5/8/1988
The Celtics might have preferred a simpler first-round opponent, but their four-game series against the Knicks had to be a revitalizing experience for a team that has had little to celebrate on other flights home from big road games.
They had lost 10 of their last 12 road games in the playoffs, including a 109-100 defeat at New York Wednesday which proved again that enemy fans who used to inspire the Celtics had become an effective weapon against them. Then, on Friday, here they were: trailing by 6 (83-77) after a Knicks surge with six minutes left, the crowd in control, the Celtics calling time out to regroup.
This time they did regroup, and in their most significant game of the season they received individual performances reminiscent of their championship teams from two and four years ago. Larry Bird (28) broke a cold streak with a 14-footer and a jump hook, two shots that required a lot of set-up work against the Knicks' frantic defense. At the other end, Robert Parish (18 points, 4 blocks) squeezed in front to intercept an entry pass to Patrick Ewing, and on his way downcourt several moments later dunked for the middle 3 points of Boston's go-ahead 7-0 run.
The final four minutes belonged to Dennis Johnson, whose 19 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists secured his first triple-double in memory. After Knicks rookie Mark Jackson converted the last of his 28 points with a jumper at 4:05, DJ grabbed back the lead with a three-pointer at :01 on the shot clock. A minute later, DJ hit a 19-footer, next rebounded the final attempt by Johnny (25) Newman, then drove with the intent of kicking out behind him to Danny Ainge, who deposited a 25-foot three to finish off the Knicks (96-88) with :53 left.
In this way did the Celtics make all of the big, necessary plays, including two steals in the final six minutes, the latter an Ainge stripping of Gerald Wilkins in the frontcourt to set up Parish with a 4-footer at 2:59 (89-85). It should be pointed out that the sub-.500 Knicks are not the equals of LA, Detroit or even Atlanta, but they had gone 24-16 in the second half of the regular season, they did have Patrick Ewing (20 rebounds), Newman was scoring 59 points in the last two games and Jackson (nine assists) was playing probably as well as he can. Their play had raised Madison Square Garden's intensity to a level not seen in years, which only reinforced the Knicks' frantic determination to prevent the Celtics from executing their methodical half-court offense.
"We had to fight for our lives," K.C. Jones said.
"They were not fresh," Knicks coach Rick Pitino said of the Celtics, "but they reached back and showed their greatness."
So the Celtics will wait until tonight's winner of the Bucks-Hawks series arrives in Boston Garden Wednesday night to begin the second round, and it is comforting for them to know that DJ looks as fresh and determined as he ever has, that Parish has the stuff to ignite a 16-4 game-opening run with 8 points at one end and a remarkable block of a Ewing dunk at the other, and that they became the first Eastern team to win on the road in 17 playoff games this year.
"It was as tough a first-round series as we've had in a very long time," Kevin McHale said. "We needed a big effort to beat them."
Unlike last year, they can rest before starting all over again.
4.29.2010
1988 NBA Playoffs: Celtics Top Bruins in Ratings Race
5/8/1988
The Celtics won the television ratings race against the Bruins Friday night.
In the first direct competition ever between the two teams on free TV during the playoffs, the Celtics-Knicks game on Channel 56 was watched in 290,000 homes, while the Bruins-Devils game was viewed in 232,000 homes.
The Celtics' rating was 14.5, the Bruins' 11.6.
The combined ratings of 26.1 reflected the percentage of the 2 million homes in Greater Boston tuned in to either of the channels. The combined shares of 42 (Celtics 23, Bruins 19) indicated the percentage of homes with television sets on that were watching either game.
The combined ratings were not among the highest in Boston sports history, suggesting that the audience divided for the two key games rather than significantly increased.
The Celtics won the television ratings race against the Bruins Friday night.
In the first direct competition ever between the two teams on free TV during the playoffs, the Celtics-Knicks game on Channel 56 was watched in 290,000 homes, while the Bruins-Devils game was viewed in 232,000 homes.
The Celtics' rating was 14.5, the Bruins' 11.6.
The combined ratings of 26.1 reflected the percentage of the 2 million homes in Greater Boston tuned in to either of the channels. The combined shares of 42 (Celtics 23, Bruins 19) indicated the percentage of homes with television sets on that were watching either game.
The combined ratings were not among the highest in Boston sports history, suggesting that the audience divided for the two key games rather than significantly increased.
1988 NBA Playoffs: KC Jones Emphasized We over Me
5/8/1988
Suppose we table the weird, albeit typical, way in which the news of K.C. Jones' impending retirement as coach of the Celtics was discovered, and focus instead on his rather remarkable accomplishments as a National Basketball Association coach.
Yes, he has been blessed with two pretty good assignments. His Washington Bullets teams had Westley Unseld, Elvin Hayes and Phil Chenier. His Celtic teams have featured Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge and, for one golden season, a fellow named Walton. As such, he has always been dismissed as strictly a button-pusher by people not familiar with the oft-quirky psyches of professional athletes.
K.C. is difficult to analyze because he has such a relaxed demeanor; it's difficult to believe he is on top of everything. And to some extent, he isn't. There couldn't possibly be another NBA coach in the past two decades less knowledgeable or less interested in pursuit of NBA minutiae. He doesn't know players' alma maters; he doesn't keep track of individual player perambulations; and he doesn't stay up until all hours awaiting the late scores from the West Coast. And he surely doesn't wear out his VCR with incessant viewing of game tapes.
All he does is show up for practices and games with more than 30 years of practical basketball experience, extracting good performances from players who would walk over hot coals for him.
So maybe he wouldn't be the ideal guy to launch an expansion franchise with a maniacal effort. There are horses for courses, and, for the last five years, K.C. Jones and the Celtics have been a good match.
What the Celtics most appreciate about K.C. Jones is he is a "we" guy. "You never hear him say, 'This is my team,' " says Red Auerbach. "It's always our team."
K.C. welcomes, not tolerates, input. He never claims to have all the answers.
"I really appreciate his open-mindedness and willingness to get as many points of view as possible," says Celtics general manager Jan Volk. "Ultimately, he will make the final decision himself, but he will do it with the most amount of information he can get. But he will always bear the responsibility of that decision."
Because K.C. has so often been portrayed as a "nice" guy, there is a misconception he is soft. "K.C.," submits Volk, "is not so much a 'nice' guy as he is a 'good' guy. Nice sometimes connotes wimpishness, and that's not K.C. He can be very tough. He comes from as competitive a base as anybody. But he's not abstractly tough. He doesn't feel he has to prove how tough he is to anybody. Many other coaches are continually asserting their power and authority. K.C. can be as powerful and authoritative as he wants to be -- and everybody around here knows that."
Says Auerbach, "K.C. never coached out of fear, the way some coaches do. He coached out of confidence. Everybody thinks K.C. is this calm, cool, low-key guy. The truth is, it hurts him as much as anybody to lose. I like his approach. He doesn't rant and rave. We've talked about this many times. He can blow his stack when it comes time to get his point across. The guys who rant and rave continually, they don't understand that their teams succeed in spite of them, not because of them."
Auerbach has always had a particular fondness for K.C. because he knows how hard K.C. worked to get where he is. "Over the years, he's always been overshadowed," Red says. "In college, he was overshadowed by Russell. On the Celtics, he was overshadowed by Cousy, Sharman and Sam (Jones). He always had a great work ethic. He'd never complain. He'd play hurt, and he'd always play the best he could. I always noticed that."
Part of K.C.'s well-documented unwillingness to placate rookies and young players in general stems from his unique experience. K.C. was a sub for his first five seasons. Not until Bob Cousy retired in 1963 did he get a full-time starting job. He expects rookies to play as he did, without complaining and as hard as they can, whether they get 30 minutes or 30 seconds.
Well, it's a different world now. There are agents whispering in kids' ears, big salaries available to front-line players and nationally televised games being beamed back to players' hometowns. And K.C., as did all players of his time, never had the luxury of a guaranteed contract. Perhaps even a young K.C. would grow restless in 1988 if denied playing time, just because.
His non-use of young players aside, K.C. cannot be faulted for simply trying to do what he felt he was hired to do; namely, win as many games as possible and put the team in the best position to get through the playoffs. I'll be the very first to admit that in November I advocated conceding the regular-season honors to Detroit and Atlanta. K.C. never considered that approach. Now he's got the No. 1 seed in the East once again, and a far better-equipped team to go after a championship than he had last year, thanks to Volk's wizardry in the Jim Paxson deal.
K.C. may be mystifying to rookies, but there never has been a veteran player not on his wavelength. I wish I had a buck for every time a Celtic has cited K.C. for treating him with respect. K.C.'s loyalty is legendary. Witness his fierce defense of Greg Kite whenever anyone even remotely disparaged the hard-working backup center.
"That's a rare enough trait in general society," says Volk, "and it's practically unique in a business where coaches who see their career hanging on the performances of their players. He's always sensitive to the players as people. K.C. will never demean a player, even if he is disappointed in a performance."
The W's and L's are evidence of a coach's existence. But a coaching record is like footprints in the sand. Who really cares? K.C. Jones inspires devotion. That's a true legacy.
Here's what's been happening with the Pistons:
(1) Bill Laimbeer is having the worst series of his career. The Bullets are guarding him with Bernard King, and he's still throwing in only 11 points per game. On many occasions 6-foot-4-inch Darrell Walker winds up with him on a switch and the Bullets don't even bother to switch back when given the opportunity. In one key moment of Game 4 Wednesday night, Walker blocked a Laimbeer baseline move. In the biggest moment of all, down 2 with 19 seconds to go, Isiah Thomas gave an uncovered Laimbeer a pass for a foul-line jumper and Laimbeer passed it right back. "He got rid of the ball as if it had chicken pox," said one observer.
(2) Adrian Dantley is very unhappy. In Game 3 he was sick, but he started anyway, and piled up 14 points in the first quarter. He wound up playing a total of 1 minute 32 seconds in the fourth quarter and overtime of a Detroit loss. "I was more sick sitting on the bench than I was playing," he grumbled.
(3) Neither Joe Dumars nor Vinnie Johnson are doing much. Through four games, they have a combined 13-for-54 shooting mark. In Game 4, Dumars played 22 minutes and Johnson played 9. Dennis Rodman came in as a guard when Thomas picked up a third foul with 8:36 remaining in the third period, and stayed out there for the remainder of the game.
(4) James Edwards has been useless. The 7-2 softie was tried as a starter when Rick Mahorn was out of the lineup, and he couldn't cut it. He picked up a DNP in Game 4, even with Laimbeer stinking up the joint.
The question is: Can the Pistons stop pointing fingers and regroup, even if they get by the Bullets today?
Suppose we table the weird, albeit typical, way in which the news of K.C. Jones' impending retirement as coach of the Celtics was discovered, and focus instead on his rather remarkable accomplishments as a National Basketball Association coach.
Yes, he has been blessed with two pretty good assignments. His Washington Bullets teams had Westley Unseld, Elvin Hayes and Phil Chenier. His Celtic teams have featured Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge and, for one golden season, a fellow named Walton. As such, he has always been dismissed as strictly a button-pusher by people not familiar with the oft-quirky psyches of professional athletes.
K.C. is difficult to analyze because he has such a relaxed demeanor; it's difficult to believe he is on top of everything. And to some extent, he isn't. There couldn't possibly be another NBA coach in the past two decades less knowledgeable or less interested in pursuit of NBA minutiae. He doesn't know players' alma maters; he doesn't keep track of individual player perambulations; and he doesn't stay up until all hours awaiting the late scores from the West Coast. And he surely doesn't wear out his VCR with incessant viewing of game tapes.
All he does is show up for practices and games with more than 30 years of practical basketball experience, extracting good performances from players who would walk over hot coals for him.
So maybe he wouldn't be the ideal guy to launch an expansion franchise with a maniacal effort. There are horses for courses, and, for the last five years, K.C. Jones and the Celtics have been a good match.
What the Celtics most appreciate about K.C. Jones is he is a "we" guy. "You never hear him say, 'This is my team,' " says Red Auerbach. "It's always our team."
K.C. welcomes, not tolerates, input. He never claims to have all the answers.
"I really appreciate his open-mindedness and willingness to get as many points of view as possible," says Celtics general manager Jan Volk. "Ultimately, he will make the final decision himself, but he will do it with the most amount of information he can get. But he will always bear the responsibility of that decision."
Because K.C. has so often been portrayed as a "nice" guy, there is a misconception he is soft. "K.C.," submits Volk, "is not so much a 'nice' guy as he is a 'good' guy. Nice sometimes connotes wimpishness, and that's not K.C. He can be very tough. He comes from as competitive a base as anybody. But he's not abstractly tough. He doesn't feel he has to prove how tough he is to anybody. Many other coaches are continually asserting their power and authority. K.C. can be as powerful and authoritative as he wants to be -- and everybody around here knows that."
Says Auerbach, "K.C. never coached out of fear, the way some coaches do. He coached out of confidence. Everybody thinks K.C. is this calm, cool, low-key guy. The truth is, it hurts him as much as anybody to lose. I like his approach. He doesn't rant and rave. We've talked about this many times. He can blow his stack when it comes time to get his point across. The guys who rant and rave continually, they don't understand that their teams succeed in spite of them, not because of them."
Auerbach has always had a particular fondness for K.C. because he knows how hard K.C. worked to get where he is. "Over the years, he's always been overshadowed," Red says. "In college, he was overshadowed by Russell. On the Celtics, he was overshadowed by Cousy, Sharman and Sam (Jones). He always had a great work ethic. He'd never complain. He'd play hurt, and he'd always play the best he could. I always noticed that."
Part of K.C.'s well-documented unwillingness to placate rookies and young players in general stems from his unique experience. K.C. was a sub for his first five seasons. Not until Bob Cousy retired in 1963 did he get a full-time starting job. He expects rookies to play as he did, without complaining and as hard as they can, whether they get 30 minutes or 30 seconds.
Well, it's a different world now. There are agents whispering in kids' ears, big salaries available to front-line players and nationally televised games being beamed back to players' hometowns. And K.C., as did all players of his time, never had the luxury of a guaranteed contract. Perhaps even a young K.C. would grow restless in 1988 if denied playing time, just because.
His non-use of young players aside, K.C. cannot be faulted for simply trying to do what he felt he was hired to do; namely, win as many games as possible and put the team in the best position to get through the playoffs. I'll be the very first to admit that in November I advocated conceding the regular-season honors to Detroit and Atlanta. K.C. never considered that approach. Now he's got the No. 1 seed in the East once again, and a far better-equipped team to go after a championship than he had last year, thanks to Volk's wizardry in the Jim Paxson deal.
K.C. may be mystifying to rookies, but there never has been a veteran player not on his wavelength. I wish I had a buck for every time a Celtic has cited K.C. for treating him with respect. K.C.'s loyalty is legendary. Witness his fierce defense of Greg Kite whenever anyone even remotely disparaged the hard-working backup center.
"That's a rare enough trait in general society," says Volk, "and it's practically unique in a business where coaches who see their career hanging on the performances of their players. He's always sensitive to the players as people. K.C. will never demean a player, even if he is disappointed in a performance."
The W's and L's are evidence of a coach's existence. But a coaching record is like footprints in the sand. Who really cares? K.C. Jones inspires devotion. That's a true legacy.
Here's what's been happening with the Pistons:
(1) Bill Laimbeer is having the worst series of his career. The Bullets are guarding him with Bernard King, and he's still throwing in only 11 points per game. On many occasions 6-foot-4-inch Darrell Walker winds up with him on a switch and the Bullets don't even bother to switch back when given the opportunity. In one key moment of Game 4 Wednesday night, Walker blocked a Laimbeer baseline move. In the biggest moment of all, down 2 with 19 seconds to go, Isiah Thomas gave an uncovered Laimbeer a pass for a foul-line jumper and Laimbeer passed it right back. "He got rid of the ball as if it had chicken pox," said one observer.
(2) Adrian Dantley is very unhappy. In Game 3 he was sick, but he started anyway, and piled up 14 points in the first quarter. He wound up playing a total of 1 minute 32 seconds in the fourth quarter and overtime of a Detroit loss. "I was more sick sitting on the bench than I was playing," he grumbled.
(3) Neither Joe Dumars nor Vinnie Johnson are doing much. Through four games, they have a combined 13-for-54 shooting mark. In Game 4, Dumars played 22 minutes and Johnson played 9. Dennis Rodman came in as a guard when Thomas picked up a third foul with 8:36 remaining in the third period, and stayed out there for the remainder of the game.
(4) James Edwards has been useless. The 7-2 softie was tried as a starter when Rick Mahorn was out of the lineup, and he couldn't cut it. He picked up a DNP in Game 4, even with Laimbeer stinking up the joint.
The question is: Can the Pistons stop pointing fingers and regroup, even if they get by the Bullets today?
4.28.2010
1988 NBA Playoffs: DJ's Triple Double is the Difference
5/7/1988
He remembered it this way. The clock was running down, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale were otherwise engaged and it was a shot he'd been working on for two months.
"I saw there were only two or three seconds left on the clock. I didn't take it to be the hero," said Dennis Johnson of his inspirational three-pointer from the right that gave the Celtics an 87-85 lead over the Knicks with 3:37 left in last night's game.
The Knicks, meanwhile, thought they'd covered all wings.
"I saw the clock run down and I thought we had them beat," said Mark Jackson. "Then I saw DJ shoot it from -- heck, from how far was it?"
Johnson shot the ball from strength, from confidence, just as he always does in this time of year in that time of the game.
"It kind of bothers me that people think I appear only at crunch time," said Johnson, who finished with a triple-double -- 19 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. "I try to concentrate throughout the whole game."
His performance wasn't only memorable in the final four minutes. In the first quarter, Johnson fed the ball to Robert Parish for a dunk, passed to Bird for a layup, hit Bird again on a breakaway, found McHale for another layup and drove the lane himself. Whoosh, Boston led, 18-8.
"Dennis was there at the beginning of the game and he was there for us at the end," said K.C. Jones. "He was very much the catalyst."
Johnson vowed before it began that this eipsode would be different from Game 3, that this time the Celtics would run their plays. After scoring 16 points (9 assists) in Game 1 and 18 points (9 assists) in Game 2, Johnson turned in 18 points and 7 assists in Game 3, but the Celtics lost, 109-100.
"This was an extremely tough first-round series," he said. "The first two games weren't close, but the last two were very physical. We could never relax."
The middle quarters of Game 4 proved stressful for the Celtics. The famed Knick "chaos" defense (a wild press-and-pray) forced the Celtics into uncharacteristic turnovers while the score remained close.
"We didn't lose our poise, though," said Johnson. "It just took a few words from a couple of people and we got it straightened out."
A couple of people? Read Johnson and Bird. When the Knicks built a 6-point lead, 83-77, Johnson hit Bird on a flyaway in the lane. The Celtics chipped away until Johnson buried his three-pointer. One minute later, the reliable veteran took a pass from Bird and nailed a jumper from the right of the lane. The Celtics led, 91-88.
"I've been working on my shot on that side for the past two months," said Johnson.
McHale said Johnson's performance was successful because "he passed it in for us to kick it back. We're better when we play from the inside out."
Johnson helped pad the 3-point lead with two straight feeds to Danny Ainge and four consecutive free throws. Boston led, 102-93, and New York was out of it.
"DJ's a money player," said Gerald Wilkins. "We played good defense on the three-point shot. He just buried it."
Johnson seemed oblivious to the praise.
"The difference between me and some of the other players in the league is that I don't care what the media writes about me," he said. "Whether I hit the shot or whether I miss it."
With 46 seconds left in the game and Wilkins at the line, Johnson walked over to Jackson and put his arm around the rookie.
"I don't talk to many opponents on the court, but I wanted to tell Mark that he had a great season," said Johnson. "I congratulated him on being Rookie of the Year and told him that he's the point guard of the future. He's got the charisma and the skill to succeed."
Jackson returned the compliment.
"That was very nice," said the kid from Queens. "I learned a lot from Dennis Johnson in this series. He's someone I look up to, someone I'll try to pattern myself after."
He remembered it this way. The clock was running down, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale were otherwise engaged and it was a shot he'd been working on for two months.
"I saw there were only two or three seconds left on the clock. I didn't take it to be the hero," said Dennis Johnson of his inspirational three-pointer from the right that gave the Celtics an 87-85 lead over the Knicks with 3:37 left in last night's game.
The Knicks, meanwhile, thought they'd covered all wings.
"I saw the clock run down and I thought we had them beat," said Mark Jackson. "Then I saw DJ shoot it from -- heck, from how far was it?"
Johnson shot the ball from strength, from confidence, just as he always does in this time of year in that time of the game.
"It kind of bothers me that people think I appear only at crunch time," said Johnson, who finished with a triple-double -- 19 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. "I try to concentrate throughout the whole game."
His performance wasn't only memorable in the final four minutes. In the first quarter, Johnson fed the ball to Robert Parish for a dunk, passed to Bird for a layup, hit Bird again on a breakaway, found McHale for another layup and drove the lane himself. Whoosh, Boston led, 18-8.
"Dennis was there at the beginning of the game and he was there for us at the end," said K.C. Jones. "He was very much the catalyst."
Johnson vowed before it began that this eipsode would be different from Game 3, that this time the Celtics would run their plays. After scoring 16 points (9 assists) in Game 1 and 18 points (9 assists) in Game 2, Johnson turned in 18 points and 7 assists in Game 3, but the Celtics lost, 109-100.
