Polish sausage. Ditka. Da Bulls

There they go again. A young team playing tough, hard nosed basketball. The Bulls are on a six game winning streak and have overtaken the Cavs in their division. They remain 4.5 games back of Detroit and a potential 2 seed. This most recent win streak has been manufactured with Kirk Hinrich missing all the games and Luol Deng popping in and out of them with injuries. Stepping up big time have been Pargo, Duhon, and Noccioni. Tyson Chandler continues to excel in his defensive stopper/rebounding role and Eddie Curry is still providing the low post punch in the offensive sets. This team plays so well together and plays such nice offensive sets that losing Hinrich hasn't killed them. It can only make them stronger for the playoffs. Damn their winning though, I was really hoping to go see them match up with the Celtics in person for the first round of the playoffs. It's hard to imagine this young group going far in the playoffs, but with the state of things in the Eastern conference I don't think getting by the first round is out of the question.

Number 17?

The interest in the Celtics in and around New England has returned to a fever pitch. The return of Antoine and their subsequent winning streak put the Celtics back on the talk radio landscape which in turn has resulted in casual fans tuning their tubes to the Celtics. It's also a good time in local sports for the Celtics to get hot with the Pats being a long way off from training camp and the Sox just diddling around in Florida. Into the void the Celtics have stepped. So the trade for Antoine has been hugely successful from the standpoint of fan interest and in terms of winning. There is no question about this. The Celtics now hold the number three seed for the playoffs and perhaps could even dream of catching Detroit for the two seed. Thus we're going to see at least one home playoff series.

The more important question is have these moves brought the Celtics any closer to title number 17? I think the answer is no. Back when Ainge traded Antoine away it had to be done because he and Pierce needed some help on the floor and Antoine clearly was not a guy who was going to get the Celtics over the hump against bigger more agile power forwards such as Kenyon Martin. Additionally, it looked like nobody in the East had a shot at capturing a title against the Western behemoths who awaited their Eastern prey in the finals.

Under that set of circumstances Danny Ainge began rebuilding his team in the vision of 80s basketball. Fast breaking, uptempo, and good defense (not great defense). The kind of basketball that is enjoyable to watch and can be successful, just witness the rebirth of Phoenix this year. Along the way Ainge cemented Detroit as an Eastern power for years to come by helping them acquire Rasheed Wallace. No worries, our title hopes were at least three years away. Ainge bungled a few things, but got this years crop of rookies who show a lot of promise, most especially Al Jefferson. He also took the risk on Ricky Davis (a move I was not a big advocate of) and that has payed huge dividends. Ricky seems to love his sixth man role and I would be shocked if he did not win it this year. So the future was looking brighter. And of course this year Miami got Shaq teamed up with Dywane Wade creating another Eastern power. All the more reason for the Celtics to stay the course and lay low. So what if they didn't make the playoffs this year or struggled to do it? That might mean a higher draft pick or even a lotto pick. Trades or drafts could only improve the Celtics stock. Clearly the new owners were a bit impatient and Danny took the one year no risk flier on bringing Antoine back thus setting back his title plans.

What can Antoine do? He plays hard every game and brings an infectious enthusiasm to a team that was sorely lacking it. Even Mark Blount has responded and is now playing the type of ball that brought him his riches this offseason. Pierce is encouraged and playing better and the young rookies have a positive voice to respect instead of the gruff and self-interested barking of Gary Payton. The Celtics again have a great leader on the floor. And one who has reshaped his game a little bit since we last saw him in Boston. Better yet, he's a guy who really and truly wants to be in Boston and that's saying a lot in the post-Pitino years.

What can't Antoine do? Anything against Rasheed or Ben Wallace. There is no question about this. If the C's draw the Bulls in the first round, Tyson Chandler will eat him alive on the defensive end forcing Antoine to drift out to his old mistress, the three point line. I'm not so sure Antoine can do much against the unheralded but defensively sound Udonis Haslem of Miami. He'll still get his minutes and his shots, but what will happen to his confidence when matched up against a superior opponent? I thought Kenyon's beat down of Antoine a few years ago really taught him something which is why he lost the weight before being traded. So Antoine's not getting us to the finals, probably not even the Eastern conference finals.

