Celts Dump Rockets

Celtics Improve to 16-4
1990-91 Boston Celtics
Remembering the 29-5 Start


It may not have been a five-star tour of the Lone Star State, but it came close.

As in two out of three ain't bad.

The Celtics came together at the right time last night and put a 15-0 haymaker on the Houston Rockets in the final 5 minutes. The result was a 107-95 victory that gave the Celtics a 2-1 record in Texas.

This one clearly was in doubt until Boston's dramatic pullaway. The key man in the run was the heretofore rim-rattling Larry Bird, who didn't snap out of his shooting slump (8 for 23) but still drove a stake through Houston's collective heart with two nerveless, gigantic 3-pointers. He also had two free throws in the run.

Also coming up big was Brian Shaw, who submitted a 26-point, 12-rebound, 7-assist gem. Ten of those points came in the fourth quarter.

Shaw had 5 points in the run and was the instigator of the game-breaking streak when he played Ray Bourque, breaking up a potential Houston fast break and then hitting a pullup to give the Celtics the lead for good, 92-91.

What followed was a complete inability by the Rockets to run their offense and the Celtics' domination of the defensive boards. A well-rested Robert Parish (28 minutes, 11 rebounds) came in and grabbed everything in sight. The Rockets went 0 for 8 from the field and tossed in a couple of turnovers for good measure in that hideous stretch.

"You can't make mistakes against a team like that," said Akeem Olajuwon, who spent most of the night looking at two or three green uniforms and wound up with 18 points (7 of 21) along with 13 rebounds.

The Celtics, of course, had a different spin on that final, fateful five minutes.

"We really showed some character out there in playing together and coming back," said Shaw, who was 10 of 16 from the field. "We took the ball to the hole and we weren't tentative."

After Shaw's hoop, Kevin McHale (23 points) made a free throw to make it 93-91. Three possessions later, Bird squared up in downtown Galveston and arched a parabola that hit nothing but net.

It was a gutsy shot from someone who had, to that point, missed 13 of his last 14 shots. But that's Larry. At 98-91, he added another, which gave Boston an insurmountable 101-91 lead with 84 seconds remaining. He also had 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals.

"He was getting good, open shots all night -- they weren't dropping," coach Chris Ford said. "If you don't want Larry Bird to take those shots, then you're in trouble. The threes probably were tougher than the others."

Asked if his back was bothering him (which it is), Bird said, "I'm not going to make any excuses. Not this year. I've been doing that for 11 years."

He's also been breaking hearts on the road for 11 years, and last night's win raised the Celtics' road record to an impressive 7-3. They have won five straight over the Rockets.

Until the 15-0 burst, however, this one was very much in doubt. The Celtics had blown an early 10-point lead, thanks to an onslaught of turnovers in the second quarter. By halftime, they had 14 turnovers and Houston had 20 points off those miscues. And the Rockets had come back to take a 52-49 lead.

Olajuwon wasn't the killer, however. Faced with double- and triple-teams, he was forced to give up the ball, which he did. Vernon Maxwell (24 points) was draining 3-pointers (he had four of them) and Buck Johnson (17 points) also was productive from the outside.

Boston abandoned that strategy in the final 5 minutes, and the Rockets couldn't capitalize.

"We were too impatient," moaned coach Don Chaney.

Maxwell and Johnson helped Houston build leads of 68-60 and 75-68 in the third, and it looked as though Boston might slip into the abyss. At 75-68, however, one of those weird plays transpired that can turn momentum.

Dee Brown (5 points in 21 big minutes) missed a corner jumper and fell into the stands. The long rebound went right back to him, however, and he kept the ball in play while still prone. Shaw then took it the hole, made the hoop and got fouled, but missed the shot.

The basket started the Celtics on a quick 6-0 burst, which ensured that they wouldn't be facing much of a climb in the final quarter. It was 79-78 Houston after three and the lead changed hands six times before Shaw's big basket started the Celtics on their way.