"This was an extremely tough first-round series," he said. "The first two games weren't close, but the last two were very physical. We could never relax."
The middle quarters of Game 4 proved stressful for the Celtics. The famed Knick "chaos" defense (a wild press-and-pray) forced the Celtics into uncharacteristic turnovers while the score remained close.
"We didn't lose our poise, though," said Johnson. "It just took a few words from a couple of people and we got it straightened out."
A couple of people? Read Johnson and Bird. When the Knicks built a 6-point lead, 83-77, Johnson hit Bird on a flyaway in the lane. The Celtics chipped away until Johnson buried his three-pointer. One minute later, the reliable veteran took a pass from Bird and nailed a jumper from the right of the lane. The Celtics led, 91-88.
"I've been working on my shot on that side for the past two months," said Johnson.
McHale said Johnson's performance was successful because "he passed it in for us to kick it back. We're better when we play from the inside out."
Johnson helped pad the 3-point lead with two straight feeds to Danny Ainge and four consecutive free throws. Boston led, 102-93, and New York was out of it.
"DJ's a money player," said Gerald Wilkins. "We played good defense on the three-point shot. He just buried it."
Johnson seemed oblivious to the praise.
"The difference between me and some of the other players in the league is that I don't care what the media writes about me," he said. "Whether I hit the shot or whether I miss it."
With 46 seconds left in the game and Wilkins at the line, Johnson walked over to Jackson and put his arm around the rookie.
"I don't talk to many opponents on the court, but I wanted to tell Mark that he had a great season," said Johnson. "I congratulated him on being Rookie of the Year and told him that he's the point guard of the future. He's got the charisma and the skill to succeed."
Jackson returned the compliment.
"That was very nice," said the kid from Queens. "I learned a lot from Dennis Johnson in this series. He's someone I look up to, someone I'll try to pattern myself after."
1988 NBA Playoffs: Celts Close Out Knicks
5/7/1988
Happily the Celtics flew home last night, never again to see a team that presses as long as the crowd screams (and here, it never stops). No more skinny 6-foot-6-inch scoring forwards, goodbye to veteran rookie Mark Jackson, and so long, Patrick. Now the Celtics can get on to an easier opponent, say, one with a winning record.
"We came out of it all right," Larry Bird (28 points) said after Boston's 102-94 victory finished the Knicks, 3-1, in their best-of-five first-round Eastern Conference playoff series. "In the future, if we had our pick, we'd probably stay away from 'em."
The Celtics could not have asked for a better playoff boot camp than two games with the Knicks and 19,591 shouters in Madison Square Garden. The teams had played 10-men-in-a-cage for better than 45 minutes, and the Knicks were still within a point (89-88) after Johnny Newman (25, and at this point bearing a strong resemblance to Faust) followed up his miss underneath for his final three points at 2:43.
Whereupon Dennis Johnson (19 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists for his first triple-double in recent memory) took over as all Celtics fans prayed he would at this time of the year. He deposited an open jumper kicked out by Bird, rebounded Newman's errant runner at the other end and collected a loose rebound off a Bird miss at 1:10. DJ dribbled in on Jackson, whose 28 points and nine assists had glued his team's pieces together throughout this pressurized evening. "Just hold up," DJ yelled, pounding his dribble, then driving the lane -- and spinning 180 degrees to pass backward to Danny Ainge, who ho-hummed in a clinching 25-foot three-pointer at :53 (96-88) with Gerald Wilkins knocking him on his back.
"We had to make some awfully tough shots to beat them," Bird said. Himself included. While the Knicks were increasing their first lead up to 83-77 on 8 unanswered points, Bird was demanding his shots and missing three straight. But he snapped out of it with a couple of difficult traffic jumpers that set off a 7-0 run and returned the advantage (84-83) to the Celtics heading into the final five minutes. Those plays were sandwiched around a Robert Parish steal (of an entry pass to Patrick Ewing) and delayed dunk for 3 of his 18 points, all of which seemed crucial.
The Knicks finished the year deep under .500 at 39-47, but the Celtics could not have beaten them without Parish, whose 8 dunking/transitional points powered Boston to 16-4 lead and two Knick timeouts in the opening 4:25. The Celtics ran on Parish's defense, too, as he forced Ewing to fumble a turnover, and then blocked his dunk on the drive. Though Ewing quickly escaped Parish when the latter drew a quick second foul and was forced to switch with Kevin McHale, Ewing finished 3 for 12 and was not the offensive terminator who killed the Celtics in Game 3 here, though he did create chances for others with his 20 rebounds.
He also pulled the Knicks out of their early rut with a pair of turnarounds over McHale, which settled his teammates and allowed them to slowly assert their frantic pressing pace. "You find in every level of basketball," said New York coach Rick Pitino, "that big leads -- unless it's a complete mismatch -- evaporate."
This one endured several rallies, appeals and further crowd-answering rallies over the next two-plus quarters by the Knicks, whose press was thrown into effect by the never-ending offense of Newman. It succeeded in frustrating the Celtics, who attempted to initiate two confrontations (Jim Paxson vs. Pat Cummings, and McHale vs. Sidney Green after the latter had decked Mark Acres on a layup in the fourth quarter), continually rolled their eyes at each other and convened on the floor for several impromptu team meetings after the press squeezed turnovers out of Parish and McHale, who were never comfortable handling the ball out high.
"That chaos stuff he was talking about isn't a joke," said Celtics coach K.C. Jones. "It's definitely for real." The Celtics worked furiously to maintain a pad of at least two field goals until late in the third quarter, when the Knicks went on a 6-0 run that allowed them to take over on a Wilkins (18) runner as the fourth began. Jackson controlled their go-ahead run, but the Celtics have five Jacksons, and that was the difference.
"I'm prouder of this team than any other team I've ever coached," said Pitino, who is remembered as describing several of his Boston University teams the same way.
As for the Celtics, they've earned the rare reward of waiting for the Hawks or Bucks to come to Boston all out of breath. Bird never talks about feeling tired, but he'd just finished 46 minutes and his feet were soaking in ice buckets when he said, "It's very important for us to get as much rest as we possibly can. A game like tonight," he added, "takes a lot out of you."
Happily the Celtics flew home last night, never again to see a team that presses as long as the crowd screams (and here, it never stops). No more skinny 6-foot-6-inch scoring forwards, goodbye to veteran rookie Mark Jackson, and so long, Patrick. Now the Celtics can get on to an easier opponent, say, one with a winning record.
"We came out of it all right," Larry Bird (28 points) said after Boston's 102-94 victory finished the Knicks, 3-1, in their best-of-five first-round Eastern Conference playoff series. "In the future, if we had our pick, we'd probably stay away from 'em."
The Celtics could not have asked for a better playoff boot camp than two games with the Knicks and 19,591 shouters in Madison Square Garden. The teams had played 10-men-in-a-cage for better than 45 minutes, and the Knicks were still within a point (89-88) after Johnny Newman (25, and at this point bearing a strong resemblance to Faust) followed up his miss underneath for his final three points at 2:43.
Whereupon Dennis Johnson (19 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists for his first triple-double in recent memory) took over as all Celtics fans prayed he would at this time of the year. He deposited an open jumper kicked out by Bird, rebounded Newman's errant runner at the other end and collected a loose rebound off a Bird miss at 1:10. DJ dribbled in on Jackson, whose 28 points and nine assists had glued his team's pieces together throughout this pressurized evening. "Just hold up," DJ yelled, pounding his dribble, then driving the lane -- and spinning 180 degrees to pass backward to Danny Ainge, who ho-hummed in a clinching 25-foot three-pointer at :53 (96-88) with Gerald Wilkins knocking him on his back.
"We had to make some awfully tough shots to beat them," Bird said. Himself included. While the Knicks were increasing their first lead up to 83-77 on 8 unanswered points, Bird was demanding his shots and missing three straight. But he snapped out of it with a couple of difficult traffic jumpers that set off a 7-0 run and returned the advantage (84-83) to the Celtics heading into the final five minutes. Those plays were sandwiched around a Robert Parish steal (of an entry pass to Patrick Ewing) and delayed dunk for 3 of his 18 points, all of which seemed crucial.
The Knicks finished the year deep under .500 at 39-47, but the Celtics could not have beaten them without Parish, whose 8 dunking/transitional points powered Boston to 16-4 lead and two Knick timeouts in the opening 4:25. The Celtics ran on Parish's defense, too, as he forced Ewing to fumble a turnover, and then blocked his dunk on the drive. Though Ewing quickly escaped Parish when the latter drew a quick second foul and was forced to switch with Kevin McHale, Ewing finished 3 for 12 and was not the offensive terminator who killed the Celtics in Game 3 here, though he did create chances for others with his 20 rebounds.
He also pulled the Knicks out of their early rut with a pair of turnarounds over McHale, which settled his teammates and allowed them to slowly assert their frantic pressing pace. "You find in every level of basketball," said New York coach Rick Pitino, "that big leads -- unless it's a complete mismatch -- evaporate."
This one endured several rallies, appeals and further crowd-answering rallies over the next two-plus quarters by the Knicks, whose press was thrown into effect by the never-ending offense of Newman. It succeeded in frustrating the Celtics, who attempted to initiate two confrontations (Jim Paxson vs. Pat Cummings, and McHale vs. Sidney Green after the latter had decked Mark Acres on a layup in the fourth quarter), continually rolled their eyes at each other and convened on the floor for several impromptu team meetings after the press squeezed turnovers out of Parish and McHale, who were never comfortable handling the ball out high.
"That chaos stuff he was talking about isn't a joke," said Celtics coach K.C. Jones. "It's definitely for real." The Celtics worked furiously to maintain a pad of at least two field goals until late in the third quarter, when the Knicks went on a 6-0 run that allowed them to take over on a Wilkins (18) runner as the fourth began. Jackson controlled their go-ahead run, but the Celtics have five Jacksons, and that was the difference.
"I'm prouder of this team than any other team I've ever coached," said Pitino, who is remembered as describing several of his Boston University teams the same way.
As for the Celtics, they've earned the rare reward of waiting for the Hawks or Bucks to come to Boston all out of breath. Bird never talks about feeling tired, but he'd just finished 46 minutes and his feet were soaking in ice buckets when he said, "It's very important for us to get as much rest as we possibly can. A game like tonight," he added, "takes a lot out of you."
1988 NBA Playoffs: Ewing Coming of Age
5/5/1988
The Celtics are continuing to buzz about Patrick Ewing, who has somehow remained a mini-secret while playing in NEW YORK.
"He's playing real well," Robert Parish said. "He's played well all year. I think the coaching change had something to do with it. He knew he was going to be able to start playing the whole game. That, and it's a different philosophy. With all the negative press they've been getting, I'm sure he wanted to get going with a good year."
Ewing wasn't able to beat the Celtics until Johnny Newman ignited as an outside threat Wednesday. This opened the post for Patrick, who reacted by earning and converting a Knick playoff record of 11 straight free throws.
To say he has been active is the understatement of the series. In three games, Ewing is shooting .556 and averaging 21.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4 blocks. "Ewing is blocking shots and then getting out on the break," said K.C. Jones, who will be happy to get on to the next round and Tree Rollins or Jack Sikma.
PRESSING CONCERN
Before Wednesday's game, Jones asked to see more of the New York press. It bit him. So he walked the Celtics through their anti-press offense for several minutes in practice yesterday.
"This is an 'adjustment,' " Jones said. "The execution should have been there from Day 1."
"I think we got a little impatient," Danny Ainge said. "Our 19 turnovers that led to 25 points was the key to the game. I think if we keep our turnovers down below 12 or so, we'll be OK.
"Whether it was them or us, it happened. That's what the press wants you to do: miss long shots, throw cross-court passes, and that's what we did. It shouldn't, but it did."
WILKINS DRAWS DJ
In a defensive switch, Rick Pitino assigned Gerald Wilkins to cover Dennis Johnson. "We use Gerald's height (6 feet 6 inches) to obscure Johnson's vision (in Game 3)," Pitino said. "DJ wasn't able to just look over the defense and get the ball to (Larry) Bird in the low post."
Wilkins said his job was "not to stop Johnson, but try and keep him from being a huge asset." Wilkins said his height also prevented Johnson from posting up (the way Johnson did against Mark Jackson at Boston Garden). "I wanted to go head to head with him and try my best," said Wilkins. "You're never going to completely stop Dennis Johnson. He was the MVP of the first two games."
LACK OF PLAYS THE THING
Pitino said the Celtics didn't run their plays in Game 3 and that it made a significant difference. In fact, he said it made all the difference. "If they run their plays to a large degree," said Pitino, "they'll win."
PACE HECTIC FOR BIRD
Sitting in street clothes, Bill Walton had a chance to study the Knickerbockers' treatment of Bird. "The frantic pace had a lot to do with him having an off game," said Walton of Bird's 8-for-22 shooting. "Larry's a flow player. That grabbing, holding defense that the Knicks play prevented him from getting into his shooting rhythm. The Celtics have got to be ready to set picks away from the ball to get him loose."
Assistant-and-soon-to-be-head-coach Jimmy Rodgers added that Boston "never looked inside to get Bird the ball when he went cold from outside."
The Celtics are continuing to buzz about Patrick Ewing, who has somehow remained a mini-secret while playing in NEW YORK.
"He's playing real well," Robert Parish said. "He's played well all year. I think the coaching change had something to do with it. He knew he was going to be able to start playing the whole game. That, and it's a different philosophy. With all the negative press they've been getting, I'm sure he wanted to get going with a good year."
Ewing wasn't able to beat the Celtics until Johnny Newman ignited as an outside threat Wednesday. This opened the post for Patrick, who reacted by earning and converting a Knick playoff record of 11 straight free throws.
To say he has been active is the understatement of the series. In three games, Ewing is shooting .556 and averaging 21.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4 blocks. "Ewing is blocking shots and then getting out on the break," said K.C. Jones, who will be happy to get on to the next round and Tree Rollins or Jack Sikma.
PRESSING CONCERN
Before Wednesday's game, Jones asked to see more of the New York press. It bit him. So he walked the Celtics through their anti-press offense for several minutes in practice yesterday.
"This is an 'adjustment,' " Jones said. "The execution should have been there from Day 1."
"I think we got a little impatient," Danny Ainge said. "Our 19 turnovers that led to 25 points was the key to the game. I think if we keep our turnovers down below 12 or so, we'll be OK.
"Whether it was them or us, it happened. That's what the press wants you to do: miss long shots, throw cross-court passes, and that's what we did. It shouldn't, but it did."
WILKINS DRAWS DJ
In a defensive switch, Rick Pitino assigned Gerald Wilkins to cover Dennis Johnson. "We use Gerald's height (6 feet 6 inches) to obscure Johnson's vision (in Game 3)," Pitino said. "DJ wasn't able to just look over the defense and get the ball to (Larry) Bird in the low post."
Wilkins said his job was "not to stop Johnson, but try and keep him from being a huge asset." Wilkins said his height also prevented Johnson from posting up (the way Johnson did against Mark Jackson at Boston Garden). "I wanted to go head to head with him and try my best," said Wilkins. "You're never going to completely stop Dennis Johnson. He was the MVP of the first two games."
LACK OF PLAYS THE THING
Pitino said the Celtics didn't run their plays in Game 3 and that it made a significant difference. In fact, he said it made all the difference. "If they run their plays to a large degree," said Pitino, "they'll win."
PACE HECTIC FOR BIRD
Sitting in street clothes, Bill Walton had a chance to study the Knickerbockers' treatment of Bird. "The frantic pace had a lot to do with him having an off game," said Walton of Bird's 8-for-22 shooting. "Larry's a flow player. That grabbing, holding defense that the Knicks play prevented him from getting into his shooting rhythm. The Celtics have got to be ready to set picks away from the ball to get him loose."
Assistant-and-soon-to-be-head-coach Jimmy Rodgers added that Boston "never looked inside to get Bird the ball when he went cold from outside."
1988 NBA Playoffs: Bill Murray Cheers Knicks on to Game 3 Win
5/5/1988
Mother didn't lead you astray with her words of advice. "Work, boy, work. Work! Work! Work! And work even more." Scripture, too. Heed the Bible and it will pay off. "Thou shalt be rewarded who workest their tails off." Amen, amen, and Knicks be blessed one night. Amen!
Madison Square Garden was in hysteria for this night of persistence paying off. It could have been Minneapolis and the Homer Hankies, Denver and the Orange Crush or the Kingdome and the Seahawks being kings and crushing the Raiders. Noise. More noise. Hysteria. More hysteria. Emotion. Oh, all kinds of emotion.
And those towels. What? Knick hankies waved by the 20,000 frenzied. Or Basket Blankies? A sea of white throughout this corner of Manhattan, so long ignored by basketball, towels waving everywhere.
There is justice that the New York Knickerbockers won this game, because seldom has a professional team in any sport given more of itself. Larry Bird was shut down to only a presence, instead of dominance, Johnny Newman scoring 34 points, many on Bird, and Bird scoring only 20. Patrick Ewing. Pat Cummings. Mark Jackson. Work. Work. WORK!
"We didn't play like we wanted to on the defensive end," said Bird. "We did at times, but once we got the lead (62-54 in the third quarter), we stopped playing. They were playing at home and they were getting the calls."
The Basket Blankies and the 20,000 frenzied souls all had a part in that, too, this game being called more loosely than Sunday's game in Boston. This time the Knicks outscored the Celtics from the free throw line (25-23) and this time the Knicks could clamp the Celtics in a vise without the whistle penalizing them. That was some of it.
"The Knicks knew that," said Bird. "They played basically the same as they did in Boston, but this time they were playing at home and they were getting the calls they weren't getting."
And maybe some of it was that timeout at 62-56, Boston, five minutes into the third quarter. "We had an 8-point lead at one time," said Bird, "and we just quit playing defense."
That was not all. The Knicks were not playing well, and it was here that John Condon, the public address voice older than the last three Gardens, chose to introduce celebrities along courtside.
Bill Murray got up (why isn't Murray a Michael Jordan and Chicago fan?) and waved his Basket Blankie to the throngs, and the throngs went wild. Then Jimmy Buffett got up to wave his towel, and finally movie actor Michael Douglas stood up and waved Basket Blankies from both his fists, like a helicopter gone amok, and the Garden was bonkers.
This is New York?
This is New York.
And the New York Knicks outscored the Celtics, 12-1, after the Celebrity Blankies, the damage getting as bad as 85-75 in the fourth before the Celtics responded.
"We had our chance," said Bird. "We got back into in it."
That the Celtics did, especially Dennis Johnson, who hit two free throws, then picked Gerald Wilkins clean for a solo layup and recovered a loose ball after Ewing klutzed the ball away, was fouled and hit two free throws. Then Danny Ainge hit from the line twice, and the game was knotted, 94-94, with 2:49 left.
Then came two plays the Celtics didn't make. "We had our chance," said Bird. "There was a minute-something left in the game, and I had the ball down in the low post and I had a short turnaround."
It didn't go, and neither did a Johnson pass with 1:47 left and the Knicks now up by 2. Johnson was trapped down near the baseline by the New York press and fired a most uncharacteristic panic pass up near midcourt. The ball was picked off by Jackson; the Celtics were done.
"Even though a lot of bad things happened, we still had a pretty good chance of winning the game," said Johnson. "We just made bad decisions."
Especially on that pass against the trap. "I made a bad decision," said DJ. "It was a decision where I either throw it to Kevin (McHale) on one side or try to find Larry on the other. I focused at that time where Larry was and I didn't see Mark (Jackson) when I made the pass. It was a bad decision by me . . . it was a costly turnover for us, since I think we had the momentum at that time. We were still on the comeback."
"The Celtics are a beatable team," said Ewing, who worked the hardest of them all, "and if we play our game, we can beat them. I'm not ready to go home."
This game was one win that should mean nothing in the long run. But what will linger in the memory of this night are those 20,000 Basket Blankies ("I haven't seen this in a long time," joked New York coach Rick Pitino. "It cost me about $3,300 out of my salary for those towels") and Manhattan again agog over its Knicks.
Yet Dennis Johnson's words also lingered. "We will be back Friday and we will play offense," he said, "and we will play defense. We will play the game."
Mother didn't lead you astray with her words of advice. "Work, boy, work. Work! Work! Work! And work even more." Scripture, too. Heed the Bible and it will pay off. "Thou shalt be rewarded who workest their tails off." Amen, amen, and Knicks be blessed one night. Amen!
Madison Square Garden was in hysteria for this night of persistence paying off. It could have been Minneapolis and the Homer Hankies, Denver and the Orange Crush or the Kingdome and the Seahawks being kings and crushing the Raiders. Noise. More noise. Hysteria. More hysteria. Emotion. Oh, all kinds of emotion.
And those towels. What? Knick hankies waved by the 20,000 frenzied. Or Basket Blankies? A sea of white throughout this corner of Manhattan, so long ignored by basketball, towels waving everywhere.
There is justice that the New York Knickerbockers won this game, because seldom has a professional team in any sport given more of itself. Larry Bird was shut down to only a presence, instead of dominance, Johnny Newman scoring 34 points, many on Bird, and Bird scoring only 20. Patrick Ewing. Pat Cummings. Mark Jackson. Work. Work. WORK!
"We didn't play like we wanted to on the defensive end," said Bird. "We did at times, but once we got the lead (62-54 in the third quarter), we stopped playing. They were playing at home and they were getting the calls."