He's also not letting some of the young guns off the bench. Perkins is hurting the most for minutes and he showed a nasty streak that every NBA team needs. Just look at Seattle's improvement with Fortson and Evans patrolling the paint and tangling with opponents. Perkins is still raw but was showing improvement. Most importantly, Al Jefferson is not getting the minutes he should. This kid is the future and needs to play. If he keeps improving he and Pierce could be a great one-two punch, especially when teamed with a dynamo like Ricky and a scoring point guard like Delonte. The Celtics still don't have a low post threat and Jefferson will be it if he continues his dramatic improvement.

So at the end of the day the short term payoff of the move has been great, no question. But will that payoff bleed into next year when Antoine is gone because he won't take a HUGE pay cut and the young guns are still a little bit off because they need to learn on the job? I think no. The casual fan will wonder why there was such a drop off in wins and quality of play and may just turn away again. And Boston still won't be any better than Miami or Detroit. It's a done deal now, so we'll just have to enjoy this years run while it lasts and keep hoping for the day when banner number 17 is raised to the rafters.

Welcome Back 'Toine

I wanted to wait a few days before putting my thoughts down about the Antoine Walker trade. I wanted to see Antoine play again, here some of his statements, Ainge's statements, and see how the team responded to having him back. Here now, the good and the bad of the whole trade.

The Good - Antoine has provided an immeadiate lift for the team and has rekindled interest in the Celtics in Boston. His first Fleet appearance was sold out and it was a win. Clearly Pierce likes having Antoine around as he has raised his game. Antoine himself is a bit of a different player if only because he does not have a green light to jack three pointers as he did under Obie. Antoine's hustle and board work are welcome antidotes to the Celtics pre-All-Star malaise.

The Bad - Antoine was shown the door in Boston because Ainge wanted to build a championship contender and he did not feel that Antoine could be part of that. Ainge found that 'Toine's trade value was quite low and panicked in trading him to Dallas for the lengthy and bloated contract attached to one Raef LaFrentz (we have him until 2009). Not exactly a blockbuster trade seeing as Raef is widely known to be a bit soft on the glass and to prefer the three point arc to the paint. These were problems with Antoine too, but at least Antoine was the team's lightning rod. Now Antoine is back for one purpose and that is to make the playoffs. The Fleet has been very empty and people who only casually follow basketball barely knew the Celtics were playing. Now the Fleet is hopping and the Celtics are looking like they'll be able to counter Phillies grab for Webber and take the Atlantic, a number 3 playoff seed (home playoff games for those counting at home), and potentially advance against a comprable or lesser foe. 'Toine still does not make the Cs a championship team. Miami and Detroit both have the size and teams to knock the Cs off their collective block. The match ups just don't pan out well for Boston. Pierce is the only slot the Cs have an advantage over everyone and Walker, well let's think about how he would fare against Rasheed Wallace after remembering how KMart too him to school the last time Walker was in Celtic green. This team isn't even built to get to the conference finals quite frankly.

The ugly - Playing time for the rooks is way down. Jefferson is suffering, and he needs to play. The kid has too much talent and needs to hone it. He's big and has skill. He could be a force for years to come. Why wait on that for one lousy trip to the playoffs when we were sold that Ainge wasn't happy just making the playoffs? Then G.P. was brought back as well. Now West and Marcus are going to find their playing time curtailed. This is not good. West was beggining to emerge in the absence of GP and Marcus has been improving his play too. Now they will have to watch and learn more too. This cannot sit well with them. And all this mess cost them a first round draft pick that could have been used this yearAnd finally, Antoine Walker is in his contract year. He has already stated that he will not work for the veteran's minimum and the Celtics aren't going to keep him close to the $14 million/year he is getting paid now. Contract situations can become ugly (I don't think it will be with Walker). So will this amount to Antoine being a hired gun for a single run at the playoffs to make the Celtics semi-relevant again or will Antoine stay long term and take up the playing time of Al and keep Perkins bolted to the bench?

