Re: Walker powers forward: Talent on display at single position

[Josh Ozersky <josh_ozersky@yahoo.com>]

I mean, you can't get too upset about this.  We are
without most of our starters -- literally -- and we
are playing three of the four toughest teams in the
NBA in a row.  We're going to go a few games under
.500.  If we win one of these games, and assuming we
beat Houston, we will have weathered the storm.  If
not, we have months to make up lost ground, and with a
full team together, it won't be hard to string
together three or four victories in a row.  (Have you
looked at our schedule for February?)  The truth is
that .500 is underachieving for this team.  If they
play the way they did against Utah, even without
Antoine having a super game, they will beat most
teams.  Utah is really a bitch.  I'll be happy when
those guys retire.  

Also, I don't know if you saw the game, but Kenny
played much better than 3 assists.  I mean, he really
had some beautiful passes.  I was more encouraged by
that than by Antoine's big game.

--- opi@unesco.org wrote:
> This is arguably the lowpoint of our season, having
> finally fallen below
> .500 with Potapenko, Pierce and Fortson injured and
> now with San Antonio
> and the Lakers coming up. I'm worried that the
> Flakers will sweep us
> this year, which I think hasn't happened in a long
> time. To the degree
> that we haven't been a playoff team lately, the
> Boston-Lakers game at
> home amounts to being our game of the year.
> 
> I clipped the following from Steve Bulpett's article
> today (posted
> below), regarding Walker. It does sound from the
> article that Toine is
> still maintaining focus and hasn't given up on the
> rest of this season.
> Antoine may welcome a total change of scenery once
> the year is done, but
> personally I prefer that he finds a solid niche on
> this (playoff bound)
> team even if our fans may (or may not) always
> despise him. We have a
> short memory in sports, but 12 boards is something
> Walker has shown he's
> pretty capable of doing in the normal flow of a game
> (really). I hope
> this continues through the rest of December, but
> let's face it it all
> comes down to how much Walker is willing to work
> hard enough in the
> paint to do it (knowing that whatever stats he puts
> up, the fans aren't
> in a mood to appreciate it anyway).
> 
> Just like in the olden days, Walker decided last
> night that he wanted to
> be a stronger player on the court than an MVP like
> Karl Malone. He
> pretty much rose to his goal (13-23FG, 9-12FT, 36
> points, 2 blocks, 12
> boards, 4 assists). The next challenge of course is
> Tim Duncan on
> Friday. At least last night's game may give him back
> a little
> confidence, which he needs. I personally think
> Walker needs to draw
> Duncan out to the perimeter occasionally, to help
> his teammates by
> taking away Duncan's shotblocking. Antoine will also
> need a lot of
> dedicated shooting practice and video preparation
> between now and Friday
> to get good results, while not forgetting how badly
> we need him to also
> fight for and get another 12 boards against a team
> like that.
> 
> The Spurs played arguably there best game of the
> season in the previous
> matchup, so we can only hope for a letdown and for
> Mario Elie and their
> perimeter guys to come back down to earth. We're
> entering the midseason
> doldrums and the Spurs are one of the oldest teams
> around, so let's pray
> they will come out flat and stay flat under our
> pressure. The Celts
> actually have the right personnel to throw in a
> little more pressing
> tomorrow night (not that I'd recommend it against
> such a veteran team).
> Preferably,  Potapenko will come back and plays for
> this one.
> 
> Go Celts
> 
> Joe
> 
> -------------------
> Boston Herald
> Walker powers forward: Talent on display at single
> position
> Steve Bulpett
> 
> "And after going 11-for-36 in the first two games
> without Paul Pierce
> (and 0-for-4 on treys with no assists and five
> turnovers in Cleveland),
> he finally ticked off the only person who could
> really make a
> difference. Himself.
> 
> ``I'm my biggest critic,'' Walker said last night
> after putting 36
> points, 12 rebounds and four assists on Karl Malone
> and Utah. ``I feel
> like I'm capable of playing a lot better than I was
> playing.''
> 
> From a skill and manpower standpoint, the Celtics'
> 96-86 loss was
> expected. But coach Rick Pitino could see a light go
> on when Walker
> parked himself on the low post and bodied on up.
> Walker was a power
> forward last night.
> 
> ``We talk almost every day and he hasn't been happy
> with his play,''
> Pitino said. ``(Last night) he got in that low post
> and he sealed like
> Bernard King. Nobody pushed him out of the low post.
> He said, `I want
> that basketball. I'm going to command it. Throw me
> that ball. If I get
> double teamed, I'll pass the basketball.'
> 
> `You go to the line, you get 12 rebounds - that's
> what you expect from
> him. Not four rebounds and five turnovers, you
> expect better from him.
> At least I do. Antoine needs to play this way every
> game.He played like
> a power forward (last night). He tried to dominate
> the inside against a
> very good basketball player.
> 
> ``I think he's very upset at himself, and he said
> he's had enough of
> this and he's going to come out and play. He's got a
> great deal of
> pride. He knows how to play the game. He knows what
> to expect. We talked
> about that (yesterday).''
> 
> The talk was certainly needed. There is simply no
> way a player of
> Walker's abilities should have come up so small when
> injuries made the
> need so great.
> 
> `Coach is just trying to get me back right
> mentally,'' said Walker.
> 
> Pysically is another issue. After saying last season
> that he wanted to
> be more of a Scottie Pippen type than a Karl Malone,
> the fact Walker is
> far closer to the latter was on close up view last
> night. So until
> Walker gets wiry enough to guard small forwards or
> until he begins
> hitting outside shots, he is what he is, and getting
> comfortable with
> that can mean only better things for himself and the
> Celtics.
> 
> ``His body is a four man,'' said Pitino. ``And he
> played brilliantly as
> a power forward should. He really understood his
> role, played good
> defense. That's his finest game in a long time.
> 
> ``We've got to get production out of him, but at
> every phase of the
> game. He's got to go to the line. He's got to
> rebound. I mean, he's our
> power forward, he's got to rebound the basketball.
> (Last night) he shot
> 12 free throws, (had) two blocked shots, four
> assists, 12 rebounds -
> that's what a power forward does every night out.''
> 
> Pitino wisely altered things to help Walker out a
> bit, making moves to
> get him into position earlier in the possession.
> 
> `That's why I wasn't taking the ball out,'' said
> Walker, who still got
> hurt on the perimeter a few times, but not as badly
> as in recent  times.
> ``I was trying to rush down the court and post up
> early in the offense.
> Coach is trying to devise different things to get me
> on the block with
> maybe the double team not coming.''
> 
> Beating double teams for Walker may be as simple as
> keeping him from
> playing a double position. Perfection is still in
> the distance, but last
> night he finally took the advice of Jack Palance
> from ``City Slickers''
> and did one thing right.
> 
> 
> ------------------
> 
> 
=== message truncated ===

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