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His NBA playoff experience consists of just a pair of first-round series against the Miami Heat.
Kemba Walker was on the Charlotte Bobcats when they were swept by LeBron James and Co. in 2014, then was part of the Charlotte Hornets in 2016 when they took the Heat to seven games after James had departed south Florida.
During eight seasons in North Carolina, that was the extent of Walker’s postseason portfolio with only five home games at Time Warner Cable Arena.
After signing with the Celtics a year ago this month, Walker was looking forward to getting a much bigger taste of life in the playoffs.
He knew all about the loud atmosphere that is created at the TD Garden during the spring and could not wait to play in front of screaming crowds.
But the COVID-19 pandemic is preventing that from happening in Walker’s first season with the Celtics, who will be taking part in the playoffs inside the NBA bubble at Disney World.
Instead of 19,000 screaming fans, there will be no one in attendance to provide a boost, only a few media members and game-day operations personnel from the NBA.
“I definitely would have loved to experience the Garden in the playoffs,” said Walker. “I just know it’s one of the greatest atmospheres during the playoffs. You just have to kind of adjust and adapt to your situation. It is what it is here.”
The Celtics and 21 other NBA teams are getting a feel for what it’s like playing with no fans watching while taking part in three scrimmages to get ready for the resumption of the season.
They played the opener last Friday against the Oklahoma City Thunder and then defeated the Phoenix Suns, 117-103, Sunday afternoon. The scrimmage schedule concludes Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets.
It’s a strange situation for players, who are used to packed arenas but are now left with quiet, other than noise that is being pumped in for the designated home team.
“It’s tough without the fans,” said Walker, who made his scrimmage debut against the Suns after sitting out the opener to rest his knee. “A lot of the guys said they were a lot better (Sunday) than the first game.
“For me, this was obviously my first game, so it was a little different and strange to me. But it’ll be fine. I think for the most part, you feel it more when someone is shooting a free throw. It’s like super quiet for the most part.
“It’s fine. Once you’re out there playing, nothing really matters.”
The NBA will be playing the games in The Arena, the Visa Athletic Center and the HP Field House. The league has video boards set up around the court, showing fans from the designated home team’s city while playing that team’s regular music.
That is about as close as it gets for the Celtics to being back in Boston. They play the first of eight regular-season games Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Having three scrimmages to get a feel for what it’s like with no crowd is a good learning experience.
“The atmosphere is different,” said coach Brad Stevens, who gave his team the day off Monday. “Playing with no fans is different. But I thought the environment, we were more used to it [Sunday] than day one. It was a little bit of a shock, I thought, on day one.”
Jayson Tatum, who looked out of sorts in the opener against the Thunder, said it was an adjustment taking the court without anyone in the stands.
“The first game was weird,” said Tatum, who got his offense going after a slow start against the Suns. “A new environment, new experience, first game in months, no fans. It was just different.
“I had fun just playing basketball, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say it wasn’t weird. [Sunday] felt better. The team that ultimately wins it all will adapt the quickest.”
Stevens said that with very little noise in the arena the rest of the season, it is going to be noticeable which teams are communicating.
It was evident that the Thunder had the advantage last Friday when veteran Chris Paul “dominated the game” with his voice, according to Stevens.
“We all have to realize the importance of communication within your own personality, within your own authentic way,” said Stevens. “As I told the coaching staff, there’s more responsibility on all of us to enhance our environment. It’s not just the players, it’s not just the coaches, it’s not everybody in our travel party. It’s all of us together.
Story by Jim Fenton, The Patriot Ledger
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