Eastern Conference Finals
1981-82 Boston Celtics
Are there really just 48 minutes standing between the Celtics and (pick one) tee-off, fishing time or that long-overdue appointment with the dentist?
Or are the Celtics about to titillate the local basketball loonies with another Saturday-afternoon-at-the-Bijou escape from the clutches of the evil Sixers?
You wouldn't think much of their chances to accomplish the latter. Any Celtic backers watching yesterday's Andrew Toney-led 119-94 76er destruction of their favorite team could only hope that in Wednesday's meeting, the Philadelphia squad will at least dispatch the Celtics in a dignified manner, as befits the friendly rival nature of this historic confrontation.
The Celtics simply could not cope with Toney, who scored 25 of his 39 points after intermission, personally insuring that a competitive game would yield a Sixer show time in the final stages. He doesn't score 39 every game, of course, but the frightening reality is that the day may not be too far off when he will, since he combines skill, heart and intelligence in an unmatched package.
"Something has to be done," said Chris Ford. "We've got to make someone else beat us other than Andrew Toney. We'll have to double-team him or triple- team him if we have to, but we can't let him beat us again."
As the Celtics fell to a 3-1 series deficit against Philadelphia in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final for the third straight year, there was another problem. The defending champions just aren't hitting enough outside shots, and the 76ers will continue to sag on the likes of Robert Parish (18 livable points), Cedric Maxwell (16) and Kevin McHale (14). And don't automatically blame the guards, because a gentleman by the name of Larry Bird missed four consecutive unmolested, no-alibi, makable jumpers in the first period as the home team was accumulating a 30-13 lead with 1:18 left.
The 76ers being lead-squanderers supreme, that 17-point margin was essentially meaningless. Thanks to outstanding performances by Ford and McHale, it took the Celtics a mere 9:29 to erase the deficit. When McHale sank a pair of second-chance free throws with 3:49 left in the half, the Celtics had pulled into the game's first tie at 44-all. Smug courtside observers elbowed each other and said, "The Sixers are sure in trouble now." Whereupon a very bad thing happened. Bill Fitch inserted Rick Robey when Parish picked up his third foul at 3:31 (45-44, Philly). He could have put in Maxwell, who was rested and had no fouls, moving McHale to center. But he went for his official backup center, and it wasn't long before Fitch felt like a pitcher who had just hung a curve to Dave Kingman.
Let's just say this wasn't Robey's finest hour. His first shot, a dunk attempt, was blocked by Caldwell Jones. They went down the other end, and Robey fouled Darryl Dawkins, who sank both shots. A minute later, Robey fouled Dawkins on a succesful dunk. He then threw up a poor jump hook, out of which developed a Toney fast break jumper, and suddenly a 44-44 game was a 51-46 Philly lead.
Hey, it wasn't all his fault, but neither was he effective. Danny Ainge's jumper had made it 51-48 with 50 seconds left, when a double disaster struck. First Caldwell tapped in his own miss with 23 seconds left. The Celtics naturally held for the last shot, but Maurice Cheeks took the ball away from McHale and fed Toney for a sneakaway layup scored a half-second before the buzzer. That capped a crushing 11-4 run that had completely changed the complexion of the ball game.
The Celtics hung around in the ballgame for the first 9 1/2 minutes of the third period, remaining between minus nine and minus five through 72-67. Bird had come alive by now, hitting his first four second-half shots. But Toney, meanwhile, was en route to a 15-point period that also included two damaging offensive rebounds.
Things began to sour for Boston after M.L. Carr (a messy 1 for 6) sank a free throw to create that 72-67 score. In the next 1:30, Toney sank two foul shots from his own long offensive rebound; Cheeks countered a Gerry Henderson missed jumper with his third damaging coast-to-coast excursion of the period; Parish fumbled an unpressured pivot pass out of bounds; and Toney, left alone by Bird (the fourth Celtics' player given this frustrating defensive assignment), drilled home a right-corner jumper. That made it six unanswered points and an 82-69 ballgame; Boston would never come closer than 10 (85-75) again.
Toney molested Carr, Ford, Ainge (who got no breaks whatsoever from officials Jake O'Donnell and Paul Mihalak) and, for two minutes only, Bird. He was in one of those unstoppable grooves in this game, connecting on his usual assortment of jumpers and drives. "I don't feel I'm unstoppable," Toney said, "but I feel that if you get it going, you should try to keep it going." That he did.
Of equal import was the overall Sixer team defense. The Celtics were held to 97 and 94 points in Games 3 and 4. Bird and Parish were kept under control. The Sixers defended the half-court game and prevented the transition game. Their comfortable 3-1 position has been well earned.
The Celtics will dwell on history in their public pronouncements between now and Wednesday. The Sixers will talk about it not being over until it's over. You'll be wise to ignore it all and simply remember that the 76ers have not reached this situation by any legerdemain. Philly is playing much better basketball than Boston. The basketball world assumed that the better team did not win this series last year. The 76ers now have three chances to confirm that judgment.
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