Overall I don't think this is a good thing if Ainge's master plan is to win a championship. I felt all along that Antoine should have stayed in Boston during the first round of things to keep the playoff excitement going and then let him walk or sign for less money when his time was up. By bringing 'Toine back it makes it seem as if Danny's master plan is running up against the patience of the new owners for a successful product. Yes the C's were slumping, but with Detroit and Miami playing the way they are, better to lick your wounds with a high draft pick and come out swinging with new talent and more polished young talent.

The Bell Tolls for Webbs

So Webber was traded to Philly for an assortment of undersized PFs (Kenny Thomas, Corliss Williamson, Brian Skinner). What does this mean? I think it says a few things about Webber for one. It says that despite his talents he was not a positive influence in team chemistry. We know Peja was unhappy and Webbs did call out Vlade last year after another playoff flameout. Perhaps the Kings felt they would be better without him. Secondly, it says that his value around the league is extremely low. Sacto didn't get one of Phillies talented youngsters as part of the deal or any draft picks. I'm sure this is for two reasons, his poor influence on team chemistry and his injury history. Even though he continues to put up good numbers, Webbs just isn't effective physically anymore. He cannot get tough boards or hustle much on defense, and that's pretty important in the Western conference. And because he's a little soft, you can't be sure when the next injury is coming meaning that you're paying a guy $20 mil to sit on the bench and pout. He's 32 and still has three years left on his contract so I think this was all about dumping a player who had reached his potential with the Kings and was only declining. From Philly's perspective, this has to be about keeping Obie and AI happy. AI now has a marquee big man to play with and they will undoubtedly play the pick and roll together well. And maybe this brings Philly a little closer to climbing the ranks of the Eastern Conference, but it still seems that Detroit and Miami are major obstacles that cannot be overcome by a less talented Philly team. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. It certainly makes Philly the favorite to take the Atlantic and secure a home playoff series. And to think, Philly and Sacto match up this Saturday. Too delicious.

West Coast Blues

Two games in and two games down for the Celtics. The first loss to the Lakers was a little upsetting because the C's played tough and tight for three quarters and then in the fourth their defense softened and their willignness to work on the offensive end just disappeared. Too much standing around and settling for jumpers. Oh, and Mark Blount still can't catch a basketball. This was doubly upsetting because Mihm went for 18 and 14 in the game. Mihm was all hustle too. Too bad we didn't keep Mihm at the lower price and let Blount go somewhere else. Mihm is incositent but has had some monster games this year with the minutes he's getting on the Lakers. And Tommy pointed out that he is only 25 and is thus only learning how to play the big man role in the NBA. I thought it was a legit point, and it made me sad to see him, Jumaine Jones, and Chucky Atkins have major hands in dealing the C's a loss. Plus Kobe was starting to act out. Flexing, posing, glaring. He really is trying to become some kind of mock villain who nobody will take seriously. He's got great game, but the faux thug stuff isn't exactly going to win him any new fans.

Last night the C's got shelacked by Denver. Just an abysmal performance on their part. At first I was excited because I saw Delonte West seemingly starting making me think that G.P. had been traded. But no, G.P. was there, for now. West started out nicely going 4/5 and scoring down low handling the first quarter PG duties nicely. I'm still thinking that West is not a PG, but we'll have to give it time. He seems more like the Cutino Mobley type of scorer who gets some assissts along the way. Outside of that there were not really a lot of bright spots. Karl had his team running and gunning and the Celtics looked flat. And Mark Blount definitely can't catch.

Still hoping for a G.P. trade because now that the 76ers have Webber it's unlikely the C's are favorites to take the division/make the playoffs anyway. Buh.

I LUV WULTAH!

It's been real McCarty. Wultah was dealt to Phoenix for a second round draft pick. Now Wultah can come off the pine and run the break and spot up for threes all he wants. And the Celtics get. Umm. I guess a second round pick can be useful, but they must have just wanted to get rid of him. I didn't catch last nights game (a beat down of the C's by the Bucks) so I'm not sure how Tommy is taking it.

