Cs (21-6) LOSE THIRD GAME IN FIVE TRIES

December Swoon Continues, as Cs Fall to 21-6

On a night when Dennis Johnson got the heave-ho in the second quarter and Robert Parish handled every pass like a live grenade, the Celtics couldn't keep up with the much-malgined Philadelphia 76ers.

The Sixers blew open a tight ball game with eight straight points at the start of the fourth quarter and hung on for a 108-102 victory over the Celtics in the sold-out Spectrum last night.

DJ picked up two technicals from referee Bill Saar in the second quarter and Parish was riding the stationary bike most of the night, but give the Sixers some credit for Boston's fourth loss in eight tries. Maurice Cheeks was a demon for the full 48 minutes, and the still-dangerous Philadelphians deserved to win.

Boardwalk bards and parquet poets are mindful that the Sixers miss Andrew Toney (stress fracture), and it's obvious that Philadelphia will still be a formidable play-off foe.

There were 27 lead changes in the first three quarters, and Boston led, 84-83, after three.

K.C. Jones had two players who hadn't played all night - Rick Carlisle and Scott Wedman - on the floor early in the fourth. Smelling blood, the Sixers started swatting shots and erupted with eight straight points. Meanwhile, Boston missed nine straight shots and went more than four minutes without a point.

A jumper by Leon Wood gave the Sixers an eight-point lead with five minutes left. When Bird cut it to 98-94 with 4:16 left, the Sixers called time.

The Celts cut it to three with three minutes left, but Wood buried a jumper, Parish committed another turnover and Cheeks scored off the drive to make it 105-98 with 1:39 left.

When McHale came back with four straight points to cut it to 105-102 with 1:03 left, Philly called time.

The Sixers missed their first six shots of the game, including two blanks by Julius Erving, who was starting (for the fifth straight game) in the backcourt with Cheeks.

The Celtics tried to exploit the Charles Barkley-on-Parish mismatch, but Parish appeared to be playing underwater. Bill Walton replaced the stationary Chief with 7:28 left in the first quarter.

Kevin McHale (13 in the first) scored 11 points in eight minutes and Boston took a 23-18 lead on a jumper by Danny Ainge. The Sixers weren't running any plays and made only seven of their first 18 shots.

Cheeks and Erving paced and 8-2 Philly run, and the Sixers led briefly, but Walton and McHale powered the Celts to a 31-30 lead at the end of one. Bird, DJ and Parish each scored two points in the first 12 minutes.

Then came the Skylab incident. There was a short delay before the start of the second quarter because one of the Spectrum's overhead lights was hanging loose. A section of high-priced seats had to be evacuated while maintenance men rescued the dangling lantern.

Parish was back on the floor when play resumed. Play was sluggish at both ends, but it was close.

The first sparks flew with 3:57 left in the half when Johnson was tagged with an offensive foul, then picked up two technicals and an early shower from Saar. It was one of the fastest ejections on record, and the Celts weren't particularly happy about Saar's quick heave. It was DJ's second ejection of the season. He was tossed for fighting with Detroit's Bill Laimbeer in November. Sam Vincent replaced Johnson.

Bird found the range from the corners (10 in the second quarter), but neither team could build a lead. Two free throws by Erving gave the Sixers a 55-54 halftime edge. There were 20 lead changes in the second quarter.

Jerry Sichting started the second half in place of DJ and did a nice job. Bird and McHale continued to keep the C's afloat, but Parish was still standing around and a dunk by Moses Malone gave the Sixers a four-point lead and forced K.C. Jones to call time.

The Celts came alive after the pause. McHale blocked a couple of shots, Ainge hit a couple of jumpers, and a follow-up by Parish completed a 12-4 run that gave Boston a 73-69 lead. McHale shot the C's to a five-point lead, but the visitors settled for a 84-83 lead at the end of three.