Celtics Win 15th Straight

Celtics Improve to 52-15
1981-82 Boston Celtics

And now the purple dusk of twilight time steals across the meadows of Philadelphia's heart. Stardust time is here, and the 76ers' destination is evident. Second place and a mini-series beckon for the third consecutive season.

"I don't think we can catch Boston," Billy Cunningham said after watching the Celtics dismantle his team yesterday afternoon, dropping the 76ers 4 1/2 games behind with 15 remaining. "I don't think so, unless they completely collapse, and I don't think that will happen the way they're playing right now. It would have to be more their collapse than anything we would do."

Save for a frenetic fourth period in which the Celtics had to work hard merely to outscore the perplexing Andrew Toney (Boston had 31 points, he had 25 and the rest of the 76ers had 20), the Celtics were in basic control of this game from the first period on. The 76ers made full use of an astounding eight fourth-period three-point plays (five howitzers and three old-fashioned tack-ons) to make the final score sound respectable. But be advised that the 123-111 finale meant very little, since the Celtics were ahead by 30 points (96-66) with 11:06 to play after putting on an 11-minute display of basketball that was downright frightening in its ferocity and efficiency.

Prior to Philly's fourth-period blitzkrieg, the Celtics had dazzled the capacity Spectrum crowd of 18,364 with a run of 35-12 that might have been, considering the locale, their finest hour of the season. Said blast changed a somewhat shaky 61-54 lead into the awesome 30-point spread. Featured in the run were, in no particular order, sticky Boston defense, aggressive rebounding, crisp passing and inventive shotmaking that Willie Mosconi would have envied. "The third quarter," said Kevin

McHale, "was the culmination of our intensity level, tough defense and poise on offense, the culmination of everything we've been working for during the past month - and it couldn't have come at a better time." Understand, however, that the third period was hardly the entire game, that the Celtics had laid the foundation in the first few minutes of the game by totally discouraging inside offense. Messrs. Robert Parish and McHale served immediate notice that the paint was off-limits to Sixer shooters. Before the game was five minutes old, McHale had blocked shots by three of the five 76er starters (Lionel Hollins, Caldwell Jones and Julius Erving). By the end of the first quarter, McHale had five of his career-high seven blocks. Parish was busy rerouting other 76er shots. With no Darryl Dawkins to pull him outside (Caldwell wound up with a 1-0-2 line), Parish was able to do his Jacques Plante routine.

"I wouldn't use the word intimidated,' " said the ever-diplomatic Bill Fitch. "You don't intimidate a great team like Philadelphia. But we did take away any incentive they had to go in there, and so they went in another direction." The direction turned out to be period-ending deficits of 25-15 (6- for-28 first-quarter shooting), 55-48, and, finally, 92-66 at the conclusion of the third-period clinic.

The Sixers actually appeared to be in the game at halftime, for a fabulous stretch during which their defense and transition game accounted for a 31-20 edge in the final 9:08 of period two had pulled them within a manageable seven at intermission. But the Celtics, who would score on 19 of 22 third-quarter possessions, brushed the Sixers off in cavalier fashion, starting the big push when Larry (Sixth Man) Bird replaced Cedric Maxwell after five minutes with the margin an inconclusive nine (67-58). Parish, en route to Wilt-like stats (season-high 37 points, game-high 21 rebounds, 5 blocks), rejected a Doctor J drive, leading to a Bird 21-foot rainbow from the left.

What transpired over the next six minutes was part basketball poetry and part dream world. Bird (29 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 12 for 14 from the floor) and M.L. Carr (17 points) both threw in moon shots. Gerry Henderson nailed fast break jumpers. Parish, who deserves to be first-team All-League, owned the glass.

Even Fitch was impressed. "If you were to pick out four quarters this season," he said, "you'd put this one on top because of who we played. This wasn't the Little Sisters of the Poor. If we weren't in the league, you'd say we played the best team
today."

Philly did stage a sensational comeback, but after drawing within 10 at 112-102 with 2:34 left, the Sixers had to watch Bird swish a 20-footer to calm the storm. And now the Celtics have won 15 straight. As Fitch would say, they seem to have everyone's number.