When given a shot, Walker shows he can light up scoreboard By Ira Winderman South Florida Sun-Sentinel The Heat certainly learned something about Antoine Walker's game in Tuesday's victory over Toronto. Now it has to decide whether the lesson can be made relevant. After Walker hit a variety of jump shots, runners and layups in a season-high 32-point performance, Shaquille O'Neal sought one more facet. "Now," the Heat center said, "we just need him to develop some type of consistency." Playing with the ball in his hands is the easy part for Walker. It's what allowed the 6-foot-9 forward to average more than 20 points in five seasons with the Celtics. But in continual deference to O'Neal and Dwyane Wade, Walker has been reduced to a twice-a-month scoring presence. Tuesday was just his ninth 20-point performance of the season. Walker's experience has been similar to those shared by several members of the Heat's next opponent, the 76ers, who play Friday at AmericanAirlines Arena. With Allen Iverson and Chris Webber dominating the ball in Philadelphia, rarely is the opportunity for a breakout night afforded to Andre Iguodala, Kyle Korver or John Salmons. As has been the case after some of Walker's other breakthrough performances, coach Pat Riley said the Heat can't afford to allow Tuesday's moment to become the exception. "If he's put in that role every single night, he'd average 20 points per game," Riley said of a player who instead had not had a 20-point game since scoring 26 on Feb. 15 in Orlando. "You sort of forget a little bit how good he can be when he gets a number of good opportunities." By Friday, Wade is expected back from the flu that sidelined him Tuesday. And by the April 22 start of the playoffs, small forward James Posey, with his more reliable 3-point stroke, should be back from Achilles' tendinitis and in the starting lineup. That means for Walker to make himself as relevant in the postseason as he was Tuesday, he'll have to do it off the bench, with far fewer attempts than the season-high 26 he took against Toronto. That doesn't mean the role will be any less significant. In recent weeks, opponents have displayed near contempt for the Heat's supporting cast, massing defenses toward O'Neal and Wade. That figures to become more pronounced in the postseason. "When the playoffs come they are going to double-team Shaq and D. Wade and we are going to have to loosen it up for them," Walker said. What the Heat would like to see is Walker softening those opposing defenses with shots other than 3-pointers. Nearly as significant as Walker's scoring Tuesday was that 18 of his attempts were not 3-pointers. Of Walker's 848 shots this season, 43 percent have come from behind the arc. "With Antoine," Riley said, "it's all about selection, it really is, and efficiency." It's also about the ongoing struggle to settle into a supporting role, an assignment that runs counter to his frenetic approach. "This is the first time I've had to do this in my career," he said. "I've got a week and a half before it needs to be just about perfect." --

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