Third wheel

For Boston to reach Finals, Pierce and Walker will need help

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum will answer your NBA questions every week during the season. Click here to send him a question

Jack, how have you been? It's been a few years since we ran the court over at Lehigh with Muffet and the Commissioner. Do you still play hoops? Now my real questions: Are the Celtics good enough this year to reach the Finals? I've only seen bits and pieces, and Boston hasn't shown me depth in its bench yet, just a heavy reliance on Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker. Is this a fair assessment?
--Mike, Spotsylvania, Va.

Hey, Mike, how are you? I'm stil' living in the Christmas City and doing fine. I only recently hung it up, after ripping the right Achilles tendon and left knee meniscus in consecutive years. Now, I run. Or jog. Or trot. I'm answering this prior to Boston playing Philly in Game 5, so I'm not even sure the Celts will get out of that. But, sure, they have enough to get to the Finals. Right now, I'm not convinced Charlotte isn't the favorite in the East. The trade that brought Rodney Rogers to Boston was made because the Celtics felt an overreliance on Pierce and Walker. Obviously, that is the team's weakness. They'll only go as far as those two guys will take them, but somebody else (Kenny Anderson? Rogers?) is going to have to step up big in the next round ... if they make the next round. Nice to hear from you.

Jack, the Celtics offense generally runs through Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce. In fact, several times in Game 3 of the Celts-Sixers series the duo was stacked on the same side of the floor. My question is: With Walker and Pierce now ranked 1-2 in the playoffs for most turnovers per game, wouldn't it be wiser for Jim O'Brien to rely on Kenny Anderson to distribute the ball more? He's been pretty effective in the series.
--Travis, Boston

Travis, you dance with what brung you. All year I've thought that Walker handles the ball too much, which leaves Kenny Anderson absolutely nothing to do. (It's not like Anderson can post people up.) But, look, running the offense through Walker and Pierce has brought them this far, and I don't think O'Brien plans to change strategy now. You're right, though -- K.A. has been real effective at times in the Philly series and that will have to continue if the Celts are to advance.

Don't you hate the way the last two minutes of NBA games are played? It seems every game comes down to a free-throw contest with desperate shots at one end and quick fouls on the other. And what really kills me is the timeout after every possession and the mandatory commercial break. These last few minutes ruin the flow of the game.
--Brian Willows, Calif.

Well, I just got finished watching Game 5 of the Nets-Pacers series, which seems as if it began about 20 years ago. You're correct.

How can people say the Western Conference is more interesting than the East? The playoffs show the East is more interesting.
--Linwing Lok, Hong Kong

Lin -- may I call you Lin? -- I'm not sure "interesting" is the key word here. The East is interesting because of how close the first-round series have been, with three of four going to a fifth game. But, man, the key word to describe the East is ugly. It's been competitive, but it hasn't been real pretty. There is NO WAY a team can come out of that conference and win it all. Print this out and write me back if I'm wrong. I'll say this, though: There is simply no way to figure which team will emerge from the East -- and that is interesting.

I'm overwhelmed by the vast difference in the number of free-throw attempts by each team in some of the games. For example, in the two Philly victories over Boston, the 76ers shot 35 more free throws, but only beat Boston by a total of seven points. It seems like a rigged WWF match instead of a true contest. What's your honest take?
--Dan Crothers, San Simon, Ariz.

Oldest question in the book, Dan. Do I think the NBA playoffs are fixed? I've been covering the league on and off for 15 years and the answer is: NO, I do not think the postseason is fixed. If I did, don't you think I'd write about it? Do you honestly believe every journalist in America would engage in such a coverup? Give us some credit.

Do you think Tracy McGrady's attitude and general childish behavior has hurt his team? His statements (such as he's the best player in the series) have probably hurt the Magic more than he will ever know.
--Phil Jazz, Boston

Is Jazz your real last name or are you running from the law? T-Mac said nothing that other notables, including a guy named Bird from your town, haven't said over the years.

The Mavs took three of four from Sacramento this season, so why do you think the Kings will get past Dallas in the second round?
--Dennis Sepper, Dallas

Going into the playoffs, I honestly thought the Kings were the second-best team in the West. The Mavs were unbelievable in the first round, and I said so in a Sports Illustrated cover story this week. But do not presume they will walk over the Kings just because Sacramento played badly against Utah. It's going to be a wonderfully entertaining series. And, right now, I don't know who's going to win. But since I picked the Kings in the beginning, I'll stay with them.

With the first round nearly over, do you still think the Kings will prevail? My view is that Sacramento will struggle to beat Dallas, while the Lakers (as usual) will coast into the Finals. I also have trouble believing that a team can win a championship with Vlade Divac playing center (especially against Shaq) .
--Bruce, Richland, Wash.

See above, Bruce. I agree with you about the Lakers. But don't go underestimating Vlade Divac. He's a fine center. He's just no Shaq. Who is? Dallas doesn't even have a center as good as Vlade.

I just want to know why you think Rick Adelman isn't using his bench more. He's only using eight guys in the playoffs, while most other teams are using 10 or 11. Do you think this strategy will hurt the Kings, as the starters will be tired toward the end of games?
--John, Sydney, Australia

A lot of coaches get benchitis in the playoffs. It happens in all sports. In this next series, I'm pretty sure you'll see more of Hidayet Turkoglu and Scot Pollard. (I thought Adelman played Bobby Jackson about his regular number of minutes in the first round, no?) It will be an up-tempo game and Rick will go to those guys.

So Yao Ming won't workout for the Grizzlies and now Jerry West is steamed. I couldn't help but find some of West's comments ironic. He said, "I don't think NBA teams should be blackmailed, and we've had that before in the NBA, agents saying that this guy is not going to play there." You're right, Jerry, it has happened before. Remember back in 1996 when your good pal Kobe threatened to play in Italy if New Jersey drafted him? Kobe basically demanded to play for the Lakers, and I don't remember West complaining then. Honestly, I believe these comments were nothing more than posturing. But my question is: How much more difficult will it be for West to attract players to Memphis without the appeal of a big-market team behind him?
--Dillon Hardy, Memphis, Tenn.

Jeez, Dillon, sounds like you're hardly welcoming Jerry to your fair city with open arms. Of course it will be harder. No question. But, whatever you think of West, believe this: His presence increases the value of the franchise, the credibility of the franchise and the chance for the franchise to improve. However, I'm not sure how much a guy from West Virginia knows the blues.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum will answer your NBA questions every week during the season. Click here to send him a question.

 

Related information
Stories
Jack McCallum's Insider Archive
Multimedia
Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video
Search our site	Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV.