1983-84 Boston Celtics
Record: 9-3
11/20/1983
His name comes up most nights as an afterthought.
Marc Iavaroni is a starter for the defending NBA champion Philadelphia 76ers. But the most notoriety of his brief NBA career might have come from an exhibition-game shoving match with the Celtics' Larry Bird last month. If Iavaroni were playing for any team except Philadelphia, it might be different. He would be portrayed as a role player, a muscle guy who plays defense, grabs rebounds and keeps the power forwards busy while the likes of Moses Malone and Julius Erving do their things inside.
But because he's playing for a team that has so much talent, Iavaroni comes off as the 76ers' enforcer. His game is physical. But that's what he's asked to do each night. The truth is that Iavaroni, playing in only his second NBA season, is a man who must exhibit force and ability. It is a Jekyll-and-Hyde assignment, which, if done correctly, earns him a seat on the bench in time for the 76ers to unleash supersub Bobby Jones.
"Marc brings that chemistry that we needed," coach Billy Cunningham said. "In most cases, players like Marc don't get the credit due them because they're not going to have the statistics. But I can say that without Marc, we probably wouldn't have won the championship. He's willing to accept a role. He does everything I ask of him as a coach. He's not going out there trying to be a star."
The Iavaroni-Jones connection has benefited both men. Iavaroni, once cut by the Knicks, played in Europe and might not have made it to the NBA had not the 76ers rescued him. Jones suffers as a starter. "I like Bobby coming off the bench to give us life," Cunningham said, "either offensively or defensively. That's a quality we need every night."
Iavaroni is hardly what you'd call your instant success story. A 1978 graduate of Virginia, he had learned by trial and error that he was not a one- on-one player. But instead of giving up after being rejected, he went to Europe to develop his skills. "I knew if I made an NBA team, it would be because of defense and rebounding and taking the open shot. I'm not a big scorer. I wasn't in Italy."
Even when he came to the 76ers a year ago, many thought that another rookie, 6-foot-10 Russ Schoene (now with the Indiana Pacers), would be the better forward because of his shooting. But the 76ers found the Iavaroni-Jones combo a devastating weapon. Iavaroni is physical but has enough speed to get out on the fast break. "When I got a chance with the 76ers, I felt it was just like going out for any other team. It was important to do what they asked me. Do the simple things. Don't try to shoot or make a great pass every time I get the ball; just make simple passes, keep the turnovers down; get all the loose balls that maybe other players can't get. And that's really all they wanted."
At first glance, Iavaroni's stats are not impressive. He averaged 5.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 80 games last season and logged about 20 minutes a game. When you add that to the 9.0 scoring average of Jones, who also averaged 4.6 rebounds over 74 games, you begin to get the picture. Jones' defensive work (85 steals and 91 blocked shots) is what makes him an All-Star. But Iavaroni contributed 31 steals and 44 blocked shots. "As the season progressed," said assistant coach Jack McMahon, "Iavaroni progressed. That enabled us to get more quality minutes out of Jones. The more quality minutes you get from Iavaroni, the better chance to have Jones fresh at money time. That's so important for us."
Iavaroni wasn't happy about his run-in with Bird. He considered the incident out of character, even for a Celtics-76ers contest. He was just doing his job, and things got out of hand. "I've always been a fairly physical player," he said, "and it's tough some nights when you're going against guys who are a bit heavier and stronger. I have to be able to deal with that. The power forward, next to the center, is the most physical position.
"I have to put what happens on one night behind me. That (Bird incident) was a crazy thing, not very typical even for Boston-Philadelphia. You have to forget things like that. If not, your performance is impaired. We'll just have to go out and play basketball." Cunningham said he likes the way his young forward is willing to stand his ground but added that he hoped he never sees a scene like the one that took place in Boston Garden last month.
"Marc's not afraid of anybody," Cunningham said. "He doesn't play the game to try to hurt anybody. He's a physical player, but that's something we expect and need him to do for us, especially alongside Julius. "He's got to be able to bang with the big forwards, keep them off the boards and be a factor off both boards. Sometimes he goes into lapses, like all players do. But he has the ability to absorb what we ask him to do."
Iavaroni had an interesting rookie season, to say the least. On and off the court, he showed a side that both frustrated and delighted his teammates. One night in Portland, he wore his uniform shorts backwards for an entire half, despite razzing from the fans. He changed at halftime, only because his teammates flatly told him they'd never speak to him again if he didn't. Being punctual for a practice session in Atlanta once proved difficult, too. He was told that practice was "10 to11," as in 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sure enough, he showed up at 10 minutes to 11, or 10:50.
"Yeah, there were some days like that," Iavaroni admitted. "We have a lot of fun around here, sometimes."
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