WHAT'S THIS: 1986 BENCH UNDERPERFORMING?

12/12/1985

The Vaunted Bench of Wedman, Walton, Sichting, and Carlisle Just Not Getting the Job Done

Shades of 1984

Slowly but surely, the Celtic bench is slipping into the Atlantic Ocean. Four starters played 38 or more minutes last night and Dennis Johnson went 32 with his bad hand. Boston's bench contributed 13 points and zero rebounds. The team as a whole as lost two of its last four games.

Bill Walton has been increasingly ineffective in the last couple of weeks. Last night he was 0 for 3 from the floor, played a season-low nine minutes, and did not get a rebound for the first time all season. The rest of the shock troops aren't doing much better.

"We have not been getting the job done," said Walton. "We have not been playing that well as a second unit. We just have to start playing better. It's going to take some concentration and hard work and patience. You can't force it, because that attitude just tends to compound it."

The Disappearance of the Green Team - Early in the season, KC Jones played a lot of his subs (he calls the second unit "The Green Team"), and they helped rest the vets while the Celtics trucked to a 17-2 mark. Jones has abandoned the bench during this slump. It's not unusual for four Celtics starters to be on the floor for 40 minutes a night. Bird played a season-high 47 minutes against the Sixers, McHale matched his top minute mark (44), and Ainge did not leave the floor after DJ was ejected in the second quarter.

As a result, Jerry Sichting has cracked double figures only twice all season. Rick Carlisle and Sam Vincent have played 18 and 14 minutes, respectively, in the last four games. Scott Wedman has pitched two shutouts in his last four games and played a season-low two minutes Saturday. Greg Kite has played two minutes in the last four games.

"How are you going to find minutes for Sam if you can't find any minutes for Jerry?" asks Jones. "It (the second unit) was something I wanted to go with early in the year, but it didn't work out. But the Green Team will be back."