dawgball,
I agree that malone is probably looking forward to playing jordan, but can't hink that was the reason the whole team played so poorly.
A couple of other things I noticed when doing homework last night.
Sixers/Hornets
The Hornets have not looked very well all season and once mckie gets back into the lineup the sixers should be ready to make a run. Although Iverson's shot was a little rusty his court presence changes the whole game as he demands double teams. He also displayed great teamwork on the court by being very unselfish with the rock, as he even gave up a dunk on the breakaway to another player.
Pacers/Celtics
The one thing that sticks out on this pacer team is how poorly they start games. In the last seven games they are 1-6 after the first half su. They have only led once in that span and that was against a banged up sixer team. Over those seven games they have been outscored 368-330, which comes out to an average of 53 to 47. Although the pacers have mounted some great comebacks in the second half It would seem that going against the pacers if they are getting less than five points against a solid team or on the road would be a nice angle thus far.
The celtics also have something to keep an eye on. The rookie Joe Johnson, he may be the piece the celtics needed and so far he fits right in. Johnson has played 226 minutes over seven games - and has two turnovers. Two. Last night he picked up his second, an errant toss midway through the first quarter.
''He just seems to have a way about him which is smooth. He doesn't seem to make many bad decisions when he has the basketball,'' said Celtics coach Jim O'Brien. ''He makes the right play almost every time. And that is an unbelievable trait to have, to be able to score and have the assist-turnover ratio that he has [25 to 2].''
The Celtics told us on the night of the draft that they had themselves a player in the Razorback. They told us to wait and see. We nodded politely and said, ''Well, let's wait and see. He's a rookie.'' You rarely win in this league with rookies forced to play a major role. Unless, that is, they are rookies in name only. And that is what we seem to have in Johnson.
''I don't see myself as a rookie when I'm out there,'' he said. ''I see myself as a player.''
Funny, but before the game, an identical description was offered up by Indiana assistant coach Brendan Malone.
''He lets the game come to him,'' Malone said. ''He can put it on the floor and beat you off the dribble. He can make the outside shot with range. He's a player. He's a player.''
Now on to tonight's games.
JT
Sneaks
As he was leaving the locker room, Pierce was asked if the team had, at last, finally found its third scoring option.
''Third option? The way he's going, he might be our first option,'' he said.
Sneaks
