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Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"

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"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

"I'm going to take a moment to point and / laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*"

"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good? "

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We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.

There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.

Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.

In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.

Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.

Rule #2

If the actions of an administrator inspire you to make a comment, criticism, or express a concern about it, there is a wrong place and a couple of right places to do so.

The wrong place is to do so in the original thread in which the administrator took action. For example, if a post gets an infraction, or a post gets deleted, or a comment within a larger post gets clipped out, in a thread discussing Paul George, the wrong thing to do is to distract from the discussion of Paul George by adding your off topic thoughts on what the administrator did.

The right places to do so are:

A) Start a thread about the specific incident you want to talk about on the Feedback board. This way you are able to express yourself in an area that doesn't throw another thread off topic, and this way others can add their two cents as well if they wish, and additionally if there's something that needs to be said by the administrators, that is where they will respond to it.

B) Send a private message to the administrators, and they can respond to you that way.

If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.

Rule #3

If a poster is bothering you, and an administrator has not or will not deal with that poster to the extent that you would prefer, you have a powerful tool at your disposal, one that has recently been upgraded and is now better than ever: The ability to ignore a user.

When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:

A) Any post they make will be completely invisible as you scroll through a thread.

B) The new addition to this feature: If someone QUOTES a user you are ignoring, you do not have to read who it was, or what that poster said, unless you go out of your way to click on a link to find out who it is and what they said.

To utilize this feature, from any page on Pacers Digest, scroll to the top of the page, look to the top right where it says 'Settings' and click that. From the settings page, look to the left side of the page where it says 'My Settings', and look down from there until you see 'Edit Ignore List' and click that. From here, it will say 'Add a Member to Your List...' Beneath that, click in the text box to the right of 'User Name', type in or copy & paste the username of the poster you are ignoring, and once their name is in the box, look over to the far right and click the 'Okay' button. All done!

Rule #4

Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.

Rule #5

When you share or paste content or articles from another website, you must include the URL/link back to where you found it, who wrote it, and what website it's from. Said content will be removed if this doesn't happen.

An example:

If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:

http://www.linktothearticlegoeshere.com/article
Title of the Article
Author's Name
Indianapolis Star

Rule #6

We cannot tolerate illegal videos on Pacers Digest. This means do not share any links to them, do not mention any websites that host them or link to them, do not describe how to find them in any way, and do not ask about them. Posts doing anything of the sort will be removed, the offenders will be contacted privately, and if the problem becomes habitual, you will be suspended, and if it still persists, you will probably be banned.

The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.

Rule #7

Provocative statements in a signature, or as an avatar, or as the 'tagline' beneath a poster's username (where it says 'Member' or 'Administrator' by default, if it is not altered) are an unwanted distraction that will more than likely be removed on sight. There can be shades of gray to this, but in general this could be something political or religious that is likely going to provoke or upset people, or otherwise something that is mean-spirited at the expense of a poster, a group of people, or a population.

It may or may not go without saying, but this goes for threads and posts as well, particularly when it's not made on the off-topic board (Market Square).

We do make exceptions if we feel the content is both innocuous and unlikely to cause social problems on the forum (such as wishing someone a Merry Christmas or a Happy Easter), and we also also make exceptions if such topics come up with regards to a sports figure (such as the Lance Stephenson situation bringing up discussions of domestic abuse and the law, or when Jason Collins came out as gay and how that lead to some discussion about gay rights).

However, once the discussion seems to be more/mostly about the political issues instead of the sports figure or his specific situation, the thread is usually closed.

Rule #8

We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

Rule #9

Generally speaking, we try to be a "PG-13" rated board, and we don't want to see sexual content or similarly suggestive content. Vulgarity is a more muddled issue, though again we prefer things to lean more towards "PG-13" than "R". If we feel things have gone too far, we will step in.

Rule #10

We like small signatures, not big signatures. The bigger the signature, the more likely it is an annoying or distracting signature.

