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Has Antoine Walker finally learned that victories, and not a slew of showy stats, are the real measure of a star?

By Ian Thompson

Walker accepted a lesser role in the offense, but he still flashed skills that conjure visions of an old Celtics nemesis.  Damian Strohmeyer Enemy Lines An opposing team's scout sizes up the Celtics "They're still going to have problems inside. To me their best center is Vitaly Potapenko , who would be a backup for a lot of teams. Tony Battie is a decent weakside shot blocker, but he's not good guarding his own guy. ... I suppose they're going to go to the full-court or half-court trap more to get the ball out of the opposing point guard's hands. They don't want teams running plays and executing in the post, where they're vulnerable. ... When the Celtics post up, they do it quickly with Antoine Walker slicing to the basket. He doesn't like to settle in the low box because he's not explosive going through people. ... Paul Pierce can shoot the three and he can drive to the basket, but what sets him apart is his in-between game -- he can pull up for that medium-range shot or draw the defenders and pass. He plays with his head up.... I'm not a big Kenny Anderson guy, but it doesn't help him that the ball is in Antoine's hands so much. Kenny's at his best when he's driving and dishing off to a teammate. When Antoine's running the play, Kenny becomes a perimeter shooter, and he isn't good at it. ... It was harder to prepare for them under Rick Pitino because he was so anal with his continuity plays; he wanted the ball to go through three players before they took a shot. It was like he'd call those things to show other coaches that he could execute such a complicated play. In the meantime Walker would be standing there with an open shot thinking, Are we running this play to give you some kind of high, or do you want me to get us a bucket?"

When is Antoine Walker going to be recognized for his remarkable productivity rather than his supposed selfishness? The Celtics' co-captain, Walker was the only player to rank in the top 20 in points, rebounds, assists and steals last season, yet he failed to make the All-Star cut. What more is a 25-year-old power forward to do? "If you want the accolades, you have to win," says Boston coach Jim O'Brien. "I think Antoine can have a breakout year, because I think we're going to win."

In his five seasons with the Celtics, Walker has drawn justifiable criticism for shooting too much and showboating. Those complaints subsided last season, however, when he ceded the scoring spotlight to small forward Paul Pierce to help Boston make a run at the playoffs. Together they led the team to a 24-24 finish under O'Brien, who had replaced Rick Pitino in midseason.

It was no coincidence that Walker responded to O'Brien or that he showed up in the best shape of his career for the coach's first training camp. He believes in O'Brien more than he did in Pitino, who often blamed his failures on his power forward, making Walker the target of the fans' discontent. Unlike Pitino, Walker, who signed a six-year extension in January '99, is willing to ride out the bad times. "People in Boston appreciate good teams," he says. "I've seen how it is when we aren't doing well, and it makes me think how good it's going to be when we're winning."

The Celtics aren't going to outmuscle opponents to the playoffs: The 6'9" Walker attempted a league-leading 603 three-pointers, compared with 348 free throws. G.M. Chris Wallace insists, however, that Tony Battie, Mark Blount and Vitaly Potapenko will combine for above-average production inside. Wallace notes that Battie was the team's third-best player before missing 41 games with a sprained left ankle. In his absence Blount emerged as a solid center, and the team went on to play its most consistent basketball. Says O'Brien, "We have a good marriage of players who are really sick and tired of losing."

Among those most fed up is 31-year-old point guard Kenny Anderson, who will try to recover from the worst season of his career. His importance has grown now that O'Brien has shelved his plans to play Walker at the point, an idea he had before the new rules permitting zones, which will make it harder for Walker to exploit mismatches. "Antoine is still going to have the ball in his hands a lot as a point forward," O'Brien says.

Of Boston's three first-round picks, 6'7" swingman Joe Johnson of Arkansas is the one who will be asked to contribute immediately as a much-needed third scorer; Pierce and Walker accounted for 51.0% of the team's points last year. (The other No. 1 choices, shooting guard Joseph Forte of North Carolina and forward Kedrick Brown of Okaloosa-Walton Community College, will take longer to develop.) The most important newcomer, however, may be assistant coach Dick Harter, a defensive whiz who must shore up a team that allowed 45.9% shooting, fifth worst in the league.

Over the 40 years of Red Auerbach's reign as G.M., the Celtics never went more than six seasons without a title; now it has been that long since they reached the playoffs. Pierce is prepared to improve on last year's individual success, when he ranked eighth in the league in scoring. He notes that Walker looks stronger after spending the summer working out in Chicago with Michael Jordan and trainer Tim Grover. "You can see Antoine's attitude has changed," Pierce says. "I tell him he can average 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. I can't think of another player with that type of ability. He can be like Magic Johnson for our team."

You know it's been too long since the Celtics achieved success when they're looking to the Lakers for inspiration.

Issue date: October 29, 2001

Click here to look back at CNNSI.com's preseason Celtics preview.