Nets Drop Celts

1983-84 Boston Celtics
Nets 115, Celtics 112
Record 38-10
February 7, 1984

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.

After so many performances, even a hit play on nearby Broadway goes stale. That's how it was last night with the Celtics, whose flair for the dramatic got them nothing better than a stunning 115-112 loss to the New Jersey Nets. The Nets' victory ended the Celtics' nine-game winning streak, longest in the NBA this season. It wasn't a cakewalk for New Jersey. Despite falling behind by 22 points, the Celtics still had a chance to tie the game twice in the last seven seconds. But Larry Bird missed on two three-point shots, the last as the buzzer went off. Bird finished with 23 points to lead Boston, but he hit only 2 of his first 11 shots before heating up to sink 7 of his last 12.

He wasn't the only Celtic to have shooting trouble. Horrible Boston shooting in the second quarter (7 of 22) helped the Nets build up a 66-47 halftime lead. At one point in the third period, the Nets' lead grew to 22 points, but Bird then got hot and led Boston back. The Celtics pulled to within two points, only to fall back. And with seven seconds left, Bird missed a three- point shot that would have tied the game at 113. Boston got the ball back and tried to set up another three-pointer. But the Nets foiled the bid by fouling Gerald Henderson, who made two free throws with four seconds left, leaving Boston a point short.

All New Jersey had to do was get the ball in bounds. Kelvin Ransey did and was fouled. He sank two free throws to ice the victory. With the return of Dennis Johnson and Scott Wedman, the Celtics were at full strength for the first time in almost two weeks. But that didn't mean they would have an easy time with New Jersey, which was obviously fired up despite not having Otis Birdsong available. The Nets matched the Celtics basket for basket in the first nine minutes, with the game tied 10 times as neither team seem to be able to take charge.

Boston did its damage inside, with Robert Parish and Cedric Maxwell posting up for easy baskets. Even Gerald Henderson was going inside when he wasn't firing in long jump shots. New Jersey had a 14-12 lead before Boston regained the lead on a three- point play by Maxwell. The Nets then led by two twice, at 22-20 and 24-22, but each Parish came back with baskets to even the score. Dawkins then scored six points to lead a brief flurry that carried the Nets to a seven-point lead, 36-31. In that run, the Celtics got a little careless on defense and gave up easy baskets to sub Mike Gminski. It wasn't until a tap-in by Maxwell in the closing seconds of the first quarter that Boston could pull to within five. Dawkins had 12 points in the quarter to lead New Jersey; Henderson had 9 for Boston.

In the second quarter, things went from bad to worse as history began to repeat itself. On their last visit, the Celtics had fallen behind by 16 points, and sure enough, a combination of sloppy defense and poor shooting put Boston in an even bigger hole. With the Nets hitting 7 of their first 10 shots while Boston was hitting only 1 of 9, the Nets shot to a 19-point lead, 52-33. If that wasn't bad enough, Quinn Buckner took himself out of the lineup with a pulled hamstring and might missed a couple of games. Dennis Johnson, himself just over an ankle problem, replaced Buckner, and even Carlos Clark was pressed into service in an attempt to slow down the Nets, who kept pouring it on. With 3:50 left, they led by 21 points, 60-39.

Boston finally came to life, as Kevin McHale and Maxwell went to work inside. But the rest of the team was as cold as Christmas night. The Celtics fell behind by 22 points, 65-43, and at halftime trailed, 66-48. The Celtics hit only 7 of 22 shots in the second period and were outrebounded, 15-8. During halftime, the Celtics got more bad news when it was determined that Buckner had suffered a strain of his left hamstring muscle. And things didn't improve much in the third quarter. Boston did whittle to lead to 14 points, 68-54, only to see New Jersey go on a 10-2 spurt for a 78-56 lead.

But from that point on, it was quite a different ballgame, as Boston began to climb back into contention behind Parish and Bird, who hit only 2 of 11 shots in the first half. When Bird hit his first basket of the quarter and followed that with two free throws, the Nets lead was down to 15 points, 82-67. Boston then went on a 11-2 run, and quickly the New Jersey edge was only eight points, 86-78. A free throw by Gminski made it a nine-point lead, but Bird was fouled at the buzzer, and when he sank a pair of free throws Boston trailed by only seven, 87-80. Bird had 10 points in the third period. The Celtics kept charging, twice pulling to within two points, at 92-90 and 94-92. But then the Nets ran off eight straight points for a 100-92 lead with 5:45 left, at which point things were looking bleak again. But in less than two minutes, the Celtics were back to within two again, at 100-98, after reeling off six straight points. After the Nets got a basket, Bird sank a long jumper to make it 102-100. But with 3:12 left, the Celtics fell behind ahead, 105-100, on a free throw by Dawkins and a fast-break layup by Ransey. That seemed to break the ice for New Jersey, which went on a roll in the final two minutes and then held off the late Celtic surge.