<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">If every NBA player has a league godfather, then John Nash is surely the one watching over Sebastian Telfair. The former Portland general manager, now Comcast?s postgame analyst for 76ers games, put his reputation on the line by taking Telfair out of high school with the 13th pick of the 2004 draft. He has a keen interest in all things Telfair, which is why Nash paused on the subject last week before saying, ?He?s playing more tentatively than I thought.? The Celtics [team stats] point guard wasn?t in the mood to hear those words yesterday, saying, ?What?s this all about? We?re in the middle of a five-game winning streak, man.? The point, according to Telfair, is that the job now requires him to set the stage for everyone else. And when two teammates are playing as well as Paul Pierce [stats] and Al Jefferson [stats], the decision to defer to the other guy by passing him the ball should never be difficult to make. It can even be a pleasant surprise, considering that Telfair arrived in Boston known as a shoot-first-and-pass-later point guard. ?He?s basically unselfish, and he?s doing what?s best for the team,? said Pierce. ?I?ve told him that he?s doing a good job getting us into our offense. I don?t think his numbers are showing how good he has played for us. He?s doing a good job getting us into our sets.? Telfair?s overall affect considered, however, Doc Rivers can see some wisdom behind Nash?s observation. ?He?s not playing as well as he can play, but I?d say it?s more a case of being inconsistent than tentative,? said the Celtics coach. ?But in the Denver game I thought he carried us more than anyone, and he was one of the people in that role for us in Milwaukee.? ?He?ll be more consistent in that as he goes along,? said Rivers. ?He?ll find his way. In Portland he could take that shot whenever he wanted it, but it?s a little different here.? Especially considering that as the five-game winning streak has shown, the Celtics haven?t needed Telfair?s shooting and penetration nearly as much as his ability to play almost mistake-free basketball. On a team known for its ball insecurity, Telfair has maintained control. He only turned the ball over four times during the 5-0 streak. On the other hand, there has been serious slippage when looking for his shot over the same stretch, as evidenced by his .192 shooting percentage (5-26) during the five-game win streak, a big change from the player who had significant success hitting open shots during the first month of the season. ?That?s good that he goes in not having to shoot, but I still want him to shoot when he?s open,? said Rivers. That five-game winning streak considered, though, Telfair isn?t in a hurry to change. ?I feel I?m doing pretty good, and the coach is happy,? he said. ?When you have five guys doing this well, there?s no need for me to search for points. My job is to push the ball and get us into plays. The way we?re playing makes my job a lot easier, and the biggest thing is that we?re winning games.? </div> Source
