For Walker, ‘a special feeling’ in advance
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. — Kemba Walker, the Boston Celtics’ veteran star guard, walked off the court inside the NBA bubble, the fake crowd noise faded, and howled.
“Let’s go,” he screamed with an expletive.
It felt so good to say a word so bad that after a beat, he did it again.
Walker was not the best Boston player in the Celtics’ ugly 92-87 win in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, but he just might’ve been the happiest.
After starring and scoring with the mostly hapless Charlotte Hornets, Walker is about to compete in the Eastern Conference finals, by far the most important professional basketball of his career.
“I’ve been in the playoffs two times before this. The last time I was in the playoffs was five years ago. To be here in my first year (with Boston), accomplish this, make it to the Eastern Conference finals and play against a really good Miami Heat team — we have a chance.
“It’s big time. It’s a special feeling for me.”
With two chances to close out the Raptors, Walker largely stunk. In the Game 6 loss to Toronto, he scored only five points, the fewest he’d scored in a playoff game, on 2-for-11 shooting. He didn’t get a whistle and missed what could’ve been a series-clinching basket.
The rhythm on offense wasn’t much better Friday night. Walker, the former UConn star, missed his first four threes before canning one right at the start of the fourth quarter, a shot that had Celtics assistant general manager Mike Zarren flailing in his courtside chair.
It was a big shot, but it also speaks to the way his team feels about him. He scored eight of his 14 points Friday in the fourth quarter, helping extinguish the never-say-die Raptors.
Walker, 30, is regarded as one of the NBA’s good guys, and in his first year with the Celtics, while fighting off knee issues, he happily has taken on a lesser role at times to let teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown flourish.
Tatum led the Celtics in points, rebounds and assists, while Brown went 10 for 17 from the field to follow up a tough night shooting in Game 6.
For the Celtics, it will be their third trip to the conference finals in the last four postseasons.
“We’ve been really spoiled here the last few years, getting a chance to do this so I’m really happy for him. He deserves to experience this,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said of Walker. “He’s everything that’s good about basketball. He loves the game, he’s a great teammate and he doesn’t care if he gets any of the glory.
“He’s just a special guy.”
Kids lead the way: Marcus Smart is 26. Brown is 23. Tatum is 22.
The Boston Celtics aren’t old, by any measure.
That doesn’t mean they are lacking for experience — or don’t already know what it’s like to play in the Eastern Conference finals.
Smart and Brown are going there for the third time in four years, Tatum for the second time in his three seasons, and they’re bringing Walker along for his first view of what the conference-final stage looks like.