Celtics 110, Knicks 92
Game 1 1984 Eastern Conference Semifinals
Softpoken, unaggressive and 7 feet 1, New York Knicks center Bill Cartwright has been an easy target for balcony bellowers, barroom All-Americas and sarcastic scribes since entering the NBA in 1979.
He's been malleable Mr. Bill, or Invisi-Bill: a high-percentage shooter/ scorer with severe defensive and rebounding limitations, capable of disappearing faster than Elizabeth Montgomery.
Cartwright's critics had a field day Sunday when the Celtics defeated the Knicks, 110-92, in the first game of the Eastern Conference best-of-seven semifinals. In the decisive first half (the Celts led, 64-44, at intermission), Cartwright had two points and two rebounds compared with 17 points and nine rebounds for Boston centerpiece Robert Parish. When it was over, Cartwright had six points (two of nine from the field), and four rebounds in 25 minutes. Parish finished with 19 and 12, and Boston reserve Kevin McHale scored 25 points while alternating at forward and center.
Was Cartwright somewhat disappointed with his game?
"Wouldn't you be?," he asks. "Hey, you just try to take what you can from it. I don't dwell on good games and I don't dwell on bad games. It's like golf - you just move on to the next shot. The last game is over, and we're going to try to correct some things."
The Cartwright-Parish matchup might be Boston's biggest advantage in the series, which resumes at Boston Garden tonight (8, Ch. 4). The Celtics were able to beat Washington (three games to one) even though Bullet center Jeff Ruland outplayed Boston's Chief.
"Bill Cartwright is a very good player," McHale says. "He's tough offensively, and one of the big things we have to do is hold him down. Then again, he's going up against a better player in Robert Parish. People forget how good Robert is. It's not going to be an easy task for Bill or for Marvin (Webster)."
Cartwright held his own against Parish during the regular season when the Knicks beat the Celtics three times in six tries. Both big men averaged 14.7 points while Parish grabbed 2.3 more rebounds per game. Cartwright was able to keep Parish in foul trouble much of the time.
"I feel good about playing against him," says Cartwright. " We do different things to try and slow him down. Robert is very active and a good scorer. I really have to work hard on him to keep him off the boards."
Cartwright's Sunday no-show came two days after he set a career playoff high with 29 points in New York's biggest game of the year - Friday's overtime win against Detroit. While Bernard King was getting all the headlines, Cartwright averaged 20 points and 8.6 rebounds against the Pistons, shooting an eye-popping 67 percent from the floor and 86 percent from the line.
Cartwright wouldn't use fatigue as an excuse for Sunday's dismal performance. "We just didn't play well," he says. "We certainly didn't shoot very well. I missed a lot of easy shots. We have to come out with more intensity. I know I'm going to shoot much better."
Shooting has never been a problem for Cartwright. He shot a school-record .667 percent as a junior at the University of San Francisco. He currently ranks fifth among the NBA's all-time percentage shooters with 56 percent.
Does he resent Bernard King's 25 shots per game?
"What people have to understand is that Bernard is a member of the Knicks," Cartwright says. "We're all on the same team. If Bernard is going well, we get the ball to him as much as possible. It just means I have to do other things."
Cartwright has become a much improved defensive player since Hubie Brown took over the Knicks two years ago. With Parish and McHale looking down at the Knicks, Cartwright's defense is neeeded more than ever.
"We have to make them do some things differently," he says. "Their whole front line can really score. The big thing is to keep them out. Whoever gets McHale just has to keep him away from the basket. I'm confident we can do a good job."
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