will replace anxiousness with energy, giving them just
the lift they need.

''We've got to move on,'' said Mark Blount. ''We've got to go to our house and
take care of business. That's first and foremost. Then, we will worry about
other things. [The home crowd] makes a lot of shots go in. They do a great job
being the sixth man. So, we need them loud on [the Nets'] back and helping us
get ready.''

Thanks,

Steve
sb@maine.rr.com

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