Where would the Celtics be without Jerry Sichting?
"We would be exactly what teams want in the backcourt from us," coach K.C. Jones said. "We would not have the outside shooting."
Without Sichting, the Celtics might still be in Chicago, waiting for another Michael Jordan flogging. "We would have been in a whale of trouble if we had to play (the Bulls) Friday," Jones said.
They're here today because Sichting put the Bulls away Sunday. He provided the best example of his worth when Chicago double-teamed Kevin McHale in the final minute of overtime. McHale kicked out to Sichting, whose keytop jumper was the winner. "He makes it easier inside for us," McHale said.
Before Sichting arrived, the only gap in Boston's grin was its perimeter shooting. About this time every year, Jones would begin complaining about opponents "doubling down on our big people." The routine became as monotonous as a James Dean film festival.
No more. Sichting shot .570 (235 for 412) from the floor in the regular season. He was 50 for 71 (70 percent) in a 12-game stretch that included 8- for-10 shooting in the first two play-off games. He fell to an 0-for-4 performance in Game 3, but the Celtics didn't really need him Tuesday night.
His most remarkable asset has been the ability to sit on the bench for a quarter or more, shed his warm-ups and slide in his first three or four jumpers -- quicker than a microwave. "It doesn't always work out that way, as the last game will attest," Sichting said. "I just try to make sure I take a good shot the first one or two. Unless I'm wide open, I don't want to get off the bench and start shooting. Sometimes right away you start clicking. But other times you have to wait a while."
Sichting changed from an Indianapolis cult figure to a candidate for Best Supporting Actor when the Celtics acquired him for two second-round picks in the off-season. He had started and led the Pacers in assists (264), field goal percentage (.521 on 624 attempts) and free throw percentage (.875) last year. "I'd always kind of envied the guards on the Celtics because they were open so much," he said. "I thought that if I was on the Celtics, I could make those shots."
He achieved his career-high percentage on 212 fewer shots. "I don't have to force anything," he said. "That's why my shooting percentage is high . . . the way the team plays helps my game. My job is to make the defense play honest. If the defense starts to cheat inside, my job is to make them play honest."
There have been no (reported) ego problems, even though Sichting gave up starting minutes to play for a championship team. "I knew before coming here exactly what my role would be," he said. "I would play probably 15-20 minutes a game, and that's exactly the way it's worked out. I was in a very positive frame of mind when I came here."
It's not hard for him to recall being drafted by Golden State out of Purdue in 1979, being cut and spending what was supposed to be his rookie year working for a sporting goods company in Indianapolis. "There are a lot of cases of a guy like me -- a pretty good player who was drafted by the wrong team," he said. "I just tried not to be discouraged about it. I thought I would give it one more shot, and if it didn't work out . . ."
It's taken five years with the Pacers, but he's finally in the play-offs to, he hopes, stay. "I knew the play-offs were going to be more physical, a little more intense," he said. "Game 2 was a fun game to play in -- two overtimes, and the way Michael Jordan played.
"When I was out of the game, I was just trying to get back in the league. I wasn't concerned about what team I was going to play for. You've got to take first things first. It's inconceivable for a player out of the league to get with a contender right away. I had to pay my dues."
Now the Celtics are collecting
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