Providence Journal Article

[Chris Littlefield <chris@mjr.com>]

Folks,

	This is before the Orlando game, but I thought you might enjoy it.

	Let's hope for a strong game in NY!

Chris




              11.2.97 00:12:55
              BILL REYNOLDS
              Celtics' vital signs reassuring

 So now what?

 The Celtics pull off the improbable upset over Michael and the Bulls, the
FleetCenter is
 alive and kickin' as a bar band on a Saturday night, and the only real
question is what does
 it mean?

 Is it only some wonderful aberration or do we start ordering playoff
tickets? Is it a
 harbinger of things to come, or just some wonderful one-night stand, soon
to be forgotten
 as the season starts to play itself out? What are we supposed to make of
all this?

 Several things.

 A couple of which we will start to get clues about this week, one that
will have the Celtics
 playing five games.

 Rick Pitino's game plan for overhauling the Celtics is multi-pronged, but
there are a few
 guideposts to look for along the way. So consider this your personal
scorecard, your way
 to track the progress of this reconstruction effort.

    ATTITUDE READJUSTMENT:

 Pitino calls it work ethic, and it's at the heart of his entire
philosophy, the one basic tenet
 that's defined all his teams wherever he's coached. Simply put, he comes
into losing
 situations and instantly tries to convince the players their work ethic
must get appreciably
 better, that this is the cornerstone of any future success.

 That is what the rigorous training camps are all about. That is what all
the double-session
 practices are for.

 Pitino already has accomplished this. This Celtic team will not always
play well; it will
 always play hard.

    BUILDING EXCITEMENT:

 Pitino believes that creating excitement is an integral part of the
rebuilding process.
 Excitement for the fans, as well as the players. The key is to have them
both feed off each
 other, and you could see that Friday night. As the team started to catch
the Bulls, the
 FleetCenter started to come alive, which only spurred the players on more.
It's as if the
 NBA was finally back in Boston after a long absence, the tangible feeling
that the Celtics
 actually were important again.

 Actually beating the Bulls only accelerates the process, a great symbolic
message that this
 really is the start of something better.

 Second step? Already accomplished.

    STYLE OF PLAY:

 Much is made of Pitino's basketball philosophy, a frenetic pressing and
trapping style that
 he's brought wherever he's coached. It's based on high energy, and other teams
 traditionally have trouble with it, for the simple reason it's different.
Gordie Chiesa once
 described it as ``mother-in-law defense,'' constant pressure and harassment.

 More importantly, it often compensates for deficiencies in Pitino's teams,
basketball
 makeup to hide the blemishes. The Bulls were a prime example Friday night.
They seemed
 to wilt in the second half, succumbing to the Celtics' pressure, either
not ready or not able
 to respond.

 Has this Celtic team mastered Pitino's style?

 Not even close. But Pitino is helped by the fact that three of his former
Kentucky players --
 Antoine Walker, Ron Mercer and Walter McCarty -- are in the starting
lineup. He's also
 aided by the fact that beating the Bulls reinforces to the players that
this system can work if
 they commit to it.

 Third step? A work in progress.

    BE TOUGH AT HOME:

 The first sign that a team is headed in the right direction is when it
becomes tough to beat at
 home. The NBA is all about protecting your home turf, for it's so
difficult to win on the
 road.

 Are the Celtics there yet?

 They just might be. They played both the Knicks and the Bucks tough at
home in the
 exhibition season, then beat the Bulls in the opener. This week could
provide the answer,
 what with Orlando, Miami and Cleveland all coming into the FleetCenter.
Whether the
 Celtics actually win these games or not is not the only barometer here.
How competitive
 they are is key. If they are competitive, this is a definite sign that
Pitino's presence is
 starting to have an effect on the court.

    WIN AT HOME:

 This is the next obvious step. When Pitino took over the woeful Knicks a
decade ago it
 took until after the first of the year before the Knicks began winning at
home. First against
 the mediocre teams, then against virtually everybody. This, in turn,
turned Madison Square
 Garden into a huge home-court advantage, the impetus for the Knicks
eventually sneaking
 into the playoffs with 38 wins.

 So winning at home becomes an instant barometer. If the Celtics can start
to win their share
 of home games it will mean Pitino already has made a significant leap
forward with this
 team, one that will have this rebuilding project ahead of schedule.

    BE COMPETITIVE ON THE ROAD:

 Let's not kid ourselves here.

 The Celtics are not a good NBA team. They're young, the youngest NBA team
in 10 years.
 They're inexperienced. They're trying to learn a new system. They also
lack interior
 scoring, thus must rely almost exclusively on perimeter shots. So there
will be nights when
 these shots don't go in and the Celtics get drilled. In short, they're a
team that will ride
 Pitino's style, in hopes it bothers enough teams to make the Celtics a
true competitive force,
 something they haven't been for a while.

 The traditional benchmark for NBA success is to win the home games and
play .500 on the
 road. Rest assured that this Celtics team is a long way from that.
Rebuilding is a process. It
 takes time, sometimes lots of it. Pitino's track record is that he speeds
up the process. How
 quick with this team remains to be seen.

 Tuesday night the Celtics are in New York against the Knicks, a chance to
compete on the
 road against a veteran club. Saturday night they'll be in Milwaukee. Will
their style be as
 effective on the road?

 Probably not.

 So what are we to make of Friday night's win over the Bulls?

 The reality is it's only one game, one that eventually will mean little if
the other steps are not
 actualized. But for now, Pitino already has changed the attitude, made the
Celtics seem
 important again, and shown signs that this Celtics team can be tough at home.

 Anything else right now is frosting.