Operation postseason

By Jared Spinelli Sports Central Columnist

For the Boston Celtics, the 2001-2002 NBA season will be a test to see if they can continue improving as a team. Last season, the Celtics did not miss making the playoffs by much, thanks to new coach Jim O'Brien, and leaders Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce. This year, the Celtics have added three first-round picks, and have their sights set on the postseason.

When Rick Pitino resigned as head coach of the Celtics last January, the storied Celtics franchise seemed to have hit rock bottom. However, when new coach O'Brien stepped into the light, something clicked, and the Celtics began winning games. Walker and Pierce were scoring more points than in the past, and were leading their team more than ever. O'Brien simply said he gave Walker and Pierce the ball more, and gave them the opportunity to lead. The response? They led.

Although the Celtics missed the playoffs in 2001, they finished on a positive outlook, considering they had the opportunity to draft three first round picks in the upcoming draft, a draft that looked to be a very deep one. Well, they did draft three first round picks, and it was a deep draft, indeed. The Celtics drafted Joe Johnson out of Arkansas (#10), Kedrick Brown (#11) out of Junior College, and North Carolina guard Joseph Forte with the twenty-first pick. All are considered great shooters, just what O'Brien and General Manager Chris Wallace wanted.

O'Brien said the Celtics' plan for the 2001-2002 season would be to be a perimeter shooting team, much like the Milwaukee Bucks, where the Celtics would score most of their points from jump shots near and beyond the three-point line. With Johnson, Brown, and Forte, the Celtics got three of the best shooters in the draft. Brown, a relatively unknown player coming out of Junior College (or JuCo), was best scouted for his great three-point shooting.

So, with their three newest players, the Celtics head to the Shaw's Pro Summer League, held at the nearby UMASS-Boston facility, to be held this week (July 16-22). In the first few games, the three newest Celtics have pretty much done what was expected to them, with Brown scoring 16 points on opening night (Monday), and Johnson scoring 16 points the next night (Tuesday), both Celtics victories. Forte has been a bit quieter, which was expected, as the Celtics looked for Forte to show more of point guard skills, as they take a look at the possibility of having Forte play point in the NBA.

The Celtics are also trying to retain some of the players from last year's squad. They have already resigned guard Milt Palacio and retained center Mark Blount. Right now, the Celtics' current task is to resign veteran leader, guard/forward Bryant Stith.

The Celtics also hired one of Larry Bird's former assistants at Indiana, Dick Harter. Harter and O'Brien know each other from their years in Philadelphia basketball when they were younger. Harter will round out the Celtics' coaching staff, as he will take O'Brien's assistant spot, vacated when O'Brien moved up to head coach.

The Celtics are 2-0 in the summer league, and the future seems bright for the Celtics if they can keep bringing up their young talent, and Walker and Pierce can continue to lead. They are an up-and-coming team, one that is exciting, and worth checking out.

Article courtesy of Sports Central