The Basket Blankies and the 20,000 frenzied souls all had a part in that, too, this game being called more loosely than Sunday's game in Boston. This time the Knicks outscored the Celtics from the free throw line (25-23) and this time the Knicks could clamp the Celtics in a vise without the whistle penalizing them. That was some of it.
"The Knicks knew that," said Bird. "They played basically the same as they did in Boston, but this time they were playing at home and they were getting the calls they weren't getting."
And maybe some of it was that timeout at 62-56, Boston, five minutes into the third quarter. "We had an 8-point lead at one time," said Bird, "and we just quit playing defense."
That was not all. The Knicks were not playing well, and it was here that John Condon, the public address voice older than the last three Gardens, chose to introduce celebrities along courtside.
Bill Murray got up (why isn't Murray a Michael Jordan and Chicago fan?) and waved his Basket Blankie to the throngs, and the throngs went wild. Then Jimmy Buffett got up to wave his towel, and finally movie actor Michael Douglas stood up and waved Basket Blankies from both his fists, like a helicopter gone amok, and the Garden was bonkers.
This is New York?
This is New York.
And the New York Knicks outscored the Celtics, 12-1, after the Celebrity Blankies, the damage getting as bad as 85-75 in the fourth before the Celtics responded.
"We had our chance," said Bird. "We got back into in it."
That the Celtics did, especially Dennis Johnson, who hit two free throws, then picked Gerald Wilkins clean for a solo layup and recovered a loose ball after Ewing klutzed the ball away, was fouled and hit two free throws. Then Danny Ainge hit from the line twice, and the game was knotted, 94-94, with 2:49 left.
Then came two plays the Celtics didn't make. "We had our chance," said Bird. "There was a minute-something left in the game, and I had the ball down in the low post and I had a short turnaround."
It didn't go, and neither did a Johnson pass with 1:47 left and the Knicks now up by 2. Johnson was trapped down near the baseline by the New York press and fired a most uncharacteristic panic pass up near midcourt. The ball was picked off by Jackson; the Celtics were done.
"Even though a lot of bad things happened, we still had a pretty good chance of winning the game," said Johnson. "We just made bad decisions."
Especially on that pass against the trap. "I made a bad decision," said DJ. "It was a decision where I either throw it to Kevin (McHale) on one side or try to find Larry on the other. I focused at that time where Larry was and I didn't see Mark (Jackson) when I made the pass. It was a bad decision by me . . . it was a costly turnover for us, since I think we had the momentum at that time. We were still on the comeback."
"The Celtics are a beatable team," said Ewing, who worked the hardest of them all, "and if we play our game, we can beat them. I'm not ready to go home."
This game was one win that should mean nothing in the long run. But what will linger in the memory of this night are those 20,000 Basket Blankies ("I haven't seen this in a long time," joked New York coach Rick Pitino. "It cost me about $3,300 out of my salary for those towels") and Manhattan again agog over its Knicks.
Yet Dennis Johnson's words also lingered. "We will be back Friday and we will play offense," he said, "and we will play defense. We will play the game."
4.23.2010
1988 NBA Playoffs: Players Salute Jones
5/4/1988
The Celtics know one thing: They'll never play for anyone quite like K.C. Jones.
"He's a different type of coach than I've ever had," said Larry Bird of Jones, who announced he is retiring after five years as head coach, effective at the conclusion of the 1988 playoffs. "He doesn't do a lot of screaming and yelling, but he knows what he wants to accomplish. I hope the players know how good we've had it."
Bird confirmed that playing for K.C. meant players had a lot of responsibility.
"The thing I'll remember most is how he treated us like men," Bird said. "He's one of the nicest people I've ever met. He treated us all the same. He never lets his ego get in the way of players doing their jobs. He lets everybody play the style of ball they want, and players always have a lot of input."
But Jones' presence was always felt, however low-key, and the emphasis was always put in the right place.
"We're probably the best team in the league at half-court basketball, but we're probably not the best at X's and O's," said Bird. "A lot of guys are heavy on the X's and O's and they do a lot of hollering and screaming. With K.C., we do what we have to do -- win games and win championships."
In Bird's opinion, Jones is nothing if not a winner.
"Maybe the one thing we're missing," said Bird, "is development of the young players. The idea seems to be that they watch and learn from the veterans. They haven't gotten a lot of teaching. Maybe that will change. But you can tell K.C. is a winner. He takes no chances in games. He'll put us back in if the lead gets down to 12 in the last two minutes. He just loved to win, and you can't knock what he's accomplished."
The decision came as a real surprise to Danny Ainge.
"It's no question it was a shocker," Ainge said. "But K.C. has had so much success, taking us to the Finals for four, hopefully five straight years. I didn't anticipate his leaving. No one did. It's just something he feels strongly about."
Ainge was quick to point out that the announcement wasn't a ploy to get the Celtics to play harder in the playoffs.
"I think everybody has so much respect for K.C.," said Ainge. "We all care about K.C. I know he didn't do it to motivate us. I'm sure he didn't want the story to break. But I'm sure he isn't doing it for motivation."
Ainge said he thinks Jimmy Rodgers will pick up where Jones left off.
"I think Jimmy Rodgers will definitely make a good coach," said Ainge. "He, like all of us, learned a lot under K.C. Although K.C. won't be here anymore, his influence will be around for a long time."
Red Auerbach said Rodgers has earned the position.
"He's the heir apparent," Auerbach was quoted as saying. "He's done a great job for the past seven or eight years, he's earned the job and we're glad to have him."
Auerbach was quoted as saying Jones' decision is the result of several weeks of discussions.
"I understand the toll it takes in coaching. Hell, I retired when I was 48. He's got a young family and he wants to take some time with them."
Kevin McHale said he admired Jones' decision.
"I think he did the thing that was right for him," said McHale. "He's had a lot of success as a player and as a coach, and there was no pressure for him to step down or anything like that. I've always admired people who can do what's right for them. He stepped down when he was ready, not when someone else was ready."
But McHale said he, too, was surprised by the decision.
"There was no indication he was going to step down," McHale said.
As for the Celtics' decision to install Rodgers as the replacement, McHale said that's just fine with him.
"He's a great communicator and a great person," said McHale. "I think he's learned a lot by being around K.C. He's helped us as an assistant coach and I'm sure he'll help us as a head coach."
The Celtics know one thing: They'll never play for anyone quite like K.C. Jones.
"He's a different type of coach than I've ever had," said Larry Bird of Jones, who announced he is retiring after five years as head coach, effective at the conclusion of the 1988 playoffs. "He doesn't do a lot of screaming and yelling, but he knows what he wants to accomplish. I hope the players know how good we've had it."
Bird confirmed that playing for K.C. meant players had a lot of responsibility.
"The thing I'll remember most is how he treated us like men," Bird said. "He's one of the nicest people I've ever met. He treated us all the same. He never lets his ego get in the way of players doing their jobs. He lets everybody play the style of ball they want, and players always have a lot of input."
But Jones' presence was always felt, however low-key, and the emphasis was always put in the right place.
"We're probably the best team in the league at half-court basketball, but we're probably not the best at X's and O's," said Bird. "A lot of guys are heavy on the X's and O's and they do a lot of hollering and screaming. With K.C., we do what we have to do -- win games and win championships."
In Bird's opinion, Jones is nothing if not a winner.
"Maybe the one thing we're missing," said Bird, "is development of the young players. The idea seems to be that they watch and learn from the veterans. They haven't gotten a lot of teaching. Maybe that will change. But you can tell K.C. is a winner. He takes no chances in games. He'll put us back in if the lead gets down to 12 in the last two minutes. He just loved to win, and you can't knock what he's accomplished."
The decision came as a real surprise to Danny Ainge.
"It's no question it was a shocker," Ainge said. "But K.C. has had so much success, taking us to the Finals for four, hopefully five straight years. I didn't anticipate his leaving. No one did. It's just something he feels strongly about."
Ainge was quick to point out that the announcement wasn't a ploy to get the Celtics to play harder in the playoffs.
"I think everybody has so much respect for K.C.," said Ainge. "We all care about K.C. I know he didn't do it to motivate us. I'm sure he didn't want the story to break. But I'm sure he isn't doing it for motivation."
Ainge said he thinks Jimmy Rodgers will pick up where Jones left off.
"I think Jimmy Rodgers will definitely make a good coach," said Ainge. "He, like all of us, learned a lot under K.C. Although K.C. won't be here anymore, his influence will be around for a long time."
Red Auerbach said Rodgers has earned the position.
"He's the heir apparent," Auerbach was quoted as saying. "He's done a great job for the past seven or eight years, he's earned the job and we're glad to have him."
Auerbach was quoted as saying Jones' decision is the result of several weeks of discussions.
"I understand the toll it takes in coaching. Hell, I retired when I was 48. He's got a young family and he wants to take some time with them."
Kevin McHale said he admired Jones' decision.
"I think he did the thing that was right for him," said McHale. "He's had a lot of success as a player and as a coach, and there was no pressure for him to step down or anything like that. I've always admired people who can do what's right for them. He stepped down when he was ready, not when someone else was ready."
But McHale said he, too, was surprised by the decision.
"There was no indication he was going to step down," McHale said.
As for the Celtics' decision to install Rodgers as the replacement, McHale said that's just fine with him.
"He's a great communicator and a great person," said McHale. "I think he's learned a lot by being around K.C. He's helped us as an assistant coach and I'm sure he'll help us as a head coach."
1988 NBA Playoffs: KC Jones to Retire after Playoffs
5/4/1988
K.C. Jones, who has earned more championship rings (12) as player and coach than any man in NBA history, has announced his resignation as head coach of the Boston Celtics, effective at the conclusion of the 1988 playoffs. He will be succeeded by Jimmy Rodgers, currently player personnel director and assistant coach.
Jones made his wishes known to team president Red Auerbach late last week. The two have been very close for three decades. Auerbach twice recommended him for professional head coaching jobs, and it is generally conceded that few former Celtics have ever been more attuned to Red's psyche than K.C.
"I started thinking about it last summer," Jones said. "I let Red know my intentions, and he just said, 'Whatever you want.' "
He will assume a front office role, and while no official title has been bestowed, general manager Jan Volk said, "It will be as a director of basketball operations. Basically, he will switch jobs with Jimmy in personnel. The only difference will be that he won't sit on the bench."
Why now? Exactly why now, right in the middle of the playoffs isn't clear, but it comes as no big shock to the Celtics family that K.C. is stepping down. "What else can I do?" Jones pointed out. "If I were ambitious, I'd coach until I was 75, but that wouldn't be me. This gives me a chance to spend more time with my family (wife Ellen and son Christopher, 5). And now Jimmy won't have to wait any longer. Our relationship is important to me."
Jones was named the Celtics' head coach following the 1982-83 season. His first team won 62 games and the NBA championship. His peak season was 1985-86, when the squad won 67 games and cruised to a 16th NBA championship. His other two Boston teams have reached the Finals.
