Climb On My Back, Boys

1984 NBA Finals

Cedric Maxwell carried the Boston Celtics home.

The 6-8 forward tied his season high by scoring 24 points Tuesday night at Boston Garden to lead the Celtics to their 15th NBA championship with a 111-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the seventh and deciding game of the title series.

"Before the game, Maxwell said, 'Everyone get on my back because I'm going to carry you home,' " Boston guard Gerald Henderson said.

"When I can score like that I can pick the team up as much as Larry (Bird, the series' Most Valuable Player) can," Maxwell said. "I've always been able to rise to the occasion. I'm not saying I'm a great player, but when the chips are down, I can contribute."

Maxwell, who was the MVP in 1981 when the Celtics last won the title, scored 14 free throws as Boston hit 43 of 51 free throws. The Lakers had just 28 chances from the line, hitting 18.

"Their defense and rebounding were the keys," Lakers' Coach Pat Riley said. "And that's what put them on the free-throw line. That's where they won it."

Boston hit just 40 percent from the field but compensated by outrebounding the Lakers, 52-33, with center Robert Parish grabbing 16 and Bird 12.

Bird scored 20 points. Dennis Johnson had 22 points for the Celtics, who played hard defense and led or were tied for all but 13 seconds of the game.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 29 points for the Lakers. James Worthy added 21, Michael Cooper 19 and Earvin "Magic" Johnson 16.

"It's the American free enterprise system," Riley said. "The gold ring was out there on the court."

And that's where thousands of Celtic fans wanted to be at the finish. Police had to restrain fans underneath the Boston basket in the waning seconds as many in the crowd of 14,890 tried to storm the court. Hundreds managed managed to rush the players at the buzzer, holding aloft green towels and Celtic banners in the heat of the Garden.

The Celtics, who captured their first NBA championship in 1957 in seven games over St. Louis, are 7-0 when they have taken a final series to the seven-game limit.

The Celtics led by 13 going into the fourth quarter, but the Lakers frantically rallied to cut the deficit to 105-102 with 1:15 left on a three-point play by Abdul-Jabbar and a basket by Worthy.

But two free throws by Dennis Johnson, who had 22 points, made it 107-102 with 45 seconds left. Two more foul shots by Bird set off a wild celebration.

For the second time in a row in the Garden, the two teams battled in sauna-like temperatures in the non-air-conditioned arena, although it was not as hot as during Game 5 last Friday night, which the Celtics won by 18 points. As in that game, Boston used a strong rebounding advantage and outside shooting to hold off the Lakers in Game 7.

Four of Boston's seven seventh-game triumphs have come against Los Angeles, the Celtics' old rival which had not met them in 15 years. Boston has won all eight championship-series meetings between the two teams, including 1959 when the Laker franchise was in Minneapolis.

Henderson, scoreless in the first half when he picked up three quick fouls, came back to score nine points in first 4:43 of the third period. But at the same time, the Lakers worked desperately to trim Boston's six-point halftime margin, scoring 20 points in the first 6:43 to cut the deficit to 73-72.

After a basket by Bird, Abdul-Jabbar had a chance to cut the margin to one again, but he missed two free throws and when Parish shot over Abdul-Jabbar for a basket and free throw, the Celtics seemed to find a spark.

Holding the Lakers to one shot every time down the floor, Boston scored the last nine points of the quarter to take a 91-78 advantage into the final 12 minutes.

The Celtics have won 14 straight final-round appearances and are 15-1 overall, with the only loss coming in 1958 in six games to St. Louis. The Lakers are second in the NBA with eight championships, but five of those titles came in the 1940s and 1950s.

In the stands to see the latest triumph was Red Auerbach, who is retiring as Celtics' general manager. He was coach for the first nine Boston titles. He will stay on as the team's president.

The Lakers, who wilted in the Garden heat in Game 5, showed no hesitancy in running from the opening tap Tuesday. They had three fast-break baskets in the first 4:26, two of them resulting in three-point plays by Kurt Rambis and Abdul-Jabbar.