Ric Bucher

Here at: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=bucher_ric&id=1976018

Ric Bucher posits that the Celtics need to trade Paul Pierce. In the column he argues that Pierce doesn't fit what the Celtics are trying to become, a fast break team, and doesn't have the spark that inspires a team and makes one worthy of max money. He simply argues that Pierce is an anchor that is slowing the team. Bucher makes some good arguments, but I think he misses the mark just a little bit. Some counterpoints:

Most of the Celtics young talent is just that, young. Tony Allen and Al Jefferson have impressed in their rookie seasons thus far and I think they're going to be quite good over the long haul, but they're not the blocks that you can build a franchise on. Jefferson has the potential to be that block, but he's still really raw. Bucher seems to argue that by getting rid of Pierce it would unlock the talents of Jiri Welsch and Ricky Davis too. Maybe. Jiri has shown flashes, but that counts for little in the NBA. You can't assume he'll become good because Pierce isn't around. And Ricky Davis is still a head case. Bucher says that Ricky has been playing well and keeping himself out of trouble but fails to remember that a little over a week ago Ricky was tossed out of a practice for swearing at his coach. Oh yeah, the Celtics had invited some academic achievers to view the practice where they were treated to a display of too much ego and much cursing by Ricky.

Gary Payton has helped stabilize the point guard position that was a little off when Kenny Anderson left (did I just say that?). Payton has this year remaining on his deal and is 36. There is little chance that he'll be back in Boston and he certainly isn't a long term solution at the position. Bucher says Delonte West may turn into an excellent back up point guard, but he doesn't say who he's going to back up. Marcus Banks? That's a big glaring omission. For all of Pierce's flaws, he certainly makes life easier for any point guard by having some ball handling skills and by being a deep shooting and driving threat who makes pressing a risky decision for any team. Perhaps Bucher has in mind a trade of Pierce for some up and coming point guard. Well unless they can get Hinrich, I don't think there's anyone else out there who fills the need.

Raef LaFrentz signed a contract in 2002 that is going to pay him roughly $70 million over seven seasons. He's on the books until 2009! He has an opt-out in 2007, but I seriously doubt he's going to be taking that. Raef is a good player, and this year he is actually trying to show that he's tough by grimacing all over the floor. And he's a team guy for sure. That said, he shoots too many threes for a PF, he doesn't break effectively (one of Buchers criticisms of Pierce), and he's proven to be an injury waiting to happen. That isn't worth $10 million a season. This still has to amount to one of Danny Ainge's most foolish decisions. Antoine certainly had flaws, but he brought leadership and excitement to the Celtics. And if nothing else, he would have come off the books this year. Ainge traded Walker's bloated and short contract for Raefs bloated and long contract for a player with a questionable history who lacked many of the things that made Ainge want to trade Antoine (poor post play, too much time spent on the perimeter, weak rebounding). Just think about it, if the Celtics still had 'Toine, they would have two expiring contracts to either trade (for picks or talent) or to just let expire this season so that they could better position themselves on the free agent market. One of the initial arguments for trading Walker was saying that they could not sign both 'Toine and Pierce when the next date was up. Fine, but both were under contract (Pierce signed a six year extenstion in 2001), and letting 'Toine walk or being more patient with the trade button during his last two years under a Celtics contract would have served Boston much better. Bucher totally ignores the LaFrentz problem. It would be much, much better to trade LaFrentz instead of Pierce. Perhaps Miami could be enticed to take LaFrentz on in the hopes of securing a title this year. It's not that far fetched. They were wooing Malone and could use some post help. I'm not sure if anybody is dumb enough to take on LaFrentz's contract again though. Denver dumped him as soon as they signed him and Dallas dumped him realizing he would never be a necessary piece to take them to championship land.