He began his NBA coaching career with the Capital Bullets in 1973. During his three-year tenure in Washington, the Bullets won 47, 60 and 48 games and advanced to the 1975 NBA Finals. He came back to Boston as an assistant to old teammate Satch Sanders in January 1978. He served as an assistant to Dave Cowens and Bill Fitch, succeeding the latter when he resigned after a four-year stint that ended with Milwaukee's four-game playoff sweep of the Celtics in 1973.
"These five years have been fantastic," K.C. said. "It's been great to have this hayride with these players."
Jones, 55, stresses that he never intended to coach for very long when he took the job. "He said he had certain goals he wanted to accomplish," confirmed Volk, "but he said he wouldn't be coaching all that long."
Jones has a relaxed coaching style, short on yelling and long on listening. He gets on officials, but he doesn't get on his players very much, and they have responded by playing their best for him more often than not. His approach was universally viewed as a welcome change from Fitch's more abrasive style.
Unlike many of his coaching peers, he doesn't overdo the videotape routine. He has always created space for a life away from basketball.
"The proof of his approach is in the pudding," said Volk. "He's completing his fifth year. He's won two championships and gotten to the Finals two other times. We have a reasonable expectation of doing well in this year's playoffs. I don't think you can do much better than that."
Jones informed the players of his intention to move on at a practice. "I think they were shocked," he said. "Pleased and shocked. They were pleased because it was of my own volition."
The irony of the timing is that the Celtics are involved in a playoff series against the Knicks, the very team Rodgers wanted very much to coach last summer. The Celtics refused to allow him to get out of his contract without exacting a heavy penalty from New York in the form of a No. 1 draft pick. Now Rodgers is to coach the Celtics.
"Normally," said Volk, "an announcement like this would send shudders up and down the spine of Celtics fans. But there won't be any concern this time, not with Jimmy Rodgers available."
"I think K.C. did the right thing," kidded Larry Bird, "to let Jimmy have a couple of years with me before it all goes."
Now the team has the chance to give K.C. a nice going-away present in the form of a 17th championship. It could be win-one-for-K.C. time on the ballclub, which certainly won't disturb the brass.
"This is obviously not the optimum time to release the news," Volk pointed out, "but it does have some beneficial side effects."
K.C. Jones, who has earned more championship rings (12) as player and coach than any man in NBA history, has announced his resignation as head coach of the Boston Celtics, effective at the conclusion of the 1988 playoffs. He will be succeeded by Jimmy Rodgers, currently player personnel director and assistant coach.
Jones made his wishes known to team president Red Auerbach late last week. The two have been very close for three decades. Auerbach twice recommended him for professional head coaching jobs, and it is generally conceded that few former Celtics have ever been more attuned to Red's psyche than K.C.
"I started thinking about it last summer," Jones said. "I let Red know my intentions, and he just said, 'Whatever you want.' "
He will assume a front office role, and while no official title has been bestowed, general manager Jan Volk said, "It will be as a director of basketball operations. Basically, he will switch jobs with Jimmy in personnel. The only difference will be that he won't sit on the bench."
Why now? Exactly why now, right in the middle of the playoffs isn't clear, but it comes as no big shock to the Celtics family that K.C. is stepping down. "What else can I do?" Jones pointed out. "If I were ambitious, I'd coach until I was 75, but that wouldn't be me. This gives me a chance to spend more time with my family (wife Ellen and son Christopher, 5). And now Jimmy won't have to wait any longer. Our relationship is important to me."
Jones was named the Celtics' head coach following the 1982-83 season. His first team won 62 games and the NBA championship. His peak season was 1985-86, when the squad won 67 games and cruised to a 16th NBA championship. His other two Boston teams have reached the Finals.
He began his NBA coaching career with the Capital Bullets in 1973. During his three-year tenure in Washington, the Bullets won 47, 60 and 48 games and advanced to the 1975 NBA Finals. He came back to Boston as an assistant to old teammate Satch Sanders in January 1978. He served as an assistant to Dave Cowens and Bill Fitch, succeeding the latter when he resigned after a four-year stint that ended with Milwaukee's four-game playoff sweep of the Celtics in 1973.
"These five years have been fantastic," K.C. said. "It's been great to have this hayride with these players."
Jones, 55, stresses that he never intended to coach for very long when he took the job. "He said he had certain goals he wanted to accomplish," confirmed Volk, "but he said he wouldn't be coaching all that long."
Jones has a relaxed coaching style, short on yelling and long on listening. He gets on officials, but he doesn't get on his players very much, and they have responded by playing their best for him more often than not. His approach was universally viewed as a welcome change from Fitch's more abrasive style.
Unlike many of his coaching peers, he doesn't overdo the videotape routine. He has always created space for a life away from basketball.
"The proof of his approach is in the pudding," said Volk. "He's completing his fifth year. He's won two championships and gotten to the Finals two other times. We have a reasonable expectation of doing well in this year's playoffs. I don't think you can do much better than that."
Jones informed the players of his intention to move on at a practice. "I think they were shocked," he said. "Pleased and shocked. They were pleased because it was of my own volition."
The irony of the timing is that the Celtics are involved in a playoff series against the Knicks, the very team Rodgers wanted very much to coach last summer. The Celtics refused to allow him to get out of his contract without exacting a heavy penalty from New York in the form of a No. 1 draft pick. Now Rodgers is to coach the Celtics.
"Normally," said Volk, "an announcement like this would send shudders up and down the spine of Celtics fans. But there won't be any concern this time, not with Jimmy Rodgers available."
"I think K.C. did the right thing," kidded Larry Bird, "to let Jimmy have a couple of years with me before it all goes."
Now the team has the chance to give K.C. a nice going-away present in the form of a 17th championship. It could be win-one-for-K.C. time on the ballclub, which certainly won't disturb the brass.
"This is obviously not the optimum time to release the news," Volk pointed out, "but it does have some beneficial side effects."
1988 NBA Playoffs: Home is Far Sweeter
5/4/1988
There is no understating the fact that the Boston Celtics are a significantly less imposing team away from the fabled parquet floor than they are on it.
The Celtics were 34-4 in Boston Garden, 2-1 in Hartford and 21-20 on the road this season. Whereas the Celtics have shot 50 percent or better from the floor 33 times in their 41 home appearances, they have done so only 22 times in 41 road tries. Opponents found it easier to score against the Celtics in their own gymnasiums as well. Boston foes have shot 50 percent or better 13 times in 38 Garden contests, as opposed to 18 times in 41 home affairs.
Kevin McHale has played 93 percent of the available minutes in the first two games. Larry Bird has played 90. According to Bird, there is nothing to worry about.
"It's the playoffs," he said. "Minutes are no big deal. The games are spaced out. You get longer timeouts. It's not like during the regular season, when you might have back-to-back games. If anything, I can play more minutes."
EWING BELONGS AT CENTER STAGE
It's still hard to believe Hubie Brown had Patrick Ewing playing forward. Patrick is really going to emerge as a monster force next season . . . Bird shot a dismal 37 percent (11 for 30) in his first two Madison Square Garden appearances this season, but scored an easy 31 last time out after an 11-for-15 start. This is the building in which he made his official professional debut in the first game of an exhibition doubleheader against the 76ers back in October 1979 . . . The Knicks were No. 3 in the NBA with an offensive rebound recovery rate of 36 percent, but in Games 1 and 2 the Celtics kept them under control, allowing a livable 23 offensive rebounds while grabbing 31 . . . The Celtics are returning home immediately following the game, not returning to New York (if necessary) until Friday night. Game time for proposed Game 4 is 8:10 p.m.
PITINO: RICH GET RICHER
When Rick Pitino was asked about the disparity in fouls in the first two games (61 against the Knicks to 35 against the Celtics), he answered with a bit of history. Or fable.
"Let's go back to the story books," said Pitino, laughing. "Let's tell the story of Robin Hood. You remember Robin Hood. He would rob from the rich and give to the poor -- not rob from the poor to give to the rich."
Pitino was told that Bird said that the Knicks' aggressive style of play had been sending Boston to the line, not a lopsided view on the part of the officials.
"Well, I disagree with Sir Lawrence," said Pitino. "We didn't even use our press."
FRAZIER'S HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Walt Frazier is suddenly being courted around town. The ever-resourceful star of the Knicks' 1970 and '73 championship teams has been asked about New York's love affair with those legendary teams.
"Every single player was a coach on the floor," said Frazier, referring to Willis Reed, Dick Barnett, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley and later Earl Monroe. "But these Knicks are special, too. I think Mark Jackson is a true leader, maybe the leader they've been looking for since I left. Sometimes I think he has eyes in the back of his head. When he has the ball, I relax. I know the ball is safe."
There is no understating the fact that the Boston Celtics are a significantly less imposing team away from the fabled parquet floor than they are on it.
The Celtics were 34-4 in Boston Garden, 2-1 in Hartford and 21-20 on the road this season. Whereas the Celtics have shot 50 percent or better from the floor 33 times in their 41 home appearances, they have done so only 22 times in 41 road tries. Opponents found it easier to score against the Celtics in their own gymnasiums as well. Boston foes have shot 50 percent or better 13 times in 38 Garden contests, as opposed to 18 times in 41 home affairs.
Kevin McHale has played 93 percent of the available minutes in the first two games. Larry Bird has played 90. According to Bird, there is nothing to worry about.
"It's the playoffs," he said. "Minutes are no big deal. The games are spaced out. You get longer timeouts. It's not like during the regular season, when you might have back-to-back games. If anything, I can play more minutes."
EWING BELONGS AT CENTER STAGE
It's still hard to believe Hubie Brown had Patrick Ewing playing forward. Patrick is really going to emerge as a monster force next season . . . Bird shot a dismal 37 percent (11 for 30) in his first two Madison Square Garden appearances this season, but scored an easy 31 last time out after an 11-for-15 start. This is the building in which he made his official professional debut in the first game of an exhibition doubleheader against the 76ers back in October 1979 . . . The Knicks were No. 3 in the NBA with an offensive rebound recovery rate of 36 percent, but in Games 1 and 2 the Celtics kept them under control, allowing a livable 23 offensive rebounds while grabbing 31 . . . The Celtics are returning home immediately following the game, not returning to New York (if necessary) until Friday night. Game time for proposed Game 4 is 8:10 p.m.
PITINO: RICH GET RICHER
When Rick Pitino was asked about the disparity in fouls in the first two games (61 against the Knicks to 35 against the Celtics), he answered with a bit of history. Or fable.
"Let's go back to the story books," said Pitino, laughing. "Let's tell the story of Robin Hood. You remember Robin Hood. He would rob from the rich and give to the poor -- not rob from the poor to give to the rich."
Pitino was told that Bird said that the Knicks' aggressive style of play had been sending Boston to the line, not a lopsided view on the part of the officials.
