Walker is frightful in return to old haunt

Instead, he dropped a dinosaur egg in the city he called home for seven seasons. Walker's first visit back to Boston since his Oct. 20 trade to Dallas was an unqualified success off the court -- and an unmitigated disaster on it. Welcomed back with a standing ovation and several supportive signs (including one that said, "Trade Danny Ainge"), Walker went for a season-low 7 points on a miserable 3-of-14 shooting from the field.

His three baskets were all layups. He missed all six of his 3-point attempts, including one at the buzzer that was Florida State Wide Right by a lot, although Walker said he had a good look and that the shot felt good leaving his hand. (It didn't look good leaving his hand, though.)

"A tough night," he admitted afterward, although he did manage 8 assists and 7 rebounds in 36 minutes. "It just happened to be here. If I had come in and had a great game, everyone would have said that I got my revenge. It's one game."

Walker was not certain how he would be received. The answer came quickly -- when he came onto the floor for warmups. There were chants, signs, and cheers to tell him that his work in Boston had not gone unnoticed or unappreciated. There also was a 20-second standing ovation when he was introduced, an ovation that might have lasted longer had not the public address announcer gone to the next Maverick.

"It was nice. Surprising. It was special to me as a player, getting a tribute like that," Walker said. "They appreciated the hard work I gave them for seven years and it was a great feeling to get a cheer like that at the beginning of the game."

But once the game started, it was apparent that this was one of those games -- and we saw plenty of them over the last seven years -- when Walker just didn't have his fastball. He'd only been in single figures four times this season prior to last night. But even on his low nights, you still had to figure him for at least one trey. Or maybe one basket on a shot from more than 2 feet.

"I thought Walk was tight and wasn't himself the whole game," said Dallas coach Don Nelson. "I wanted to give him the opportunity to play for the fans here, but he was just having that kind of nightmarish game and things weren't going well for him. So it made it a hard homecoming for him."

Nelson even offered that the standing ovation might have hurt Walker. "I think if he had got a standing boo, it might have been better for him," Nellie said. Walker brushed that aside. "I've never seen a standing ovation hurt anyone."

Walker had left more than 50 tickets for friends for his only appearance in Boston. He had relaxed for the game in his hotel room, he said, breaking the monotony only for the occasional chat or visit. His day had started in a most unlikely venue -- Boston Municipal Court -- where charges that he attacked a fan last season were dismissed. His day ended with a flight to Minnesota, where the Mavericks play tonight.

He said he resisted going out into Boston while in town. "We have a back-to-back situation," he said. "And the game [last night] is going to be draining enough."

That's one way to put it. If you're looking for a Walkerian snapshot, you need only revisit the last Celtics basket and the last Mavericks miss. Paul Pierce drew Walker on a pick-and-roll some 20 feet from the basket. Pierce squared up and shot. Walker did not get a hand up high enough or quick enough to suit Nelson. The ball swished through.

"Paul is Paul. He's a competitor. He played well. He made some big shots down the stretch," Walker said, adding that he and Pierce had engaged in "a lot of good conversation" during the game. "He's one up on me now."

Then, with the Mavericks going for the tying or winning basket, Walker broke loose for a trey. He didn't hesitate, despite clanging his previous five from international waters.

"I was like, `Oh hell, no. Don't come into this building and hit this,' " Pierce said.

"We all live for that kind of shot," Walker said.

Those on the Mavericks' bench rose in unison when the shot left Walker's hand. But it was off from the start. The guy who had made so many of those the last few years would have dearly loved to have added another last night. But the miss fit the night for No. 8. It embodied his entire, basketball-playing evening. But it also ended it, which, for Walker, was not a bad thing.