[no subject]

I think Carroll deserves some credit here.  He blew the game wide open by using a fast lineup at the right time on a team that relies too much on very few players.  Ricky, Walter, Blount, Chucky, Pierce:  Lightning if you add Chucky's passes.  They are contagious and make everybody faster.  If you look hard enough the Celts have a diverse arsenal.  He could have even put in Banks on the wing (not as pt. Guard).  He could create some havoc.  I would love to see that sometime just for kicks.  What's the fastest 2 seconds in the NBA?  "Blount rebounds, outlet to Chucky, Ricky on the wing..."

As for Carroll, why do I think of Napoleon when I see him?  I think it's his hair.  It looks like Napoleon's hat.  He also straightens his neck as if looking out over his troops.  

As for who is playing when, much too much is being made of who starts. That's the kind of stuff the writers love because down deep they are all soap opera junkies.  They love rifts between players.  Right now the Celts have 9 guys that deserve minutes.  There are 2 more on the waiting list who should improve with playing time and an organized offense (Jumaine and Stewart).  Ricky and Jiri will get their minutes and competition is good.

On Brandon Hunter, his biggest contribution is that he created a brotherhood of the big men on the team.  They are no longer patsies.  He has lit a fire under Blount by example, by clearing out room for him and by protecting him.  Same goes for Mihms.  He is looser, not timid and not afraid to make mistakes, and they really pull for one another now.  Even the refs can't break this up with the cheap calls on Mihms.  You can't isolate them and keep them apart anymore; that goes for the opponents and for the critics.  There is a whole new body language and swagger among this fraternity of big men and I like it.

I'm enjoying the wins.  May they continue against the so-called better teams.  Many of our players have a lot to prove.  They are professionals who have a lot of pride.  They always play very hard, though sometimes without direction.  Maybe they don't all wear #56 but watch out if they get the mentality that goes along with that number.

Jorge