EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. Bring on the Lakers. The Celtics are ready, the Lakers are ready, and everybody's relatively rested and playing very well.
This was going to be the week of the Great Challenge - playing at Milwaukee and New Jersey on back-to-back nights. The Bucks and Nets were a combined 15-1 at home. Milwaukee had won 24 consecutive home games over two seasons, and the Nets had beaten Boston in the 1985-86 season opener.
No problem. Boston made the big plays at the end to beat the Bucks in the Mecca Tuesday. Last night the Celts shot 62 percent and Danny Ainge made nine straight shots en route to a 130-111 torching of the Jersey barriers.
"We're just playing exceptional basketball," admitted Ainge (18 of 21 in his last two games). "I think we've got a great basketball team."
It was Boston's ninth consecutive win and gave the Celts a league-best 17-2 record. They have won 17 of their last 18. The real challenge between now and June will be maintaining good health and averting boredom.
This victory in the swamps of Jersey was Boston's first legitimate blowout of the current winning streak. The Celts went ahead by 13 in the first quarter, let New Jersey close to within one in the second, then torched the Nets again in the third for a 14-point lead. The C's vaporized New Jersey in the final period. Boston blew a 19-point lead in October's overtime loss here and the Celts weren't going to let that happen again.
"We knew what happened last time," said Dennis Johnson (23 points). "We've gotten notorious for blowing leads, but tonight we did build on one."
There were some entertaining sideshows during this predictable carrot chase. Ainge's Jerry West imitation included nine straight bulls-eyes ("I was hammered on the one I missed," he added). On a night when Robert Parish had a statuesque four shots and eight points, Bill Walton snatched a game-high 13 rebounds with four assists and three blocks in 23 minutes. Meanwhile, Darryl Dawkins got himself ejected in time to make it home for the Charlie Brown Christmas Special on TV.
Boston played textbook offense in the first period, making 15 of 21 shots (71 percent). Ainge (13 in the period) came out firing and led a 10-0 drive which produced a 27-14 first-quarter lead.
"I think they decided they were going to let the guards beat them," said Ainge. "Well, when we execute the offense like we did tonight, we're tough to beat."
Jersey cut Boston's lead to 36-30 at the end of one, but a jumper by Scott Wedman and a Walton hook gave Boston a double-digit cushion at the start of second. When Wedman connected from the baseline after a behind-the-back feed from Larry Bird, the Celts led, 46-34, with 8:49 left in the half.
Sugar Ray Richardson and Buck Williams led the Nets back and a baseline jumper by Williams closed the gap to one (50-49). Making matters worse for Boston, Kevin McHale (22) was playing with three fouls.
With 1:03 left in the half, Dawkins picked up his first technical foul from Ed Rush. Less than a minute later, Chocolate Thunder fouled Parish and said enough to get the heave from Rush. Brilliant. Boston led, 67-60, at intermission.
"Darryl got a little over eager," said New Jersey's rookie coach, Dave Wohl. "I don't mind that."
Bird (2-7 in the first half) warmed up after halftime and the Celts scored six straight at the start of the third. A behind-the-back, showtime, fastbreak pass from Bird to McHale resulted in a layup and an 82-66 lead. It was 98-85 at the three-quarter pole.
Baskets by DJ and Wedman made it 102-85 at the start of the fourth. K.C. Jones went to his bench and the shock troops had no trouble hanging on. Garbage time commenced when Bird scored to make it 112-92. It was time for Greg Kite and Sam Vincent. Many of the 15,169 meek Meadowlands fans were counting the cars on the New Jersey turnpike by the time the final buzzer sounded.
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