"Well, I disagree with Sir Lawrence," said Pitino. "We didn't even use our press."
FRAZIER'S HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Walt Frazier is suddenly being courted around town. The ever-resourceful star of the Knicks' 1970 and '73 championship teams has been asked about New York's love affair with those legendary teams.
"Every single player was a coach on the floor," said Frazier, referring to Willis Reed, Dick Barnett, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley and later Earl Monroe. "But these Knicks are special, too. I think Mark Jackson is a true leader, maybe the leader they've been looking for since I left. Sometimes I think he has eyes in the back of his head. When he has the ball, I relax. I know the ball is safe."
1988 NBA Playoffs: Pitino Dares Ainge
5/3/1988
Excuse me, Mr. Ainge. May we have your attention, please?
"Danny Ainge should break out with a big game on Wednesday night," says Rick Pitino. "We've done a very good job of taking away the three-pointers, but it isn't doing us any good. We're going back to the idea of harassing the inside people, and whatever happens on the perimeter, happens."
The Knicks coach figures that since one reason his team is staring at a 2-0 series deficit against the Celtics is that he's getting killed inside, he's got nothing much to lose in trying to make somebody other than Kevin McHale and Robert Parish beat him. Of course, he still has no answer for Larry Bird, who has scored 29 and 36 points, without necessitating much more than an 8-second shower in so doing.
What Pitino needs if his team is to somewhat limit Bird's offensive efficiency is looser officiating. Hue Hollins and Ed Rush called 'em very tight Sunday, allowing a minimum of outside contact. McHale and Bird shot a combined 27 free throws, making 25. The Knicks aren't shooting well enough from the floor to offset that kind of foul line differential, which brings Pitino to his next problem.
Without offense, the Knicks can't press on defense.
"And we not only have to score," explains Pitino, "but we must score inside. That's when you can set up your press better. When it's a long shot, people can't get into position as easily."
More than anything else, New York's impotent offense has created the current situation. The Celtics have benefited greatly from two significant spurts. The first was a run of 32-9 when they were down by 3 in Game 1. The second was a run of 25-9 that changed a 4-point one-quarter lead (29-25) into a 54-34 advantage with just under four minutes left in the first half of Game 2. When Boston started scoring, New York just couldn't keep up.
"In the first game, we took some bad shots, which helped them out," Pitino says. "On Sunday we missed some good shots. We moved the ball well. We had some excellent ball reversal out of the post, but people couldn't knock down the shots."
New York won't go any farther unless it gets more scoring, particularly from the corners, where the Bird-McHale duo has outscored Knick starters Kenny Walker and Sidney Green by an eye-opening 118-24 margin.
"We've got to pick up two or three players who can give us some offense," stresses Pitino.
Once they do, Pitino figures the basketball world will see a truly terrifying Patrick Ewing.
"He was a great player in college because he had a very good supporting cast," Pitino says. "He knows how to complement people. He runs well, he challenges people and he has that boyish enthusiasm for the game. The last part of his game left to come around is post passing, and he's really improved in that area. When we get somebody who can stick it from the corner, it will become a delight for anybody to play with Patrick Ewing."
Right now the only Knick forward who can shoot that way, even in spurts, is Johnny Newman, who had his regular-season moments. And now? "He's up against better people," says Pitino.
The coach knows he's running out of time and strategies. But he won't stop trying, and he wants Ainge to know he'd better oil up the shooting arm, because tomorrow night the shots will be there.
Excuse me, Mr. Ainge. May we have your attention, please?
"Danny Ainge should break out with a big game on Wednesday night," says Rick Pitino. "We've done a very good job of taking away the three-pointers, but it isn't doing us any good. We're going back to the idea of harassing the inside people, and whatever happens on the perimeter, happens."
The Knicks coach figures that since one reason his team is staring at a 2-0 series deficit against the Celtics is that he's getting killed inside, he's got nothing much to lose in trying to make somebody other than Kevin McHale and Robert Parish beat him. Of course, he still has no answer for Larry Bird, who has scored 29 and 36 points, without necessitating much more than an 8-second shower in so doing.
What Pitino needs if his team is to somewhat limit Bird's offensive efficiency is looser officiating. Hue Hollins and Ed Rush called 'em very tight Sunday, allowing a minimum of outside contact. McHale and Bird shot a combined 27 free throws, making 25. The Knicks aren't shooting well enough from the floor to offset that kind of foul line differential, which brings Pitino to his next problem.
Without offense, the Knicks can't press on defense.
"And we not only have to score," explains Pitino, "but we must score inside. That's when you can set up your press better. When it's a long shot, people can't get into position as easily."
More than anything else, New York's impotent offense has created the current situation. The Celtics have benefited greatly from two significant spurts. The first was a run of 32-9 when they were down by 3 in Game 1. The second was a run of 25-9 that changed a 4-point one-quarter lead (29-25) into a 54-34 advantage with just under four minutes left in the first half of Game 2. When Boston started scoring, New York just couldn't keep up.
"In the first game, we took some bad shots, which helped them out," Pitino says. "On Sunday we missed some good shots. We moved the ball well. We had some excellent ball reversal out of the post, but people couldn't knock down the shots."
New York won't go any farther unless it gets more scoring, particularly from the corners, where the Bird-McHale duo has outscored Knick starters Kenny Walker and Sidney Green by an eye-opening 118-24 margin.
"We've got to pick up two or three players who can give us some offense," stresses Pitino.
Once they do, Pitino figures the basketball world will see a truly terrifying Patrick Ewing.
"He was a great player in college because he had a very good supporting cast," Pitino says. "He knows how to complement people. He runs well, he challenges people and he has that boyish enthusiasm for the game. The last part of his game left to come around is post passing, and he's really improved in that area. When we get somebody who can stick it from the corner, it will become a delight for anybody to play with Patrick Ewing."
Right now the only Knick forward who can shoot that way, even in spurts, is Johnny Newman, who had his regular-season moments. And now? "He's up against better people," says Pitino.
The coach knows he's running out of time and strategies. But he won't stop trying, and he wants Ainge to know he'd better oil up the shooting arm, because tomorrow night the shots will be there.
1988 NBA Playoffs: DJ Saves His Best for Last
5/3/1988
The Celtics have begun the playoffs by beating the Knicks twice at Boston Garden, which is the equivalent of pulling on one warm sock while dressing to climb the Himalayas. The job is really only beginning, but already they can sense championship differences in their team from last June, and even this fall.
The latest improvement is the play of Dennis Johnson, which is a popular topic among Rick Pitino, K.C. Jones, the Knicks, 14,890 Garden fans and every Celtic except Johnson himself, whose only comment yesterday was to decline comment. In these two games, DJ is 10 of 20 with 14 free throws, 6 steals, 18 assists and 7 turnovers, and he is 43 of 67 (.642) in his last eight starts.
"I think DJ in the last month has just been playing fantastic basketball," said Danny Ainge after the Celtics walked through plays for a half-hour yesterday. "I think sometimes he just gets bored. He realized this year he wasn't playing up to Dennis Johnson's standards, but he has a lot of pride. Earlier in the year, he'd be the first to admit he wasn't playing up to par."
Were his teammates worried that DJ at 33 was losing his abilities?
"To be perfectly honest, I thought Dennis didn't have the same desire he had before," Ainge said. "Looking back on it now, the way he played the last month and a half, he carried us to the home-court advantage. He's a fired-up type of leader. He's been getting us fired up to play the way he's playing. When I see him picking guys up fullcourt, that gets me fired up, that wires me up. He's really into it. His enthusiasm has shown in the locker room.
"I honestly think he's made a commitment to get his game back. He's playing as good as he ever has here. Right now, DJ's playing as good basketball as I've ever seen him play with the Celtics."
Jones agreed, saying, "It seems like he's sparking everybody else. I don't know when it started, but I just hope it stays the way it is."
When Jones was playing for Celtic champions, he was excited for every playoff game, "knowing that it was a must-win situation. I was always thinking that, and it's the same with Dennis." But Jones doubted that DJ pushed himself to win another championship with the idea that he was approaching the end of his career.
"You'll have to ask him about that," Jones said. "When I was playing, I was always right here. I didn't think about this being my last year. It's hard to think that way, because it's not your last year until you don't show up for training camp the following year."
If Johnson is to be praised for his timely play, so too is center Robert Parish, 34, who also seemed to improve with the playoffs approaching. The Celtics were 23-4 when he had double-figure rebounds, and 11-1 when he scored 20 or more points.
"It's hard to say," said Ainge in comparing DJ with Parish. "I don't know what's going on inside their heads, but they're playing great right now and they have for the last month. It was like, March came around, it was time to get going and they just played fantastic."
Ainge watched the Green Team play a pickup game as he talked. Five of the six players on the floor were not with Boston last year, and the scrimmage didn't include Jim Paxson. No Celtics team has undergone as much turnover in Jones' five years coaching. Their best new friend in this series has been 6-foot-11-inch Mark Acres, who is quick and aggressive enough to stay with Bill Cartwright and Patrick Ewing.
"I saw a couple of their playoff rounds on TV last year while I was over in Europe," Acres said of the Celtics. "We're a lot healthier than they were last year. Kevin was hobbling, Bill Walton could hardly move and Robert had his ankle all messed up."
"We're a lot more confident in our team this year," Ainge said. "When you're playing well and you're healthy, it's just so much fun to play. When you're injured, it takes out the fun.
"Right now, we're the best team in basketball."
There is still the matter of a team in Los Angeles that has beaten Boston in 8 of their last 10 meetings, but the Celtics can't get to that for another month at least. Tomorrow night in New York, they've got to try to pull on the other sock.
The Celtics have begun the playoffs by beating the Knicks twice at Boston Garden, which is the equivalent of pulling on one warm sock while dressing to climb the Himalayas. The job is really only beginning, but already they can sense championship differences in their team from last June, and even this fall.
The latest improvement is the play of Dennis Johnson, which is a popular topic among Rick Pitino, K.C. Jones, the Knicks, 14,890 Garden fans and every Celtic except Johnson himself, whose only comment yesterday was to decline comment. In these two games, DJ is 10 of 20 with 14 free throws, 6 steals, 18 assists and 7 turnovers, and he is 43 of 67 (.642) in his last eight starts.
"I think DJ in the last month has just been playing fantastic basketball," said Danny Ainge after the Celtics walked through plays for a half-hour yesterday. "I think sometimes he just gets bored. He realized this year he wasn't playing up to Dennis Johnson's standards, but he has a lot of pride. Earlier in the year, he'd be the first to admit he wasn't playing up to par."
Were his teammates worried that DJ at 33 was losing his abilities?
"To be perfectly honest, I thought Dennis didn't have the same desire he had before," Ainge said. "Looking back on it now, the way he played the last month and a half, he carried us to the home-court advantage. He's a fired-up type of leader. He's been getting us fired up to play the way he's playing. When I see him picking guys up fullcourt, that gets me fired up, that wires me up. He's really into it. His enthusiasm has shown in the locker room.
