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RE: Peter May: Walker Voices Frustration
I think people pay a pretty penny to attend these games because of these
high priced, overrated players. If they can't live with it tough shit. Quit
whining and improve your game. People are paying for more than 3-12 & 4-16
nights.
On Thursday, April 15, 1999 6:13 AM, Way Of The Ray
[SMTP:wayray@ix.netcom.com] wrote:
>
>
> [The Boston Globe Online][Boston.com]
> [Boston Globe Online / Sports]
>
>
>
> HAWKS 77, CELTICS 70
> Celtics, fans turn ugly
>
> Walker voices frustrations after grim
loss
>
> By Peter May, Globe Staff, 04/15/99
>
> The captain has had enough. The
> coach says the captain has had
> enough. Antoine Walker and Rick Pitino
> took turns last night wondering about the
> so-called home-court advantage in the
NBA,
> something that is very much missing in
the
> FleetCenter these days.
>
> With the smallest crowd in the Pitino Era
> (15,364) looking on, and noisemakers
> targeting a struggling Walker (3 of 12
> from the floor) from the first quarter
on,
> the Celtics dropped a demoralizing 77-70
> decision to the very undermanned Atlanta
> Hawks. Afterward, Pitino and Walker each
> addressed what has become a thorny issue:
> the ongoing booing of Walker and the
team,
> a situation that prompted the coach at
the
> end of the game to turn to a disgruntled
> fan and shout, ''Why don't you go home?''
>
> In addition, Walker offered the somewhat
> startling observation that he no longer
> considers himself the main offensive
> option on the team. He barely leads Ron
> Mercer in field goal attempts, although
he
> has been the Celtics' leading scorer all
> season. He also said he still is
adjusting
> to this situation, adding, ''I'm trying
to
> figure out what my role is on this team
> ... I don't know yet. I'm in the process
> of trying to figure that out.''
>
> Walker, who is making $2 million this
> season but signed a six-year, $71 million
> extension this past offseason, was an
easy
> target last night, turning in one of his
> more dreadful games of the year. He had 6
> points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist in 33
> foul-plagued minutes. But the fans were
on
> him uncommonly early, starting with
> Boston's hideous 12-point first quarter
> and again at the end, when Atlanta went
on
> a 9-0 run over the final 3:39 to settle
> things.
>
> Pitino, who prefaced his remarks by
noting
> there have been times that the team and
> Walker have deserved the boos,
> nevertheless said he thought the fans
went
> a bit overboard.
>
> ''The kid [Walker] is not going to want
to
> do anything out there. He's going to be
> afraid, tentative,'' Pitino said. ''Cut
> him a break a little bit because he's
> trying awfully hard out there.''
>
> Addressing the crowd issue, Walker said,
> ''How would you feel if you were out
> there, trying hard, and you're getting
> booed every time you miss a shot? Put
> yourself in my place. I enjoy basketball.
> I love playing basketball. But it's
> uncomfortable ... Maybe I'm not the type
> of player Boston fans want. They have
high
> standards and I'm going to try and meet
> them.''
>
> He added, ''It's to the point, where, if
I
> have a bad game, boo me. I take a shot
you
> don't like, so you boo? That may be the
> play that's called. It's ridiculous. If
> you're going to come to the game and do
> that ... we need the fans' support. We're
> a young team. Last year, this was a very
> difficult place to play [for opponents].
> Unfortunately, it's not that way this
> year.''
>
> No, it isn't. The Celtics dropped to 8-10
> at home. The Hawks were missing three
> starters, including their top two scorers
> and had played the night before. But one
> of the Celtics' goals for the game was to
> not get dominated on the boards, which is
> what happened the last time the teams met
> and is exactly what Atlanta did again
last
> night. The Hawks had a 51-40 rebounding
> advantage and got some huge offensive
> rebounds in the final two minutes,
> allowing them to keep the ball and work
> the clock.
>
> The Celtics trailed most of the game, but
> led, 70-68, after a free throw by Vitaly
> Potapenko with 3:39 left. They didn't
> score again, missing their last four
> shots. Mookie Blaylock (5 of 17) hit a
> layup to tie the score, then, after the
> ultra-long Atlanta possession resulting
> from three offensive rebounds, Grant Long
> broke the final tie with two free throws
> with 1:17 to play.
>
> Paul Pierce (16 points, 8 rebounds) then
> missed and Chris Crawford (a career-high
> 17 points) added a second-chance trey
with
> 18.2 seconds left to make it 75-70. That
> was it. Ed Gray added two inconsequential
> free throws with 7.7 seconds left to
> account for the final totals as Atlanta
> ended a four-game losing streak.
>
> Mercer led Boston with 19 points (on 22
> shots), but it was a clearly agitated and
> pained Walker who held court afterward.
He
> said the team had just won four of five,
> so why were people booing so early? He
> said it's not only affecting him, but the
> team. He said the team gets rough
> treatment on the road and doesn't need a
> similar response at home.
>
> And he talked about his changing role,
one
> which, he says, merely adds to the
overall
> state of confusion on this very young
> team.
>
> ''We don't have roles on this team,'' he
> said. ''Every night it's different. You
> see veteran teams like Orlando and Miami
> and they have the same guys doing the
same
> things every night. That's what we need.
>
> ''I enjoy being the number one option. I
> like having that type of pressure on me.
> But, like I said, unfortunately, it's not
> that way this year. We've got other guys
> who can score, so I have to figure out
> what my role is going to be. It may be
> best for me to be the number two option.
> It can be a number of different things.''
>
> Last night, he was a lot of things, but
> not many were good. The same can be said
> for his teammates. This was one they
> logically should have won, given
Atlanta's
> hobbled state and their own recent
> improved play. They didn't, which again
> drives home how far they still have to
go.
>
> This story ran on page C01 of the Boston
> Globe on 04/15/99.
> © Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company.
>
>