Remembering the Celtics 29-5 Start in the 1990-91 Season
November 2, 1990
They will be different. That much for certain we can say about this year's Celtics . They have a new coach, a new offense, a new backcourt and a renewed commitment to excel.
They are promising to run on offense, thanks to the addition of two swift guards, Dee Brown and Brian Shaw. They are promising to challenge on defense, and that is ultimately where the fate of this team will be determined. They will score points. How well can they prevent them?
And how good will they really be? If the Celtics were in the Western Conference, they'd be talking of trying to make the playoffs. In the Atlantic Division, they have a legitimate shot at the title. They finished only one game behind Philadelphia last year, and while the Sixers may be better, so could the Celtics.
The fans may be forgiving, even skeptical. Despite the apparent improvement, the Celtics may not even match last year's 52 victories. An NBA championship, which generally is the only goal heading into the season, now seems farfetched. For now, Chris Ford's hope is the same as that of every NBA coach: He wants his team to be better in April than it is in November.
"I think we are going in the right direction," the coach said. "We have made strides. We have a really nice backcourt. Do we have the 12 perfect players to contend? Not yet.
"We want to get this thing back to where we think it should be. For the players' sake. Robert, Kevin and Larry. They don't want to play for a pretender. They want to be in the hunt."
Over the summer, Ford and new Celtics boss Dave Gavitt resisted the temptation to break up the Hall of Fame front line of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. But they did do some veteran pruning, starting with the decision not to re-sign Dennis Johnson and then allowing Jim Paxson to go his own way (as long as it wasn't to Boston).
In their ongoing attempt to get younger, faster and more athletic, they reconciled with Shaw and drafted Brown. They still are looking for more of that.
On the court, the most visible change is likely to be the running game. The Celtics ran like deer in the last several exhibition seasons, then put on the brakes when the season began. They found it too easy to play their way, which was to pound it inside and dare the other team to stop them.
That won't work anymore. They aren't going to abandon the half-court game, and with interior specialists like Bird, McHale and Parish, it would be foolish to do so. But Ford is committed to the running game and, said assistant coach Jon Jennings, "If he starts standing up and calling plays every time down the floor, I'm going to whack him on the head with my clipboard."
It also doesn't hurt that the Celtics appear to at last have the necessary tools to make the running game work. Dennis Johnson was an energy conservation specialist. Shaw, Brown, Reggie Lewis and Kevin Gamble should flourish in an up-tempo style. And Bird, the trailer on the break, should be devastating with the ball at the top of the key with everything and everyone spread out before him.
"We've finally got the personnel who can play the game we've been talking about playing the last three years," Parish said.
Ford said, "Everyone is going to benefit from the up-tempo game. The guys who like to run are going to get their points. If we settle down, Robert, Larry and Kevin will get theirs inside. We'll blend the running legs with the guys who can kill you inside. I think everyone is going to be happy."
So Ford isn't overly concerned about the offense. And he needn't be, except when it reverts to previous incarnations and the players do a freeze frame. His biggest worry is that of every coach: how to stop the other guy.
Already, the staff feels the team's most urgent need is a defensive-oriented small forward who can contend with the Chuck Persons, Dominique Wilkinses and Jerome Kerseys of the NBA. They don't have one. Michael Smith isn't fast enough or good enough. Reggie Lewis isn't strong enough. Bird hasn't been an individual defensive stalwart in years. McHale can't do it anymore. The call may go to Ed Pinckney.
The Celtics really haven't been a solid defensive team in years. They have been unable to mount a killer defensive stand in the closing minutes of a close game, which every good team in the league can, and must, do.
The most appalling, and constant, statistic from the past few years is their inability to force turnovers. They generally are dead last in that category, which means they have to work harder on offense.
Ford hopes Brown and Shaw can help solve that shortcoming. The results from the exhibition season were inconclusive. Even discounting the Denver games, the Celtics had glaring stretches of nonexistent defense that infuriated the coach.
"Our defense at times has been weird," Bird said.
Lewis said, "Defense is our biggest problem. We have to work harder and hope we improve."
Ford will make sure they work at it. He already has been on the players about the lack of defense, and it will continue to be a top priority. He also asks the fans to be patient.
The Celtics will benefit from the schedule and their spot in the hopelessly weak Atlantic Division and declining Eastern Conference. They have 21 games against Washington, New Jersey, Miami and Charlotte. They play the Heat and Bullets six times, the Sixers and Knicks only five times.
Bird said he'll need a month before he can get a real read on this year's team. Asked the same question, McHale scanned the 1990-91 schedule and said, "I'll let you know on Jan. 30 against Orlando. We should know by then. I think."
