[外電] Same Old Story

[calbert (Yummy)]

新聞出處(必填):
http://www.celticsblog.com/2009/11/16/1158311/same-old-story
作者:

Even two years ago, the championship team struggled with the athletic Hawks.
 Last year the Bulls gave us more fits than they had any right to.  Now we've
dropped two games in a row to young teams and the question has to be asked.
 How much of a problem is age going to be this year?

I am not backing off my "don't panic" post from a few days ago.  This team is
constructed to win a championship this year and baring a major injury the
will be in the mix at the end (perhaps even as a favorite).  However, you
can't expect this team to go after the Jordan-Bulls regular season record (no
matter what Sheed says).  We've been spoiled the last couple of years with
the team flying out of the gates like fighter jets launching off of an
aircraft carrier.  Most teams, even championship teams, don't do that.
 Losses happen.  Sometimes they happen in bunches.  The key is to learn from
those losses and not let them become a habit.

The Hawks are a young, hungry, rapidly improving team with playoff experience
and a bit of a chip on their shoulders.  They really get up for games against
teams like the Celtics.  It is a major statement when they win those games.
 The Pacers are a young team in search of an identity.  They have a number of
new faces and a good deal of talent.  In short, they've got no pressure and
nothing to lose.  They were also lucky enough to catch an aging team on the
2nd half of a back to back.  I hate to say I told you so, but I was worried
about this past week.  And I wasn't alone.



Headed into the game Doc was worried about this particular back-to-back
because of the timing.

"It's an 8-7 - 8 p.m. start the first night and 7 the next," he said.
"(National) TV games always go longer, so you have that working against you,
and then you have to get on the plane and have the early start the next night.

"I had our sleep-deprivation guy look at the schedule and point at the game
that would be most difficult to win, and he said the Indiana game. But our
bench is deeper now, and hopefully that will help."

The bench didn't help enough this time.  It is a good bench and on many
situations like this they'll be enough to get us over the top.  It just
didn't happen for them on Saturday.

The fact that Doc even has a "sleep-deprivation guy" speaks volumes about the
state of this team.  He's focused a lot of coaching energy on "keeping them
fresh." He's in a tough spot really.  He has to weigh the pros and cons of
practice vs. rest.  His team is full of vets who know what they are doing by
now, so in theory they don't need as much practice as the next team.  Still,
a team gels and creates cohesion through repetition and practice.  Will they
get enough of that throughout the season when the coach is canceling
shootarounds like it is April?

If the team is showing signs of being weary this early in the season, what
happens in the Spring?  What if they bring in someone at the trade deadline,
are they going to have enough practice time to work him into the rotation?
 On the more immediate front, will Big Baby get enough reps to learn his new
role on the team once he gets back from his injury?

And I've gone this long without even mentioning Kevin Garnett by name yet.
 Sure, he can get up for the alley oops from time to time.  But more and more
he's settling for the alley-layup.  He's still very, very, very good, but I'm
pretty sure he'll never again be the athletic freak of nature that he once
was.  The difference between very, very, very good and great will
occasionally be the difference in a game.

The same could be applied to a certain extent to Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and
Rasheed Wallace.  They have all become wily vets who can't do what they used
to be able to do but make up for it by playing the game smarter.  Is that
enough?  I think so, but the margin of error is smaller than it was even two
years ago.

And really, that's what it boils down to.  These November games aren't
exactly meaningless.  They all count in the record book and they will
eventually determine home court advantage (which is important by the way).
 However, they aren't as important as keeping everyone healthy and rested and
prepared for the playoffs.  Once the 2nd season gets under way, we'll have to
see if this team has enough in the tank to advance and advance and advance
and win it all in the end.

Doc may not want to admit this (at least publicly) but he's essentially using
these early season games as glorified practices or dress rehearsals for the
playoffs.  Mistakes will be made and worked on.  It is a tactical strategy
that I agree with.  Just look at last year.  We won home court through the
first 2 rounds but it didn't help us get past the 2nd round because losing KG
trumped the home court advantage.

The key to this strategy is getting all the vets to adapt their games and
remain on the same page together.  Everyone is learning how to deal with
limitations that they never had to deal with before.  There are adjustments
to be made.  With fewer practices, there's less time to work through those
changes and maintain cohesion.  There's always a danger that alpha dog
instincts will supersede the ubuntu philosophy and players will try to win
the game by themselves.  Doc needs to keep hammering home the message without
getting tuned out.  A fine balance.  This might be Doc's biggest challenge
yet.

So this team is getting older.  It is one of those fact you have to live
with.  Like "we are all dying."  Some of us slower than others but we all end
up at the end eventually.  The important thing is what you do in the time
allotted to you.  Likewise the important thing to the veterans on this team
is how they finish out their careers.  This might very well be their last
shot at a title.  They may not win every game, but if they can re-learn how
to win in the playoffs, that's all that really matters

-----
要是TA及B.Walker能上場
並發揮像Gerald.wallace或Wade之類的快速切入破壞力
Celtics隊型會更上一層樓~

--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) 
◆ From: 114.46.48.192
推 wadekao     :TA...@"@
推 tzar        :要是TA能有WADE的快速切入破壞力，超賽就無敵啦 XD
推 bzeronj     :實在太幻想了 ~ 先止敗再說吧!==
推 fujii       :TA可以切阿 只是切完球權會交換而已
→ bzeronj     :淚推樓上  TA你還是去別隊好好發展吧!
推 tzar        :TA的切入破壞力，是專門破壞超賽的    XD
推 archzxc     :話說 TA兩年前受傷前連續威好多場...
→ archzxc     :可惜...受傷後感覺...腦筋也斷了...>"<
→ NLchu       :我只期待Billy，TA已經被擺在「到期合約區」了
推 atyin       :TA:我蓋上一張奶油手   招喚Wade的切入=  TO
推 yxian       :受傷前的TA的確有窮人版Wade的實力,殺暴二軍錯錯有餘
推 feelike     :受傷後的TA變成了腦殘版Wade的化身，被別人二軍夾掉
推 tzar        :我好像沒看過TA厲害過耶，因為我是跟KG來的
推 science9686 :拿TA比WADE??等級差太多了吧= =，下輩子看看有無可能
→ BelArt      :TA的運球不是NBA的等級......
推 tiberian    :TA本來是擔任大型控衛如Daniels運用體型和活動力吃人
→ tiberian    :只是他老想靠自己，又沒有像PP一樣那麼強大，結果就
→ tiberian    :淪為甘草球員。
→ rainingdayz :一上場就是自己自幹 但是進球就算了 偏偏失誤多
推 tzar        :TA表示：我只是想得分，很過分嗎？(手滑中)