Rule #11

Do not advertise anything without talking about it with the administrators first. This includes advertising with your signature, with your avatar, through private messaging, and/or by making a thread or post.
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Articles out of Boston

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  • Articles out of Boston

    A lot of good J.O. quotes in this one


    http://www.boston.com/sports/article...r_scuffle?pg=2


    O'Neal fined, dandy after scuffle
    Pacer has to pay, but he will play
    By Michael Vega, Globe Staff | April 30, 2005

    INDIANAPOLIS -- Contrary to popular belief in Boston, Jermaine O'Neal did not spend yesterday's practice session at Conseco Fieldhouse polishing his brass knuckles. NBA officials yesterday fined O'Neal $10,000 and suspended Antoine Walker for Game 4 tonight after they engaged in a fourth-quarter shoving match that resulted in matching technical fouls, and Walker's ejection from Indiana's 99-76 rout of the Celtics Thursday night.

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    Instead, O'Neal, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds in Game 3, polished his perimeter game and his reputation, tarnished not only by Thursday night's tiff with Walker, but also by the Nov. 19 incident in Detroit, in which O'Neal was one of five Pacers suspended by the league -- Ron Artest for the season -- for their involvement in a brawl with several Pistons fans.

    Before he even took the court for Game 1 of this series, O'Neal appeared in court April 23 in Rochester Hills, Mich., for a pre-trial hearing as result of the fans incident. (The trial date is Aug. 1.) Tonight, when he returns to the court at Conseco, his wallet will be lighter, but the Celtics will be worse off. They'll be without Walker, who averaged 15.3 points in the first three games.

    "It takes away one of their better players," said O'Neal, when asked about the impact of Walker's suspension. "He's a guy who presents a lot of problems for big guys. He keeps guys on the perimeter. He's able to put the ball on the floor. He can post up. He's one of those guys who can really do it all.

    "If he's not there, it takes away one of the weapons from their offense."

    It also took away a veteran coach Doc Rivers had hoped to lean on to help the Celtics even the series before it returns to the FleetCenter for Game 5 Tuesday night.

    "They do rely a lot on their younger players," said O'Neal, who'll likely face Al Jefferson, Walker's likely replacement in the starting lineup. "When they sub, they're bringing in a lot of first-year players. Sometimes it's a little bit tougher at this particular stage of the season. The playoffs is something you can't really learn in the regular season. The intensity is much, much higher. Every possession counts and those guys are having to learn on the run."

    With or without Walker, O'Neal expects the Celtics to ratchet up the intensity level and the physical nature of this series.

    "It is playoff basketball," O'Neal said. "When I got home [Thursday night], I looked at the game -- looked at it twice -- and some of the fouls did come after the whistle and some of the fouls I thought were excessive. But I'm not going to take it personal. I don't think anybody out there is trying to really kill anybody, but I actually think they're trying to do things players do in the playoffs. Continued...

    I can't fault any of those guys, I can't fault the coaching staff, or any of the guys taking shots at me," O'Neal added. "I would probably do it, too, if one of their main guys was hurt. It's just the nature of the game. I'm not going to be a guy who's going to sit here and ***** about it. I feel good today. That's all that matters. I feel good today and I'm able to shoot.

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    "I was a little bit sore, but I'm just preparing myself for [tonight]."

    Judging from the manner in which he hit shot after shot from almost every conceivable spot on the practice court at Conseco Fieldhouse, it appeared O'Neal was preparing to subject the Celtics to a barrage of long- and mid-range jumpers.

    "You know what?" O'Neal said, a sly smile creasing his face. "I'm starting to feel real comfortable. I knew at some point I was going to start to feel comfortable. Even the first couple games [of this series] when I was shooting before the game, I was making shots but I didn't feel comfortable with my jump shot.

    "Now I'm starting to feel real good about my ability to get to the basket, post up, and also those stick-and-pop jump shots."

    After being out 22 games with a sprained right shoulder, O'Neal said, "It was 22 missed games with really doing nothing. I'm starting to get my cardio to the point where I'm comfortable and competing at a high level and my moves and my shot just starts to fall for me. Right now, I feel like I have a chance to be effective on both ends of the floor and not just defensively."

    So does he feel comfortable enough to make Boston's big men chase him around the perimeter?

    "Nah, nah," O'Neal said with a laugh. "I'm not comfortable with that. I don't think I've ever been comfortable with that in my career. But making those guys have to play me inside and out is what I really want to do. I think it makes their guys uncomfortable when I do that."

    With Walker relegated to a spectator in Game 4, do the Pacers smell the blood in the water?

