Celtics bury the hatchet

[Vinny Natale <vnatale@map.com> (by way of Vinny Natale <vnatale@mindspring.com>)]

Don't remember seeing anyone put this here.

Vinny


Celtics bury the hatchet
by Mark Cofman Tuesday, February 23, 1999 Celtics coach Rick Pitino met behind
closed doors with Antoine Walker and Kenny Anderson yesterday at Brandeis,
disciplining the players for their part in a shouting match during the Celtics'
86-75 loss to Washington on Sunday at the MCI Center. Pitino would not disclose
details of the meeting, but both players said fines were involved. And both
players agreed fines were an appropriate form of punishment for the
embarrassing incident, which was staged within earshot of many fans seated near
courtside. ``We'll be fined but we deserve to be fined and I have no problem
with that,'' Walker said after practice. ``We should never do something like
that on the court. Me and Kenny understand that. ``You're going to have
disagreements with teammates on occasion because it's not always roses, and I'm
not going to tell you it's always roses. But it's going to be the last time it
happens on the court on my part.'' That would be just fine with Pitino, who was
furious during the incident, finally warning both players to end their display
immediately or risk suspension. A day later, Pitino was willing to turn the
corner on the matter, but only after he had administered what he deemed the
necessary disciplinary action. ``I'm very disappointed that it happened as a
coach because it's unprofessionalism at the highest level,'' said Pitino. ``But
this team really cares about winning and they're really frustrated about
losing. (Two) guys who are not playing well got very frustrated and reacted the
wrong way. They know it. We handled it. It's over with.'' Walker had one of the
worst games of his NBA career against Washington, finishing with eight points
on 2-for-12 shooting. Anderson had just six points and three assists. Both
players also struggled in a 106-86 loss to Portland on Friday night, perhaps
setting a foundation for short tempers on the final game of the long road trip.
At least that's how all parties concerned chose to view it. ``We feel like
we're a much better team than what we showed those last few games on the
road,'' said Anderson. ``What happened (Sunday) was all frustration on our
parts. It happens. If I had a nickel for every time I've been yelled at for not
getting the ball to all these great players I play with, I'd probably be rich.
``So I'm not going to get caught up in any of it. It's over with, we're
teammates and we've got to make it work here. At least this gives everybody
something to talk about for the next week.'' Anderson was joking when he made
the latter comment. But the eighth-year pro could appreciate the magnitude of a
negative public incident such as Sunday's involving two veterans players - one
of them the team captain. Walker's image appeared to get the worst of the
beating yesterday. Questions again surfaced about his ability to be a team
leader. ``My team doesn't question my leadership and that's the only thing that
matters to me,'' said Walker, 23, named team captain by Pitino last year in his
just his second pro season. ``People are going to believe whatever they want to
believe no matter what I say. It's what my teammates say that counts.''
Anderson, for one, was saying he would have handled the situation far
differently if he had to do it all over again. ``You can't change what's
already happened, but I couldn't help thinking after it was done that if I
hadn't said anything back things would have been fine,'' he said. ``If
something had to be said and it was done in the locker room, then at least we
would have been keeping it in-house. ``But I said something which came from my
own frustration with the way things have been going the last two games and it
got out of hand. I felt bad afterward because I know better than that.'' Said
Walker, ``We both understand if you have a problem you should never make it
verbal on the court. I love Kenny as a teammate and player. He's a great point
guard who's going to make me a better player. Right now we're struggling a
little bit. ``I'm mad at myself more than anything. My timing's off, and things
are just not going the way I want them to go. But that's going to come. It was
immature on my part to get so down on myself after just eight games.'' For his
part, Pitino figured the best way to distance the players and team from the
incident would be to turn in a strong performance in tomorrow night's game
against Orlando at the FleetCenter. It marks the Celtics' first home game in
nearly three weeks, spanning six games. ``We did not perform well against the
Wizards and they were very frustrated by that,'' said Pitino. ``Under the
influence of adversity, bad elements came out. Good elements have to come out
of adversity, not bad ones. ``I think we know that now, and I think they'll
respond in good fashion. I think we'll play well (tomorrow) night. If we win
our next two games at home and get back to .500, all is well.'' Not quite. Even
Pitino, normally a monument to positive thinking, admitted the incident
bothered him long after the C's had left the arena. ``I haven't been dejected
in two years, but I went home dejected over it,'' he said. ``I turned on the
television to ESPN news later on and I was half-sleeping when I heard players
yelling at each other. ``I got up and said, darn it, I wish it would go away.
But then it wasn't us, it was the Lakers. It was Olden Polynice talking about
the Lakers. ``But I think it's something all basketball teams need to do behind
closed doors - whether it's our team, or anyone else. You can't have it on the
court. Public displays of negativity hurt everybody and hurt us (Sunday).''  

        


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