Antoine Walker

BOISE, Idaho — Former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker is calling it quits after spending two seasons trying to rejuvenate his career with the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Developmental League. The 35-year-old Walker announced his retirement last weekend to teammates, and The Idaho Statesman reports (http://bit.ly/HvBFZi ) Walker intends to make a formal announcement this week. Walker is a 12-year NBA veteran and was a member of the Kentucky team that won the NCAA championship in 1995-96.

The Celtics and the 76ers will be renewing one of the NBA's fiercest and longest-running rivalries when they meet in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The teams have met in the postseason 14 times since the 1957-58 season, and the Celtics have won 10 of those matchups. They last met in the first round of the 2001-02 playoffs, when the Celtics -- led by Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker -- beat an Allen Iverson-led 76ers team that had been to the NBA Finals the previous season.

In the early morning hours of July 16, two Douglas County sheriff’s deputies were combing through the crowds around the gaming tables at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe casino in Stateline, Nev., trying to find a certain high-roller, a sort-of celebrity, a wanted man. They carried a snapshot with them, just to be sure they arrested the right guy. It wasn’t a face they knew well, but we do. It was Antoine Walker. Near the cabaret bar, the deputies spotted the former Celtics all-star forward, chatting with a group of friends.

BOISE, Idaho — Former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker is calling it quits after spending two seasons trying to rejuvenate his career with the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Developmental League. The 35-year-old Walker announced his retirement last weekend to teammates, and The Idaho Statesman reports (http://bit.ly/HvBFZi ) Walker intends to make a formal announcement this week. Walker is a 12-year NBA veteran and was a member of the Kentucky team that won the NCAA championship in 1995-96.

The Celtics and the 76ers will be renewing one of the NBA's fiercest and longest-running rivalries when they meet in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The teams have met in the postseason 14 times since the 1957-58 season, and the Celtics have won 10 of those matchups. They last met in the first round of the 2001-02 playoffs, when the Celtics -- led by Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker -- beat an Allen Iverson-led 76ers team that had been to the NBA Finals the previous season.

Ben Gordon scored 21 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter last night, leading the shorthanded Chicago Bulls over the visiting New Jersey Nets, 104-101, and into a tie with Philadelphia for the Eastern Conference's eighth and final playoff spot. New Jersey trails Miami by 3 1/2 games for the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The Nets have five games left and the Heat four. Gordon, who shot 1 for 6 with 10 points in the first half, banked in a 3-pointer from the wing that increased the Bulls' lead to 90-84.

The answer is, I don't know. The question, of course, is, "Now what's Danny up to?" I have spent all season defending Danny Ainge to the many naysayers who have questioned his thought process. I guess they think the Celtics should be winning 50 games, or something. I thought it was pretty obvious: Ainge was delivering on a campaign promise to remake the plodding, bombs-away Celtics he inherited into a dynamic, uptempo team. He had come up with a sensational draft in Al Jefferson, Tony Allen, and Delonte West.

WALTHAM -- Doc Rivers sensed there was trouble even before Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers started Tuesday night. "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?

Antoine Walker's turbulent time with the Miami Heat is over. The Heat traded the former Celtic and three-time All-Star forward to the Minnesota Timberwolves yesterday in a five-player deal that came one day after Miami completed a winless exhibition schedule. Walker, backup center Michael Doleac, oft-injured forward Wayne Simien, and a conditional first-round draft pick were sent to Minnesota for swingman Ricky Davis and center Mark Blount - both former Celtics. The deal gives Miami the third scoring option it wanted in Davis.

No matter how hard we try, when we talk about the Celtics, it's always about the past. The first-place Indiana Pacers came to town last night and methodically beat the stand-around Celtics, 103-90. The Celtics led by as many as 15 in the first half but trailed by 19 in the fourth quarter. The Pacers have a lot of people who inspire memories of Boston basketball's good old days when the Garden was the place to be seen, when championships were won, and when nobody called the cops if Red lit a cigar in the big, drafty gym. The Pacers are coached by Rick Carlisle, who was drafted by...

TORONTO - John Havlicek doesn't follow basketball as closely as he used to. He was in Florida when Paul Pierce passed Larry Bird for second on the Celtics' all-time scoring list Tuesday, and caught the highlight on TV the next morning. Havlicek is comfortably the team's all-time scoring leader with 26,395 points, 4,568 points ahead of Pierce following the Celtics' 86-74 loss last night to the Raptors. Havlicek said he was pleased to see Pierce reach such a career landmark. "I never planned on it or anything like that, it just sort of happened," Havlicek said of topping the list.

A judge yesterday ordered former Celtics All-Star Antoine Walker to face trial on felony bad check charges that allege he failed to repay almost $1 million in gambling debts and penalties to three Las Vegas casinos. Walker, 33, said nothing as he appeared with his lawyer, Jonathan Powell , before Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Melanie Andress-Tobiasson . He remains free without bail until his June 30 arraignment in state court. The judge noted that Walker hadn’t made any progress repaying some $770,000 he owes on a promise last November to pay $905,050 in...

In the early morning hours of July 16, two Douglas County sheriff’s deputies were combing through the crowds around the gaming tables at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe casino in Stateline, Nev., trying to find a certain high-roller, a sort-of celebrity, a wanted man. They carried a snapshot with them, just to be sure they arrested the right guy. It wasn’t a face they knew well, but we do. It was Antoine Walker. Near the cabaret bar, the deputies spotted the former Celtics all-star forward, chatting with a group of friends.

CHICAGO - Long before Derrick Rose became a rookie sensation, the nationally acclaimed documentary "Hoop Dreams," and Michael Jordan first starred in a Bulls uniform, Chicago had a love affair with basketball. Abe Saperstein founded the Harlem Globetrotters here in 1926, and the team adopted the name Harlem because it was viewed as the center of black culture at the time. The first African-American to sign an NBA contract was Chicago's Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton with the Knicks. Former NBA stars Mark Aguirre, Doc Rivers, Isiah Thomas, Maurice Cheeks, Quinn Buckner, Cazzie...

This was a championship for a Lost Generation of Boston Celtics fans. These are people for whom Bill Russell, the greatest winner in American team sports, and Bob Cousy, the legendary "Houdini of the Hardwood," are like figures out of King Arthur's tales. These are people for whom John Havlicek, basketball's consummate 'sixth man," and Dave Cowens, the mercurial redheaded center, are as personally relevant as comic book characters. These are people for whom even the great Larry Bird is just some guy wearing short-shorts who pops up occasionally on ESPN Classic.

Through 25 games, no team in the NBA has been better than the Celtics, and not many teams in league history have been either. The Celtics improved to an NBA-best 22-3 last night with a 103-91 victory over the Magic at TD Banknorth Garden. The NBA record for this point of the season is 23-2, achieved by Philadelphia (1966), New York (1969), and Chicago (1995). The Celtics also tied San Antonio for the best home record this season (14-1). "I didn't have any expectations, honestly," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.

After the final buzzer, Antoine Walker told Paul Pierce he had some playoff tickets for the Celtics' captain. Pierce laughed at the typical Walker trash talk, but later half-jokingly acknowledged he "almost slapped" his friend and former teammate. Perhaps it was exhaustion from his 38-point performance that saved Pierce from doing anything rash. Perhaps it was the firm belief the Celtics might someday soon have late-round playoff tickets to offer Walker. In the afterglow of the Celtics' successful road trip, Pierce hoped his team could win three games in a row for the first time this season.

CHICAGO - Long before Derrick Rose became a rookie sensation, the nationally acclaimed documentary "Hoop Dreams," and Michael Jordan first starred in a Bulls uniform, Chicago had a love affair with basketball. Abe Saperstein founded the Harlem Globetrotters here in 1926, and the team adopted the name Harlem because it was viewed as the center of black culture at the time. The first African-American to sign an NBA contract was Chicago's Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton with the Knicks. Former NBA stars Mark Aguirre, Doc Rivers, Isiah Thomas, Maurice Cheeks, Quinn Buckner, Cazzie...

Antoine Walker's turbulent time with the Miami Heat is over. The Heat traded the former Celtic and three-time All-Star forward to the Minnesota Timberwolves yesterday in a five-player deal that came one day after Miami completed a winless exhibition schedule. Walker, backup center Michael Doleac, oft-injured forward Wayne Simien, and a conditional first-round draft pick were sent to Minnesota for swingman Ricky Davis and center Mark Blount - both former Celtics. The deal gives Miami the third scoring option it wanted in Davis.

Miami coach Pat Riley expressed relief yesterday over the news that Heat forward Antoine Walker was not injured during a robbery at the player's Chicago home. Walker and one of his relatives were bound at gunpoint while multiple robbers took a car, cash, and jewelry from the former Celtic's offseason residence Monday night. Walker -- a Chicago native -- was shaken up, but not physically injured, said agent Mark Bartelstein . "I've talked to Mark; have not been able to get through to Antoine yet, but he's OK," Riley said.