Globe article

[Theresa Lee <tjoyce@MIT.EDU>]

Nugget of success for Celtics

                       They overtake woeful Denver to end losing streak

                       By Michael Holley, Globe Staff

                       It was a night that forced you to declare your NBA
philosophy. Are you a victory-at-any-price type? Or are you a discerning
critic, one who demands that your basketball team be trimmed at the edges
and polished just right?

                       The Celtics' 96-86 win over the Nuggets at the
FleetCenter last night would have helped you work out your position. It was
a 48-minute conversation piece played before 15,760 people. What kind of
conversation was it? Well, once again, it depends on your interpretation.

                       The Celtics shot 37 percent from the field, saw
5-foot-11-inch Dana Barros block more shots (1) than their entire starting
lineup - he played four minutes - and were outrebounded, 48-43.

                       Generally, this is not good.

                       But they also broke a five-game losing streak,
forced the Nuggets into an astounding 32 turnovers, and watched the
visitors abuse their rims with 21 percent shooting in the fourth
quarter.

                       Generally, this is good.

                       So where do you stand?

                       ''You know, the style of basketball we play, you can
play kind of bad and end up on top,'' Bruce Bowen said. ''Coach Pitino
tells us, `I've had teams down by 16 with five minutes left and we've won.'
I can't say why it works that way, but Coach knows.''

                       Rick Pitino knows that if you continually pressure a
team, particularly a winless one without its leading scorer, you have a
very good chance of winning. So it didn't matter that the Nuggets opened
the game with 6 straight points, took an 8-point lead into halftime, and
led by 10 (61-51) with seven minutes left in the third quarter.

                       Even when they were ahead, they looked tired (they
played in New York Tuesday night). They handled the basketball as if some
prankster had dipped it in a few vats of cooking oil. And when they
desperately needed someone to give them points, they looked to a young
rookie (Tony Battie) and a rusty veteran (LaPhonso Ellis).

                       While they were doing this, Travis Knight and
Antoine Walker were doing a fine score-rebound tag-team job. The 7-foot
Knight scored 11 points in the third quarter. Most of his 17 points on the
night were short hooks and layups in traffic.

                       ''It was good to see him mix it up,'' Pitino said.

                       That's exactly what Knight did. He scored 9 points
in the final six minutes of the third. When he started that streak, the
Celtics trailed by 9. When he hit a 3-pointer with 3:32 left, they trailed,
66-62. And when Walker tipped in a hoop three minutes later, the Celtics
had the lead.

                       Pitino said he thought Walker had a great game. If
you heard only that statement and then read only Walker's shooting line (4
for 15), you would probably suggest that the coach needed a rest. But
Walker added 12 rebounds (7 in the third) and 5 assists to his 19 points on
the night.

                       ''He saw some of his inside moves not going down,
shots that normally go down,'' Pitino said.''He thought he got hit on a few
plays, but he never let it get to him. He kept on playing. He threw some
great passes and let the offense come to him.''

                       Fans in Denver may see it another way. They saw
their team blow a 13-point lead, then crawl back to 85-84 with 2:30 to
play. Some of them may be thinking that their team blew it. They could be
right.

                       ''I think they're getting better,'' rookie Danny
Fortson said of the Celtics, ''and we're 			not.''

                       Celtics fans could counter that Knight made him feel
that way. With the ball and a chance to take the lead, the Nuggets' Johnny
Newman tried to force a pass into the post. Knight picked it off. Ron
Mercer (16 points) ended the play with a layup. Rookie coach Bill Hanzlik
shook his head and called time.

                       The game would be over, technically, a minute later.
Chauncey Billups sneaked into the lane for a short jumper and the Celtics
had an 89-84 lead with 1:08 remaining. He wouldn't have had the ball if the
Nuggets' Dean Garrett hadn't turned it over on the previous possession.

                       So now the Nuggets go to Orlando feeling sorry for
themselves. The Celtics have no sympathy for them. Pitino stood in a
FleetCenter room last night and said how the Celtics could have won at
                       Milwaukee, could have won against Cleveland, and
could have won against Miami.

                       He didn't have to talk about could-haves last night,
despite the lack of artistry.


tjoyce@mit.edu