Heckler paid a visit by Walker and friends

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Heckler paid a visit by Walker and friends


By Jackie MacMullan and Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 5/10/2003

nd here we were worrying about how the Boston fans were going to treat the New
Jersey Nets.



As it turned out, the ugliest scene during the Celtics' 94-76 loss last night
was one of their own fans verbally attacking Boston forward Antoine Walker,
haranguing him with pointed insults in the waning minutes, and eliciting an
angry and frustrated reaction from Walker on the sideline.

The fan, identified as Stewart Berg, heckled Walker for most of the evening,
imploring coach Jim O'Brien to substitute another player for him. O'Brien
removed his All-Star forward with 4 minutes 42 seconds to play and the Celtics
trailing by 24 points. At that point, Walker moved toward Berg, who was
sitting to the right of the Celtics' bench, to confront him. Celtics security
director Phil Lynch quickly intervened, at which point Walker said to Lynch,
''Let me go. Don't touch me. Don't touch me again.''

Reached on his cellphone last night, Berg was asked if Walker touched him.
''Yes, in the face,'' said Berg, who indicated he was not hurt.

Berg was removed by security personnel, but not before five of Walker's
friends left their loge seats and charged toward him, issuing verbal threats
of their own. Walker's friends were restrained by Lynch, and no punches were
thrown, but the scene served as a hideous off-the-court ending to a hideous
on-the-court performance. The incident was a culmination of a cauldron of
frustration bubbling over in the FleetCenter, as the Celtics fell to a 3-0
deficit in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series. For the
third straight game, Walker struggled mightily against his nemesis, Kenyon
Martin, and picked up another technical for jawing with Martin as the two were
waiting for a jump ball. Walker endured his share of boos and negative
comments throughout his 15-point, 15-rebound night, which saw him shoot a
horrid 6 of 17 from the floor, but it was a fan that Walker said was ''very
familiar to me'' who caused him to lose his cool.

Walker quickly apologized for reacting to Berg after the game, admitting, ''I
was out of character. This fan has been on me since I've been here for seven
years. This is a tough time. We're in the second round of the playoffs . . . I
was out of character. Boston fans have been great to me. They've done a lot
for me and supported me for all these years, and I was out of character for
one guy. He gets under my skin.

''Every time in public he never has nothing nice to say, and he continues to
badger the team and myself, and I think guys like that shouldn't be let in the
building.''

FleetCenter security and Celtics officials said last night that Berg, who is a
season ticket-holder, will have his tickets revoked. As Berg was escorted from
the building by security officials as play resumed, Celtics public relations
director Bill Bonsiewicz identified him as ''a guy we've had problems with
before.''

Asked if he was upset that his tickets would be revoked, Berg told the Globe,
''What can I do? I need to protect myself. I was attacked by a player on the
bench.'' Berg defended his right to criticize Walker's performance.
''Absolutely [I have the right to be critical],'' he said. ''I did not do
anything out of line. I did not say any bad words. I did not physically attack
him, he physically attacked me.''

Berg called the Celtics' flagship station, 1510 The Zone, to defend his
actions following the game. Walker said Berg has shown up at numerous Celtics
functions, and has ''always had something negative to say.''

''I felt bad [how I acted],'' Walker said, ''but in a heated game, you're out
there giving 110 percent, and this guy is just a guy who always has something
to say to me. I just got tired of it tonight. I was fed up with it tonight. I
just told him, `Don't speak to me no more. Don't say nothing else to me,'
because he's the kind of person who will say something negative about you,
then come speak to you in public.

''I don't need that. I don't have time for that. I'm grown, and I play
basketball for a living. I've got kids. I don't have time for that, man. I'm
giving 110 percent, don't be phony with me.

''This was personal because I see this guy off the court.''

When asked what Berg said to him in his diatribe, Walker said, ''He was saying
things that weren't pleasant. My family was in the stands. My family was
watching. They don't need to hear that, man.

''You can boo me all day. That's part of the game. But don't say things you
don't know about me. Don't say personal things. That's not right.''

As Walker sat on the bench watching the completion of the game, his mother,
Diane, came out of the stands to check on him. She was seen rubbing his back
and whispering in his ear in an effort to calm him down.

Thanks,

Steve
sb@maine.rr.com

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