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Whether your are a long standing forum member or whether you have just registered today, it's a good idea to read and review the rules below so that you have a very good idea of what to expect when you come to Pacers Digest.

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Below are the rules of Pacers Digest. After you have read them, you will have a very good sense of where we are coming from, what we expect, what we don't want to see, and how we react to things.

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"

"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

"I can't wait to hear something from PosterX when he/she sees that **insert a given incident or current event that will have probably upset or disappointed PosterX here**"

"He/she is just delusional"

"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? "

In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.

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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Extensive game 3 coverage from the Boston Globe.

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  • Extensive game 3 coverage from the Boston Globe.

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

    Piercing blow
    With their star ineffective, Celtics slink closer to early exit
    By Shira Springer, Globe Staff | April 24, 2004

    It was deja vu without any altercation between Jermaine O'Neal and Brandon Hunter, with hardly any fight at all from the Celtics, for that matter. It was the worst home loss in franchise history, a defeat indicative of all that is wrong with the Celtics.


    No surprises, nothing new at the FleetCenter last night. Indiana used a 19-2 second-quarter run to separate themselves from the Celtics and essentially decide the game before halftime.

    Poor defense, inadequate rebounding, and inept passing prevented Boston from having a legitimate chance against Indiana. Shooting 47 percent, scoring 21 second-chance points, and forcing 16 turnovers that led to 20 points, the Pacers dismantled the Celtics, 108-85. The postgame analysis by the home team reiterated familiar themes that dated back well before the start of the postseason. The Celtics talked about the kind of inconsistency that allows extended runs and the kind of immaturity that has 12 players still headed in 12 directions.

    "This has been rough," said Paul Pierce, who was part of the problem with a playoff-career-low 9 points (4 for 17) and early foul trouble. "As bad as we have played these three games has hurt me at the bottom of my heart. I know what kind of competitor I am. I know how bad I want to win. I know where I want to be at, [where I] want to take this franchise. For us to come out here [last night] and get embarrassed the way we did is just something I can't explain."

    Maybe not in a semi-existential sense, like why a team staring at a first-round sweep could not muster a 48-minute effort in front of 17,680 fans. But otherwise, there were plenty of obvious explanations on the court, starting with the disturbing performance of Pierce and his even more troubling despondent demeanor.

    Sidelined by a pair of personals in the first half, Pierce glumly watched his teammates try to keep pace. He looked more than a little annoyed about missing seven minutes. He left the game with 4:19 remaining in the first with the Celtics trailing, 14-12. The first ended with Indiana ahead, 23-20.

    Coach John Carroll reinserted Pierce with 9:13 left in the second with the Celtics trailing, 29-24.

    The return of Pierce coincided with the start of the 19-2 run by the Pacers, though it really was no coincidence. After the captain hit a reverse layup to bring Boston within 3, Indiana went to work inside and out. The layup accounted for Pierce's only field goal of the first half as he entered the break with 2 points (1 for 7).

    Jonathan Bender started the big run for Indiana with a 3-point play. O'Neal followed with a 16-footer. Next, Bender nailed a 3-pointer and Anthony Johnson hit a trey, pushing the Pacers ahead, 40-28. Al Harrington (19 points off the bench) capped the run with a layup on the fast break, propelling the Pacers to a 48-28 lead with 3:59 to go in the second.

    "We've put ourselves in a position where we're down, 3-0, and you can't even be upset," said Chucky Atkins (12 points). "They're just flat-out outplaying us in every aspect of the basketball game.

    "I don't know what we can do, if we haven't done it by now . . . Everything we do, they have an answer for and they can do better . . . You just don't get to the playoffs and all of a sudden things are out of whack. It's been this way for a while. It's disturbing to have issues because this time of year, everything is magnified. You want to give a good showing, that we deserve to be in the playoffs."

    But throughout the series, it's become harder to make a case the Celtics belong. Boston tried to save face in the third quarter, cutting its deficit to 9. With free throws and a pair of field goals from Pierce, the Celtics closed to within 64-55 with 5:58 remaining in the third. Pierce capped the 7-2 run with a 3-point play. But it was too little too late.

    The fourth quarter proceeded as a mere formality with the Pacers pushing their advantage to a game-high 26 points. Fans at the FleetCenter filed out en masse with 6:45 left.

    "Our problem, as you have seen, has been that we get off to a decent quarter, then little by little, they wear us down," said Carroll. "So, we have to maybe make a dramatic chance, maybe do something that's just out of the ordinary. Because just playing a normal kind of game at some point was not going to be good enough.

    "When we came out in the third quarter and we were able to cut it a little bit, down to 9, I thought we had another chance. But again, any time you make any mistake against this team, you pay for it dearly. A lot of teams you can make some mistakes and you can still hang around, but not this team. That's how good they are."




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

    Captain is alone at the helm
    Sinking feeling results from receiving no help
    By Jackie MacMullan, Globe Staff | April 24, 2004

    The idea was that Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce couldn't do it alone. The premise for dismantling, then rebuilding the Celtics was predicated on that very fact.

    Therefore, it would only be logical to assume that Pierce certainly can't win playoff games all by himself.

    Especially when he scores 2 points in the first half. Especially when he misses 13 of 17 shots. Especially when most of the time he's trying to concoct miracles against the league's top defender, Ron Artest, and at least one or two other Indiana irritants.

    It should not come as a shock to anyone that the Celtics woke up this morning in the depths of a cavernous 3-0 deficit in their best-of-seven series. The Indiana Pacers are better, deeper, smarter. Pierce may be the most explosive offensive player on the floor, but the Pacers have settled on a familiar strategy -- to take away every nook and cranny and angle from the Celtics' captain, and dare the rest of Boston's roster to beat them.

    The likelihood of this occurring is extremely slim. Without Pierce's production, this team is cooked. As it is, even with him they are struggling mightily to stay afloat. Pierce submitted only 9 points last night, his career playoff low, while his team endured its worst loss in home playoff history, a 108-85 beating that was every bit as bad as it sounds.

    Dismiss this as yesterday's news if you like. You knew this team wasn't going anywhere, especially against a rejuvenated Pacers team that has flourished under the dual leadership of two former Celtics, coach Rick Carlisle and head of basketball operations Larry Bird. Feel free to turn off your set, and obliterate that 0.5 rating into one that is negligible. But there's only one problem with ignoring this basketball team -- it is made up of real people with legitimate frustrations and enough angst to start their own support group. Leading the way is the emotional Pierce, who has not accepted this losing as readily as his often apathetic fan base.

    "Right now, I've lost seven consecutive playoff [games] with the Celtics," Pierce said. "We were swept last year and now we're on the brink of being swept again. This is the most embarrassing last two playoff series I've ever been a part of. I have a lot of pride and I wear this dream on my heart. It is just difficult moments right now."

    Many of those difficult moments have been created by Artest, recently coronated the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year. Artest has bumped, prodded, poked, fronted, overplayed, and boxed out Pierce from the moment this series started. When Pierce has slithered away from Artest, a host of other Indiana defenders has been waiting, taking away the baseline, or the quick curl, or the drive to the hoop.

    And, yet, there has been no crowing from the Pacers. They respect Pierce's ability at any time to torch them for 30. Until this series is over -- likely tomorrow -- Indiana will toe the line with revered comments.


    "Just because Paul has had a couple of bad games doesn't mean he'll have a bad game [tomorrow]," Artest insisted. "He's a big-time player."

    Let's see how big. Pierce said he challenged his teammates as they walked back to their locker room after the loss to make sure they weren't blanked in four straight again. He must do better than 30 percent shooting, 18.7 points a night, and 6.3 turnovers (his averages for the series) to prevent that.

    "As I was walking in [to the locker room] I said there is no way the Boston Celtics should ever get swept," he said. "This is not the type of franchise this should happen to. This is one of the best franchises in all of basketball.

    "If we don't have the guys who are going to accept that and have the pride to put on the uniform and compete at a high level every night, no matter who is out there, then we need to get guys who do."

    Such talk is admirable, but it must be backed up by the proper behavior. Pierce did not exhibit a fine brand of leadership midway through the first quarter, when, tagged with two early fouls, he sat and pouted on the bench, apart from his team. He was notably absent from the team huddle for at least three timeouts, either because of frustration over the calls or his unfortunate luck of having to sit. Either way, if he's going to preach playing hard and playing together, he must back up his words with the appropriate actions.

    Coach John Carroll jumped to his star's defense last night, citing the tremendous pressure he's under without the kind of supporting cast that could provide him -- and the team -- with a little wiggle room.

    "He's the star of the team, and when we lose and we lose bad, the focus is going to be on him," said Carroll. "But to his credit, to tell you a little about Paul Pierce, at the end of the game I asked him if he wanted to come out and he said, `No.'

    "He said, `If we're going to lose like this, I'm going to be on the court. If the ship's going down, I'm going down with the ship tonight.' "

    You wonder how much longer Pierce will be willing to eschew the raft and the life preservers. He signed an extension with this team last year envisioning a team that would again be contending for the Eastern Conference championship. Now he's in the midst of a disjointed transition period that has left a slew of bodies in its wake. He admitted last night that clunkers like this one make him wonder if he can stick it out for the long haul.

    "It definitely crosses my mind," he said. "I've been talking to some of our players about the future and what direction we're headed in. I think about it all the time."

