Kid Who Went to Italy is back at the Helm

Remembering the 29-5 Start
1990-91 Boston Celtics

As he pushed the ball up, weighing the options of this fast-break opportunity, Brian Shaw began hearing voices.

"Here, Brian," pleaded Reggie Lewis, following his friend on the left wing.

"Brian!" shouted Kevin Gamble, keeping pace on the right.

"You've got a trailer," hollered Kevin McHale from behind.

Shaw savored the image, which struck home in the wake of Boston's come-from-behind 106-103 win over the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden Saturday night.

The Celtics stole this victory by fighting back with frenetic defense, then cashing in on their hard work with a fast-break offense that gave Shaw -- and those who ran alongside -- all sorts of options.

"There was a lot of yelling going on out there," said Shaw. "I loved it. This is really working."

Prudence requires us to point out that the season is just two games old. We also must point out that New York should feel positively sheepish about its inability to put this "W" away.

However, there is a feeling about this Celtic team, even in its infancy, that is hard to ignore, a feeling that the team believes it can win, even when it is down 17 in the third quarter. It is a feeling that was decidedly absent last season.

To a man, the Celtics agreed that Saturday's victory would not have come to pass with last year's troop. Part of it has to do with the physical additions of Shaw and Dee Brown, the young, strong, relentless keepers of the up-tempo flame. Yet equally intriguing was the veterans' commentary on a frame of mind that has been upgraded considerably.

"It's a young season, but there's no question the attitude is different," said Larry Bird. "We weren't making shots, and we were down 15, but we were still playing hard. We make a run, they hit a big 3-point play by Trent Tucker, and take the lead.

"Sometimes that kind of play demoralizes a team, but it didn't bother us. Even when we were behind, we were playing like we were going to win.

"You look at this game, and nobody played great. But we played well enough to win. In the past, we had guys hanging their heads because they didn't do this or that, and that got them down. But Saturday night, everyone pulled together."

Six Boston players reached double figures, which points out the distribution of the ball as well as anything. As for the defense, for the first time in years the Celtics could take advantage of their quickness in the backcourt to force New York out of its offensive rhythm.

There are plenty of glitches lurking, naturally. Boston still got caught flat-footed after scoring, enabling the Knicks to strike back quickly. That is a stated pet peeve of first-year coach Chris Ford.

Ford must also find a starting forward alongside Bird, since, for now, the team seems committed to bringing McHale off the bench. Thus far, neither Ed Pinckney nor Michael Smith has fit the bill in the starting five.

Smith had a rough evening, watching Kiki Vandeweghe light him up early to spark the Knicks to 18-2 and 29-10 advantages. After less than four minutes, Ford went to McHale to stop the bleeding.

McHale also was on the floor when Boston turned to a somewhat kamikaze trapping defense that wasn't exactly textbook, but had the desired effect: The Knicks missed three of the four jumpers they took in the face of that pressure.

"Last year, we never would have been able to pull off that scramble defense to bring us back," said Lewis. "It's easier to think about coming back when you have a way to do it."