    "When you lose a guy, it makes a team that much better," said O'Neal, whose team should know about such matters after the Pacers had players miss 435 games because of league-imposed suspensions, injuries, and illness. "Guys know that they have to come in and play at such a high level because they are missing that piece, so we've dealt with that the entire year, missing one or two of our main guys all year.

    "So it makes those guys that much more dangerous. Obviously, Paul Pierce is going to have the ball a lot and we all know what he can do. We can't take it as, 'If Antoine's suspended, then we got an easy win.' It's not going to be that easy.

    "Our thought process doesn't change, with him or without him."

    © Copyright 2005 Globe Newspaper Company.

  • #2
    Re: Articles out of Boston

    http://www.boston.com/sports/basketb...acted_by_refs/

    Blowing whistle on talk
    Team can't get distracted by refs
    By Shira Springer, Globe Staff | April 30, 2005

    INDIANAPOLIS -- To hear the Celtics tell it, the referees have driven them to distraction. And that is something Boston cannot afford as it tries to even the series tonight in Game 4 at Conseco Fieldhouse.

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    "You can't get caught up in the referees, arguing with the refs, getting caught up in the calls we're not getting," said Paul Pierce. ''That's what we're doing and it's showing."

    No one has been a more vocal and consistent critic of the officials than coach Doc Rivers, who has continuously lobbied for calls against Reggie Miller and ranted and raved from the sideline. Rivers believes sticking up for his players is part of the job, but he did admit his behavior and constant complaining about the officials might have negatively affected the team.

    "My job as a coach is to point out what Reggie does, but Reggie has been doing it for 45 years," said Rivers. "That was the point I was trying to make the other day and he's great at it. I thought I put too much of an emphasis on pointing that out, instead of them playing. Then, I thought our players followed that lead. I really believe that hurts the team. We've done a nice job over the last month of just playing. So, they have to just play. We can't look for help or a life vest [from the officials].

    "If you look at the guys on the team, a lot of them already had histories with the referees," said Pierce. "Antoine [Walker] even before Doc got here. You already know Gary Payton's history. Ricky Davis. I don't think it [carries] over [from Doc]. Doc gets emotional in an emotional atmosphere on the road in the playoffs. That's part of the game. That's going to happen with a coach sometimes. But it can't happen with us all the time, especially when we're known to have guys on the team who are used to getting into the refs' faces. We've just got to be able to settle down, a little less of that and just a little bit more playing."

    Hitting a cold spell

    Davis's struggles since Game 1 are no secret. In the two Celtics losses, he went 3 for 18 and scored 10 points. In Game 1, Davis keyed a 40-point night by the bench with 13 points (5 for 8). In order for the Celtics to have a chance in the series, Davis knows he must rediscover his shooting touch.

    "I think everybody needs to get going," said Davis. "In the playoffs sometimes, you might not get the shots you want. Guys are loading up on me and Paul, so sometimes we're not getting the shots we want. When me and Paul get the ball we need to work on our spacing. We need to get spaced out and keep them honest. I just need to stay on mentally, take it upon myself to come out and stay focused, to come out and make shots."

    Bring in a stopper

    The Celtics head into Game 4 with defense the focus. Rivers talked almost exclusively about Boston's defensive focus and execution.

    "Our defensive execution on what we should be doing has not been there and it was there in Game 1," said Rivers. "And it's us. That's an encouraging sign, because it's not like we have to change a lot of stuff. Why you don't do it? That's the mystery of the world when teams get into that. It really is. It happens, though. We're not the first team that has lost defensive focus and we're not the last. And we're not going to be the first team to get it back. Teams have gotten it back. And we'll get it back."

    The Celtics were an angry and frustrated group after losing Game 3. Pierce only hopes that anger was directed to the right place. "Everybody is supposed to be mad today," said Pierce. "Everybody is supposed to be upset. Who's not going to be upset when you lose a ballgame in the playoffs when your season is on the line? I hope guys are upset in the right way and saying they want to take it out on Indiana, instead of looking at each other and trying to go at each other today in practice. The enemy is in the other locker room."

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Articles out of Boston

      http://www.boston.com/sports/basketb..._for_the_ball/

      Touchy subject: Pierce is calling for the ball
      By Shira Springer, Globe Staff | April 30, 2005

      INDIANAPOLIS -- For the Celtics, it was a cruel case of be careful what you wish for. Before Boston learned Antoine Walker would be suspended for Game 4 tonight against the Pacers, Paul Pierce said he wanted the ball more, wanted to take more shots, wanted to be the go-to guy. He thought his status as the team's leading scorer, captain, and lone representative at the 2005 All-Star Game earned him the right to try to carry the team through tough times. Without Walker, Pierce will get his wish. And he'll also draw more attention from the Indiana defense.

