One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer

[Patrick.Ryan at westover.af.mil]

So there I am, thinking happy thoughts again watching last night's press
conference and I realized that I don't know if I could have come up with
three more complimentary players then Pierce, Garnett, and Allen except
maybe if you'd replaced Garnett with Duncan. As I've said before, you
have one of the primo slasher/take it to the hoop players in Pierce, a
HOF big who does all five tools well, and one of the purest shooters
(both from distance and mid-range) in the game. It's an offensive
coach's dream. 

 

Now I've been down on Pierce's defense before - and my biggest beef is
not that he can't play it, but that he doesn't. Harkin back to his very
first game against LeBron - he wanted to make a statement and on that
night played the best man-on-man defense I've ever seen him play -
blocking a couple shots, forcing him left, etc, etc.  I understand the
why he didn't do it night after night - he had to shoulder the offensive
load and rebound which took him away from his man - and with a pounding
style to boot, but now - with the offense easily diversified by having
Allen and Garnett - if Pierce were to play that defense EVERY night and
not have to rebound as much...I think the skies the limit - he could BE
that wing defender we keep talking about. 

 

That's my hope. Above the running, and backup PG, and everything else we
still do very much need - if there is some way to convince Pierce that
his role is to be the best two-way player on the team (well, Garnett
pretty much has that sewn up...2nd best?) and shut down the prolific
Eastern scorers on the defensive end THEN I think we have every chance
in the world of being an unbelievable team instead of just a great one.