McHale Continues to Dominate in Starting Role
PHILADELPHIA This was a night when the Celtics finally missed M.L. Carr and Cedric Maxwell. After they toyed with the once-great Philadelphia 76ers for 48 minutes, there was no one around to admit the embarrassing ease with which this game was won.
The gracious Celtics said all of the polite, cautious things after beating the Sixers, 98-91, in the Spectrum. But the silent sellout and thousands of couch potatoes watching at home know that the Sixers never had a chance. The Celts have an unthinkable six-game lead on the Sixers before 1985's first turkey has been carved.
The bored Bostonians let Philly back in this game three times, and trailed by eight with 10 minutes left before pushing the red button and vaporizing the Sixers down the stretch. The Celts outrebounded Philly, 19-8, and held the home team to 15 points in the final period. The result was a lengthy, postgame, closed-door meeting in the Philadelphia locker room. The Sixers are 6-8 going into tonight's game at New Jersey.
Maybe things will change when Andrew Toney (broken foot) comes back. Maybe the Sixers can turn it around with a few more team meetings. Maybe Julius Erving and Bobby Jones will find a Coccoon pool to swim in. Maybe owner Harold Katz will fire coach Matt Guokas and hire Billy Martin. Something must happen before Boston-Philadelphia games are again played with "tastes great" vs. "less filling" intensity.
After 38 minutes of sleepy hollow, the Celts finally went to work early in the final quarter. Sloppy play (24 Boston turnoers) and a failed attempt to use five subs simultaneously had the Celts in an eight-point hole (84-76) with 10 minutes left.
Boston went to work with a methodical 12-0 run. Kevin McHale (20 points, 13 rebounds) started the drive with two straight hoops. McHale blocked a shot by Charles (The Fridge) Barkley, then scored two more after a basket by Scott Wedman. Then Larry Bird rebounded a Sedale Threatt miss, and Wedman (playing guard) put the Celts ahead with a jumper. A basket by Bird completed the dirty dozen and made it 88-84 with 5:32 left.
Philly cut it to one twice, but the Sixers' heart and soul (Barkley) was on the bench so that 6-foot-8-inch Terry Catledge could guard one of Boston's big men. The Sixers missed him.
Four free throws by Bird and Robert Parish gave the Celts a 94-89 lead with two minutes left. When Danny Ainge pulled down a Maurice Cheeks miss, Boston called time. A 94-89 lead, plus possession of the ball with 1:35 left, should have been safe.
Erving cut it to three after Cheeks blocked a Dennis Johnson shot, but McHale came back and drove left past a flatfooted Moses Malone to make it 96-91 with 58 seconds left. Philly called time once more, but the sold-out Spectrum was already emptying.
Guokas decided to try Malone on McHale at the start - but that left the 6-6 Barkley looking up at 7-foot Parish. McHale still scored eight points in the first quarter.
The initial period was sloppy. Boston committed eight turnovers, Philadelphia nine. It was 10-10 after 4 1/2 minutes. Then the Celtics broke it open with six-minute, 18-6 run which featured some sparkling two-way play by Ainge, and the usual inside dominance of McHale and Parish. Meanwhile, the Sixers were bumping into each other on offense, and Boston led, 28-16, with 1:24 left in the quarter. Sixer fans were giving some thought to moves the Phillies might be making at the baseball winter meetings.
A cocky K.C. Jones started Rick Carlisle, Jerry Sichting, Wedman, Greg Kite and Bill Walton at the start of the second. The Celts call this "the green team" because they wear green jerseys in practice. It took three minutes for the Sixers to cut Boston's lead to four points. Jones summoned all five subs to the bench and went with four starters, plus Sam Vincent.
Bird warmed up from the perimeteter, Vincent pushed the ball up the floor, and the Celts were soon ahead by 10 again. However, in the final four minutes of the half, the low-intensity Celts watched Erving and Co. fight back into the game again. Long jumpers by Doc and Sedale Threatt made it 50-50 at intermission. A severe tongue-lashing was due in the Celtic locker room.
Jones must have told the troops to get the ball to Parish. The Chief went to work on Barkley early in the third, scoring eight points in 4:15. DJ also came out on target, but it wasn't enough to put the Celts back in the comfort zone.
Barkley started going to the basket, and soon the Sixers had their first lead (57-56) since 6-4.
The Celts regained the lead on four points by Parish. After Cheeks cut it to 62-61, Boston ran off eight straight: a jumper by DJ, an inside job by Parish and a transition jumper by Bird, and a Parish dunk over Barkley after a Philadelphia timeout. Boston led, 70-61, with 4:35 left in the third.
The Celts should have been en route to an easy win, but Boston's generosity was boundless. Jones went back to his second unit, and the green team was bounced around by Barkley and Philly's other four starters in a quarter- closing 15-4 run which gave Philadelphia a 76-74 lead at the end of three.
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