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      But Pierce accepts the challenge. It sounds as if he has been waiting for such an opportunity throughout the best-of-seven series.

      "If I'm going to get criticized when we lose, I want an opportunity to help this team win," said Pierce. "And I just want opportunities when I'm on the court. If we're going to go down, we've got to be able to go down fighting with our best. I feel like the ball needs to be in my hands a little bit more. I think I go too many possessions without touching the ball. If I'm one of our best scorers, if I'm one of our best players, then I need that opportunity, because at the end of the day when we lose it's going to be like, 'What is Paul Pierce not doing?' "

      Pierce noted that he didn't believe the Pacers' defense had dictated where the ball went. ''If I'm the leader of this team and if I'm the captain, I want the opportunity. I can understand that. I can handle the pressure. If I go out and I miss 22 shots and that's the reason we lose, I can deal with that. I'm the captain of this team and they pay me big money to be the captain and to be the leader of this team, to take the pressure off other guys, and I want to be able to do that."

      Pierce's remarks should not be read as criticism of coach Doc Rivers and his offensive philosophy or play calling. That said, Rivers has always maintained the Celtics need to move the ball, that it should not matter who takes the shots. Throughout the playoffs, Rivers has talked about the importance of trust and unselfishness.

      "I'm not going to get on what the coach is doing," said Pierce. "You've got to understand Coach Rivers is still a young coach in this league. This is like his third or fourth playoffs, so he's still learning a lot, like me. I'm still learning as I get older. I can't say if his decisions or adjustments [are right]. We have to follow him. He's our coach. He's the guy who watches the tapes with our staff." Continued...


      Rivers is also the guy who conducts team meetings before practice. And according to Rivers, the Celtics yesterday discussed getting Pierce more touches.

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      "He's essentially repeating what I just said in our meeting," said Rivers. "He's not saying anything that's earth shattering. I just told the guys in the meeting, 'Hey, guys, we had Paul rolling and we come out three times in row and swing the ball to the other side.' Ball movement doesn't mean you don't move the ball to Paul. But Paul's going to be responsible when he gets double-teamed, and if he gets double-teamed, he has to move the ball to the open guy. That was the point I was making."

      Rivers added: "I want him to step up through the offense. And I want our guys to see how to do that. They do. We just haven't done that. I think he should get the ball more through our offense and in key times, especially."

      In Game 3, Rivers actually thought there were a couple times when Pierce passed instead of taking a shot. When Pierce accounted for 9 points in a 15-5 run that brought Boston within 7 early in the third, Rivers thought the Celtics should have looked for their leading scorer more often. In fact, Rivers called Pierce's number twice at that juncture and he didn't touch the ball on either possession.

      But there exists a delicate balance between getting Pierce the ball and moving the ball. And that may be something the Celtics struggle with tonight. When told Pierce wanted the ball more, Ricky Davis had some cautionary words.

      "I think sometimes we try to do it all ourselves, one person," said Davis. "We play extremely well as a team when guys find open guys and kick the ball [out]. Guys are getting shots. [Paul's] getting shots. The defense is loading up, so he might not be getting the shots that he wants. I think guys need to find the open shooters. One guy might have three shots, one guy might have 20 shots. I don't know, maybe we're shot chasing and some guys just need to find the open guy. I don't know."

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Articles out of Boston

        If you're bored with some of the other articles, this one is pretty good


        http://www.boston.com/sports/basketb...ult_to_figure/


        This deficit is difficult to figure
        By Jackie MacMullan, Globe Columnist | April 30, 2005

        INDIANAPOLIS -- This shouldn't be happening.

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        If I were Doc Rivers, that's what I'd be telling my basketball team this morning. I'd pull out the stat sheet and go down the Indiana Pacers' roster, player by player, and explain to the Celtics in explicit terms just who they are trailing, 2-1, in this first-round playoff series.

