1983-84 Boston Celtics
Celtics 113, Bullets 104
Record 26-8
January 6, 1984
"Our short term goal is to get K. C. Jones the honor of being the East coach in the All-Star game. For me, it would be a real kick."
- M.L. Carr
"Mental toughness. That's what M.L. has. He can go from one spot to the other and, whether you need somebody to guard Dr. J or George Gervin, he can do the job."
- K. C. Jones
If their relationship were different, Celtics coach K.C. Jones and veteran swingman M.L. Carr might not be speaking to each other. With Jones coaching for the first year and Carr playing for perhaps his final year, there could easily have been a serious rupture over the age-old problem of playing time. Carr has averaged only 7.9 minutes this season, a far cry from his maiden Celtics' season in 1979-80, when he averaged 24.3 as the sixth man.
But both men are happy, because the situation has turned into a blessing that cannot be understated in an 82-game season. Jones is giving Carr what is called "quality time," which translates into coming off the bench in the second period in tandem with either Quinn Buckner or Dennis Johnson and playing aggressively on both ends of the floor. Carr's scrapping ability on defense is well known, but a recent increase in his time has rekindled his fire on offense, too. Carr played 11 minutes and had a season-high nine points against New Jersey on Tuesday night. On Wednesday against Washington, he played 15 minutes, and it was his 11-minute stint in the second period that sparked Boston to a 14-0 run and a 23-point lead.
"I was in my bench groove," said Carr with a smile, "but now I've got to get into my playing groove. It started in San Antonio on that Southwest trip. We've been coming from behind so much. He's looking at me to spark the team and put some life in it. "I'm going out trying to liven things up. I try to be a positive influence on other guys. When guys play with spirit, with the talent and smarts we have, it's hard to beat us." The role is indeed similar to that of his sixth-man days. And Carr hopes he can repay Jones for the faith that the coach has in him. "In the last few ball games that I've come into," he said, "we've really started to run. Pressure defense and then run, run, run. That's the thing that K.C. is looking for."
Jones says he is getting a kick out of seeing Carr perform well. It fits in well with his substituting pattern, which also includes Buckner and Kevin McHale. Being named All-Star game coach would be nice. But winning games and staying ahead of Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division is just as important, if not more. "M.L. and Quinn have created all kinds of trouble for other teams," said Jones. "M.L. plays street ball out there. That's the name of the game, anyway. The only thing sophisticated about it is that he's doing it on the pro level. "It all depends what a player has to offer coming off the bench. When Kevin comes off the bench, you're looking for shot blocking, points, rebounding. When Quinn comes the bench, you're looking for defense and a fast break leader and a guy who calls the plays. When M.L. comes, you want defense, rebounding, hustle, scrap. Then, he can also shoot the ball. We need that from our bench."
Jones' chances of being the All-Star coach hinge on the Celtics' next four games, including a date a week from tonight with Billy Cunningham and the 76ers in Philadelphia. By Jan. 15, the official cutoff date for choosing the coaches, Boston will have played 38 games and Philadelphia 37, making the loss column the key. Philadelphia and the Celtics are even in that column, with eight apiece, but Boston has played and won three more games. The All-Star game will be played in Denver on Jan. 29.
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