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06-15-2006, 08:50 AM
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NBA FINALS NOTEBOOK
Walker: Pierce may have to move on
By Shira Springer, Globe Staff | June 15, 2006
MIAMI -- Antoine Walker invited Paul Pierce to American Airlines Arena for the first round of the 2006 playoffs, following through on an offer he made during some regular-season trash talk. But the Heat's run to the NBA Finals has left Walker little time to talk to his friend and former teammate. It has been about two weeks since they last spoke, and Walker doesn't expect Pierce in town for Games 4 or 5. Walker, however, will certainly have plenty to tell Pierce once his offseason begins.
And talking about what it is like to participate in the Finals might give Pierce some pause about his future. Walker figures that is only natural.
When asked what advice he might give Pierce, Walker said, ``It's hard to say. He's already made a lot of money, but he has an opportunity now to sign an extension. He has to sit down with Danny [ Ainge] and the owners and really see where they want to go, if he wants to be part of a rebuilding process. If he wants to get to this level [and play for a title], he may have to move on. I don't know if he can be that patient.
``To get to this level, you've got to be deep. Look at both our teams. We're very deep teams. You've got to be talented. I don't believe [Pierce] has that other piece yet. You can't just do it by yourself. When you think of Boston, you just think of Paul Pierce solo."
Shaq finds range
When the topic turns to his foul shooting, Shaquille O'Neal has proved more consistent with his comments than his free throws. He always promises to make them when they matter most. In Game 3, he kept his word.
O'Neal went 4 for 6 from the line in Miami's 98-96 win over Dallas Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena, almost erasing memories of his combined 2-for-16 effort in Games 1 and 2. It was two free throws O'Neal hit with 3:48 remaining in the first quarter of Game 3 that made even the most vocal critic believe the big man would finally be a factor in the series. Then, O'Neal outdid himself by nailing another pair with 1:48 left in the fourth quarter as the Heat rallied from a 13-point deficit.
What was he thinking when he stepped to the line in the fourth? ``Make 'em," O'Neal said.
The simple answer was in keeping with O'Neal's throwback approach.
``I just went back to the way I used to shoot, when I was a youngster, when I was a good player," said O'Neal, eliciting laughter. ``I got in trouble, say about '94, '95, just by listening to people. And I was just trying to do things different. There's an old saying that if you do things different, then it won't be good. So, I just went back to the way I used to shoot it when I was little and a youngster. Believe it or not, I used to have a pretty good percentage when I was a good player."
Time slips away
Because of an equipment malfunction, the game clock continued to run on two separate occasions in the final minute of the fourth quarter of Game 3. After a foul was called on Jason Terry, the clock continued to run for 4.3 seconds. And after a foul was called on Udonis Haslem, the clock continued to run for 0.9 seconds. A statement issued by NBA senior vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said the NBA would replace the defective equipment for the remaining games of the Finals . . . The Playing Through Pain Award for Game 3 resulted in a tie between Haslem (strained and bruised left shoulder) and Dwyane Wade (bruised knee). Haslem revealed after the contest that it was tough to raise his left arm over his head. ``Any time I raise my arm, I have to move my head forward," Haslem said. ``When I go up for a rebound and come back down, it's not as bad, but when I raise up to shoot or follow through, it kind of feels a little weak and a little sore." Wade survived a third-quarter collision between his knee and O'Neal's head. ``It's very stiff and very sore," Wade said. ``So, the only thing I can continue to do is what I'm ordered to do and that's a lot of icing and [electric stimulation] all day. I'm confident in my training staff that we have here, that they will get me as close as I can be to 100 percent by [tonight]." . . . The biggest field goal of Game 3 belonged to Heat guard Gary Payton, who noted that experience has made him calm in clutch situations. Or as Payton said, ``It's not a hyper thing." It was also not an easy thing for Payton to pump fake his way around Josh Howard, take and make his only shot of Game 3, but easier for him than others. ``For a lot of young kids, it might be difficult," Payton said. ``But for myself, I've been in the league for 16 years, so I'm accustomed, or getting accustomed to it. You've just got to stay focused. My mindset was focus." . . . While Heat coach Pat Riley invoked the basketball gods to explain O'Neal's free throw shooting in Game 3, Dirk Nowitzki, a 94 percent free throw shooter, had no explanation for missing a foul shot that could have tied the score with 3.4 seconds remaining. ``It was a free throw that I usually make," Nowitzki said. ``I don't know what happened. I just shot it a little strong." . . . Like Frenchman Tony Parker of the Spurs before him, Nowitzki holds separate news conferences for reporters from his homeland. The German media contingent is led by former tennis great Boris Becker. After asking perfunctory questions about the Heat in general and Wade in specific, Becker quickly moved on to the most pressing sports matter of the day -- the matchup between Germany and Poland in the World Cup.
© Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2006/06/15/walker_pierce_may_have_to_move_on?mode=PF
NBA FINALS NOTEBOOK
Walker: Pierce may have to move on
By Shira Springer, Globe Staff | June 15, 2006
MIAMI -- Antoine Walker invited Paul Pierce to American Airlines Arena for the first round of the 2006 playoffs, following through on an offer he made during some regular-season trash talk. But the Heat's run to the NBA Finals has left Walker little time to talk to his friend and former teammate. It has been about two weeks since they last spoke, and Walker doesn't expect Pierce in town for Games 4 or 5. Walker, however, will certainly have plenty to tell Pierce once his offseason begins.
And talking about what it is like to participate in the Finals might give Pierce some pause about his future. Walker figures that is only natural.
When asked what advice he might give Pierce, Walker said, ``It's hard to say. He's already made a lot of money, but he has an opportunity now to sign an extension. He has to sit down with Danny [ Ainge] and the owners and really see where they want to go, if he wants to be part of a rebuilding process. If he wants to get to this level [and play for a title], he may have to move on. I don't know if he can be that patient.
``To get to this level, you've got to be deep. Look at both our teams. We're very deep teams. You've got to be talented. I don't believe [Pierce] has that other piece yet. You can't just do it by yourself. When you think of Boston, you just think of Paul Pierce solo."
Shaq finds range
When the topic turns to his foul shooting, Shaquille O'Neal has proved more consistent with his comments than his free throws. He always promises to make them when they matter most. In Game 3, he kept his word.
O'Neal went 4 for 6 from the line in Miami's 98-96 win over Dallas Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena, almost erasing memories of his combined 2-for-16 effort in Games 1 and 2. It was two free throws O'Neal hit with 3:48 remaining in the first quarter of Game 3 that made even the most vocal critic believe the big man would finally be a factor in the series. Then, O'Neal outdid himself by nailing another pair with 1:48 left in the fourth quarter as the Heat rallied from a 13-point deficit.
What was he thinking when he stepped to the line in the fourth? ``Make 'em," O'Neal said.
The simple answer was in keeping with O'Neal's throwback approach.
``I just went back to the way I used to shoot, when I was a youngster, when I was a good player," said O'Neal, eliciting laughter. ``I got in trouble, say about '94, '95, just by listening to people. And I was just trying to do things different. There's an old saying that if you do things different, then it won't be good. So, I just went back to the way I used to shoot it when I was little and a youngster. Believe it or not, I used to have a pretty good percentage when I was a good player."
Time slips away
Because of an equipment malfunction, the game clock continued to run on two separate occasions in the final minute of the fourth quarter of Game 3. After a foul was called on Jason Terry, the clock continued to run for 4.3 seconds. And after a foul was called on Udonis Haslem, the clock continued to run for 0.9 seconds. A statement issued by NBA senior vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said the NBA would replace the defective equipment for the remaining games of the Finals . . . The Playing Through Pain Award for Game 3 resulted in a tie between Haslem (strained and bruised left shoulder) and Dwyane Wade (bruised knee). Haslem revealed after the contest that it was tough to raise his left arm over his head. ``Any time I raise my arm, I have to move my head forward," Haslem said. ``When I go up for a rebound and come back down, it's not as bad, but when I raise up to shoot or follow through, it kind of feels a little weak and a little sore." Wade survived a third-quarter collision between his knee and O'Neal's head. ``It's very stiff and very sore," Wade said. ``So, the only thing I can continue to do is what I'm ordered to do and that's a lot of icing and [electric stimulation] all day. I'm confident in my training staff that we have here, that they will get me as close as I can be to 100 percent by [tonight]." . . . The biggest field goal of Game 3 belonged to Heat guard Gary Payton, who noted that experience has made him calm in clutch situations. Or as Payton said, ``It's not a hyper thing." It was also not an easy thing for Payton to pump fake his way around Josh Howard, take and make his only shot of Game 3, but easier for him than others. ``For a lot of young kids, it might be difficult," Payton said. ``But for myself, I've been in the league for 16 years, so I'm accustomed, or getting accustomed to it. You've just got to stay focused. My mindset was focus." . . . While Heat coach Pat Riley invoked the basketball gods to explain O'Neal's free throw shooting in Game 3, Dirk Nowitzki, a 94 percent free throw shooter, had no explanation for missing a foul shot that could have tied the score with 3.4 seconds remaining. ``It was a free throw that I usually make," Nowitzki said. ``I don't know what happened. I just shot it a little strong." . . . Like Frenchman Tony Parker of the Spurs before him, Nowitzki holds separate news conferences for reporters from his homeland. The German media contingent is led by former tennis great Boris Becker. After asking perfunctory questions about the Heat in general and Wade in specific, Becker quickly moved on to the most pressing sports matter of the day -- the matchup between Germany and Poland in the World Cup.
© Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2006/06/15/walker_pierce_may_have_to_move_on?mode=PF