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Vin Baker looks to score.
(Staff photo by Matt Stone)
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Results change grand plan
By Steve Bulpett/The NBA
Thursday, October 23, 2003
I came into this assignment preparing to be the voice of reason (hey, no
laughing back there). I expected the Celtics to come out two days removed from
a roster-rocking trade and get their shamrocks handed to them by the
Timberwolves.
I would then step in and calmly point out that there are miles to
go before this team can expect to jell following the dealing of Antoine Walker
[news]. I was ready to toss out the fact the Celts were doused by 28 at
Detroit a mere seven days prior when they had both their All-Stars.
Surely Kevin Garnett would bounce around Vin Baker and cruise past
new guy Raef LaFrentz as the Celtics tried to stay out of their own way,
right. The fans would wave their Antoine Walker signs and say nasty things to
Danny Ainge when he walked from his courtside seat at game's end.
But several scans of the limited crowd revealed no signs lamenting
the deal (and, by the way, all pictures containing Walker in the many lining
the inner hallway to the Celtics dressing room had been replaced). The closest
thing to a discouraging word was late in the first quarter when LaFrentz
missed a jumper and someone shouted, ``I want Antoine back.'' But he and those
within earshot all laughed at the suggestion.
The Celtics were in the process of moving the ball better than they
had all preseason and leading the Wolves by as many as 28 on the way to a
96-80 victory. Not wanting to waste an idea - they come so rarely - I figured
I could salvage the theme with a slight alteration: Don't be expecting things
to go this well all the time because there is still much shuffling to be done
with the rotation.
Then Walter McCarty [news] poured cold water on that plan, too.
``Why can't we expect this every night?'' he asked. ``We should be
able to come out every night and pass the ball well and play at a high energy
on defense. I mean, that's just hard work and being unselfish. There's nothing
hard about doing that.''
Absolutely, this is still the preseason, and there's no telling how
much differently the Timberwolves would have come at the Celtics if this truly
counted, but Minnesota coach Flip Saunders was duly impressed with his
opponent under the circumstances.
``They're coming right off a trade, but they looked good,'' he
said. ``They did some of the things they always do - good weakside defense -
and they have Paul (Pierce), who can really score.''
And the ball movement?
``That was there more because they didn't have Antoine,'' Saunders
said. ``You know, Antoine has a tendency to hold the ball more. And you know
how it is when there's a trade. It's an opportunity for other guys to show
that, hey, we weren't a one- or two-man team.
``I think you'll see a lot more ball movement. I think they'll be
much more diversified. They won't be as predictable.''
Ainge thinks so, too. He just didn't think he'd see it this soon.
``I was excited about tonight,'' he said. ``I mean, you always
worry that your team might not play that good the first time out after a
trade. So I guess it was better than I even expected in the first game.''
Pierce came in expecting a lot from himself (he would have liked a
triple-double) before going for 14 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in
30 minutes.
``I think we have a lot of unselfish guys on this team,'' he said.
``A lot of people are saying that now that Antoine's gone that I'm going to
have to go out and score 40 points or 50 points a night, but I don't think so
at all. I think we have a talented group of guys that are really going to have
an opportunity, and I think I can go out there and be more unselfish with my
game and really open things up.''
That could mess up even more plans. We're not looking at 55 wins or
anything, but Ainge may have to rework that idea of taking a step back to move
forward.
Thanks,
Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx
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