let the fur fly/nypost

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WALKER ON RILED SIDE
By MARC BERMAN
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  Antoine Walker
May 4, 2003 -- Antoine Walker has an All-Star Game appearance over
Kenyon Martin, and a bigger mouth. But that's about it.

In firing the first salvo of the upcoming Nets-Celtics second-round
playoff series, which begins tomorrow at the Meadowlands, Walker dissed
his power-forward counterpart yesterday when grilled about the matchup.

Fed up with questions about Martin, Walker said, "I ain't really
worried about Kenyon, to tell you the truth. You're more worried about
him than I am. He don't turn my head like that. Whatever you think is
best to stop him, that's how we stop him. Granted, he's having a good
playoff, but I'm not necessarily worried about stopping him. We've got
to stop all of them."

Before last May's Nets-Celtics playoff series, Paul Pierce ruffled
Nets' feathers when he said he was "unstoppable." Walker and Pierce
were named to the All-Star team this season, and are considered by many
the best swingman/power forward tandem in the East.



Martin and Richard Jefferson don't win awards, yet; they just win
playoff games. Neither has made an NBA All-Star team. There's a chance
Martin won't even be named to one of this year's two All-Defensive
teams, which would be a crime. He was the Nets' best player in their
six-game, first-round triumph over Milwaukee.

Maybe one more long playoff run, one more postseason beating of Walker
and Pierce, will launch Martin's and Jefferson's stature into the
league's elite. And shut up Walker. Martin at least was respectful of
his opponent.

"They made the All-Star team; RJ and I haven't made the All-Star team,
but we will," Martin said. "I have confidence that me and RJ will make
our share of All-Star teams. We do it on both ends. That's the beauty
of it.

"If they choose not to pick me, that's what they do," Martin added. "I
know what I've done and what I can do. If I don't make it, it makes me
go out and play even harder. I play with a chip on my shoulder."

Walker shot 28.4 percent against the Nets in four regular-season games.
Martin has the skills to disrupt Walker's inside-outside game. Walker,
a disappointment in last year's Eastern Conference finals loss to the
Nets, will be overmatched defending Martin in the post.

"He's going to be ready," Martin said. "He's reading he's shooting 28
percent against the Nets. He's going to be ready for the challenge, but
I'll try to make it as tough as possible for him, getting into him. I
don't want to give him anything easy and don't let him get to the line.
Make him earn it."

If the Nets win the Martin-Walker matchup, the series could be a short
one. Meanwhile, Martin believes his acclaim will come.

"You go out and play well [in the playoffs] and people start talking,"
Martin said.