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Boston Defeats Suns In Overtime; Nash Remains In Street ClothesForget the controversial last shot the Mavericks took that careened out of bounds, Marion blocked Nowitzki; it was a feat of athleticism that only Marion could produce. The Phoenix Suns not only beat one of the top teams in the West, they did it without their slashing, scoring, dime-throwin point guard Steve Nash. They did it minus his league leading 11.45 assists per game. Previously the Suns were only 1-2 without Nash, their lone win coming against the Los Angeles Clippers. It can be agreed upon that in each game, the Suns did not seem the same. So now we know the Suns can win without Nash. Now when is Nash coming back? His strained right hamstring continues to bother him, and while a half-speed Nash is still pretty solid, it does not come close to a Steve Nash who is at full-speed. At full-speed Nash dictates the tempo and runs the Suns. A full-speed Nash is vital if the Suns hope to advance far into the playoffs this season, great record or not. There is a lot of talk about the Suns making a run for Gary Payton provided the Hawks buy out his contract. Gary Payton would be a nice addition, but cannot, and will not replace Steve Nash. At this juncture, there is no player that can replace Mr. Nash. Remember, this is Nash’s MVP season. Today versus Boston was a different story as the Suns lost a 120-113 heartbreaker in overtime. Newly re-acquired Antoine Walker torched the Suns with a monstrous effort scoring 33 points (on 33 shots), grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists. The good news was that the Suns managed to take it to overtime; the bad news is they were outscored 14-7 in that overtime. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Wearing 88 Walker Scores 24 In Return To CelticsAntoine Walker had 24 points and 10 rebounds to help the Celtics beat the Utah Jazz 109-102. ``It's great to be back,'' Walker said. ``I am excited about the opportunity to be back and make this work." ``'Toine was great,'' Doc Rivers said. ``You know what's nice with 'Toine is we had somewhere to go in the post.'' Andrei Kirilenko scored a season-high 29 points and Matt Harpring added 18 for the Jazz, who have lost six of their last seven games. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Walker Back To Boston, Gugliotta, Payton And Stewart Sent To AtlantaAccording to ESPN Insider Chad Ford, The Hawks have sent their leading scorer Antoine Walker back to Boston in exchange for Gary Payton, Michael Stewart, Tom Gugliotta, and the lesser of Boston's two first round draft picks in the '05 draft. Walker originally played for the Celtics from 1996 to 2003. Payton, who reluctantly came to the Celtics in a summer trade from the Lakers, reportedly was in talks with the Celtics about a contract extension. Payton is eligible to become a free agent after this season. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Celtics Feb 2005 Archive
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