November 2, 1990
They will be different. That much for certain we can say about this year's Celtics . They have a new coach, a new offense, a new backcourt and a renewed commitment to excel.
They are promising to run on offense, thanks to the addition of two swift guards, Dee Brown and Brian Shaw. They are promising to challenge on defense, and that is ultimately where the fate of this team will be determined. They will score points. How well can they prevent them?
And how good will they really be? If the Celtics were in the Western Conference, they'd be talking of trying to make the playoffs. In the Atlantic Division, they have a legitimate shot at the title. They finished only one game behind Philadelphia last year, and while the Sixers may be better, so could the Celtics.
The fans may be forgiving, even skeptical. Despite the apparent improvement, the Celtics may not even match last year's 52 victories. An NBA championship, which generally is the only goal heading into the season, now seems farfetched. For now, Chris Ford's hope is the same as that of every NBA coach: He wants his team to be better in April than it is in November.
"I think we are going in the right direction," the coach said. "We have made strides. We have a really nice backcourt. Do we have the 12 perfect players to contend? Not yet.
"We want to get this thing back to where we think it should be. For the players' sake. Robert, Kevin and Larry. They don't want to play for a pretender. They want to be in the hunt."
Over the summer, Ford and new Celtics boss Dave Gavitt resisted the temptation to break up the Hall of Fame front line of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. But they did do some veteran pruning, starting with the decision not to re-sign Dennis Johnson and then allowing Jim Paxson to go his own way (as long as it wasn't to Boston).
In their ongoing attempt to get younger, faster and more athletic, they reconciled with Shaw and drafted Brown. They still are looking for more of that.
On the court, the most visible change is likely to be the running game. The Celtics ran like deer in the last several exhibition seasons, then put on the brakes when the season began. They found it too easy to play their way, which was to pound it inside and dare the other team to stop them.
That won't work anymore. They aren't going to abandon the half-court game, and with interior specialists like Bird, McHale and Parish, it would be foolish to do so. But Ford is committed to the running game and, said assistant coach Jon Jennings, "If he starts standing up and calling plays every time down the floor, I'm going to whack him on the head with my clipboard."
It also doesn't hurt that the Celtics appear to at last have the necessary tools to make the running game work. Dennis Johnson was an energy conservation specialist. Shaw, Brown, Reggie Lewis and Kevin Gamble should flourish in an up-tempo style. And Bird, the trailer on the break, should be devastating with the ball at the top of the key with everything and everyone spread out before him.
"We've finally got the personnel who can play the game we've been talking about playing the last three years," Parish said.
Ford said, "Everyone is going to benefit from the up-tempo game. The guys who like to run are going to get their points. If we settle down, Robert, Larry and Kevin will get theirs inside. We'll blend the running legs with the guys who can kill you inside. I think everyone is going to be happy."
So Ford isn't overly concerned about the offense. And he needn't be, except when it reverts to previous incarnations and the players do a freeze frame. His biggest worry is that of every coach: how to stop the other guy.
Already, the staff feels the team's most urgent need is a defensive-oriented small forward who can contend with the Chuck Persons, Dominique Wilkinses and Jerome Kerseys of the NBA. They don't have one. Michael Smith isn't fast enough or good enough. Reggie Lewis isn't strong enough. Bird hasn't been an individual defensive stalwart in years. McHale can't do it anymore. The call may go to Ed Pinckney.
The Celtics really haven't been a solid defensive team in years. They have been unable to mount a killer defensive stand in the closing minutes of a close game, which every good team in the league can, and must, do.
The most appalling, and constant, statistic from the past few years is their inability to force turnovers. They generally are dead last in that category, which means they have to work harder on offense.
Ford hopes Brown and Shaw can help solve that shortcoming. The results from the exhibition season were inconclusive. Even discounting the Denver games, the Celtics had glaring stretches of nonexistent defense that infuriated the coach.
"Our defense at times has been weird," Bird said.
Lewis said, "Defense is our biggest problem. We have to work harder and hope we improve."
Ford will make sure they work at it. He already has been on the players about the lack of defense, and it will continue to be a top priority. He also asks the fans to be patient.
The Celtics will benefit from the schedule and their spot in the hopelessly weak Atlantic Division and declining Eastern Conference. They have 21 games against Washington, New Jersey, Miami and Charlotte. They play the Heat and Bullets six times, the Sixers and Knicks only five times.
Bird said he'll need a month before he can get a real read on this year's team. Asked the same question, McHale scanned the 1990-91 schedule and said, "I'll let you know on Jan. 30 against Orlando. We should know by then. I think."
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