<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">While the print coverage of Antoine Walker [news] has by all accounts been restrained, Doc Rivers is hearing a buzz he doesn't like in the air. And when a TV reporter asked him before practice yesterday whether Walker ever got into a flow in the Celtics' Game 5 loss to the Pacers after being suspended for Game 4 - something Rivers himself had suggested Tuesday night - the coach decided to draw a line. ``I haven't complained about you guys all year, but to put this thing on Antoine is (expletive), because after Game 1 I didn't see anyone saying Antoine shouldn't play,'' Rivers said. ``When we traded for Antoine and we make this run to get in the playoffs, I didn't see anyone saying, `You know what, you should play small and not play Antoine.' ``We win one game - a desperate game - without Antoine, and now we shouldn't play Antoine. It's not fair to him, and it's not fair to this team. That's the only thing I would say on that. No, Antoine didn't get in the flow, but neither did Paul (Pierce). Neither did Ricky (Davis). Neither did Gary (Payton). Neither did Doc Rivers' team. ``You know, if Antoine didn't get in a flow, then blame me. Blame me for not trying to figure it out and do a better job. But please don't blame Antoine. If anybody could have done something about it, it's me. And I tried to do it and I did a poor job of it maybe. But I don't think it was Antoine's fault. ``I didn't read it, to be honest, but I keep hearing it so I'm making that assumption. I've got to tell you I could be wrong.'' </div> Source
J Mac wrote a similar article: Going Concerns <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"I told [assistant coach] Tony Brown right before tap off, 'I don't like this,' " the Celtics coach revealed in a private moment yesterday. "I told him, 'I'm worried about this Antoine Walker thing.' You could feel it in the building. All those negative vibes. It totally ticked me off, to tell you the truth. "It hurts the team. You think they don't notice it? The minute 'Toine takes one bad shot, it starts. Everybody is on him, and it affects all of us. Him. His teammates. It's just so incredibly unfair. We don't get here without him." I have no idea what will happen tonight as the Celtics attempt to keep their season afloat in Game 6 against the Pacers, but I do know this: anyone who thinks Boston has a better chance of winning without Antoine Walker is delusional. </div>
"Blame" isn't exactly a good word anyway. But I do feel that Antoine was the worst player for us in Game 5. Whether it's Doc, for playing him to much, or Toine, for just plain sucking, AW's presence didn't help us. It hurt us. That Jackie M. article is rather upsetting because it isn't a fair assessment at all. It took her 14 paragraphs to even list one negative. Sorry, but it sounds like good ol' Jackie has some sort of an agenda. Sure, it's not fair for us to put all the blame on Antoine, but it sure isn't any better to try to pass him off as flawless. Let me get this out there for everybody that may not know: Toine's got problems. We know this. Remember that this is the same guy we shipped off and all agreed it was for the better for the franchise. He hasn't changed. He doesn't jack up the same amount of threes. Ok? Good enough? No. Michael Gee of the Herald wrote an article that was in today's edition. If you really want an accurate portrayal of the situation, then read that. It named the pros and cons of AW's game. Of course, it's subscription only so I can't link to it.
I don't blame 'Toine, I blame Doc, for not knowing how to use him correctly. Simple as that. The man isn't a guard, he shouldn't have the ball on the perimeter, ever! Put him under the hoop, or you're cheating yourself, he can make the ball just disappear on the offensive glass, and he can find angles underneath like no one else in the league. And he isn't afraid to make a team play defense on him. The thing is, you cheat yourself every time Antoine heads out to the three point line and hoists trash (he's gotten a lot better, but still). Just don't draw up any plays for the man, let him run and let him post up some, and don't let him get away with crap. Aside from that, kudos to everyone for a big win last night, especially 'Toine, even though he was seemingly ineffective early, he got the job done. Way to go boys, game 7 at the FleetGardenBostonCenterSquare, go C's.
