Parish Powers Celts Past Former Team

1983-84 Boston Celtics
Celtics 135, Warriors 112
Record 28-8
January 12, 1984

The girl who broke up with you before the prom is the one you want to impress at the class reunion. The frozen-smiled fraud who handed you your walking papers is the one you want to crush when you control your own company. It is no different with athletes. You never have to worry about motivation when you're facing the team that traded you - which partially explains the transformation of The Chief into a Raging Bull at the Boston Garden last night. As if ignited by the sight of his former team, Robert Parish buried 16 of 20 shots, scored 33 points, pulled down 14 rebounds and blocked a shot as the white-hot Celtics earned coach K. C. Jones a round-trip ticket to Denver with an easy 135-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Proud owners of basketball's best record (Jones has locked up the All-Star coaching position), the Celtics will take a five-game winning streak against the 76ers in the Spectrum tomorrow night. Boston has won 9 of 10, 19 of 22 and haven't lost since Bill Fitch's Urban Cowboys sent them reeling out of the Summit Dec. 29. Last night's game was no contest. The Celtics hadn't played in a week (unless you want to count Friday's torch job against the Cavaliers), while the Warriors have been on a grueling trek through NBA America. Plus, Boston had Parish and Golden State didn't.

Purvis Short led the Warriors to an early six-point lead, but Parish and Cedric Maxwell led a 10-0 surge that put the Celtics ahead for good (22-16) with 5:13 left in the first. It was 69-58 at halftime, and by then Parish already had 27 points and 10 rebounds. When the Warriors pulled to within eight (77-69) in the third, Larry Bird (20 points) fired the Celtics back into the comfort zone and Parish put it away with a baseline turnaround and a fast-break layup off a Bird feed. Parish came out with 1:39 left in the third and the Celtics leading, 96-79. He never returned. The Celtics led, 100-81, after three, and the final period was showtime: replete with M. L. Carr acrobatics, Scott Wedman jumpers and a full 4 1/2 minutes for the benefit of Mr. (Greg) Kite. A tap-in by Kite made it 127-102 with 3:20 left.

Parish dominated the first half. He hit nine of 11 shots for 18 points in the first period and added seven rebounds for those who are really tough to please. By halftime, he had 27 on 13 of 16 from the floor and 1 of 1 from the line. Most of this came at the expense of Joe Barry Carroll, who would have been a Boston Celtic if Red Auerbach hadn't decided he'd rather have Parish and Kevin McHale. Ron Brewer made his first start of the year in the Warriors' backcourt. Ex-Georgetown gunner Sleepy Floyd turned his ankle Monday and did not make the trip.

Short wasted no time showing everyone how he scored 57 against San Antonio Saturday night. Jones put Maxwell on Short, but that didn't stop the Golden State forward from making his first four floor attempts as the Warriors bolted to a 16-12 lead.
After one particularly outrageous teardrop jumper by Short, Jones called Max aside. Max chuckled and said: "I can't do anything about shots like that." The Celtics were destroying the Warriors on the boards (15-7 in the opening quarter) and Parish repeatedly beat Carroll down the floor.

Jones had Danny Ainge in the game before the period was over. Ainge popped one in off the fast break and the Celtics were ahead, 34-28, after one. Darren (We Hardley Knew Ye) Tillis replaced Carroll at the start of the second period and immediately tossed up an airball. Meanwhile, Parish hit a hook and a turnaround to push his point total to a whopping 22 in 14 minutes. After Carr canned a bomb with 9:26 left in the half, Bach called time and the Celtics led, 44-32. Parish finally took a breather. Carroll and Lester Conner helped cut the Celtics' lead in half (52-46), but with 5:09 remaining, Parish returned. A three-point play by the Chief pushed the Celtics' lead back to nine and the lead swelled to 11 by halftime.