Cs Move to 18-3
HARTFORD On nights like this, even the Celtics should be disgusted. Winning is bottom line. But it isn't a very pretty sight when a powerful NBA machine chokes and sputters like they did last night against the Atlanta Hawks.
Only their obviously superior reservoir of talent and depth saved Boston from a night of embarrassment in their first visit of the season to the Hartford Civic Center. The Hawks were clearly outclassed for most of the night in a 114-110 Celtic victory. But twice they made the type of closing rushes that would have made Red Auerbach choke on his cigar if he were still coaching.
Auerbach, in fact, happened to be on the sidelines, and his smile disappeared during both Atlanta rushes.
The first gulp came in the third quarter when Boston was in the middle of blowing yet another huge lead by going into that mysterious funky spell that makes them an ordinary team.
Atlanta, which trailed by 15 points at halftime, 64-49, would have cut the defict to 82-81. But rookie Sam Vincent sank a controversial buzzer-beater that among other things took some starch out of the young Hawks.
Still, the look Auerbach had on his face then was nothing like the grim expression he wore with 26 seconds to play. The Celtics had built a comfortable 112-101 lead with 37 seconds left, and coach K.C. Jones was singing a song, which is one of his trademarks. Before you knew it, the Hawks had scratched, clawed and scrambled for an amazing seven points
in 11 seconds, cutting the lead to 112-108, and Jones was crooning for his regulars to return.
The got the job done, although with some difficultybefore preserving Boston's 10th win in 11 games.
To do that, they had to get some help from Atlanta's Kevin Willis, who missed two free throws with nine seconds left which would have cut the defict to two points.
"I wouldn't have choked on a cigar," said Jones, who doesn't smoke them. "I'd have done the same thing Red did in 1966 (a 95-93 Boston play-off victory) when we had a six-point lead with two seconds left against Los Angeles and they scored two quick baskets so fast it made your head swim. He'd stepped on the cigar and called a timeout.
"That's all I did. We'd gotten burned twice on an in-bounds pass, and I just called time out to get the ball at midcourt. Then I got the regulars back in there because you know it's not over until it's over.
"It's a problem. We relaxed, and every team that comes up against us keeps on coming. It's a tough situation, but we're just going to have to be up for it. We have the guys to deal with it."
The guys, of course, are the likes of Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, who each had 24 points, and Dennis Johnson and Larry Bird, who added 21 and 20, respectively. Their combined efforts should have been more than enough to overcome the upstart Hawks (10-12), who got 32 points from Dominique Wilkins. But a fog kept enshrouding the Celtics.
"In the third period," said McHale, "we didn't have very good concentration and did some things we don't normally do. But then we started playing a little harder and started being more aggressive. Once we do that, we're in good shape. But when we play lackadaisical, we're not a very good team."
McHale gave Vincent credit for making a key shot, but added, "We were so digusted by that time, we had to start playing well."
Johnson pointed out that Boston regained its poise in the final period and had control. The Celtics expected Atlanta to make a run, but not to almost catch them.
"Concentration is a big part of what happens," Johnson said. "You get a lead and you just want to make a quick move and see if you can get the game over real quick. But it doesn't work like that. We had an 18-point lead, and they whittled it down. I don't think we can keep doing that. I'm not worried about it, but we can't keep giving away the number of points that we've been giving up."
Atlanta could have lost by 30 points, jdging by its first-half performance. The Hawks hit only one of seven free throws (.143), and despite their quickness, Boston reeled off seven fast-break baskets to Atlanta's four.
But Wilkins and Glenn Rivers led a third-quarter rush after Boston built a 74-60 lead. It was 82-81 when Atlanta lost the ball out of bounds with one second left. Bill Walton hit Vincent with a pass and Vincent hit the buzzer- beater to give Boston a three-point lead.
When referee Jess Thompson disallowed the shot, the Hawks jumped for joy. They said there was no way Vincent could have gotten the shot off in one second. But Thompson was overruled by Hue Hollins, and the basket stood.
"I'd have been upset if they'd taken that one away," said Vincent. "Besides, I was fouled and should have gotten a free throw, too."
Said Rivers, "It was the longest one second I can ever remember. They must have moved that timer from the Garden down here to Hartford."
Atlanta seemingly fell out of contention midway through the final period. Ahead, 90-87, Boston ran off eight straight points for an 11-point lead, and with 41 seconds to play, the Celtics had matters well in hand.
But after a timeout, Scott Hastings hit a hook shot with 37 seconds to play. Out of nowhere, Spud Webb loomed like a giant, stole the ball from Vincent and passed it to Hastings, who sank a three-pointer. Then with 28 seconds to play, John Battle stole an inbounds pass by Greg Kite and a layup by Kevin Williams completed the seven-point run.
Jones rushed the regulars back in, but by then, the Hawks were inspired. When Hastings stole the dribble from Johnson with 15 seconds left, they had a chance. But when Willis missed the two free throws, the chance vanished almost as quickly as it arrived. Two free throws by Johnson with two seconds left iced it for Boston.
"We're happy that we got back into the ball game," said Hawks coach Mike Fratello. "Hitting one of seven free throws and getting behind so early really hurt us. It was good coming back in the third quarter, but we fell behind again. All you could ask after that is that we gave ourselves a chance to win. We did, but we couldn't get the job done. The Celtics are a good club, and they won't lose many games like that."
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