The Celtics don't forget. Show them no respect, and sooner or later they respond with the kind of aggression that leaves the likes of the Indiana Pacers wondering if they belong in the same league.
For three quarters last night, the rivalry that has flourished mainly because of the presence of Larry Bird became a grueling, physical battle of the trenches. But then the Celtics decided to kick it into high gear, and they wound up kicking the Pacers around in a 122-104 blowout before a crowd of 14,947.
Boston was fortunate to hold a 10-point lead, 88-78, after three quarters. A repeat of Indiana's 111-109 victory in November seemed possible, and if nothing else, it appeared this young team had finally shown it could play with the big boys.
But a 34-point surge gave the Celtics their most convincing victory over the Central Division cellar dwellers in years. With Dennis Johnson scoring 29 points, and Bird collecting 27 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists, the Celtics pulled away and posted their third straight victory.
"I feel like we were on our game," said center Robert Parish. "Both defensively and offensively. This is one of the best games we've played against the Pacers since I've been with the Celtics."
The Pacers were cocky and tried to bounce the Celtics around like bowling pins. In the first half, they shot 61 percent (25 for 41), although they trailed, 65-59.
But all they managed to do was arouse the sleeping Celtics, who are still trying to forget the losses to Philadelphia and New York that began this five- game trip. Most of all, they aroused Bird, who returned elbow for elbow and bump for bump. It's not nice to upset Mr. Indiana in his home territory.
"They were playing very physical and started knocking us around," said Bird. "Once we started to fight back, it looked like we took control of the game. A lot of teams have tried to play us physical the past couple of years. If we just retaliate and come back at them, we usually come out ahead."
Bird wasn't just talking mayhem. He objected to what he called some illegal picks and some questionable ones in the pivot area. But what he really meant by aggression was that the Celtics started helping out on defense inside, and once they pushed the ball up the floor, they got into their offense before the Pacers could adjust.
Until the fourth quarter, the rough stuff inside meant the brunt of the offense had to be handled by the guards. Johnson was on fire, and Danny Ainge had 11 points before leaving the game with a severely sprained left ankle. Jerry Sichting (12 points) picked up the slack when Ainge left. By the final period, the Pacers were gasping, and the Celtics were rolling.
"We haven't been doing a good job on defense down low," said Bird. "Particularly when guys get open. In the fourth quarter, we did a good job of closing up the middle and making a guy shoot over two guys instead of one. Teams have been taking advantage of us too much in the first 20 or 30 games."
Indiana was in command early, taking a 33-30 lead after one quarter. As the play became more physical, both sides began to complain to the referees, and Boston eventually got the best of this as the Pacers were called for three technical fouls. The game was tied, 55-55, before the Celtics went on a 10-4 surge in the closing two minutes, including three straight jump hooks by Kevin McHale.
The Pacers could score only 19 points in the third period, and they were in trouble. Boston had a deeper bench, and Indiana rookie Wayman Tisdale got into foul trouble. More important, the combined efforts of Bill Walton, Parish and McHale kept Indiana's Herb Williams (17 points) away from the basket.
Indiana couldn't throw a straight pass most of the second half, and several times kicked the ball way. Boston made up for a 45-35 rebounding deficit with 16 steals, including five by Bird and four by Johnson. They owned the passing lanes and forced the Pacers into 24 turnovers.
"It's not so much retaliation," said Johnson. "Rather, it is the things we haven't been doing. Those are what got us into the four-game slump that we had. We talked about this and said what needed to be done. We have to be aggressive."
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