I'm not saying that trading Pierce would be the end of the world. Some of Bucher's points are very valid. He does have bad body language and doesn't seem to possess the intangibles that make for a good leader. I've certainly questioned his defensive effort, but I've seen some improvement in this since the infamous benching game against the Bulls a few weeks ago. When the Celtics broke the Bulls most recent five game winning streak in Chicago, Pierce was everywhere in the hustle department drawing charges, getting a steal or two, and getting some tough defensive rebounds with the C's undersized (Jefferson on the IL, Kendrick tossed for a hard foul, Blount taking bong hits before the game). I was impressed. Bucher is right that Pierce lets things slide because sometimes he does need to save his legs for the fourth quarter. But that Chicago game highlighted why he's still such a valuable player. Not only did he get his shot, but when Ben Gordon was in foul trouble and matched up defensively against Ricky, Pierce made sure Ricky got the ball. That's a good team player and the kind of action that gets the support of your running mates. He can only be traded if the Celtics get some great value in return. They would need to get a good center with a pulse or a young and up and coming or somewhat established point guard in return for Pierce. Failing that they would need the guarantee of multiple high picks. Two lottery dips, or one top two pick with a late first rounder would be nice in return.

So in the end, I think Bucher is a bit premature. Pierce still is a top ten talent in my opinion (as or more talented than LeBron for instance) and only his leadership skills lag. But the supporting cast has to take some of the blame. Blount is a dog this year and relying on rookies only gets one so far. Resolving the long-term center and PG needs has to be the biggest priority of the Celtics and I'm not sure if trading Pierce is the way to do this. Heck, Bucher doesn't even suggest a few trade scenarios involving Pierce so I'm not entirely sure why he wrote the article.

Da Bulls

They started 2-13. They were already being written off. And yet here
they are over .500 almost halfway through the season playing with a
bunch of rookies and now only a few games out of first place. They're
on their second winning streak in weeks having just cleared out four
opponents in row after losing to Boston a little over a week ago.
When you watch them play, you see a team playing. 5 guys on the floor
executing as one. They play tough defense and they execute the half
court very well thanks to Hinrich. They can fast break pretty well
too. And now that the spotlight seems to be off Tyson and Eddie
(they're role players now, not the focal point) they seem to be
playing their roles excellently. Eddie scoring on the box and Tyson
rebounding like a demon and blocking shots from the weakside. This
team is now fun to watch and that hasn't been the case since 23 hung
'em up. Keep it coming.

Da Bulls!

Chicago absolutely rolled Detroit last night. Totally decimated them with everyone playing great. Hinrich is beginning to look like one of the top point guards in the league (Magic even mentioned Hinrich in the same sentence as Nash and Kidd) as he easily handled the big man step outs by Detroit by deftly dribbling them out and then time after time hitting his big man who initiated the screen with beautiful bounce passes setting up easy scores. Also, Nocioni was mixing it up under the boards with Big Ben and 'Sheed and he was getting results and would not be intimidated.

The highlight of the game for me was that the Pistons started acting like an immature team. Whining to refs about non-calls and making cheap plays but then bitching when the whistle went against them. Larry Brown was caught yelling, "Just play basketball!" to his charges several times on the sidelines. Chicago looked like the veteran well coached team and Detroit looked like the bunch of Rookies. This is trouble for the Pistons and I think this opens up the East a lot this year. Also, I think Skiles is going to start getting coach of the year press soon. We'll see.

Most importantly, the Bulls are at 0.500 and haven't been so or better since #23 laced 'em up. Game on.

Let it snow

No, there was no shimmy, but there was a skip. Antoine hit a key shot that helped lift the pathetic Hawks over the Celtics down the stretch. Boston started out the fourth quarter leading by 13 points and lost all focus. I'm not sure what comes next from Doc after a night like this. The C's dominated the game and then just went on cruise in the 4th assuming ATL would back down. Well they didn't.

On a positive note Tony Allen started and didn't dissapoint at all. His defense and fast breaking are very welcome. I'd like to see much more of him and a lot less of Jiri.

Learning to walk

The Bulls just finished off a thriller against the Knickerbocker's today winning the game on a difficult last second baseline floater by Ben Gordon. Gordon lit the Knicks up in the fourth quarter scoring on a variety of drives and outside shots. He's learning to play and is becoming a potent force off the bench.

