Combinations are not yet a lock

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Combinations are not yet a lock
By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 10/13/2003

The Celtics have reached that point in the preseason when tired legs limit
effective practice time.

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With that in mind, coach Jim O'Brien canceled yesterday's workout. He did so
despite the fact that Boston has lost all three of its exhibition games and
still needs to install offensive plays. He did so despite the fact that "[we
missed] enough layups for the whole year in the first three games."

The Celtics resume practice today looking for greater cohesiveness on the
court. Games against Detroit, Chicago, and Indiana have been marked by
seemingly endless combinations of players taking the floor.

With five new players (Marcus Banks, Brandon Hunter, Mike James, Jumaine
Jones, and Kendrick Perkins) and three noticeably improved players (Vin Baker,
Mark Blount, and Kedrick Brown), O'Brien and his staff enjoy a wealth of
possibilities. Unfortunately, that has translated into a shortage of
chemistry. And in the NBA version of trickle-down economics, that means
inconsistent play on both ends.

"[O'Brien] is just throwing guys out there right now to see what lineups work
the best," said Paul Pierce. "When you do that, it's hard for different guys
to get in a certain rhythm. He's playing pretty much everybody. And everybody
is trying to get a feel for one another right now and that's going to take
time. We realize that.

"It's only our third preseason game. We're looking at different lineups and
it's kind of in the experimental phase right now. Of course, I don't want to
lose, but it's a learning process also. I guess the most important thing is
what you do on Oct. 29 [opening night]."

The purpose behind the combinations is to find out who works well with Pierce
and Antoine Walker and who can sustain momentum without the cocaptains on the
floor. It's too early to tell who will join Walker and Pierce in the starting
lineup, but Brown has made several impressive statements at small forward and
Blount continues to draw high praise from O'Brien.

The same cannot be said about the team's offense. Still, there was slight
statistical improvement from Friday night's game against the Bulls to Saturday
night's against the Pacers.

The Celtics shot 32.4 percent at the United Center, then 39.5 percent at
Conseco Fieldhouse. But, arguably most important to O'Brien, Boston committed
19 turnovers vs. Indiana after recording 30 in Chicago. Every player who saw
action against the Pacers scored at least 3 points. Not great, but not bad for
a team that has yet to work on its plays.

"Right now, we're not shooting the ball particularly well," said Walker. "We
don't have our legs up under us the way we need to. We're missing a lot of
open shots, layups. I'm one of the main culprits. But [I can tell] we're going
to be a much better fast-break team. I like the way we're getting the ball
out, getting easy-opportunity baskets. But right now, we're really sloppy.

"It's hard to gauge [where we are] because we're trying a lot of different
lineups, a lot of different things. Hopefully, the last two or three games it
will come together. We haven't even put any plays in yet, so it's tough to
gauge where we are at offensively. Defensively, we've got some minor mistakes.
But we've got the scheme down pretty much so we can be pretty good."

In Indiana, the Celtics came back from a 21-point deficit and made it a
one-possession game in the closing minutes. Between now and opening night,
Boston hopes it has ample practice time left to become the up-tempo team the
coaching staff envisions, and the strong defensive squad O'Brien demands.

"We're just going to drill it," said Blount. "Coach O'Brien said, `We're going
to drill it until it comes out of our ears.'

Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx

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