        Start with point guard Anthony Johnson, a career backup who cheerfully concedes he will always be a backup, and is just keeping the seat warm in case Jamaal Tinsley (injured foot) ever gets well. Johnson dished out eight assists in Thursday's Pacers win in Game 3. He's killing the Celtics by dictating tempo. That simply defies logic.

        There's All-Star Jermaine O'Neal, whose shoulder was so painful after Game 3 he couldn't lift his hand above his waist. O'Neal also had his right ankle checked by the medical staff after the game, but was mum on the reason. O'Neal is encased in ice after every game, a nifty impersonation of Nolan Ryan after throwing nine innings of fastballs. It was a wise strategy to make Indiana's big fella pay with hard fouls every time he ventured inside, but even that backfired when Antoine Walker took it one step too far and got himself tossed. Advantage, O'Neal.

        The mercurial Stephen Jackson, the only player in this series who has a championship ring (he snagged his with San Antonio two seasons ago), played 33 minutes on a balky left knee that made it darn near impossible to keep up with Paul Pierce in the opening half. Pierce wisely took advantage of the mismatch -- for a while. But when Boston closed within 7 and needed a big basket from its captain, why take a three against a guy who is having issues with mobility? Take him to the hole. Make it hurt. Make the kid work.

        Boston must also exploit Indiana's bench. Fred Jones broke the middle finger on his shooting hand earlier this month and had missed 16 consecutive shots -- that's right, people, 16 consecutive shots -- before knocking down his first and second jumpers of the series Thursday night. Jeff Foster is playing with a bad hip and injured calf, but still managed nine boards and two blocks. Austin Croshere is fighting off persistent pain in his shoulder and a bulging disk in his back. Scot Pollard, the oft-traveled backup big man, can't play anymore. We're pretty sure backup point guard Eddie Gill can't play, either.

        Shooting guard James Jones looks like he'll be a player someday, but he's too young. Center Dale Davis was a valuable asset in his day, but he's too old.

        How is it that the Celtics haven't exposed these obvious weaknesses?
        The bane of Boston's existence, of course, is a 39-year-old sharpshooter who weighs 190 pounds. No shooting guard lasts in the league that long. The only guys who play to that age are grizzled, old 7-footers. But Reggie Miller is transforming his farewell tour into a bona fide victory party by seizing control of this series. He burned Boston for 33 points in 35 minutes Thursday night, going 10 of 16 from the floor with pure, nerveless, clean shooting. He's got poor rookie Tony Allen talking in his sleep and Rivers talking to anyone who will listen about his crafty style of play. Hey, I love Miller, too, but 33 points? Get around those picks quicker. Make him work harder on the defensive end.

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        Rivers employed the same old tactic every opposing coach has used against Miller: publicly alerting the officials to his flops, kicks, and flails. Phil Jackson successfully employed this strategy as coach of the Bulls, but Rivers has taken it one step further. He's even suggested Miller has enjoyed "sympathy calls" because he is retiring whenever this Pacers run ends.

        "I'm getting sympathy calls?" Miller said. "I've read a lot of things. Everyone is trying to one-up each other in the psychological wars. I'm just trying to play basketball."

        The Celtics should try to do the same. Ricky Davis, clearly the most talented bench player in this series, has to do better than 3 for 18 from the floor (his totals from the past two games). No one should count on Raef LaFrentz to knock in 21 points as he did in Game 1, but it's fair to expect him to create some opportunities for himself. Five shots in Game 3 doesn't cut it, not when the team continues to struggle to score.

        Pierce submitted a solid performance in Game 3 (19 points, 6 rebounds), but he has to make Jackson work harder, while always remembering he can't do this alone. If the Celtics rely on isolation basketball, the series will be over.

        Gary Payton needs to force tempo and promote ball movement. If he won't, maybe it's time to hand the ball over to Marcus Banks, warts and all.

        You've got to believe Pierce, Walker, and Payton have seen enough. They are veterans. They know Anthony Johnson shouldn't be beating them. They know when a team is injured, it's paramount to attack the cracks in the armor. Playing hurt is a lot easier when you're winning. Playing hurt when you're losing becomes a painful chore.

        "Nobody said it was going to be easy," said Walker, who didn't help matters by getting suspended for tonight's game. "We can't fall behind by 17 points like we did. We've got to match their intensity."

