The four straight Celtics wins - all on the road - are nice. The fact the last in the string came on a day when Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce combined for 26 points is even nicer for the Shamrocks' outlook.

Walker pondered whether he had ever been able to have such trust in the support staff.

``It's my first time,'' he said, ``and it's a good feeling. It's a good feeling to finally believe in the guys around you in the locker room and know that they're going to come to battle night in and night out and they're not afraid to take on a challenge. It's a great feeling.''