Fox in the Hunt

October 13, 1991 He didn't want to call it nerves. Or jitters. Rick Fox instead called himself anxious as he stepped onto the Boston Garden floor for his real taste of NBA action.

By most accounts, Fox acquitted himself well in his pro debut against the Lakers Friday night. He went 24 minutes and scored 10 points. He was 4 for 14 from the field, taking two more shots than Larry Bird in nine fewer minutes. 

He even showed some defensive skills, at one point drawing a charge on Sam Perkins. He did pick up four fouls, but he also had to contend with James Worthy.

"I think, overall, I was happy with the way Rick played," coach Chris Ford said.

Last night Fox was prepared to do it again. The Lakers were still lingering around town, getting their passports ready and and practicing their s'il vous plaits. And Fox figured he had a better idea of what to expect the second time around.

"What surprised me the most was that it's such a physical game," he said. "I knew it was going to be physical, more physical than college. I just didn't expect the elbow here, the knee there. That kind of thing."

Fox could be in an enviable position. The small forward position is up for grabs right now, with Kevin Gamble still unsigned. Michael Smith started again last night, but he needed a 180 from his uninspiring opening effort (19 minutes, 6 points).

While the Celtics aren't exactly renowned for starting rookies, and the Gamble impasse eventually will get resolved, Fox is determined to make the most of every chance he gets.

"I'm just going to play hard every single time I'm on the floor," he said. "I had just wanted to get out there and I just wanted to try and not do too much. I could feel myself almost getting too overanxious and I wanted to guard against that."

Gamble front quiet

Speaking of the Gamble situation, CEO Dave Gavitt said there was nothing new to report . . . In what had to be a rarity, Lakers general manager Jerry West attended the game. West is known to be so superstitious that he never goes to Laker road games, even during the playoffs. Last year, even when the NBA Finals were in Chicago and West was there for the pre-draft camp, he still avoided Chicago Stadium. There was a good reason for his presence, however. Virtually the entire Laker organization left after the game for Paris (now that's a red-eye) and the McDonald's Open.

Rested and eager

Joe Kleine, who registered the sole DNP in Friday's game, was the first Celtic on the floor for pregame warmups . . . Ford on why he went with Stojko Vrankovic for 28 minutes in the opener: "I've got to see what Stojko can do. He went up against some pretty good competition." . . . In what had to be a startling development, the arena sound system played crowd-pumping songs before the game and during timeouts. While this is common fodder around the NBA - "Gary Glitter's History of Rock & Roll, Part II" is a staple - you'd hear it in Boston immediately following the dancing girls. The songs were tastefully chosen by WEEI engineer Doug Lane and also will be played in Providence. But because of the Garden's neanderthal sound system, there probably will be no encores when the real season begins.