Re: BSG on Antoine

[opi@unesco.org]

Wow, I guess I better stop calling him "Marie-Antoinette" after all. One
thing, though, is that all this indefensible boorish behavior doesn't jibe
with the Antoine I see and hear in interviews, not to mention his "likeability
factor" among Celts insiders, coaches and teammates both past and present,
regardless too of color. He was reelected captain after all, possibly against
the wishes of Pitino and ahead of the more fan friendly and natural heir
to the title (Paul Pierce). What we hear from Antoine in interviews is
as much evidence of his character as the buffoon we see or hear about anecdotally
during games. The kid's a mystery. Hey if my kid grows to be 6-9, I'm not
sure I'd be able to discipline him properly either. Honestly, I don't think
this guy is a bad kid, and by the standards of the NBA he seems a very
good kid who knows wrong from right and is capable of a thoughtful and
serious basketball intelligence in more quiet settings, but YES he is a
headache in competitive situations.

On the assumption that all psychologists are amateurs, my two cents are that he has a bit of a split personality to say the least and suffers from extreme sensitivity to perceived slights. It's almost like his body disconnects totally from his brain (or at least his sense of judgement) whenever in the heat of battle. I mean, let's face it, he was showing signs of complete raving lunacy out there (BTW, I hope he didn't give the game towel he stuffed up his shorts to someone as a souvenir). In the main he probably puts up with and hears a lot more crap than he dishes out, but it wouldn't hurt for him to be more self-aware and get a better grip of his responsibilities as a "role model", even if fans treated him from the get go as persona non grata. The Red Sox pitcher Oil Can Boyd kind of went nuts in Boston too, and with due respect I can grasp why.

Big-picture-wise, I still admire the breadth of his game (when he's at his fiery best) and think he's a true good kid, but I won't look back if we trade him (hope that Denver lotto pick pans out, though). Antoine will certainly make a great villain on any opposing team, eh? (preferably the Sixers) But for now, he's with us and I can deal with that too.

Joe

------

BSG wrote:

Things finally came to a head when the outraged fan screamed "Get back on defense you bum!" while Antoine argued with the refs after another no-call; Walker responded by jogging by us saying "Bite me" three times while our section looked on in disbelief. (Note: He didn't say "Make me" like the Globe and Herald reported, he said "Bite me.")

Of course, it STILL wasn't over. Why? Because Antoine wouldn't let it go. After leaving the game in the fourth quarter, he was bitching animatedly to trainer Ed Lacerte and pointing angrily at our section, like a second-grader tattling on a classmate. Keep in mind, the game was still going on. He glared at our row for the next few minutes; finally, he stuffed a towel into his pants (to make himself look like Dirk Diggler). During the next timeout, he stepped back from the huddle, looked at his nemesis and grabbed the towel in his pants, as if he were clutching a mammoth set of genitals. And it wasn't just for a split-second... he did it for the whole timeout. I'm not making this up.