More importanly the Bulls could have lost this game. They went down by 8 with 5 minutes remaining and instead of folding forced the action defensively (Chandler had some nice blocks and was a real difference maker defensively and Nocioni continued to provide tough hard nosed rebounding and clutch shooting). For a young team to show so much grit is really impressive. Perhaps the Celtics should watch a few games.........

Da Bulls

Shhh. The Bulls just won four straight games and are only two back of
Indiana for the 7th playoff spot and only 1 game back of the C's for
the eighth playoff spot. And last night they had every chance in the
world to lose. Sporting a 19 point lead going into the fourth quarter
the Bulls went into the tank big time allowing the Warriors to close
within 6 points with only a few minutes remaining. The old Bulls
would have lied down and died. These youngins are starting to learn
how to win as they responded in a big way with a Duhon three and then
a nice defensive play by Nocioni that led to the break and the bucket.
Let's see if these Bulls can't get themsevles to above .500 by the
all-star break.

Benching and Trading

So the C's threw a stinker against the Bulls. And Doc benched all the
starters for most of the fourth quarter. Doc's problem is that there
is not enough effort being thrown towards defense. The C's are on a
streak of allowing over 100 points a game and are letting teams shoot
nearly 50% or better from the floor against them indicating that their
opponents are getting too many easy shots of the layup variety. I
like what Doc is doing and support him. Here is a bit from the
Globe's assesment of the game:

the Green could have easily owned the glass if LaFrentz and Blount
managed more than a 6 rebounds combined. When asked about that
statistic, LaFrentz shot back, "Well, how many minutes did we play?"
Together, they played 38.

Rivers isn't buying that excuse. Jefferson and McCarty grabbed 8
rebounds apiece in a combined 34 minutes off the bench.

I've been thinking Blount wasn't exactly lighting it up, but only 6
rebounds between Blount and LaFrentz in a combined 38 minutes? That's
pathetic, especially against the Bulls who have the softest or oldest
rebounding forces in the league depending who is on the floor. As for
LaFrentz, I don't think anybody expected much from seeing as his body
has broken down and he plays too far away from the basket for a big
man (wasn't that why we got rid of Antoine?). The sportsguy does a
number on him and Blount in his most recent cowbell features.

Judging from the reaction of the veterans to Docs lesson (at least
immeadiately after the game) things are going to get a bit shaky in
Boston. I think Ainge is going to back Doc to the fullest, but it
didn't sound like Payton, Pierce, LaFrentz, or Blount were very
humbled by the experience. I know I expect trades to happen, but I'm
not sure what Ainge can do. I think Pierce could possibly be on the
block if his play and attitude don't pick up too. I just have to
think something is coming the way this season is going.

Celtics respond

Maybe Doc's message did sink in a little bit (not entirely) as the
Celtic's beat up on the Magic in their first game after the benching
against Chicago. Of course the Magic were without Cutino Mobely for
the evening as he was traded to Sacto for Doug Christie. Still
everybody was getting into the act on the scoring side of things. On
the defensive end, Pierce looked very pouty and was not working at
all. We'll see how long this lasts.

I'm employee #8. I make baskets.

Speaking of bygone eras, it just struck me yesterday that Al Jefferson
is wearing 'Toine's good old #8. Not to say that this was unexpected,
but somehow I can't help but think back to the good old days when
Pierce and Walker jacked it up all the way to the Eastern Conference
finals. I'll admit it. I miss the wiggle just a little bit. Well,
hopefully baby Al will make that number count.

It's getting hot in here

The Celtics played a pretty nice up tempo game with the Heat last
night. The first half was really exciting with the Celtics leading
the score 60-58 and breaking very nicely. There were good passes,
silly oops, and goofy grins. The players looked happy on the court,
even GP. It's a nice sign as it seems that this is a team that is
enjoying playing together. Except for maybe Pierce. He seems to be
in a weird place this year. Not sure.

The second half was a much, much different story. First LaFrentz left
the game due to some unknown injury. Then Ricky was fouled out on a
flagrant foul. I think he was making a play for the ball and was just
too aggressive, but I can understand why the Refs tossed him. I only
hope he's not suspended. After that play really bogged down. Pierce
kept trying to work a two man game with Al and it was really
ineffective. And inspite of Shaq being out, the Celtics could get
nothing done inside. Blount looked flustered and Al got a little
overwhelmed by Laettner's craftiness.