        Some of Boston's inconsistency was inevitable. At one point Thursday night, Rivers had three rookies, Davis, and the second-year Banks on the floor. While that lineup offers all sorts of possibilities, it also invites trouble. First-year players can look like Bill Russell one night, as Al Jefferson did in Game 1, then Bill Murray the next. The postseason pace is faster, harder, more physical. It's a shock to the system the first time, and the Celtics' youngsters are learning that the hard way. Jefferson was clearly flummoxed Thursday night; conversely, Kendrick Perkins, in his first significant minutes of the series, looked like a gamer. Whether Perkins can build on that is anyone's guess.

        That's why the veterans -- particularly Walker -- must maintain their composure going forward. The effort is never in question with Antoine. He plays hard, and probably cares more about winning than anyone on the team. As always, he was a stand-up guy after his ejection Thursday night, waiting patiently at his locker for the media rather than ducking the unpleasantness by sneaking out the back. Walker was the measure of calm in Games 1 and 2, imploring his teammates to stay focused and keep their yapping to a minimum.

        In Game 3, he forgot to take his own advice.

        If I'm Doc Rivers, I'm telling my guys that time is running out. Boston is the healthier, deeper, stronger team. Before this series started, Pacers officials were privately conceding they didn't even belong in the playoffs.

        If the Celtics can't eliminate a limping, depleted Indiana team, they are the ones who don't belong.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Articles out of Boston

          Can anyone write an article about the Pacers without mentioning 11-19.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Articles out of Boston

            Pretty good articles - other than the last one. Because I can go player-by-player down each roster and explain why the Pacers SHOULD be winning this series.

            Of course ultimately that breaks down to 2 things - defense and the ability to run a half-court offense, which are what the playoffs are all about.
            The poster formerly known as Rimfire

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            • #7
              Re: Articles out of Boston

              Originally posted by DisplacedKnick
              Pretty good articles - other than the last one. Because I can go player-by-player down each roster and explain why the Pacers SHOULD be winning this series.

              Of course ultimately that breaks down to 2 things - defense and the ability to run a half-court offense, which are what the playoffs are all about.


              I enjoyed the last one for some reason even though it was only one side of the argument

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              • #8
                Re: Articles out of Boston

                If I'm Doc Rivers, I'm telling my guys that time is running out. Boston is the healthier, deeper, stronger team. Before this series started, Pacers officials were privately conceding they didn't even belong in the playoffs.



                Anyone have any idea what he's talking about?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Articles out of Boston

                  Originally posted by WestCoastWillie
                  If I'm Doc Rivers, I'm telling my guys that time is running out. Boston is the healthier, deeper, stronger team. Before this series started, Pacers officials were privately conceding they didn't even belong in the playoffs.



                  Anyone have any idea what he's talking about?
                  I sure don't. All I have to say is that we are POUNDING them, and Im loving it.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Articles out of Boston

                    Can't say I enjoyed reading JO say if one of their guys were hurt, he'd try to hammer them too.

                    If anything, about half of our players need to be taught how to rise above bad behavior the other side dishes out.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Articles out of Boston

                      YEah i doubt that is true, the pacers think they don't belong....yeah right.
                      *removed* Just keep politics and religion completely out of it, please.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Articles out of Boston

                        Of course it's true, coaches' spin.
                        You know how hippos are made out to be sweet and silly, like big cows, but are actually extremely dangerous and can kill you with stunning brutality? The Pacers are the NBA's hippos....Matt Moore CBS Sports....

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                        • #13
                          Re: Articles out of Boston

                          Originally posted by Jose Slaughter
                          Can anyone write an article about the Pacers without mentioning 11-19.
                          Can anyone write an article about: Detroit without mentioning them trying to burn down the city; Bobby Knight without mentioning the chair incident; Woody Hayes without mentioning him punching an opposing player.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Articles out of Boston

                            Originally posted by WestCoastWillie
                            If I'm Doc Rivers, I'm telling my guys that time is running out. Boston is the healthier, deeper, stronger team. Before this series started, Pacers officials were privately conceding they didn't even belong in the playoffs.



                            Anyone have any idea what he's talking about?
                            The Pacers have been playing the underdog card for everything it's worth - the, "Our team's had to go through so much - I don't know how we even made the playoffs" stuff.

                            That has to be what he's talking about but I can't believe he actually thinks that.
                            The poster formerly known as Rimfire

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Articles out of Boston

                              The Celtics sound scared to me.

                              Comment

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