ESPN Antoine Walker

["hironaka@xxxxxxxxx"<hironaka@xxxxxxxxx>]

Couldn't have said it any better..


http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?
id=1489323&type=columnist

It's not the 3s, people. It's the D. 

Once again, a tailspin by the Boston Celtics has prompted 
critics to nitpick on the insane number of 3-pointers Jim 
O'Brien lets his guys hoist. No team, not even the run-
and-gun Dallas Mavericks, shoot 3s as much as the C's, 
who launch a league-high 27 treys per game. 

But Antoine Walker wants to set everyone straight: It's 
not the plethora of 3-pointers that's killing the Celtics 
of late, even though they shot only 8-for-32 from long 
range against the Wizards in Monday's 100-95 loss, 
Boston's second straight defeat, fifth in its last six 
games and seventh in its last 10. 

It's the leaky D. 

"It's just small things, as far as small rotation 
problems and just a true dedication," said Walker of 
Boston's specific problems on defense. "I think last 
year, what we did, we maybe couldn't outscore teams, but 
we were very stingy as far as letting teams get the ball 
to the basket. We just have to get back to defense is 
first and offense is second." 

The numbers back up Walker's claim. Going into 
Wednesday's Celtics-Hornets game on ESPN, opponents were 
shooting a tad better this season against Boston, making 
43.4 percent from the field compared to 42.5 percent last 
season. Teams are also scoring more against the Celtics, 
averaging 95.5 points per game (18th in the NBA), 
compared to 94.1 (10th) last season. 

In leading Boston to its first Eastern Conference final 
since the days of Bird-McHale-Parish, O'Brien (along with 
assistant Dick Harter) was lauded for getting the Celtics 
to do what Rick Pitino failed to do -- D-up. Defense, of 
course, requires commitment and energy, something the 
Celtics might be lacking, particularly in Walker and Paul 
Pierce. 

Once again, the two are among the league leaders in 
minutes played, with Walker logging the most at 42.2 a 
game. Even Pierce, who's tied for ninth at 40.8 minutes a 
game and coming off a summer with Team USA, admitted this 
week that he's feeling a little worn. 

If Walker and Pierce are too gassed to play defense, they 
probably don't have the legs to shoot outside (OK, Walker 
shoots a set shot, but still). And if Walker and Pierce 
are opting for perimeter shots because they're too tired 
to drive into the teeth of a zone defense -- a task the 
departed Kenny Anderson used to do and not exactly the 
forte of Tony Delk and Shammond Williams -- and they 
aren't hitting those shots & well, you don't have to be 
Red Auerbach to figure out what happens. (...) 


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