On the other side of things, nobody can contain D. Wade. What a
player. He makes everything look so effortless. His penetration is
killer and he lays the ball off at the right time and to the right
players. I don't really blame Tony Allen for getting killed by Wade
because for the most part he played him pretty well and forced him to
dish. The problem was the help defense. Blount in particular would
just stand still and look dazed as Wade drove into the lane and then
dished to Haslem whom Blount would invariably let roam towards the
rim. Blount needs to decide sooner to either step up, or cut off his
man's lane to the tin. I was impressed with Tony Allen still though.
His defense is great, and his offense isn't bad.

I was also impressed with Al Jefferson. He nearly notched a
double-double (14 points and 9 boards) in only 14 minutes of play.
Not bad numbers for a rook. He also showed a deft touch passing the
ball making two nice back door assists to Payton. I'm feeling really
good about this kid. He's starting to remind me of Zach Randolph.
Jefferson isn't the most atheletic guy, but knows how to spin and use
his hook to get off shots. Also, his touch is very soft. Once the
ball lands on the rim, it generally goes down.

So all that said it was nice that the C's competed on the road with
the top team in the East (albeit one without Shaq), I don't really
expect them to frequently beat the best teams in the league. I'm
encouraged that the team likes playing together and that Allen and
Jefferson are starting to become heavy contributors. Everything is
positive right now.

General notes of NBA concern

Umm, the Bulls have won 4 of their last 6 games. Don't want to say
anything, but if they keep that up they may not be in lottery land
this year.

Additionally, before the season began I thought the acquisition of
Eric Snow by the Cavaliers was a good move. I felt that his veteran
presence and solid, if unspectacular, point play would help Jeff
McInnis continue his development. Boy was I ever wrong. Snow is not
playing much and apparently is becoming a bitch about it. Last night
Paul Silas had to send him into the locker room after Snow said some
crap to Silas. I applaud Silas too. I think he's a good coach and
he's got the Cavs going in the right direction. And as long as LBJ
buys into his program, he can demand proper respect from his players.
But still, I'm a little surprised by Snow's actions. I have a feeling
Snow will be changing locales before the season is over.

And finally, the Lakers are doing better than I anticipated. Beating
the Kings on the road so convincingly was a nice win from this club.
It helps when everybody steps up. It seems only Kobe can bring it
consistently on this team. Last night everybody brought their A
games. And Kobe's double fisted reverse baseline cram over Mrs.
Christie? Oooooooooo.

The East is not the least

The Celtics seem to be getting off to a good start on this west coast
swing. They lost to the Blazers, but have just had consecutive wins
over Seattle and the Clippers. Last nights victory over the clips was
particularly sweet. They won it in double overtime and it went into
the first overtime when Tony Allen made a humungous block on Corey
Maggette. Really a nice play. And they managed to do all this with
Pierce on the bench having fouled out. Ricky Davis had a great game
too. This is the stuff that gets you hooked. Hopefully they can keep
it up. I'd still like to see Jefferson cutting his teeth on the floor
a little bit more, especially against a crafty post player like Brand.

Stuck in the middle with you

It is definitely early in the season, but one man who needs to begin
stepping up again is Mark Blount. He worked hard to get his contract.
Now that he has it he should be working harder. It is entirely
unacceptable that he is averaging only 5 rpg. With his size and the
lack of competition he faces in the paint in the East, this number
should be up closer to 8.

Boston needs a closer

Another tough loss for the Celtics yesterday. They were able to hang
with a much more talented Miami squad and had a chance to win things
down the stretch. It again comes down to execution, execution,
execution. Too much dribbling leads to a defense that is set. Worse
yet is that the Celtics crunch time defense is not what it could be.
Of course, Dwyane Wade (aka The Flash) is pretty hard to handle. He
gave Celtics defenders headaches with his crossover and atheleticism.

In other news, the Bulls finally won. They beat Utah. At least
they're off the consecutive loss schnide. For now.