Re: Don't get the detractors

["Josh Ozersky" <jozersky@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Snoopy,

I think what people mean when say that "athletically superior"
is not that they are better players, but just have greater physical
tools.  "athleticism" in this sense basically is an umbrella term
for vertical leap, quickness, and so on.  Think of Jerome Moiso,
and some of the freak specimens recently imported to the NBA
from exotic lands.  That's all it means.    The bird teams had two
great athletes in DJ and Ainge, and of course all three frontcourt
players had great physical gifts (Bird's hand quickness, Parish's
footspeed, McHale's ridiculous arms) but were generally klutzy
and cumbersome in comparison with the league's sleekest specimens.

Josh
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Snoopy the Celtics Beagle" <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <celtics@xxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2004 4:12 PM
Subject: Re: Don't get the detractors


> Wait a minute, there.  I can't be reading that one right.  Did you just
> state that the current roster of Celtics players are athletically superior
> to the "Bird era" teams???
>
> Because if you did, I have point out that I believe you are wrong.
>
> Let's look at some of the players of the "Bird Era", 1979-80 to 1991-92,
> focusing on the most recognizable names.  I went to www.celticstats.com
for
> the list.
>
> Danny Ainge, Nate Archibald, Dee Brown, Larry Bird, Quinn Buckner, ML
Carr,
> Don Chaney, Dave Cowens, Chris Ford, Kevin Gamble, Gerald Henderson,
Dennis
> Johnson, Reggie Lewis, Pete Maravich, Cedric Maxwell, Kevin McHale, Robert
> Parish, Rick Robey, Brian Shaw, Jerry Sichting, and Bill Walton.
>
> Now, let's look at the roster as it is today:
>
> Chucky Atkins, Vin Baker, Marcus Banks, Mark Blount, Ricky Davis, Brandon
> Hunter, Lindsey Hunter, Jumaine Jones, Raef LaFrentz, Walter McCarty,
Chris
> Mihm, Kendrick Perkins, Paul Pierce, Michael Stewart, and Jiri Welsch.
>
> Of that group, Raef is out for the season, Atkins couldn't even report to
> play because of a biopsy performed in the wake of his physical, Lindsey
> Hunter was put on waivers before the ink dried on the trade
> agreement,  Baker's situation is up in the air until the arbitration is
> complete.
>
> Of those who ARE playing, Banks, Brandon Hunter, and Perkins are all
> rookies.  Welsh has one year to his name.  Chris Mihm can't go more than a
> few minutes without collecting fouls like trading cards, Blount drops any
> pass sent to him faster than 5 mph, Walter's been relegated to three point
> shooting so long he's nearly forgotten how to do anything else,  and no
one
> seems to know what they're doing as a team.
>
> So, I think we've resolved the relative athletic abilities of these
groups.
>
> as to the "Bird era slomo teams" concept, try asking Pat Riley how many
> grey hairs he got when the three slowest guys in NBA history--Larry Bird,
> Robert Parish, and Bill Walton--were running the fast break against the
> Lakers and winning!!
>
> Those teams racked up three consecutive seasons of 60+ wins in the regular
> season.  That means in three consecutive years, the won over 180
> games.  This team won 129 games in the three seasons prior to this one,
> That's an average of 43 wins each season.  Don't gripe about the lockout
> year, because they were losing so badly(35-47), their percentages would
> likely have dropped if it had gone the full 82 games.  RIGHT NOW, they're
> 23-34.
>
> I like our current team, and want very much for them to find a way to
> win.  But there is no way on this earth or any other--unless there's an
> earth out there where the Celtics roster comprises the membership of the
> Justice League--that this group can in any compare with that one.  Only
> Paul Pierce can make any reasonable claim to being in that mix, and his
> recent play has diminished him considerably in that regard.
>
> It just isn't so.
>
> At 02:49 PM 2/22/2004, Dan Forant wrote:
>
> >The detractors have made it political like and just don't like Ainge
because
> >he shipped out Toine's uncoachable butt.. I'm convinced even if in a year
2
> >or 3 we win the Conference they will be naysayers because of the Toine
> >trade. The Boston Press is true to form. They regularly dumped on the
Bird
> >era slomo basketball yet we won't 3 titles from a superior athletic team.
> >
> >DanF
>
> Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
> Please visit the <http://www.celticsbeagle.net/>Celtics Beagle Website