Celtics No-Bounce Their Way to Win

Green Moves to 3-1
1981-82 Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics practice fast breaking, among other ways, by running up and down the floor without dribbling. It's called the "no-bounce" drill. Last night the 33d consecutive sellout crowd at the Boston Garden got to see the "no-bounce" drill in a game, against outside competition.

It happened in the third period, when, during a stretch of play in which the Celtics outscored the Pacers, 18-2, 16 of the points came via fast breaks. Very few of the fast breaks featured dribbling.

"I don't think we've ever run any better than during those eight minutes," admitted Bill Fitch. "It looked like eight minutes of the "no-bounce drill. It boils down to this: we practice the break, and we should be able to run it."

The Celtics' players were almost in awe of what they had done. Said Cedric Maxwell: "For five minutes there we passed the ball as well as it could be passed, and it always seemed as if Larry (Bird) was in the middle of it. What makes us tough is that we have four guys who can lead the break. We don't have to depend on Tiny (Archibald) to lead it. But for a while we were passing so well and doing what we had to do that it was beautiful, and I almost wished I was watching instead of playing."

From Bird, whose 28-point, 14-rebound effort underscored the new acknowledgement of Sports Illustrated that he is indeed the game's No. 1 player: "We may have had some spurts of better passing and all-around play, but that was playoff basketball. Max threw some awesome passes - I think the best I've ever seen him throw - and Tiny ran the break the way it was supposed to be run. I just happened to be there at the end of the break." Sure, and Einstein just happened to be standing there when the Theory of Relatvity fell out of the sky and hit him on the head.-

The Celtics had 19 fast-break points in the third period, on a 9-for-10 success ratio . . . Indiana came back gamely and intelligently from its 17- point second-period deficit, and that was enough for Fitch to give forth with a warning. "They (the Pacers) did exactly what they were supposed to do," he pointed out. They showed poise. They ground it out. They showed why I think they're going to be a playoff team again." . . . Kevin McHale's fine field goal percentage (70) evaporated with a 3-for-12 night, but he hauled in 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of play . . . Indiana surrendered the ball 22 times for a whopping 37 points.