1986 Bench Starting to Hit its Stride

What seemed like a gamble at times is now starting to make good sense. The Green Team is more than a notion with the Celtics . It has become an absolute necessity.

Nobody is quite sure when the Celtics ' "second unit," known as the Green Team, developed an identity of its own. Most people say it happened after the Christmas Day Massacre by the New York Knicks. Boston blew a 25-point lead that day, and things haven't been quite the same since. But the most likely explanation is that coach K.C. Jones realized that if he didn't make better use of Bill Walton and the rest of the reserves, it would be a long season for his regulars, who simply aren't built to play 35-40 minutes a night.

Jones still wants his regulars to run. But with post-up players such as Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Larry Bird, it isn't always the practical thing to do. To compensate for this, he almost demands that his Green Team come out in a fast-breaking posture. This creates an "up tempo" that not only puts pressure on opposing teams, but forces them to go to their benches, too, lest they be worn down by the time the Celtics' regulars return.

When the Celtics rolled to a 123-100 victory over Denver Wednesday night, Walton and the Green Team played a key role in breaking down the Nuggets, who lost an early lead and were crushed in the third quarter. When the Green Team began running in the second period, the Nuggets managed to hang on for a 63-63 halftime tie. But the Denver regulars paid the price in the third period, when Boston sprinted to victory after breaking a 71-71 tie.

It was hard to overlook Walton's role in the victory. He had 10 rebounds in 15 minutes, and his outlet passes on the break reminded you of his glory years at Portland. Maybe the Celtics have finally learned, through trial and error, that this is the best way to blend in his talents.

"We have a lot of different combinations we can put out on the court," said Walton, who refuses to make a big deal out of his recent performances. "K.C. Jones can vary them. There is just a lot of adaptability out there to cause problems for the other team."

At the start of the season, it was thought Walton would serve mostly as a backup center to Parish, and that in time he would blend his talents with the first unit. But Jones likes the change of pace that occurs when Walton centers a second unit that is selected from among Jerry Sichting, Sam Vincent, Scott Wedman, Rick Carlisle, Greg Kite and David Thirdkill. More often than not, it is a combination of these players that must go against the regulars in practice. If the Green Team can get the job done against the Celtics' regulars, it can do it against anyone.

"I prefer the fast break," said Walton, who stresses that he's here to do whatever Jones thinks best. "We try to run it in practice as much as we can. In fact, that is one of the ways the Green Team has to play if we expect to win. We don't have the size to go against those guys in a slow-down, bang-up game. So we have to get out on the break, push the ball up the court, move the ball around. Quick-hitting plays.

"It's a team game, and a lot of guys have to play. You can't play the same four or five guys the whole game. Against Denver, you're not going to have players going a lot of minutes because the game is so fast-paced. Whatever it takes to win, I'm just happy to do it."

That's all the Celtics want to hear. They appreciate Walton's presence and his ability to contribute. But they also let him know such things are now expected of him.

"He's effective with any unit - as long as he doesn't shoot," said Dennis Johnson with a smile.

Added Robert Parish: "It's about time he did something. It's the first time in three years he's been in shape."

But Johnson doesn't joke about the importance of the Green Team. "It's good to have that kind of production out of our second unit," he said. "I'm not sure the Christmas Day game - which several players have talked about - was the turning point. We'd had trouble holding leads before that, and that game was just one in which we were blown out.

"It seems to me that this is just a time when our second unit is playing better than they had earlier in the season. We need that, and they do, too. It's only natural that the guys off the bench play very hard, because they know they might not be out there very long. We play hard, too. But you play a little different when you know you're out there 26-30 minutes instead of just three."

Vive la difference, says Jones.

"I was very pleased with the Green Team against Denver," he said. "That's what I need from that group - to get some rest for the starters. They cut down on the turnovers, ran their stuff and got some shots off it.

"Bill was a monster on the defensive end, rebounding and kicking the ball out. On the offensive end, he was there making the good pass to Scott Wedman or Rick Carlisle."