Hornets' dominance on boards sinks Green

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hornets' dominance on boards sinks Green
By Michael Gee
Thursday, November 20, 2003

Reebok CEO Paul Fireman's rallying cry fell on deaf ears.

     Seated at courtside for Boston's 81-73 loss to the New Orleans Hornets
last night, Fireman declared: ``I think the Celtics are on the rebound.''

     If only the team heard the shoe mogul. The Celts had nothing to do with
the word ``rebound'' for 48 minutes, the primary reason for the sloppy, dismal
loss.

     The home team was murdered on the boards by a 66-41 margin. That's bad.
The Celts lost the battle on the offensive glass, 24-8.

     Thanks to those disparities, the Hornets had 22 second-chance points to
the Celts' six. That's humiliating, or at least it was for C's coach Jim
O'Brien.

     ``Did someone say, `I'm too old to cry and it hurts too much to laugh?'
'' O'Brien said. ``Clearly the glass is a major problem for us.''

     The Celtics were pushed around at will by a wider-bodied Hornets
frontcourt. In a game with 90 missed field goals, no Celtics player had more
than Tony Battie's seven rebounds. Vin Baker had only five in 36 minutes.
Center Mark Blount, a 7-footer no less, got none.

     Meanwhile, Hornets forward P.J. Brown had a season-high 16 rebounds and a
career-high nine offensive caroms. Jamaal Magloire added 12 total rebounds.
The Celtics' play allowed New Orleans to overcome its own offensive ineptitude
(36 percent shooting, 22 turnovers).

     ``It was all about rebounding the offensive board tonight and rebounding
the defensive board,'' Hornets coach Tim Floyd said. ``Every shot was a
struggle.''

     Every struggle was one the Celtics lost. O'Brien blamed New Orleans'
physiques.

     ``It's a physical size problem,'' O'Brien said. ``They're bigger and
stronger than every one of our guys.''

     That's true to a point, but technique is supposed to counter muscle.
That's why refs have whistles.

     Celtics forward Eric Williams (four rebounds in 27 minutes) said the
Hornets offense created rebounds the Celts couldn't reach.

     ``We fought in the low post and they shot a lot of 3's,'' Williams said.
``We got big guys standing down there and then they take the three and they
automatically have inside position for the offensive rebound.''

     O'Brien wasn't buying.

     ``The ones that stick in my craw the most are long rebounds,'' O'Brien
said. ``I mean, that belongs to everybody. Perimeter guys got to be in
position to rebound and we were not.''
Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx