Players Feel Bad for KC

1983-84 Boston Celtics
Rockets 107, Celtics 94
Record: 23-8
12/29/1983

HOUSTON

Was this a victory for Bill Fitch over K. C. Jones? Did the Celtics feel that they let K. C. down? "Everybody made mistakes," said Gerald Henderson. "I made mistakes, K. C. did, Larry, Robert. It was a team thing. We wanted to win." "Yeah," added Quinn Buckner. "But as much as we let K. C. down, we let ourselves down. We were a little flat in this situation and I'm sure Bill had them sky high.""It's really a mutual thing," added Cedric Maxwell. "We felt we would like to have beaten Bill, but we didn't.""I don't look at it that way," said Jones. "I'm coaching to try to beat the other team. I don't really have any feeling about the other things."

Ralph Sampson was just short of awesome. In 45 minutes he had 27 points, 19 rebounds and 4 assists and hit 13 of 18 floor shots. "We knew we didn't want to look bad because they're such a good team," he said. "We couldn't worry when they came back (Boston cut it to one late in the third), because if we did, they'd have come back and been up by 20."

MISC

Kevin McHale was not a factor. He had seven points and four rebounds in 31 minutes . . . Danny Ainge played only five minutes, and Scott Wedman was the only Celtic who didn't play . . . Boston plays in Dallas tonight (8:35, Ch. 4). Cotton bowl opponents Georgia and Texas will attend. The Longhorns and Celtics are in the same Dallas hotel . . . The Mavericks have lost five of six and nine of 12 since their 13-4 start . . . Celtics assistant coach Chris Ford scouted Dallas against San Diego Wednesday night and assistant coach Jimmy Rodgers was watching four teams play in the Sugar Bowl basketball tournament.