From: JB <jimmetz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: Celticsstuffgroup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: Celticsstuffgroup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
CC: Celtics List <Celtics@xxxxxxxx>, Lance Jacobson <lancejacob@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Celtics' Stuff ] "The Paul Pierce show was killing the offense. "-DJessen
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2003 07:44:58 -0500
On Nov 18, 2003, at 1:14 AM, ojai_ramos wrote:
************Awful. When it all started slipping away I actually felt physically ill. How many lost games can we directly attribute to PP not playing well? Awful.
Ojai
I wouldn't mind if he was not "playing well." What I do mind, is a ball hog, looking for personal stats/glory, at the expense of losing games.
I don't like it from Iverson, I didn't like it from Walker and I don't like it from Pierce. If you are on the way to a 6-20 night, in a season of poor shooting performances, you don't look to keep on chucking in a close contest like last night.
Perhaps the worst aspect of Paul's performance last night were his quotes in the paper this AM:
``That's a tough loss to swallow,'' said Pierce, who had just six of his 17 points in the second half. ``We let them jump over us, get offensive rebounds, get second and third opportunities, and it cost us the game. We didn't come out with the same hunger like we did in the first half.'' -Steve Bulpet
"That's a tough loss to swallow," said Pierce. "I told [my teammates] this is a team that could easily be a .500 team. They've lost a lot of close ballgames. They're not going to lay down. They're going to get in and fight in the third quarter. We let them jump all over us [in the second half], get offensive rebounds, get second and third opportunities, and it cost us the game. We didn't come out with the same hunger in the second half that we had in the first half." -Shira Springer
Is that the sign of a leader?
Whey your team is down by twenty, I can see letting a Pierce just try to go off and lead a comeback, but on a night when so many other sources of offense were clicking, it's a shame to let everything break down and watch the lead fritter away.
JB *********************
The Paul Pierce show was killing the offense. Tell-tale sign that the Paul Pierce show was about to commence was Banks taking a shot with about 7 seconds left on the clock after playing a great game and previously constanstly forcing the Knicks to get back on defense. On the other end, PP gets the rebound, looks toward Banks who is clapping his hands together to receive the ball and ram it up the court, but PP blows him off, brings it up himself and the PP show is on. Repeated forces, two guys draped all-over him, it didn't matter. It would have been great theater but PP wasn't hitting anything. The thing was that Obie also took out Banks after that play. It was like he was confirming that the PP show was to commence. Paul never looked to pass when he came back in the fourth quarter. He was trying to do it all himself. He was horrible. He has got a lot to learn (or unlearn) about playing the passing game....
Otherwise, nice growth game for all up-and-comers: Baker, Welch and Banks.....
I like the combination of Banks, Kedrick and Welch together....
Battie came down to earth. Celtics should not continue to look to as an offensive weapon, nor should he......
I would prefer that the Cs win but this game was a good growth spurt for the long term.....
DJessen33 ___________
I don't know DJ, I'm starting to worry about divisiveness and anger towards Pierce, from the soldiers that are used to picking up the pieces for him, while letting him get all the credit.
Any role player, or sideman, as they say in the music business is often happy letting the front man take the attention and the glory, but only when they are winning/making money. When they are losing/fading and the the aging crooner starts blaming the drummer and/or the bassist for the sagging ticket sales, the situation often goes downhill from there.
Not wanting to become like the proverbial general, who looks behind him, in battle and realizes his troops have gone on bivouac, Paul had better start to take his captaincy seriously and work long, extra hours, on his shooting and also sincerely finding a way to fit into the offense, rather than insist that it "run through him," whenever he has the whim.
JB
**************
How much longer is the enabling going to continue where every loss is always O'Brien's fault and never the fault of any player(s)?
CeltsSteve
________
There was much good ball movement and easy lay ups when Pierce was on the bench. If Pierce doesn't have the sense to play within the offense in those situations, than O'Brien has to pull him. I'll blame them both, for sabotaging the concept of team play and movement offense.
I also wonder, with Banks and Welsch playing well, why we had to watch Mike James shoot 1-9 from three point land? You can't blame Paul for that can you?
JB
Unchain My Heart!