Walker was particularly impressed by the way the younger players stepped up in his absence. But Walker did not feel the need to thank his teammates for evening the best-of-seven series, 2-2, and regaining home-court advantage.
"I was right there congratulating them," said Walker, who met his teammates at the airport after watching the game with his high school coach and a friend. "I don't know if necessarily thanks [was appropriate]. It's a little far-fetched to say thanks.
"We got a win. We're a team, regardless. I could have played, scored no points and had a bad game and they could've pulled it out. But obviously, you want to be on the floor. I don't want to talk in depth about the suspension because it's over with now. I want to move on. It's tough [to be suspended] in playoff time. It's tough during the season. Then, I don't want to pay that money. I'm not happy about that. That's a lot of money to be losing at this time of year."
Walker joked about looking for a way to recoup the $162,500 in salary he forfeited, as dollars and cents provided a lone, lighthearted moment. The power forward was all business as he prepared to go back to work. Walker also dismissed concern he might try to do too much tonight, to cram two games into one.
"I'm fine," he said. "This is a team right now where we've got a lot of guys who know their responsibilities. I know my role and what I have to do to win in this series. In playoff basketball, it's a little bit different than the regular season. You try to stick with the game plan. Play within the game plan and everything will work out for itself."
The Celtics fulfilled their roles and executed their game plan to near perfection Saturday night, recording a 31-point win. Walker noted he didn't need a tightly-contested game to underscore his value to the team.
