Thursday, October 30, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NBA OPENER: Banks gets settled in for Celtics

Ex-Rebel's debut 'solid' despite shooting woes in season-opening victory over Heat

By STEVE CARP
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Celtics rookie point guard Marcus Banks, a former UNLV star, drives to the basket during Boston's season-opening 98-75 victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night in Boston. AP Photo

BOSTON -- During all those nights as a kid that he dreamed of playing in the NBA, Marcus Banks never envisioned this scenario:

A 1-for-9 shooting performance. At home. On opening night, in his regular-season debut.

Banks said he couldn't believe he shot that poorly. But while the ball didn't drop for him, Banks did several things well in the Boston Celtics' 98-75 win over shorthanded Miami on Wednesday night at the FleetCenter.

He had four assists in 20 minutes. He played good defense. He ran the club effectively, helping the Celtics increase their advantage while he was in the game. It was a performance coach Jim O'Brien termed "solid."

"I missed a lot of easy shots," said Banks, who had four points, two rebounds, two fouls and one turnover. "But good players have bad shooting nights. I'm still getting comfortable, and we have 81 games left. I'll get it turned around."

When Banks was starring at UNLV and Cimarron-Memorial High, he had to shoot the ball. With the Celtics, his job is to get the ball to teammates, play defense and minimize mistakes. He did all of that, leading to O'Brien's praise for the 6-foot-2-inch rookie point guard, despite the shooting woes.

"I thought he had a solid debut," O'Brien said. "I thought he pressured the hell out of the basketball. I liked the four assists. I don't worry about missed shots as long as the shots are good ones. Marcus' shot selection was good tonight, and as long as you keep taking good shots, they'll eventually go in."

Banks watched most of the first quarter as veteran Mike James started at point guard for the Celtics. He officially debuted with 2:37 left in the opening period, and it took just eight seconds for Banks to take his first shot -- a missed baseline jumper.

He missed his first eight attempts before finally hitting a 15-footer with 4:07 left in the fourth quarter to put the Celtics up, 94-66.

The Heat clearly struggled without two of its top players -- Caron Butler and Lamar Odom, both out with injuries. Paul Pierce led six Celtics in double figures with 23 points. Eddie Jones led Miami with 22 points.

Banks was surprisingly calm before the game. He arrived at the FleetCenter early and watched tape of the Heat's game with Philadelphia from Tuesday.

"I'm not nervous and I'm not excited," Banks said while snacking on an energy bar. "I'm just relaxed. Every time you step on the court, it's an important game."

Banks had some support in the stands as an uncle attended the game, as did former UNLV coach Max Good, who now coaches at nearby Bryant College in Rhode Island. Even Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney took in the opener as part of the sellout crowd of 18,624.

"It was a great atmosphere," Banks said. "I enjoyed it."

Banks said he doesn't expect his shooting struggles to become a trend.

"It's going to get better, trust me," he said. "I'm going to have great nights, and I might have a few more like this.

"I'm going through a period of adjustment, and it's going to come for me eventually. I'm still growing as a player. I'm used to starting and scoring 20 a night, so I have high expectations for myself. But I'm a rookie. I have to earn my way to the top."