Re: Walker's statement muffled

["Dan Forant" <dforant1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

3 losses now to a team not making the playoffs......................what
does that tell yuh?

DanF

----- Original Message -----
From: "Stephen Beauregard" <sb@maine.rr.com>
To: "celtics list" <celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Monday, April 07, 2003 7:48 AM
Subject: Walker's statement muffled


> CELTICS NOTEBOOK
>
> Walker's statement muffled
>
>
> By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 4/7/2003
>
> t's hard to talk trash when your game is, well, suffering - to put it
mildly.
> But that did not stop Antoine Walker from engaging Michael Jordan in some
> verbal sparring.
>
>
>
> Jordan certainly had more material to work with yesterday afternoon as
Walker
> finished with 7 points (3 for 16) in the Celtics' 99-98 overtime loss to
the
> Wizards.
>
> Walker tied a career high with 14 assists and collected 10 rebounds, but
it
> was not enough to distract attention from his poor shooting. Until late in
the
> third quarter, when Walker dropped in a layup for his first basket, even
the
> easiest shots would not fall for the Boston cocaptain.
>
> ''Individually, it didn't really matter,'' said Walker. ''I'm fine. It was
a
> tough day. I was proud of myself, to fight through the adversity and get
guys
> open shots and keep trying to play. I was able to get a couple buckets,
but
> obviously, you're going to have offensive nights where it's not going to
be
> there every time. You've got to continue to be yourself and get
opportunities
> to win and help this team win. I feel I did that.''
>
> After the game, Walker had an empathetic friend in Jordan, who finished
the
> day with 25 points and 13 rebounds. The two have become close and play
> together during summers in Chicago.
>
> Jordan knows Walker has a lot more in him than he showed yesterday.
>
> ''I'm pretty sure he is over there right now hurting,'' said Jordan. ''And
it
> does hurt. But I think he can look at this game and he will learn. Even
though
> you play bad, you still have an impact on the game. I think it's a learnin
g
> process for him. I'm going to constantly pound on him about extending his
> game, but sooner or later he is going to get it.''
>
> Eye injury revealed
>
> E ric Williams had a chance to win the game with a 20-footer at the
overtime
> buzzer, which might not have inspired a lot of confidence if you knew what
he
> saw when looking at the basket. Yesterday, the Celtics' starting small
forward
> revealed he has no depth perception in his left eye. When he was a junior
at
> Providence College, Austin Croshere poked Williams in the eye. Williams
was
> told to give the injury time to heal, but he was left with only peripheral
> vision. Looking straight ahead, Williams sees only a gray blur.
>
> So how does he know his shot is on target? Mechanics and feel.
>
> ''Little stuff coming at me at full speed, I can't do that,'' said
Williams.
> ''I can still pick up the fastball, but it's going to be tough. My
[shooting]
> mechanics start from [my shoulder]. I don't worry about eyes too much, as
long
> as I can see the orange of the rim. I know whether the shot is going in by
my
> mechanics. I'm just the type who keeps rolling. I almost forgot what it
used
> to look like when I did see out of that eye.''
>
> Williams said he doesn't want to have surgery during his NBA career
because he
> hasn't used his left eye muscles in so long. He figures attempting to
restore
> the vision at this point might be a distraction or take away what little
> vision he has.
>
> Sound plan
>
> That odd sound heard along the baseline in front of the Celtics' bench?
That
> was a high-pitched ''whoo-hoo'' from Walter McCarty, signaling his
teammates
> to pass him the ball in the corner for a 3-pointer. No doubt the rest of
the
> Celtics were listening because McCarty (23 points, including 15 from
3-point
> range) was feeling it from beyond the arc. McCarty put in just the type of
> performance Boston may need from its bench come playoff time. ''My job is
> easy,'' said McCarty. ''When Antoine and Paul[ Pierce] get doubled and my
guy
> leaves me, they pass to me. I'm wide open. So, it's a wide-open shot. At
this
> level in the league, if you practice your shooting as much as we do,
you'll be
> able to knock down shots, be able to hurt teams. I'm just taking wide-open
> shots.'' ... After the game, the Celtics presented Jordan with a piece of
the
> old Boston Garden parquet signed by the current team ... The Wizards'
Bobby
> Simmons finished with a career-high seven rebounds and he tied a career
high
> with 15 points.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steve
> sb@maine.rr.com
>
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