    You know what he's thinking about now? Why couldn't he have taken on the Pacers with Walker and Eric Williams and Tony Battie and Tony Delk? Why did they have to start over when he's in the prime of his career, and ready to take the next step forward?

    "We need to get him some help," Carroll admitted. "I don't think we can beat them without another person contributing."

    That person better step up -- quickly. Pierce is running out of time -- and answers.




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

    Ainge picks future over being present
    By Jackie MacMullan, Globe Columnist | April 24, 2004

    Those who waited for Indiana head of basketball operations -- and Celtics legend -- Larry Bird to make a grand entrance into the FleetCenter just before tipoff last night were undoubtedly disappointed. Bird sneaked into his seat about 10 rows back of midcourt without incident or notice.

    Those hoping for a warm embrace between Bird and Boston's head of basketball operations -- former teammate Danny Ainge -- were also let down.

    That's because Danny wasn't even in the building. He was in Europe scouting future Celtics instead.

    Feel free to interpret this any way you want. Ainge bashers will view this as yet another example of an arrogant leader who exhibits total disregard for his current players and this season on the brink. Ainge supporters (there are more than you think) will point to this as another example of a forward-thinking executive who is working diligently to make sure his franchise utilizes its three first-round picks to their fullest.

    I have no doubt Ainge did what he thought was best to improve the Celtics. If he could have been reached on his cellphone, he would have told me he had a small window of opportunity to see some significant draft prospects one final time before making his decision in June. He would have stressed his responsibilities to rebuild this team with as much knowledge as possible. It would be a persuasive argument.

    But it still wouldn't have made it right.

    This basketball team has been through an incredibly tumultuous season, having survived a number of trades, injuries, the resignation of its popular coach, and the suspension, then termination of its teammate. Somehow, the Celtics regrouped in time to scratch their way into the postseason, and while you and I can debate until next Easter whether this was a prudent move for the team, they got there. It meant something to these players and their interim coach, John Carroll, who has proven to be calm, poised, and professional in the most impossible of situations.

    This team deserves the support of its head of basketball operations. Ainge leveled his share of cannonballs at this battered rig; now that it's taking on water, he should stick around and go down with the ship.

    Ainge was in Indiana for Game 1, but missed Game 2, last night's 108-85 loss in Game 3, and will also be absent for tomorrow's Game 4, which could well be the final game of the season.

    Team owner Wyc Grousbeck said Ainge "agonized" over whether to remain with the team or travel overseas to see the end of the season for a number of European teams.

    "His most important job right now is to draft players for us," said Grousbeck. "One of the reasons our franchise has gotten to where it has is because we've botched the draft all the way through the '90s. We've had, I think, six lottery picks, and have only Paul Pierce to show for it.

    "We are not going to botch this draft through lack of effort. My No. 1 priority as CEO of this team is to get this draft right."


    It would have been nice to know what his players thought of Ainge's absence last night, but most of them were hanging out in the trainer's room before the game and were not available for comment. Center Mark Blount, alone in the locker room, said, "Danny's not here? I didn't notice. It makes no difference. We don't care if he's here or not."

    (An author's aside here: Blount is not the most objective person in these matters. He's been sniping at Ainge all season.)

    When asked about Ainge's absence, Carroll merely smiled and said, "I really don't have a comment."

    Grousbeck contended that since Ainge was responsible for bringing 12 of the current Celtics aboard, "They know exactly how he feels. Jiri Welsch has no questions about how Danny feels about him."

    Former Celtic Kenny Anderson said he doubts Ainge's presence would have mattered to the players.

    "Their backs are against the wall, man," Anderson said. "Even if all of their mothers are there, it's not going to matter if they don't win any games."

    Anderson has a point. Having Ainge at the Fleet hardly improved Boston's chances of winning. It's been a long, long time since he's drained any threes for the boys in green. But that really isn't the issue. It's about respecting the efforts of these players, here and now, and scouring the world trying to unearth their replacements at this time of year is distasteful at best.

    I asked Indiana coach Rick Carlisle if Bird gave any thought to missing this first-round cakewalk to get in his final looks at European prospects. Answered Carlisle, "He's been over in Europe all season avoiding us. He doesn't need to go back."

    Does it matter if your basketball boss is around for the playoffs?

    "Yes, of course, it does," Carlisle answered. "I can't quantify it. It's just a significant show of support for the team."

    Will Ainge make it back in time for the exit interviews that are customary at the end of the season? And, if he does return, what kind of credibility will he have? How can he look these players in the eye and comment on their play or demeanor in the postseason when he's missed most of it himself?

    Where was Danny when Pierce was on the bench midway through the first quarter last night, steaming over two early fouls? While his team was in the huddle, drawing up plays in the midst of a 20-20 deadlock, Pierce sat alone, staring off in the distance. He did it for three consecutive timeouts, purposely isolating himself from his teammates. If I was the GM of the Celtics, that might be something I'd talk to my captain about after the game. Of course, if you aren't there, and didn't witness it firsthand, it would be hard to discuss it.

