Larry v. Magic: Game 12 (Part 7)

1984 NBA Finals Game 5

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage

BIRD'S 34 HEATS UP CELTS

Boston Garden was an oven, but it was Larry Bird who burned the Los Angeles Lakers Friday night.

On a night when 81-degree temperature outside caused the temperature on the Garden floor to reach 97 degrees, Bird overcame a dizzy spell to contribute 34 points and 17 rebounds as the Celtics won, 121-103, to move one victory away from their 15th NBA championship.

Boston, which leads the series three victories to two, can clinch Sunday afternoon when Game 6 is played in Los Angeles.

"Conditions out there were awful," Boston Coach K.C. Jones said. "Bird got dizzy in the fourth quarter, and I had to take him out. I suspect the same thing happened to Magic (Johnson, who had just 10 points for the Lakers).

"But Bird's a coalminer. He gets down in the dirt and works."

Jones said the heat helped stifle the Lakers' fastbreak, and the Celtics tried to use the temperatures against Johnson. "We tried to wear him out, and maybe he wouldn't go as fast."

Said Lakers' Coach Pat Riley, "You just have to give both clubs credit for a 48-minute steambath. It just wasn't there tonight. They got back on defense and we didn't."

Bird hit 15 of his 20 field-goal attempts in his best game of the series. Playing before a sellout crowd of 14,890, Bird scored 11 of his points in the pivotal third period.

Boston broke away from a two-point halftime edge as Bird and Cedric Maxwell scored all of the Celtics' points during a 13-3 spurt that produced a 68-56 lead. Bird swished his second three-point basket of the game to top the run, and Maxwell had eight of his 13 points during the rally.

Nine consecutive points by the Lakers trimmed Boston's advantage to 68-65 with 6:42 left in the third period, but the Celtics increased their lead to 88-77 when Bird hit a corner jumper at the buzzer ending the period.

Two consecutive baskets by Bob McAdoo, who had 18 points fooints for the Lakers, cut L.A.'s deficit to 93-86 with 9:09 left, but that was as close as Los Angeles got. Boston ran off a 12-1 streak to take a 114-93 lead with four minutes left.

Dennis Johnson added 22 points and Kevin McHale, who played all of the fourth quarter with five fouls, had 19 for the Celtics. James Worthy led Los Angeles with 22 points; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 19.

Boston limited Johnson to just two points in the second half.

Bird led the Celtics in rebounding with 17 as Boston held the usually fine-shooting Lakers to just 38 percent in the third period.

McHale scored eight points and passed to Quinn Buckner for another basket during the first 3:48 of the second period, giving Boston a 38-30 lead. Twelve seconds later, however, McHale as charged with his fourth foul; he sat on the bench for the rest of the half.