http://tinyurl.com/2dwkg2 Taylor's death haunting Pruitt recalls a similar incident By Marc J. Spears Globe Staff / December 1, 2007 MIAMI - The murder of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor brought back terrible memories for Celtics rookie guard Gabe Pruitt. Pruitt was a teammate of Southern Cal guard Ryan Francis, who was shot and killed last year while riding in a car in Louisiana. As Pruitt read this week about Taylor being shot to death, thoughts of Francis returned. "I remember waking up for shootaround [in Cleveland] and I saw the USA Today," Pruitt said. "It said Sean Taylor was in critical condition. I remember coming back from shootaround and he passed away. It reminded me of Ryan, what happened to him and what we went through as his teammates and his family. "I was really close to [Francis]. I was the last person from LA to see him because I dropped him off at the airport before he left and went back home. It's tough. It took us a while. There were times where I would wake up and he used to be in my room on Saturday mornings, and he wasn't there. It wasn't the same anymore. It took us a while, but we used that as fuel to play and help us with our season." Celtics coach Doc Rivers acknowledged that he is always worried about his players off the court. But he added that he believes he has a mature group. "There are some bad people out there," Rivers said. "Their money is publicized so much, how much we make. There's a lot of stuff. I just try to tell our guys to be in the right places and hang out in the right places. I use my dad's line all the time. That is, 'Nothing good happens after midnight.' That's a fact. He was a cop for 30 years. Bad people come out late and sleep during the day. "I think we all should live by that in some ways, especially guys with these names. It's just changed. I used to always laugh at the bodyguard notion. Some have to use it. I'm amazed by that. I can understand it now." Paul Pierce, who survived being stabbed 11 times in 2000, expressed concern about the safety of pro athletes. He added that he hires bodyguards "when necessary." "Every year some athlete [dies] of a gun shooting," Pierce said. "That really hurt me that somebody went up in [Taylor's] house. His kid, his [girlfriend] was there. Things happen like that? "It puts you on guard as a professional athlete. You always have your antenna up because you never know who is watching you." Wallace hot Brandon Wallace has shown promise with the Utah Flash in the NBA Development League. The undrafted Celtics rookie is averaging team bests of 15.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game while ranking second in blocks per game at 1.25. The 6-foot-9-inch, 203-pounder has led the team in rebounding the last three games and has two double-doubles. "Brandon has gotten better every game," Flash coach Brad Jones said. "It's fun to watch him get better because he is a unique player." When asked if Wallace could be brought back to Boston soon, Rivers said, "I haven't even asked the question [recently]. Probably not." Homebody Tony Allen (right thigh bruise) didn't make the trip and missed his third straight game. Allen said Thursday that he hopes to play tomorrow against the Cavaliers. "If it's a thigh bruise with blood involved, why put him on the plane for basically six, seven hours of flying?" Rivers said. "I didn't think that would be very smart." . . . Guard Smush Parker missed his second straight game while the Heat investigated an altercation he had this week with a parking attendant . . . Kevin Garnett wore a brace on his left knee during the game. When asked how he was doing physically, Garnett said, "We are good. Me included in that we. Wins always make the body feel better." . . . Pierce wore a tailor-made blue blazer after the game with a "PP" emblem and his number "34" stitched on it. --

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