    If the Celtics draft a European stud in June, Ainge will undoubtedly point back to this trip as the one that sealed the deal on his decision. He is right to give this draft his full attention.

    Having said that, sometimes looking to the future includes participating in the present. Pierce is, after all, part of Next Year and beyond. And, last time I checked, he was on the floor trying to survive last night at the Fleet.

    Too bad his boss wasn't there to see it.

    Jackie MacMullan is a Globe columnist. Her e-mail address is macmullan@globe.com.




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


    ON BASKETBALL
    Blueprint on full display
    By Peter May, Globe Staff | April 24, 2004

    This is what you might be in for -- if you're lucky -- by, say, the turn of the decade. Danny Ainge might be on the Senior PGA Tour by then. Paul Pierce might be playing for the veteran minimum to get that one shot at a ring.

    Watch the Indiana Pacers -- you'll have plenty of opportunities as the playoffs progress -- and you'll hopefully see what Ainge has in mind for the Celtics. Once again last night, as Indiana pushed the Celtics to life support with a 108-85 destruction, you saw a deep team with its emerging young stars crush the clueless hosts.

    Red Auerbach noticed. Standing with Larry Bird after the game, Auerbach said, matter-of-factly, "Everybody on their second team could be a starter for our team."

    He's right. Who wouldn't take Al Harrington or Jonathan Bender? Right now, that's a no-brainer. Those two, ages 24 and 23, respectively, once again overwhelmed the Celtics with dominating bench play; they each had 19 points while Harrington added nine rebounds. (OK, Al, I wished I'd voted for you for Sixth Man.)

    These guys didn't just fall off the turnip truck. Bender is in his fifth season. Harrington is in his sixth. When the Pacers made the playoffs under Bird, Harrington couldn't even get a spot on the playoff roster. He only had nine games of postseason experience prior to the start of this series, six coming last year in ugly fashion against the Celtics.

    "It's very hard to wait for guys like these because people want to see success right away," said Pacers president Donnie Walsh, the man responsible for drafting Bender and Harrington. "But it's not just a matter of talent with these guys. It's a mind-set that they've developed this year about how you go to work each day."

    Bender is the perfect example of how most young players need time -- the younger the player, the more time he needs. He has had the words "promising" and "can't miss" attached to his name since Indiana traded Antonio Davis to Toronto in 1999 to get the fifth overall selection to take Bender. Bird has called him the most talented player on the team and, recently, while watching a high school all-star game, said, "Jonathan Bender is more talented than all these guys put together."

    But he's been the Indiana Godot. When he wasn't learning, he was hurt. He played in only 21 games this season, missing the first 2 1/2 months following knee surgery and then missing more time because of ongoing knee woes and a sprained right shoulder. In four previous playoff runs with Indiana, Bender had appeared in 18 games and a total of 104 minutes.


    He has been an absolute killer in this series.

    "I look at Jonathan Bender over the last couple of years and I see a guy who has worked his tail off and made unbelievable improvements," Celtics coach John Carroll said. "He's starting to do it. It makes you marvel at what they've put together and how deep they are."

    Bender and Harrington have been the two most visible examples of that vaunted depth in this series. Harrington arrived at the FleetCenter last night having learned earlier in the day that he was the runner-up to Dallas's Antawn Jamison in balloting for the Sixth Man Award. He has overpowered anyone Carroll has put out there in a dramatic reversal from last year.

    It didn't hurt Bender or Harrington that they landed on a seasoned team. The Pacers went to the NBA Finals in Bender's rookie year. Harrington joined the team the year before, when they went to the Eastern Conference finals. That was their good fortune. It also was their good fortune that Indiana could -- and did -- give them time.

    "I had all kinds of calls for both of them," Walsh said, referring to trade inquiries. "But even if the coach had asked me to, I wouldn't have done it. And the thing with Bender is, I don't think he's scratched the surface yet."

    Geez. Did we have to hear that?

    It's not enough that these pups are getting their playoff props at the expense of a dysfunctional Celtics team. Now we have to be told they still can get a lot better?

    The Pacers should be Ainge's model. But it helps if you have a successful, veteran nucleus in which to raise the kids. The Celtics have no such successful nucleus and that makes it doubly difficult. The idea of veteran leadership these days is to pan the stands to see what ex-Celtics might be there; last night was a gold mine with Bird, Red, and Robert Parish among others.

    But the really depressing part of all this is contemplating if and when Danny's imports can even approach the standard now being set by Bender and Harrington. And, unfortunately, that is a big "if" and an even bigger "when."




