Carroll takes over after latest Celtics stunner

WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) Still stunned by the resignation of Jim O'Brien, interim coach John Carroll tried to focus the Boston Celtics on their next game.

It wasn't easy.

``I don't think it's really worn off,'' Carroll said Wednesday about the shock of O'Brien's departure. ``Jim used to always talk to me about sleeping patterns and I never really understood what he was talking about till last night. I sat there with about 1,000 thoughts going through my head.''

Entering Wednesday night's game against Detroit, there were many questions about a franchise shaken by two major trades and Tuesday's resignation of O'Brien. The former coach had philosophical differences with Danny Ainge, the executive director of basketball operations who made those trades.

How will Carroll fare in his first shot at being an NBA head coach? How will he allot playing time when he hasn't done that much and Ainge wants youngsters to play more?

And what are his chances of having the interim tag removed, since he shares many of O'Brien's basketball philosophies?

``It's been an unusual 24 hours,'' Carroll said. ``As I told the team, I'm going to work as hard as I can for however long I'm the head coach here and do the best job I can.''

O'Brien has not commented in his resignation. Calls to his agent, Lonnie Cooper, were not returned.

Celtics captain Paul Pierce could sense O'Brien's frustration growing.

``You sort of felt it at times, but I never thought it would come to this,'' Pierce said.

Carroll's last head coaching experience was in college at Duquesne from 1989-95. After two seasons as an advance scout for Portland and Orlando, he became a Celtics assistant on June 23, 1997.

Now he moves over one seat on the Celtics bench, but inherits an enormous challenge with a young team that has only three holdovers on the active roster from last season.

``Jim and I feel very alike about the game of basketball,'' Carroll said. ``He was a basketball purist. I feel the same way.''

He must deal with Ainge's desire for a younger, more up tempo team with greater offense. O'Brien always emphasized defense and relying on veterans.

Becoming a head coach ``is something that I worked hard for,'' Carroll said. ``I've been thrust into, obviously, a very unusual situation but I understand it.''

The Celtics went into Wednesday night's game in second place in the Atlantic Division _ but sixth in the Eastern Conference and 16th in the NBA _ with a 22-24 record.

They had lost five of their previous seven games and have tried to find their way since Dec. 15, when the Celtics obtained Ricky Davis and Chris Mihm in a six-player trade that sent two of O'Brien's favorite veterans and defenders, Eric Williams and Tony Battie, to Cleveland.

That came less than two months after Ainge traded Antoine Walker to Dallas on Oct. 20.

``We just can't make excuses,'' Pierce said. ``You just have to turn negatives into positives.''

Via Associated Press

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Philosophical differences cited in coach's departure

WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) Danny Ainge's reshaping of the Boston Celtics clashed with Jim O'Brien's view of the team. So, O'Brien became part of that makeover.

O'Brien stepped down Tuesday with his team in a 2-5 slump with players Ainge brought in since taking over last May 9 as executive director of basketball operations.

Ainge wants a younger team with more offense that can become a consistent contender even if it means taking a step or two back now. O'Brien relied on veterans and defense and cared more about this season's record.

``The philosophical differences, I thought, were much smaller than Jim thought,'' said Ainge, who had given O'Brien a two-year contract extension through 2005-06. ``I was willing to work through those. Jim did not see that long-term vision that I saw.''

Now John Carroll, O'Brien's assistant, will get a chance to pursue that vision as interim coach and will have that job for the rest of the season, Ainge said.

``He's done a great job as an assistant coach to this point,'' Ainge said.

Carroll, who makes his debut Wednesday night against Detroit, was in his seventh season as a Celtics assistant and had been head coach at Duquesne from 1989-95.

Assistant coach Dick Harter, a defensive specialist, was let go.

O'Brien was an assistant when he became head coach on Jan. 8, 2001, after Rick Pitino stepped down. O'Brien led the Celtics to a 139-119 regular-season record and to the Eastern Conference finals and semifinals the past two seasons.

Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck praised O'Brien and said the former coach felt the reconstructed team might be better off with someone else leading it.

``He was not sure he's the man for that job,'' Grousbeck said. ``He didn't want to take our money and our time under false pretenses.''

When Ainge was appointed, O'Brien voiced strong support.

``I think it's wonderful. I think it's a great move by our owners,'' O'Brien said. ``In the future, people will look back, I think they will think it's a real step forward and a turning point for our franchise.''

On Tuesday, a call to Lonnie Cooper, O'Brien's agent, wasn't returned.

The hiring of Ainge was the first of many changes for the Celtics, who have just three active players _ Paul Pierce, Mark Blount and Walter McCarty _ who were on the team last season.

Ainge traded Antoine Walker to Dallas on Oct. 20, then sent veteran team leaders and defenders Eric Williams and Tony Battie to Cleveland on Dec. 15. He also worked with players at practice and made suggestions to O'Brien about who should play.

Ainge said it was his ``prerogative'' to make suggestions, just as it was proper for O'Brien to voice his opinion about potential trades.

Ainge's preference for young players, such as first-round draft pick Marcus Banks, ``is an understandable difference'' between him and O'Brien, Ainge said.

Instead, O'Brien used Mike James at point guard while Banks was his primary replacement.

