Here is what Celtics coach Rick Pitino told rookie Ron Mercer when he gave him his defensive assignment for Friday night’s season opener with the Bulls: “I told Ron that some day he’s going to be able to tell his kids that on his opening night in the NBA he checked Michael Jordan.”
Mercer, on the night of his professional baptism, was being asked to stop the greatest player in his game’s history. His response: “I’m not going to be doing it by myself, am I?”
No, but Mercer helped hold Jordan to 7-for-23 shooting in the Celtics’ 92-85 victory.
“One person can’t guard him,” Mercer insisted. “Even if you’re the greatest defensive player in the game, you can’t do it alone. It’s still going to take a team effort.”
The Celtics’ effort had a star this night, and it was Mt. Carmel grad Antoine Walker, who rallied them with 31 points, many of them spectacular, and eight rebounds.
“I’ve got a lot of different skills, so I have to make big shots,” Walker said. “I put that kind of pressure on myself.”
There was a different kind of pressure on Mercer, like Walker a former Kentucky star around whom Pitino, the former Kentucky coach, hopes to rebuild the Celtics.
“I wasn’t nervous at all,” Mercer said. “I mean, it was great. Playing against Jordan was a dream come true for me. But then I had a job to do. I had to get a hand in his face. I had to play my game.”
He played it well enough not to get embarrassed by Jordan, scoring 11 points in 30 minutes. With his team up only three with 2 minutes 53 seconds remaining, he took a pass from Walker and drew a foul on Scott Burrell while making a tough layup.
Will he really tell his kids about the experience?
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“Oh, yeah,” Mercer said with a smile. “I’m going to get the tape and hide it. Put it in a safe somewhere.”