Re: [Celtics' Stuff ] Once again boy wonder doesn't come through...

[JB <jimmetz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Nov 19, 2003, at 5:36 AM, pscottman99 wrote:

> That was exactly my point on WHY it is both the player and the
> coaches' fault for the loss the other night. No creativity, no
> willingness to get the entire team involved in an offense in the
> fourth quarter, and no attempt by the player to do the same. And if
> two plays is all they can remember then we're in a lot more trouble
> then just losing to the Knicks.
>
>  PScottman
>  *****************

	There were a couple of quotes, this AM, from O'Brien, that seem to
shed some light on this situation. here's the first and some stats and
commentary from Shira Springer:


{"The flow of our offense is never better than when Jiri is in the
basketball game," said O'Brien. "He has a great way of reading screens,
of hitting the open guy, if he doesn't have a look. The offense just
clicks."

O'Brien is still figuring out ways to give Welsch more minutes.
Currently, he gets four minutes here, two minutes there, usually while
Paul Pierce rests.

Against the Knicks Monday night, Welsch made the most of his minutes,
taking the court with 2 minutes 44 seconds left in the first quarter
and helping Boston stage a 10-0 run. He also was on the court when the
Celtics stretched their lead to 16 points early in the second, then to
a game-high 17 shortly before halftime.-Shira Springer}


	We can only wonder why, if O'Brien was so enamored, even gushing about
how well he team plays when Jiri is on the floor,  he did not get him
into the game for some minutes in the second half. Hopefully he will
see him leading the offense in key situations, from now on.
	Next, from another Springer column, there is the knee jerk and oft
repeated:

  {"Certainly, he wants the basketball in his hands when the game is on
the line. And I want the ball in his hands when the game is on the
line."
"He's going to be our first option, and Vin [Baker] would be our second
option whenever the game is on the line. The other team knows that, and
our team knows that."-Springer}

	O'Brien seems to get it. His praise of Welsh, re; his impact on our
offensive flow, is so gushing and full of detail, that is clear. Now
his job would seem to be to convince Paul that the old way is not the
right way and then how to merge Pierce and his considerable talent into
a flow, directed by a point guard.
	There was a quite cryptic reference to Pierce, from that second
Springer column and below that from Mark Murphy of the Herald: :

{"I don't think there's much pressure on him individually," said
O'Brien. "I would be surprised if he felt there was any more pressure.
There's a certain pressure that every team in the NBA has. And our team
feels it. You want to play every phase of the game."-Springer}

    {``I'd like to see us understand offensive flow,'' O'Brien said.
``I make no bones about the fact that how our defense goes, so goes our
offense.
  ``I think Paul can average 25 points per game, but just as important
for us is how he defends, and how he rebounds.''
  Which is to say that right now, with all of the responsibilities now
piled on Pierce's plate, there's not much room for error.
 Especially when Pierce tries to make up for the overload by trying to
do too much.
 ``Certainly he wants the ball when the game is on the line, and I want
that, too,'' O'Brien said. ``He has to score at key times for us to
win. And when we get into a halfcourt game, it's not in our best
interests.'' -Murphy}

	Now, O'Brien; saying in one set of quotes, that Paul has to; "...play
every phase of the game,"  then, in the next; "...just as important for
us is how he defends, and how he rebounds,''  we see the first attempts
by the coach, to stress the motion offense and suggest, subtly, that
Paul has to adapt and when the shot isn't falling, or he is overwhelmed
by defensive pressure, that he has to focus on other aspects of his
game, much like Larry Bird did, on those nights when he was cold, or
when someone quicker, like nemesis Michael Cooper was covering him like
Spandex.

	JB
Unchain My Heart!