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

    Welsch gets short shrift in lineup change
    By Shira Springer, Globe Staff | April 24, 2004

    Entering Game 3, interim coach John Carroll knew Boston needed a change. Something, anything, to reverse the team's fortunes in its first-round playoff series against Indiana.

    He contemplated starting Ricky Davis in place of Jiri Welsch. But he also knew poor starts were not a problem. That said, Carroll gave more minutes to Davis later in the game, at the expense of Welsch. Davis led the team with 16 points in 35 minutes.

    "I thought after the second quarter we needed something else," said Carroll. "I love Jiri Welsch. I love him as a player, but I thought we needed something different."

    Welsch did not expect the move. And the starting small forward was puzzled by his 21-minute stint, though he still finished with 11 points and 2 rebounds.

    "I didn't play much, but you have to ask Coach, because I don't know what happened," said Welsch. "They made a decision and they went with it. I'm a player and I cannot do anything about that. I am frustrated about the game, but not about [playing time]."

    Aching for minutes

    Kenny Anderson did not play during Game 1 or Game 2, the only player on the Indiana playoff roster who can lay claim to that dubious distinction.

    While Anderson would like more of a role in the Pacers' first-round series with the Celtics, he simply shrugged off his lack of playing time. After starting early in the season before a calf injury pushed him to third on the Pacers' point guard depth chart, Anderson tries to remain positive.

    "I'm just waiting, you know it's a long playoff series, each series," said Anderson, who played six minutes last night and scored 4 points in the Pacers' 108-85 blowout. "I'm just being prepared, trying to get my workouts in and mentally being negative-free. [Indiana coach] Rick [Carlisle] knows I'm ready, if he wants to throw me out there."

    At the request of Anderson and his agent, the Pacers had lined up a couple of trade possibilities for the 33-year-old as the trading deadline neared in mid-February. But when presented with the option of heading to Detroit or Toronto, Anderson decided to remain in Indiana with a team and coach he knew and liked.

    "Sometimes the grass is not greener on the other side," said Anderson. "I just wanted to finish the year out here. Whatever the future holds for me, I'll deal with it down the road. But right now, I'm a Pacer. I would like to play. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'm 100 percent happy. I would like to be out there on the court, but that's out of my control.

    "What I can control is being ready when my number is called."

    Anderson said he would look at all options after the season, including a possible, though unlikely, return to Boston.

    Larry who?

    The soldout crowd at the FleetCenter probably had a better idea of what Larry Bird accomplished during his 13-year career with the Celtics than the 20-something players who currently constitute the Pacers, many of whom were still in elementary school when Bird retired in 1992.

    When asked if the Pacers respected him for being Larry Bird, Indiana's president of basketball operations joked, "Only if they watch Classic Sports. I think we have a mutual respect. I respect a lot of these guys the way they work, the way they conduct themselves. They're going to have problems. But this year, they won a lot of games, so [that would] eliminate a lot of the problems around here."

    Bird watched the game next to Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra from a perch about 10 rows behind center court.

    It can get worse

    The Celtics suffered their worst home playoff loss in franchise history. The previous largest margin of defeat at home occurred April 13, 1972, a 116-94 loss to the Knicks. It was Boston's worst playoff loss since a 124-77 loss at Orlando April 28, 1995 . . . In Carlisle's estimation, nothing compared with the playoff atmosphere at Boston Garden. And as someone who played in the playoffs at the Garden and coached postseason games at the FleetCenter, Carlisle should know. That said, Carlisle knew his players would not take anything for granted given the intensity of the FleetCenter crowds. When asked if he got some of the same feelings walking into the FleetCenter as he did Boston Garden, Carlisle said, "Somewhat. That's about as far as I can go. The other place is like walking into the Vatican of basketball to me." . . . Jermaine O'Neal, who missed Indiana's practice Thursday because of a sinus infection, started last night and finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds in 28 minutes, even though he was not 100 percent . . . "If we could make a trade right now that would help us, I'd be all for it," said Celtics coach John Carroll. "Maybe we could bring in Shaq [O'Neal] or Jason Kidd." . . . Best wishes to Joe Durkin. Last night was his last game as senior director of marketing. Durkin worked for the organization for 18 years. He is leaving to take a job with a sports event management company . . . Patriot Rosevelt Colvin was spotted watching the game from the sideline opposite the Celtics' bench. Other famous faces in the building included Red Auerbach and Robert Parish.

    ** Officially, they were "enhancements" to the Green Team, the group of the men and women that toss T-shirts into the stands during timeouts. But the fact that the "enhancements" were all attractive young women in tight sleeveless tops did not go unnoticed. The Celtics took pains to point out that the women did not dance, so they were not technically a dance team. But one has to wonder if the Celtics are headed in that direction. "We made a conscious decision to amp up our game entertainment," said Rich Gotham, executive vice president of sales and corporate development. "The ideas is to give fans more entertainment because the playoffs are a special time of year. We wanted to enhance our Green Team, our promotional team, and get more fan interaction." . . .




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

    Artest's return gives 'D' a boost
    By Michael Vega, Globe Staff | April 24, 2004

    It was not as though Reggie Miller was divulging any state secrets -- or, worse, the Pacers' game plan -- when he intoned the reason Indiana had pushed the Celtics to the brink of elimination with a 108-85 Game 3 thrashing of Boston's Team Gangrene last night.


    "I think defensively tonight we were really locked in," said the Pacers' captain. "Paul Pierce is not going to shoot 4 for 17 without a lot of great help defense."

    And last night, Ron Artest, the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, returned from a one-game suspension to give the Pacers' defense a boost. Not that it was in any way toothless without him, but Artest clearly gave Indiana the defensive fangs to sink its teeth into a 3-0 lead in this best-of-seven series.

    For a guy who loves the game as much as Artest, it pained him to have to miss a single moment of Indiana's Game 2 victory over the Celtics at Conseco Fieldhouse.

    "I was disappointed not to play, but it happens," said Artest, who chipped in 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals in 29 minutes last night. "Things happen. You just deal with it."

    On the same day the NBA lauded him for his defense, league officials were placed in the awkward position of having to slap Artest on the wrist (seemingly yet again) for leaving the bench during a Game 1 altercation between Jermaine O'Neal and Brandon Hunter.

    Artest, in his defense, said he was only looking after his teammate, O'Neal. There was no malicious intent.

    "None at all," Artest said. "You can fake things, but that wasn't fake. There was nothing that was going to happen at that point."

    And yet, when he was banished to the bench, Artest had an inkling the league would come down on him with a suspension. "Yeah, that's the way things have been going for me for a long time now."

    But that was the old Ron Artest. The petulant Ron Artest. The immature Ron Artest.

    "Ron's role has changed on this team," Miller said. "Last year, he was more of an individual defender. And now we are asking Ron to play more team defense. Yeah, he can play that aggressive and rough style, but everyone has rules and things they have to follow on the defensive end."

    Late in the second quarter last night, it was evident Artest was no longer a breaker but a follower of the rules when he found himself in a tussle with Chris Mihm for a loose ball under the Celtics' basket. Artest tightly wrapped his arms around the basketball. Mihm tightly wrapped his arms around Artest, who could have easily let fly an elbow.

    But that was the old Ron Artest. The new and improved Artest instead calmly allowed the officials to adjudicate the matter and faced off against Mihm for a jump ball.

    "I've tried [to turn over a new leaf]," Artest acknowledged. "I just try to think of my team, my family, and everybody."

    While Al Harrington and Jonathan Bender each had 19 points off the bench to lead the Pacers last night, Artest's presence in the lineup clearly emboldened Indiana's commitment to defense.

    "He makes a big difference," Miller said, "because his hands are so quick and his feet are quicker. He really puts the offense in a bad situation when he's guarding, not that our jobs are easier, but having him out there on the court, he does so much to create havoc."

    Want proof? Then take a glance at Pierce's line: 4 for 17 field goals, including 0 of 2 from the 3-point arc, for 9 points. It represented a playoff low for Pierce, who also had as many assists as turnovers (4) in 37 minutes.

    "Having Ron back not only gives you a great defensive player, it gives you a multidimensional offensive player who can score inside, hit threes, make plays," said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. "Guys like that at the 3 position don't grow on trees in this league. So we're very fortunate to have him and, obviously, it helped having him back tonight." No big secret there.




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

    Rebounding key to bouncing back
    Celtics must clean up effort on glass
    By Marvin Pave, Globe Staff | April 24, 2004

    Someone reminded Chris Mihm that with his team down, 3-0, in their best-of-seven series to the Pacers, the Celtics' backs were to the wall.


    "Yeah, as if they weren't going into tonight," responded the center after last night's 108-85 clinic put on by Indiana at the FleetCenter. "Now we've got to come out with nothing to lose on Sunday because that's where we are right now."

    There was a time when "Celtic Pride" was about trying to win games in NBA Finals, but as the eighth seed against the team with the best regular-season record in the league, that phrase has been reduced to winning one game on their home court to avoid a series sweep.

    "Our main focus has to be on keeping them off the glass," said Mihm. "They killed us in the first half on the boards. Every time we give them easy put-back buckets like that, we're shooting ourselves in the foot. That's a start right there -- and then making sure we get good shots on the other end.

    "We made runs tonight, but you've got to give them credit. They had the answers and we took one [on the chin] tonight."

    The Celtics' ineffectiveness on the glass as well as on the perimeter (as in eight Pacers 3-pointers to Boston's three) frustrated Jiri Welsch.

    "We can't allow so many offensive rebounds and second-chance plays," said Welsch. "We're not defending well. We let them do whatever they want -- easy layups, open shots -- we just couldn't stop them. But we cannot fold or give up. We have at least 48 minutes of basketball left. It's our job. It has to be everyone's pride to go out there and try to make the series as long as possible. We just have to put it together, but we don't have much time."

    Center Mark Blount described Indiana as a "solid" team with great talent and depth.

    "They're getting it done and they're making plays and you've got to play 48 minutes -- a solid 48 minutes," Blount said. "You can't turn the ball over and give them points."

    Sixteen Celtics turnovers (Indiana had nine) were high on a list of the home team's transgressions.

    "It's crazy out there right now," said Walter McCarty. "We're playing against a tough team but it also feels that sometimes we're playing against ourselves. We don't do the things we need to do for four quarters to beat a team like this. So it's very tough.

    "They crash four guys and a lot of times we've got two guys boxing out."

    Four against two doesn't work well on the boards, and when you can't protect the basketball if you do get it, well, that makes for a long night and a short series.

    "We turned the ball over a lot and they're a team that converts, especially on the fast break," said McCarty. "And we're not a good team right now."

    The antidote?

    "We've got to play four quarters both on the defense and on the offense and not worry about who gets shots or who scores the baskets," said McCarty. "If we don't do those types of things, we're going home after Sunday. We have to decide as a team to come together and play together. If not, we're on vacation."




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

    Heinsohn prefers the runaround
    By Marvin Pave, Globe Staff | April 24, 2004

    He has been a part of Celtics championship teams as a player, coach, and broadcast analyst, and Tom Heinsohn says there's a thread that connects all of them.


    "Competitive people who know how to sublimate their own egos for the good of the team. That's what it takes. That's the key," said Heinsohn prior to last night's Game 3 of the Celtics-Pacers series at the FleetCenter. "One guy can't win it. Two guys can't win it."

    Heinsohn, who helped lead the Celtics to their first championship 47 years ago as a rookie out of Holy Cross, says the current Celtics team has players who fit the unselfish mold and that the nucleus is there -- not necessarily for an immediate NBA title, but for a team with the potential to benefit from an uptempo style of play.

    "Some of them came in the middle of the season. The prior coach [Jim O'Brien] was defensive-oriented and not offensive-oriented and since then, to salvage the season, they've been trying to run," he said. "I think 13 of our 16 titles were won with this style of play -- to pace the game, which was always the secret weapon of the Celtics. Danny [Ainge] believes that and I saw that as the shortest way to win when I coached."

    Heinsohn believes that no matter how Ainge tweaks the roster for next season, the most important move will be the hiring of a coach who espouses the uptempo style.

    "You don't coach score in the middle of the first quarter. You coach pace. And you have to believe in the style. When I was a player," he recalled, "you were instructed to take the ball out of the net, step out of bounds, and find the furthest guy up the floor who was open -- and that put the other team in jeopardy all the time. So I think what the team needs is a coach for that style.

    "As a former coach, I would not be afraid to go into next season with the players the Celtics have now -- if you get some better ones, fine -- but we've essentially been playing slowdown basketball since Bill Fitch was here. The Celtics of the Bird era had the three big guys and it was big-man basketball.'

    "The Lakers of that era were the Celtics of old. They were the running team because [ex-Celtic] Bill Sharman was the man in charge of that organization."

    No matter who comes aboard, said Heinsohn, the playoffs require clear thinking and control of emotions. "If you're a young team, you have a tendency to go up and down emotionally with a win or a loss, but you have to attack each game like it's the most important game."

    Heinsohn knows all about ups and downs: As Celtics coach in the 1974 NBA Finals against Milwaukee, his team was dealt what could have been a devastating loss at Boston Garden on a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hook shot over Henry Finkel in Game 6. The Celtics had to play Game 7 on the road and Heinsohn knew his team had to throw a different look at the Bucks.

    "I'd been there before. I wanted to do something to take the crowd out of the game in the first quarter and so I changed our defensive philosophy. We doubled Kareem and forced Cornell Warner to be a superstar," Heinsohn said. "By the time they realized what we were doing, we were 17 points up and they never could catch up. It was done not because I believed in the philosophy, but because I believed in the surprise element of it."

    So, do the current Celtics have any surprises in their repertoire against a more talented opponent?

    "The team is not coordinated yet. Some guys have been together for 40 games," said Heinsohn. "The surprise to me is that they're in the playoffs. But they're in and they're playing the top team in the conference. It's good experience for them."

    Experience they can run with in the future.

  • #2
    Re: Extensive game 3 coverage from the Boston Globe.

    Thanks for putting that together, Will.

    Peter May's comment about the young fellas was my favorite.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Extensive game 3 coverage from the Boston Globe.

      I read every word of those articles, but many won't take the time to, so let me highlight the one article most Pacers fans would be most interested in







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


      ON BASKETBALL
      Blueprint on full display
      By Peter May, Globe Staff | April 24, 2004

      This is what you might be in for -- if you're lucky -- by, say, the turn of the decade. Danny Ainge might be on the Senior PGA Tour by then. Paul Pierce might be playing for the veteran minimum to get that one shot at a ring.

      Watch the Indiana Pacers -- you'll have plenty of opportunities as the playoffs progress -- and you'll hopefully see what Ainge has in mind for the Celtics. Once again last night, as Indiana pushed the Celtics to life support with a 108-85 destruction, you saw a deep team with its emerging young stars crush the clueless hosts.

      Red Auerbach noticed. Standing with Larry Bird after the game, Auerbach said, matter-of-factly, "Everybody on their second team could be a starter for our team."

      He's right. Who wouldn't take Al Harrington or Jonathan Bender? Right now, that's a no-brainer. Those two, ages 24 and 23, respectively, once again overwhelmed the Celtics with dominating bench play; they each had 19 points while Harrington added nine rebounds. (OK, Al, I wished I'd voted for you for Sixth Man.)

      These guys didn't just fall off the turnip truck. Bender is in his fifth season. Harrington is in his sixth. When the Pacers made the playoffs under Bird, Harrington couldn't even get a spot on the playoff roster. He only had nine games of postseason experience prior to the start of this series, six coming last year in ugly fashion against the Celtics.

      "It's very hard to wait for guys like these because people want to see success right away," said Pacers president Donnie Walsh, the man responsible for drafting Bender and Harrington. "But it's not just a matter of talent with these guys. It's a mind-set that they've developed this year about how you go to work each day."

      Bender is the perfect example of how most young players need time -- the younger the player, the more time he needs. He has had the words "promising" and "can't miss" attached to his name since Indiana traded Antonio Davis to Toronto in 1999 to get the fifth overall selection to take Bender. Bird has called him the most talented player on the team and, recently, while watching a high school all-star game, said, "Jonathan Bender is more talented than all these guys put together."

      But he's been the Indiana Godot. When he wasn't learning, he was hurt. He played in only 21 games this season, missing the first 2 1/2 months following knee surgery and then missing more time because of ongoing knee woes and a sprained right shoulder. In four previous playoff runs with Indiana, Bender had appeared in 18 games and a total of 104 minutes.


      He has been an absolute killer in this series.

      "I look at Jonathan Bender over the last couple of years and I see a guy who has worked his tail off and made unbelievable improvements," Celtics coach John Carroll said. "He's starting to do it. It makes you marvel at what they've put together and how deep they are."

      Bender and Harrington have been the two most visible examples of that vaunted depth in this series. Harrington arrived at the FleetCenter last night having learned earlier in the day that he was the runner-up to Dallas's Antawn Jamison in balloting for the Sixth Man Award. He has overpowered anyone Carroll has put out there in a dramatic reversal from last year.

      It didn't hurt Bender or Harrington that they landed on a seasoned team. The Pacers went to the NBA Finals in Bender's rookie year. Harrington joined the team the year before, when they went to the Eastern Conference finals. That was their good fortune. It also was their good fortune that Indiana could -- and did -- give them time.

      "I had all kinds of calls for both of them," Walsh said, referring to trade inquiries. "But even if the coach had asked me to, I wouldn't have done it. And the thing with Bender is, I don't think he's scratched the surface yet."

      Geez. Did we have to hear that?

      It's not enough that these pups are getting their playoff props at the expense of a dysfunctional Celtics team. Now we have to be told they still can get a lot better?

      The Pacers should be Ainge's model. But it helps if you have a successful, veteran nucleus in which to raise the kids. The Celtics have no such successful nucleus and that makes it doubly difficult. The idea of veteran leadership these days is to pan the stands to see what ex-Celtics might be there; last night was a gold mine with Bird, Red, and Robert Parish among others.

      But the really depressing part of all this is contemplating if and when Danny's imports can even approach the standard now being set by Bender and Harrington. And, unfortunately, that is a big "if" and an even bigger "when."

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Extensive game 3 coverage from the Boston Globe.

        I love this quote so much it's my new sig.

        Former Celtic Kenny Anderson said he doubts Ainge's presence would have mattered to the players.

        "Their backs are against the wall, man," Anderson said. "Even if all of their mothers are there, it's not going to matter if they don't win any games."
        "It's just unfortunate that we've been penalized so much this year and nothing has happened to the Pistons, the Palace or the city of Detroit," he said. "It's almost like it's always our fault. The league knows it. They should be ashamed of themselves to let the security be as lax as it is around here."

        ----------------- Reggie Miller

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