Shaw, Gamble, and Lewis Lift Celts to Win

Remembering the 29-5 Start
1990-91 Boston Celtics

They turned a major catastrophe into a major coup, taking a ballgame hostage that simply should not have ever left the friendly confines of the New York Knicks neighborhood.

The Celtics never would have won this game last year. They simply did not have the correct frame of mind -- or lineup --to pull off what turned into a thrilling 106-103 comeback victory over their most bitter Atlantic Division rivals.

Boston roared back from a 17-point third quarter (76-59) deficit by paralyzing New York with an onslaught of defensive trapping pressure, including a number of bodies flying at the dangerous Patrick Ewing, then watched Larry Bird shake off a dismal first half to put the transition game into motion.

It is early in the season, and dangerous to make too much of one game, but this was as much a gut check on character as it was on talent, and the Celtics passed with flying colors.

"We could have been beaten by 20 if we had the same attitude as last year," said Bird, who had 21 points and 12 rebounds.

"Twenty? I would have said 30," added Robert Parish. "Last year is last year," said Kevin McHale. "All I know is I'm pretty darn happy right now."

And well he should be. Without the reliable power forward holding down the fort offensively while his teammates got their game together in the first half, the deficit could have been far more ominous than the 60-50 score.

Without McHale tracking Ewing in the paint while the foul-plagued Parish took a seat late in the second half, the Knicks all-star center might have been able to singlehandedly dismantle Boston's momentum.

Yet that momentum was perpetuated by the kids, Brian Shaw, Dee Brown, Reggie Lewis and Kevin Gamble, who may not have the statistics to show for their frenetic contributions, but they received accolades from their well-respected elders.

"Sometimes one or two players make all the difference in the world," said McHale. "I'd say that's where we are right now."

Indeed, despite the double-digit deficit which followed them for nearly three quarters, the Celtics played like they actually planned on winning. Their belief stemmed from two things: Kiki Vandeweghe (26 points) had to cool off some time, and Bird (2 of 11 at the break) had to heat up.

The opportunity to reverse roles arrived in the form of an uptempo 18-2 run, with the quintet of Bird, McHale, Parish, Lewis and Brown on the floor, spread and ready to strike.

Their artistry in the open court, combined with the brief absence of Ewing, who was taking a rare breather on the bench, enabled the visitors to pull within a point, 78-77, in the closing minutes of the third quarter.

Six straight points from Ewing kept the Knicks on top, 84-79, with one quarter to play, but an alarming and all too familiar New York trend was developing: all the Knicks' hopes were quickly being placed on Ewing's shoulders.

Perhaps that's why coach Stu Jackson left Ewing in with 6:52 to play, after he picked up his fifth foul. Parish had done the same less than a minute earlier, and coach Chris Ford opted to sit his pivot man.

Ewing (27 points, 20 rebounds, 6 blocks) did not foul out until the final seconds of the game, but with McHale working him in the post, and the Celtics throwing two and sometimes three defenders at him each time he touched the ball, he became visibly tired. He scored just two jumpers in the final nine minutes of the game.

"I wasn't that tired," he said afterward. "And who would ever want out when the game is close like that?"

It was a game that required monitoring until the last ticks. A Lewis fast-break bucket on a feed from Shaw capped off an 8-2 run and provided Boston with its first lead of the evening, 89-88, with 7:56 to go.

Ewing answered with a pair of free throws, and Trent Tucker drilled a trey to bump New York's advantage to 4, 93-89, with 7:18 left.

Last year, that kind of basket might have left the Celtics demoralized, and ultimately beaten. This year, Shaw hit Gamble on the break, Lewis finished off a 360-degree spinning fast-break jumper, and the visitors had embarked on a killer 10-0 counterpunch. Boston had grabbed on to a 99-93 lead and wasn't about to let go.

"I know it's early," said Gamble. "It still feels pretty big."