``We felt there was a ceiling on the success of the old players,'' Ainge said. ``So we didn't always agree on the players who should be on the court.''

The Celtics are 22-24 and in second place in the weak Atlantic Division. The first-place team, the New Jersey Nets, fired its coach, Byron Scott on Monday. Two other Atlantic Division coaches, Don Chaney of New York and Doc Rivers of Orlando, also were fired during the season.

But Ainge said he was surprised that O'Brien offered his resignation Tuesday morning during one of their regular meetings to discuss their philosophical differences.

``This isn't exactly how I thought this day would end,'' Ainge said.

O'Brien was ``100 percent on board'' with the trade of Walker to Dallas, Ainge said, but didn't fully support the trade with Cleveland that brought Ricky Davis, Chris Mihm and Michael Stewart.

``He understood the trade from a logistical standpoint,'' Ainge said. ``But, again, I had a longer-term vision than Jim O'Brien had.''

Via Associated Press

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Frank, Carroll join Eastern Conference newcomers

Just one of the Eastern Conference's 16 teams has the same coach as last season: Atlanta's Terry Stotts, who is the longest-tenured coach at 13 months.

Lawrence Frank, who joined the conference Monday, won his debut with the New Jersey Nets, and John Carroll was added Tuesday when he succeeded Jim O'Brien, who resigned as coach of the Boston Celtics.

Richard Jefferson scored 30 points and the Nets beat the Philadelphia 76ers 94-76 in Frank's first game since taking over for the fired Byron Scott.

``It's nice to get a win, but this is the furthest thing about me,'' Frank said. ``This is about the team.''

Frank, the 33-year-old former assistant, paced the sideline down to midcourt, flapped his arms and shouted directions the entire game, but he had had little to worry about.

Jason Kidd, whose mid-December screaming match with Scott weakened the ex-coach's standing in the locker room, had 13 points and 10 assists. Kenyon Martin also scored 13 points.

Carroll, a longtime scout and assistant gets a chance to join Frank in the win column when the Celtics take on the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Dallas edged Seattle 118-116, San Antonio defeated New York 77-67, Phoenix beat Atlanta 89-85 and the Los Angeles Clippers topped Chicago 102-92.

The Nets opened on a 26-6 run, getting easy alley-oops, reverse layups and fast-break dunks off 11 first-quarter turnovers by the Sixers. Kidd, Martin and Jefferson combined for 22 points in the quarter.

While the Nets were sharing the ball, Glenn Robinson wanted more minutes.

Robinson scored only seven points on 2-for-7 shooting in 18 minutes, then complained about getting pulled for good early in the fourth quarter. Robinson said the Sixers were not good enough to win without a healthy starting lineup and needed a dominant center.

``There are plenty of nights where I feel like I'm not playing the minutes that I feel I deserve. That's another story,'' Robinson said. ``I've been playing great the last 10 or 11 games. I just don't understand.

``I don't care if we're down 50, if we're down 60. At least give us a chance, give me a chance to fight back. It's like if my shot is not going, I'm finding myself out of the game and on the bench. That's just not me being selfish.''

Robinson said he's had these concerns for a while, but has not shared them with coach Randy Ayers.

``I'm trying my best to stay professional about it, but it's tough,'' Robinson said.

The Sixers played without Allen Iverson, still bothered by a right index finger sprain.

Mavericks 118, SuperSonics 116

At Seattle, Dirk Nowitzki made nearly everything he put up, and Antoine Walker saved the biggest shot for the end.

Walker made a fadeaway 20-footer at the buzzer, lifting Dallas to its ninth straight win.

``I was just trying to slash and get a shot in that little corner area,'' Walker said. ``I got a good pass. You always have a go-to move so you can get a shot off in that situation, so I knew fading away I could get that shot off.''

Nowitzki scored a career-high 43 points, keeping the Mavericks close down the stretch after a 16-of-22 shooting performance that included a career-high 8-of-11 on 3-pointers.

Steve Nash added 19 points for Dallas, Walker and Michael Finley each had 17 and Antawn Jamison 15. Rashard Lewis scored 30 points to lead Seattle.

Spurs 77, Knicks 67

At New York, Charlie Ward returned to Madison Square Garden and put San Antonio ahead for good on a 3-pointer with 8{ minutes left.

Ward, a member of the Knicks for 9{ seasons who was sent to Phoenix in the Stephon Marbury trade, finished with eight points.

Tim Duncan had 30 points and 19 rebounds for the Spurs. Marbury had 19 points and eight assists for the Knicks, who were held to a season-low point total.

Suns 89, Hawks 85

At Atlanta, Shawn Marion scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half to help Phoenix snap a three-game losing streak.

Joe Johnson added 20 points for the Suns, Casey Jacobsen had 13, and Howard Eisley scored all of his seven points in the final 3:15. Stephen Jackson led the Hawks with 19 points.

Clippers 102, Bulls 92

At Los Angeles, Corey Maggette scored 28 points and Elton Brand had 20 points and 11 rebounds in the Clippers' second wire-to-wire victory this season.

Eddie Robinson came off the bench to score 17 and Marcus Fizer scored eight of his 10 points in the fourth quarter for the Bulls, who have dropped their last 21 road games against Western Conference teams.

Via Associated Press

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