Bayou blues for Green: C's fall to Hornets, 97-90

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bayou blues for Green: C's fall to Hornets, 97-90
By Steve Bulpett
Sunday, November 2, 2003

NEW ORLEANS - The Celtics didn't get the big and difficult win they sought in
the Big Easy last night. But they did set a few things straight - mainly that
they will be giving nothing away in this season of change and development.

     The Celtics stood up well on the second night of a road back-to-back, but
they were perhaps a pit stop or two short of completing the journey. The
needle hit ``E'' in the last quarter of a 97-90 loss to the rested and ready
Hornets.

     Paul Pierce [news] went the final 36 minutes, and with rookie point guard
Marcus Banks [news] getting some hard lessons, coach Jim O'Brien went with
Mike James [news] for the entire second half.

     ``I went with veterans in the second half. I mean, that's what it came
down to,'' said O'Brien, who added that he took no pleasure from the fact the
Celts hung in without injured Eric Williams and Jumaine Jones and with Kedrick
Brown [news] and Raef LaFrentz dealing with foul issues. ``I thought we had a
chance to win back-to-back games and I thought Mike could give us the best
chance of doing it.''

     But here in the middle of a holiday weekend (just asking, but isn't
Halloween in New Orleans redundant?) maybe nothing was going to get in the way
of Baron Davis, who went for 37 points, seven assists and five steals. Davis
bagged six of his seven treys.

     ``He hit some big shots with hands in his face,'' James said after the
C's first loss of the season. ``Guys played good defense on him, but he just
got into a rhythm and then he started hitting some big baskets.''

     Added Davis, who tossed in a couple of shots on his pal Pierce: ``They
backed off and I was feeling it. I was in a good groove, and there was no way
I was going to turn down any shots tonight.''

     Pierce led the C's with 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, but Vin
Baker came a step back to earth with eight points and five boards in 30
minutes.

     When Tony Battie hit a jumper with 1:09 left in the third quarter, the
Celts had a 79-76 lead and a pretty good voice in the debate. But more than
six minutes later, the visitors' side of the scoreboard was still asleep.

     Not until James took a pass from Pierce and stuck a trey at 6:57 did the
C's offer substantive response to the Hornets uprising. In the scoreless
interim were seven missed shots and five turnovers.

     Only through the grace of New Orleans hospitality did the Celts stay with
seven points during the stretch. So the C's were right back in it when Mark
Blount hit a transition jumper and Pierce drove for a fast-break three-point
play to follow James' bucket.

     The C's were within four entering the last minute when P.J. Brown hit two
free throws. Blount and Davis traded single makes from the line. The Celts
then turned the ball over on the inbounds with 30 seconds left to essentially
end it.

     ``They really got up in our face and pressured us and made it difficult
for us to really get into our offense,'' Pierce said. ``We definitely competed
and had our shots. It's just the little things that are hurting us right now -
especially in the crucial parts of the ballgames. But we're still a young team
and we're still learning from our mistakes. For the most part we gave
ourselves a chance, and that's the most you can expect on back-to-back nights
on the road.''
Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx