Celtics have long faces
They're drained after 3-OT loss
PHILADELPHIA -- Shouting across the Philadelphia locker room, Allen Iverson asked if he could be excused from his postgame interview obligations given all the extra time he logged during the Sixers' 125-124 triple-overtime win Friday night against the Celtics at the
Philadelphia coach Maurice Cheeks did not dare make a similar request, but he also did not have much left for reporters. Asked about the performance of Chris Webber, which included 31 points (11 for 26), 13 rebounds, and a key steal with 9.9 seconds left in the third OT, Cheeks slumped in his chair.
''I'd really like to answer your question, but I'm tired," he said.
In a corridor outside the visitors' locker room, a drained Celtics coach Doc Rivers tried to make sense of what happened on the floor. It was tough, considering Boston squandered a 16-point lead in the third quarter, a 3-point lead with less than a second left in the second OT, and committed 26 turnovers, including one by Mark Blount on the key Webber steal.
After a 3-point miss by Kyle Korver, Blount grabbed the rebound, only to have Webber swing around behind him along the baseline and take the ball out of his hands. That robbed the Celtics of a chance to attempt a game-winner. Then, they were either too exhausted or too uncertain of what to do and wasted valuable time before fouling Iverson with two seconds left.
Iverson missed both free throws, but Boston did not have enough time to attempt a decent shot. The game ended with a weak heave by Delonte West from 55 feet.
''It's exhausting," said Rivers. ''It's exhausting physically and mentally. It ages you. Right now, Mo must feel like he's 60. I'm 55. He's happy. That's the difference."
Rivers has had little to be happy about this season, including what transpired against the Sixers. For those who saw the game as a sign the Celtics are close to playing better and possibly putting together a string of wins, of reaching some kind of turning point, the final 10 seconds alone included the kind of mistakes that repeatedly have cost them games. Turnovers. A lack of alertness and focus. Poor execution and decision-making.
In postgame assessments, the Celtics often find themselves saying, ''If only. . ."
If only they had taken better care of the ball. If only they did not suffer costly defensive lapses. If only they could find some consistency quarter to quarter. The list was just a little longer after the triple-OT loss.
If only they could have back just one of the six shots they missed with tired legs in the third OT, when they went 1 for 7. If only they could have sustained some of the offensive momentum they generated in the first half, when they shot 52 percent from the floor and recorded a season high for points in a half with 65. If only the Sixers' pressure did not bother them so much. If only Ricky Davis (33 points on 13-for-26 shooting, including 5 for 11 from 3-point range) could have carried them a little longer. If only Paul Pierce had shot better (4 for 20 from the floor for 18 points).
Pierce and Blount tied for the team lead with seven turnovers each.
When asked what he learned, if anything, from the loss, Pierce said, ''Well, I should have shot the ball instead of some of the dumb passes I made. At least we would have had a chance at an offensive rebound."
How the Celtics will rebound from another devastating loss remains uncertain. Rivers called it ''by far" the toughest loss of the season, noting that he would second-guess decisions he made, and so would the players.
It may not be the most productive exercise, as Boston attempts to regroup before facing Detroit tomorrow at the Palace of Auburn Hills. But unfortunately the triple-OT game robbed the Celtics of a practice day, as Rivers decided it was better to rest than work out yesterday as planned at Drexel University.
''We've got to move on to Detroit," said Brian Scalabrine. ''It's a loss. That's it.
''It's funny, when you lose games, there's a lot of talk about moral victories. I don't think that exists. You've got wins and you've got losses. Now that we've lost the game by 1 point, we'll go over all the bad things we did. That's just the way it is."
And the way it has been for much of the season. It may be mid-January, but a little more than 24 hours after a triple-overtime loss, it is clear time is not on the Celtics' side.
