It was like the Fourth of July on the Esplanade. Through the steamy heat and haze, the maestro worked his magic and a storied Boston institution thrilled the assembled masses with a traditional performance of harmony and brilliance.
The Boston Celtics have taken their great expectations to the edge of flag 15. On a night on which a Bermuda air mass transformed the Causeway street train station into a fountain of sweat and Laker sorrow, the Celtics defeated theLos Angeles Lakers, 121 - 103 , to take a 3-2 lead in the NBA best-of-seven championship series.
The victory was orchestrated by Mr. White Heat, Larry Bird. Bird broke out of a four-game shooting slump with 34 points (15 of 20 from the floor). He added 17 rebounds and controlled the night. He was equal parts of Arthur Fiedler, Bobby Orr and Andrew Wyeth. His teammates, especially Dennis Johnson, were similarly inspired and creative.
It was a game marked by absence of malice and of LA running, plus a sudden surge of Celtic board strength and defense. The Celts outrebounded LA, 51-37, and held the Lakers to an unthinkable shooting percentage of .428 (39-91).
Laker coach Pat Riley had portrayed the Celtics as nothing less than basketball's Hell's Angels after Game 4 in the Forum, but Bird and the oppressive heat were the most physical forces last night. Referee Hugh Evans left at halftime due to dehydration, Robert Parish sat out a stretch of the second half due to a leg cramp, and Bird was wrapped in towels when he wasn't playing.
The Celtics led by two at the half, but it seemed to be Boston's kind of game. The Lakers were held to nine fastbreak points in the first half, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7 of 25 overall) struggled badly, and Dennis Johnson took the Magic from Earvin Johnson (9 shots, 5 rebounds, 13 assists, 9 points).
It started to get away from the Lakers when Boston opened the third with a 13-2 run, capped by a preposterous three-pointer by Bird. That made it 68-56. LA never got closer than three. Boston's lead was up to 21 when Bird scored on a pretty drive as he was fouled with four minutes left.
"The man who made the difference was Bird," said Riley. "He was just awesome. He made everything work. He was the catalyst, and that's what happens when great players come to the front."
LA's last ripple of a run came when Bob McAdoo (18) and James Worthy (22) rallied the Lakers to within three (68-65). However, K.C. Jones called time, and when play resumed, Gerald Henderson hit a 13-foot leaner and Bird socred off the break on a pass from DJ (22 points, 6 assists).
When the Lakers threatened, the inimitable DJ put his head down going to the basket for two. A DJ drive off the break made it 76-67 with 4:41 left in the third.
Danny Ainge came off the bench and hit a three-pointer to make it 86-75 with a minute left in the third.
The guys on the Celtic bench were helping in more ways than one. During every pause, the shock troops fanned the regulars with towels.
"The conditions were awful," said Celtic coach K.C. Jones. "Larry was about to pass out. He got a little dizzy."
Even when Bird sat down, the Celtics kept the heat on throughout the fourth quarter. When the Lakers closed to seven (95-88), Parish, Kevin McHale, and DJ ripped off seven in a row to make it 102-88 with 7:15 left. DJ's three- pointer (he made a jumper on the way down after being blocked and fouled by Michael Cooper) capped the drive.
While Parish (12 rebounds) contributed to Kareem's abysmal shooting night, the rest of the Celtics played with new-found confidence against the Lakers, who could not run . . . and Boston obviously was not going to need a fifth period to win its third game of the series. The Celtics lead reached blowout proportions when McHale hit two free throws to make it 111-93 with 4:28 left.
"We did a better job running the offense, running our stuff, and tried to be consistent at getting back on defense," said Jones.
"It was their night," Riley acknowledged. "They played a great basketball game, and we had problems with our shooting (worst of the playoffs). But you have to give both teams credit for holding up in a 48-minute steambath. They just held up a little better than we did."
"Overall, this is probably the best game we ever played," said DJ. "Everybody played well, offensively and defensively."
Jones cited the first half as crucial. "It was important that we stay close," said Jones. "We didn't want them to get another one of those big leads."
In the first half, the Celtics held the Lakers to nine fastbreak points. Bird had 8 points and 9 rebounds in the first quarter, 16 and 12 by intermission.
The pregame din was as loud as any all season. Scott Wedman (broken left fibula) watched the raucous proceedings from the sideline in streetclothes.
For the first time in the series, Dennis Johnson opened the game guarding Magic Johnson. DJ held Magic to five shots and forced five turnovers in the second half of Game 4 and did an even better job last night.
"I didn't shut him down," DJ said with a smile when asked about his defensive performance on the All-Star 6-9 point guard.
DJ gave the Celtics their first lead (24-23) with a transition jumper with 1:38 left in the first quarter. A turnaround by McHale (19 points, 10 rebounds in 21 foul-plagued minutes) put the Celtics ahead for good in the first minute of the second quarter.
When McHale scored on a fastbreak trailer jam, Boston had a 10-2 run and a 38-30 lead. Worthy and McAdoo, closed it to two by the halftime . . . then came the Green Wave in the heat wave.
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