Bucks Crush C's

1983-84 Boston Celtics
Bucks 106, Celtics 87
Record 29-9
January 16, 1984

MILWAUKEE

This was supposed to be the completion of a weekend purge in which the Celtics would make a vengeful, Charles Bronsonesque sweep through Philadelphia and Milwaukee. Instead, Boston came through with a Sunday afternoon barf-bag special. Saving their worst game of the season for national television, the Celtics dropped a 106-87 decision to the Milwaukee Bucks.

"Today we just played terrible," said Robert Parish. "All of us should have stayed in the hotel except Danny (Ainge, 18 points) and M.L. (Carr). And we picked a bad time to do it - on national TV." Boston's ineptitude was boundless. In 48 shameless minutes, the Celtics managed to produce their lowest point total of the season, their worst shooting performance (32 for 87, .368), and largest margin of defeat of this otherwise upbeat season.

It was a team non-effort. Larry Bird scored eight points on 3 for 13 shooting. Two of his baskets were follow-ups of his own misses. Kevin McHale chipped in with a rim-clanging 0 for 8 from the floor which he termed, "Brutal, my worst ever." Dennis Johnson (4-12) and Quinn Buckner (1-5) helped keep the percentage at low tide. "It was a lousy effort," said Carr.

K. C. Jones talked about the "stinkiness of our shooting," but his performance was also questioned because Parish was the only starter who played any of the fourth quarter (and only 4 minutes at that), and white-flag Greg Kite came into the game with 6:19 left and the Celtics were trailing by 18. "We couldn't get it done with the starters," reasoned Jones. "The guys on the bench were the ones who got us back in it in the second quarter."

Accordingly, folks in Norway, Iowa, and Redondo Beach, Calif., were treated to a smorgasboard of garbage time while some of the greatest players in the game served well-earned pine time. It was obvious from the start that the Celtics simply were not ready to play a noontime game. Some of the Celtics were chanting "Sweep, sweep," when they came out for warmups, but much to everyone's surprise, the memory of last year's four-game humiliation couldn't motivate the listless Green Team.

Boston led, 4-2, when the sagging Bucks (losers of 10 of 16 coming in) went on a six-minute, 18-5 tear to take a 20-9 lead with 4:42 left in the first quarter. The immortal Lorenzo Romar (15 points, 7 assists), and Alton Lister (11 rebounds) sparked the drive. At the end of one, Milwaukee led, 32-18. The Celtics shot 32 percent (6-19) in the first 12 minutes. They also committed seven turnovers, were outrebounded, 16-8, and missed 5 of 11 free throws.

In the second quarter, Milwaukee coach Don Nelson had the temerity to start Junior Bridgeman with bust-outs like Kevin Grevey, Romar, Paul Mokeski and Harvey Catchings. Jones went with Bird and four substitutes, and the Celtics started to fight back. Actually, the Bucks did their best to give it back. In the second quarter, Milwaukee scored 15 points, committed seven turnovers and hit 32 percent from the floor (6-19). Quinn Buckner forced some of the struggling and Ainge (eight in the quarter) took advantage on the offensive end. Milwaukee's lead was down to 47-44 at halftime.

Tha Celtics pulled to within one midway through the third, but Junior Bridgeman (16 points) got hot and shot the Bucks to a 78-64 lead after three. The Celtics stumbled all over themselves in the final period. Marques Johnson (24, including his 10,000th career point) and Sidney Moncrief (19) took advantage, and when Grevey canned a bomb with 8:44 left, Milwaukee led by 20. The biggest margin was 22 (93-71).

"It was a stinker in two ways," summed up Cedric Maxwell. "No. 1, it was a nationally televised game. No. 2, it was against Milwaukee, the team that embarrassed us last year." Nelson was happy with the gift. "I'm sure Boston was down a little or relaxed a little," said Nelson. "I think we hit them at a good time." Everyone else in the United States must have been asking if these were the same Celtics who had just won 20 of 23 games and compiled the best record in the NBA.