Williams to the rescue: Healthy forward ignites C's

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Williams to the rescue: Healthy forward ignites C's
By Mark Murphy
Monday, November 10, 2003

He's like the melted candle stuck to the bottom of the pumpkin at Halloween,
or the cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving.

     Until Eric Williams is gone for a little while, you don't necessarily
notice that he's left the building. Such was the case during the three losses
leading up to the Celtics' 91-82 win against Sacramento last night at the
FleetCenter.

     They all were close games, and they all lacked that extra something.

     The missing ingredient, however, returned last night from a knee injury
and pushed the Celtics over the final hurdle. Williams, showing no signs of
the injury, stepped in and knocked over a few opponents in the lane on his way
to 12 points and six rebounds. More importantly, he ignited a defense that
missed his presence.

     ``Eric Williams is so important to our basketball team that I don't know
how we can do without (him),'' Celtics coach Jim O'Brien said. ``And Eric
knows I feel this way about him. I just made this statement to Eric. He gives
me confidence.

     ``I don't care if he's on the floor or on the bench, as long as he's in
uniform. He's a great leader. He's a strong post-up player, and he does not
permit anybody he's on the court with to play (anything less than) the hardest
defense. They will subtly hear from Eric. He has a way of lifting our defense
and it's very, very important for us to have him back.''

     Think of him as the middle linebacker - especially now, at a time when
the Celtics (minus Antoine Walker [news]) are in the market for some vocal
leadership.

     ``I know all of the spots where everyone needs to be,'' Williams said.
``I play that kind of role in the defensive end. I tell them when to drop
down, if that's what's needed, or I let them know when they're doing well. I
just try to stay upbeat.''

     Little wonder why one of Williams' favorite jokes about his role during
the recently ended Walker era was that he must have been an outstanding
defensive player, considering how seldom he was a factor at the other end of
the court.

     Williams, however, showed last night the joke is in the past and that he
can become a more complete player.

     His arsenal against the Kings included an up-fake in the paint that
actually was good enough to take the earth-bound Vlade Divac off his feet.

     ``Vlade doesn't ever jump,'' Williams said with a laugh. ``But I can
score. I never lost my scoring ability. I just took the defensive role before.
I'm just happy right now for the ability to channel my game.

     ``But it's different now, because Paul (Pierce) can't handle it all by
himself. I'm a scoring option again.''
Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx