Eastern Conference

Sporting News, The, Feb 15, 1999

Atlanta

Hawks should continue to play Lenny Ball

The Hawks produced exactly the way Lenny Wilkens wanted in their opener, a win over the Cavaliers. They initiated a quick tempo at every opportunity, had active hands on defense and had five players in double figures. That's the epitome of Lenny Ball-team-oriented production. The Hawks' depth, absent for much of the past five seasons, gives Wilkens the kind of range he has coveted. It's clear he has confidence in the ability of his starters and bench.... The Hawks love the 3-pointer, but with the ability to post up LaPhonso Ellis, Alan Henderson, Dikembe Mutombo and Steve Smith, they must focus less on 3s and more on creating mismatches or double teams that will create ball movement. It's impossible to eliminate the 3-pointer completely, but the Hawks shouldn't use it as a crutch as they have in the past.

SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: The Hawks had only 17 points off fast breaks vs. the Cavs, but they pushed the ball at every opportunity. That's how they should play based on their talent--the idea is to create more easy baskets and a more stylish, exciting scheme. --Curtis Bunn

Boston

Celtics' lack of a center continues to hurt team

The Celtics started newcomer Tony Battie against the Raptors in their season opener, and he fouled out in 19 minutes, underscoring the team's problems at center. Battie and Eric Riley were overwhelmed by Kevin Willis and Charles Oakley and Toronto won easily, a shocking victory in many aspects. Or was it? So far, coach Rick Pitino has brought in Riley and Dwayne Schintzius, both of whom are not in shape to play regular NBA basketball, let alone Pitino Ball. Bathe is in better shape, but he's not nearly strong enough to play tough, interior defense. The incumbent, Andrew DeClercq, is still probably the best, but he was out for the opener with back spasms.

SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: The Celtics' injuries have prevented them from practicing their entire defensive package. Pitino doesn't have enough healthy bodies to do his full-court traps and presses. So, he has had to go with man-to-man situations, and the results have not been encouraging. The Celtics' chances for success depend on making the other guy tire out, do stupid things, and, eventually, decide to pack it in. If the Celtics can't do that, they're in trouble. --Peter May

Charlotte

Losing Mason puts Hornets in hole

The loss of power forward Anthony Mason (torn right bicep) for the season means the Hornets' season is all but over, says center Derrick Coleman, and that may well be if Coleman doesn't step up his play and get some help from others who looked rusty in the opener. Coleman is still way out of shape; he had 15 rebounds in the opener, but most of them were his misses--he was 4-for-13. Small forward Chuck Person, who hit his first three shots but finished 4-for-10, must provide more scoring.

SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: J.R. Reid steps in at power forward for Mason and will be backed up by Joe Wolf, an 11-year veteran who was signed last week. Reid obviously will have to change the way he plays. Reid has been an enforcer type during his second stint with the Hornets and didn't have to worry about conserving fouls in the 11 or 12 minutes a game he played last season while backing up Mason. He'll be asked to score more but hasn't averaged double figures since the 1991-92 season in Charlotte, the last time he started on a regular basis. Wolf didn't participate in any camp and must work his way into shape. --John Delong

Chicago

Kukoc accepts role as scoring ace

For the Bulls to have a chance at winning most nights, Toni Kukoc must have a big game. Kukoc says he won't be putting any added pressure on himself, but that doesn't mean he won't step up his game, He'll get to play with the ball in his hands more often and will produce big numbers on many nights. Kukoc accepts his role as the offensive go-to guy and became more vocal as training camp progressed. "The first week, Toni sort of sat back and let Ron Harper and Randy Brown do a lot of the talking to the younger players," coach Tim Floyd says. "But in the last week or so, he's become more vocal and has taken a more active role."

SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: Most of the team's really skilled players are at shooting guard and small forward. That presents a problem for Floyd to play his best players and match up with the opponent In the second exhibition game against Indiana, Floyd got around that problem by moving Kukoc to power forward. But he didn't do that in the season opener, and the result was rookie Corey Benjamin, the team's first-round pick, didn't play. This figures to be a problem Floyd struggles with throughout the season. --John Jackson

Cleveland

Kemp and Henderson must improve their play

Shawn Kemp's performance in the opener can be labeled average, at best (13 points on 3-for-11 shooting). He got into foul trouble and played only 10 minutes in the second half. Atlanta's Dikembe Mutombo also blocked four of Kemp's shots. The club desperately needs the out-of-shape Kemp on the court, not on the bench with foul trouble.... Someone must step up at small forward-neither starter Cedric Henderson or backup Johnny Newman is getting the job done. The two combined for one rebound in 47 minutes played in the opener, and Henderson's shooting remains off. After two preseason games and the opener, he was shooting .158 (3-of-19).