Where's the real Peter May?

["pmaurice" <damekmo@teleport.com>]

Who wrote the following and what has Way done with the real Peter May? I got
this from the ESPN website:

      Pierce gets the pub, but you can't forget Walker

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
      By Peter May
      Special to ESPN.com


      After most any game, you walk into the Boston Celtics locker room and
expect to see Antoine Walker with a huge ice bag on his right arm and an ace
bandage holding it in place. You know, like Randy Johnson or Mike Mussina
always look after going nine innings?

           Antoine Walker
                  Forward
                  Boston Celtics
                  Profile


           2001 SEASON STATISTICS
                        GM MIN FG% APG RPG PPG
                        21 43.5 .378 4.9 10.8 24.7


      It hasn't come to that yet. But as the Boston Celtics continue their
surprising start, one constant remains unchanged: they are doing it
offensively on the shoulders of Paul Pierce and the extended arms of Walker.

      Pierce may be the more accomplished scorer, but for outright
versatility, it is impossible to ignore the game-in, game-out contributions of
Walker. In terms of sheer value to his team, Walker may even trump the
celebrated Pierce. Walker has the rare gift of making players better, mainly
due to his passing skills. Pierce doesn't have that -- yet. Last year, only
one player in the league finished in the top 20 in scoring, assists, rebounds
and steals. That player was Antoine Walker.

      You know about his scoring. You may not know that twice this year he has
made crucial tip-ins which eventually led to Boston wins. You may not know
that he is an improved defensive player this season, as are many of his
teammates, due in part to increased emphasis on defense and the presence of
assistant coach Dick Harter.

      Walker also is an openly vocal leader, in and out of the clubhouse, and
coach Jim O'Brien repeatedly stresses how important that has been this season.
Walker has been with the Celtics since 1996, longer than anyone else on the
roster.

           Paul Pierce
                  Forward
                  Boston Celtics
                  Profile


           2001 SEASON STATISTICS
                        GM MIN FG% APG RPG PPG
                        21 40.7 .429 2.7 7.4 26.9



      And Walker has willingly and without complaint surrendered much of the
spotlight to Pierce. While that may be seen as a no-brainer, it isn't that
simple. It shows a level of maturity that the Celtics always hoped Walker
would attain, something made harder by the fact that the team rarely had
veterans to show him the way.

      To his own detriment, Walker remains a profligate shooter, but one who
has the unstinting blessing of his coach to fire away with impunity. Hey, if
your coach gave you a continuous green light, what would you do?

      One can only wonder -- as is the case with Allen Iverson -- what havoc
he could wreak if he could shoot, say, 45 percent from the field. Instead,
he's shooting a career-worst of about 38 percent -- and still the Celtics
don't appear to be suffering at all.

      Walker is not an easy player to embrace -- on the court. Unfortunately
for him, that is the Antoine Walker that most everyone sees. That is why he
almost certainly will be bypassed when USA Basketball completes the selection
process for the United States team in next summer's World Championships. ("No
chance," was the response from one selector when asked if Walker could expect
an invitation, despite a dearth of power forwards and centers.) That is why
Walker was not chosen as a reserve last year for the Eastern Conference
All-Star team, despite statistics that would seemingly have made it automatic
for almost anyone else.

      Those away from the Celtics operation see a power forward who takes too
many stupid shots and, amazingly, is allowed and encouraged to be on a pace to
set an NBA record for three-point field goals, attempts and conversions. They
see an individual that Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich once termed, with
visible contempt, "a typical, new-age player." They see someone who tends to
get swallowed up inside against bigger front lines -- and wonder what might
happen if he had to play in the power-forward rich Western Conference. They
see someone who contests almost every foul call against him, although he has
toned down that act considerably this season. Rasheed Wallace, he ain't. They
see someone who can showboat with the best of them.

      Yet, my guess is that if you put truth serum in the punch at the league
meetings, you'd find 28 general managers and coaches who, among other things,
wouldn't mind dealing with any of those distractions. That's because of
everything Walker brings to the table. He handles the ball. He rebounds and
does so in traffic. He commands a double-team in the post against most
everyone -- and that remains a sore spot among many Celtics fans who think
that is where he should spend the bulk of his time.

      But O'Brien and general manager Chris Wallace have constructed the
Celtics to be an outside-inside team, something which defies traditional NBA
thinking. (That is primarily because they don't have a reliable inside
presence with the exception of Walker, who prefers to play outside.) The
Celtics are on track to establish NBA records for three-point conversions and
attempts and, by far, take more threes as a percentage of their overall shots
than any other team. One-fourth of the way into the season, they had attempted
more threes than free throws, a feat something no other club could claim.

      Walker is an integral part of this plan and, to date, the plan is
working. Yes, the Celtics will still go to Pierce at crunch time because he is
the more proficient scorer and the better ballhandler. Pierce can get to the
basket and also get to the line. For all of Walker's talents, he still is
uncomfortable trying to shoot on the move and his long and fractious
relationship with the officials makes it hard for him to get calls.

      But allow him to set his feet and square up at your own peril. The
Knicks discovered that earlier this month, when, leading by three, they didn't
switch on a simple pick play which allowed Walker to spring free. He got the
ball and quickly launched a three-pointer which tied the game. The Celtics
went on to win in overtime.

      You live by the sword and die by it as well. So far, the Celtics, with
Walker leading the way, are living dangerously, but successfully. You may not
like the way he plays, but he forms an ideal 1-2 punch with Pierce. Or maybe
it should be 1-1A. Opponents are discovering you can't ignore either one
without paying for it somewhere down the line.

      Peter May, who covers the NBA for the Boston Globe, is a regular
contributor to ESPN.com.






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