"I honestly think he's made a commitment to get his game back. He's playing as good as he ever has here. Right now, DJ's playing as good basketball as I've ever seen him play with the Celtics."
Jones agreed, saying, "It seems like he's sparking everybody else. I don't know when it started, but I just hope it stays the way it is."
When Jones was playing for Celtic champions, he was excited for every playoff game, "knowing that it was a must-win situation. I was always thinking that, and it's the same with Dennis." But Jones doubted that DJ pushed himself to win another championship with the idea that he was approaching the end of his career.
"You'll have to ask him about that," Jones said. "When I was playing, I was always right here. I didn't think about this being my last year. It's hard to think that way, because it's not your last year until you don't show up for training camp the following year."
If Johnson is to be praised for his timely play, so too is center Robert Parish, 34, who also seemed to improve with the playoffs approaching. The Celtics were 23-4 when he had double-figure rebounds, and 11-1 when he scored 20 or more points.
"It's hard to say," said Ainge in comparing DJ with Parish. "I don't know what's going on inside their heads, but they're playing great right now and they have for the last month. It was like, March came around, it was time to get going and they just played fantastic."
Ainge watched the Green Team play a pickup game as he talked. Five of the six players on the floor were not with Boston last year, and the scrimmage didn't include Jim Paxson. No Celtics team has undergone as much turnover in Jones' five years coaching. Their best new friend in this series has been 6-foot-11-inch Mark Acres, who is quick and aggressive enough to stay with Bill Cartwright and Patrick Ewing.
"I saw a couple of their playoff rounds on TV last year while I was over in Europe," Acres said of the Celtics. "We're a lot healthier than they were last year. Kevin was hobbling, Bill Walton could hardly move and Robert had his ankle all messed up."
"We're a lot more confident in our team this year," Ainge said. "When you're playing well and you're healthy, it's just so much fun to play. When you're injured, it takes out the fun.
"Right now, we're the best team in basketball."
There is still the matter of a team in Los Angeles that has beaten Boston in 8 of their last 10 meetings, but the Celtics can't get to that for another month at least. Tomorrow night in New York, they've got to try to pull on the other sock.
1988 NBA Playoffs: Celtics Scorch Pitino & Knicks Again
5/2/88
It is essentially dreary games like these that fuel critics of the National Basketball Association's postseason policy. Does the 15th- or 16th-best team in a league deserve to play on and on?
No offense, Knicks, but neither Game 1 nor Game 2 of this series merited the designation "playoff game." New York is likely to perform much better Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden in front of its fans, but it would certainly be criminal to submit Boston's fans to any more uninteresting exercises rivaling yesterday's 128-102 dispatch of the Knicks. The Celtics now hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
In contrast to Game 1, when New York outplayed the Celtics for 2 1/2 periods, the issue of which was the better team was resolved early. New York hung around for a quarter (29-25, Boston, but you knew who was in charge), but Boston opened the second quarter with a run of 12-1. New York never came closer than 12 (72-60, with 7:43 remaining in period 3), and when they did, the Celtics called time out and then proceeded to slap the Knicks smartly about the face and shoulders, reasserting their dominance.
"We moved the ball, played better defense and had an excellent day rebounding," said Larry Bird, who had an understated 36 points (12-for-19 shooting). "We had playoff jitters for awhile in the first game," added Kevin McHale. "We settled down in the second half of that game and carried that over into the first half today. We did what we had to do. We moved the ball. And we went to the line a lot."
The incessant troop to the foul line did not escape the attention of New York coach Rick Pitino, who practically begged for an ejection in the fourth period in the hopes of "sending a message" to the officials, who were, in this instance, Hue Hollins and Ed (The Elder) Rush. "I hope they got the point," Pitino said. "The Boston Celtics are a great team. They don't need help from the officials."
The Celtics shot 37 of 40 from the line and twice succeeded in reaching the bonus situation before a period was five minutes old. The Knicks, naturally, felt this was an unwarranted imbalance, whistle-wise. The Celtics, naturally, felt this was nature taking its proper course.
"I think you're going to go to the line a lot against Rick Pitino's teams," said McHale, who must have thought he was Adrian Dantley after sinking a season (and personal playoff career) high 14 free throws (in 16 attempts). "They hold a lot."
A corner jumper by Bird broke the last tie at 20-18, but it wasn't until the first five minutes of the second quarter that the game swung irrevocably toward Boston. The unit of Bird, McHale, Mark Acres, Dennis Johnson and Jim Paxson came out shooting 5 for 5, even as the Knicks were shooting 0 for 4 with two turnovers. By that time it was 39-26.
The second-quarter lead eventually peaked at 54-34 on a Danny Ainge broken-play three-pointer (meaning the run had gone to 25-9), and the only item of significance to be learned from this point on was that New York clearly functions best with Patrick Ewing and Bill Cartwright in the game at the same time.
Without the Twin Towers, New York was outscored by 12 in the first half. With them, they were only outscored by 3 over a stretch of 9:25. Through three quarters (91-72, Boston), it was minus-6 with the Twin Towers and minus-13 without. They never appeared together during fourth-quarter garbage time.
Ewing has emerged as an exemplary figure, working incredibly hard on defense (6 steals and 3 blocks yesterday), while struggling mightily to produce what offense he can against Boston's double and triple-teaming. But he is being dragged down by the outside shooting of his mates. New York's guard trio of Gerald Wilkins, Mark Jackson and Trent Tucker combined to shoot 8 for 25 in the first half.
The Celtics, meanwhile, have gotten a pair of A-plus efforts from Johnson (18 points, 9 assists and smothering defense on young Mr. Jackson) to augment the expected sound play of the frontcourt firm of Bird, McHale and Parish, which checked in with 73 points and 26 rebounds. New York is working hard, but nothing much good is happening.
"They have excellent offensive spacing, they're a great passing team and they have better basketball instincts than any team in the game," Pitino said.
"We have the home-court advantage," said Bird. "We've got to play a little harder in order to make sure we keep it."
To the surprise of no rational basketball fan, they have kept it. Presumably, somebody, somewhere is still awake enough to notice.
It is essentially dreary games like these that fuel critics of the National Basketball Association's postseason policy. Does the 15th- or 16th-best team in a league deserve to play on and on?
No offense, Knicks, but neither Game 1 nor Game 2 of this series merited the designation "playoff game." New York is likely to perform much better Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden in front of its fans, but it would certainly be criminal to submit Boston's fans to any more uninteresting exercises rivaling yesterday's 128-102 dispatch of the Knicks. The Celtics now hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
In contrast to Game 1, when New York outplayed the Celtics for 2 1/2 periods, the issue of which was the better team was resolved early. New York hung around for a quarter (29-25, Boston, but you knew who was in charge), but Boston opened the second quarter with a run of 12-1. New York never came closer than 12 (72-60, with 7:43 remaining in period 3), and when they did, the Celtics called time out and then proceeded to slap the Knicks smartly about the face and shoulders, reasserting their dominance.
"We moved the ball, played better defense and had an excellent day rebounding," said Larry Bird, who had an understated 36 points (12-for-19 shooting). "We had playoff jitters for awhile in the first game," added Kevin McHale. "We settled down in the second half of that game and carried that over into the first half today. We did what we had to do. We moved the ball. And we went to the line a lot."
The incessant troop to the foul line did not escape the attention of New York coach Rick Pitino, who practically begged for an ejection in the fourth period in the hopes of "sending a message" to the officials, who were, in this instance, Hue Hollins and Ed (The Elder) Rush. "I hope they got the point," Pitino said. "The Boston Celtics are a great team. They don't need help from the officials."
The Celtics shot 37 of 40 from the line and twice succeeded in reaching the bonus situation before a period was five minutes old. The Knicks, naturally, felt this was an unwarranted imbalance, whistle-wise. The Celtics, naturally, felt this was nature taking its proper course.
"I think you're going to go to the line a lot against Rick Pitino's teams," said McHale, who must have thought he was Adrian Dantley after sinking a season (and personal playoff career) high 14 free throws (in 16 attempts). "They hold a lot."
A corner jumper by Bird broke the last tie at 20-18, but it wasn't until the first five minutes of the second quarter that the game swung irrevocably toward Boston. The unit of Bird, McHale, Mark Acres, Dennis Johnson and Jim Paxson came out shooting 5 for 5, even as the Knicks were shooting 0 for 4 with two turnovers. By that time it was 39-26.
The second-quarter lead eventually peaked at 54-34 on a Danny Ainge broken-play three-pointer (meaning the run had gone to 25-9), and the only item of significance to be learned from this point on was that New York clearly functions best with Patrick Ewing and Bill Cartwright in the game at the same time.
Without the Twin Towers, New York was outscored by 12 in the first half. With them, they were only outscored by 3 over a stretch of 9:25. Through three quarters (91-72, Boston), it was minus-6 with the Twin Towers and minus-13 without. They never appeared together during fourth-quarter garbage time.
Ewing has emerged as an exemplary figure, working incredibly hard on defense (6 steals and 3 blocks yesterday), while struggling mightily to produce what offense he can against Boston's double and triple-teaming. But he is being dragged down by the outside shooting of his mates. New York's guard trio of Gerald Wilkins, Mark Jackson and Trent Tucker combined to shoot 8 for 25 in the first half.
The Celtics, meanwhile, have gotten a pair of A-plus efforts from Johnson (18 points, 9 assists and smothering defense on young Mr. Jackson) to augment the expected sound play of the frontcourt firm of Bird, McHale and Parish, which checked in with 73 points and 26 rebounds. New York is working hard, but nothing much good is happening.
"They have excellent offensive spacing, they're a great passing team and they have better basketball instincts than any team in the game," Pitino said.
"We have the home-court advantage," said Bird. "We've got to play a little harder in order to make sure we keep it."
To the surprise of no rational basketball fan, they have kept it. Presumably, somebody, somewhere is still awake enough to notice.
4.22.2010
1988 NBA Playoffs: Bird Takes Teammates to the Shed
4/30/1988
This is what Larry Bird does for the Celtics. This was not a lefty leaner in the lane that would turn this game on its heel, but a glare of disgust, a stare of rebuke. This was not a three-pointer from Nashua Street that suddenly lit the fires, but words of rebuke. This was anger.
And this was the situation in this first playoff game of bumps and bruises, black-and-blues, pokes in the eye and bodies on the parquet. The Celtics were in the game, 60-59 their favor, but not really in the game when Mark Jackson and Sidney Green of the Knicks swooped down from midcourt on the break, Bird back there on defense.
Jackson got his shot off, which happens in such situations, and Jackson also missed his shot, which also happens. But what happened next shouldn't happen if the Celtics are in the game, because Green was able to swat in an uncontested stuff. Three Celtics watched contentedly from the wrong side of midcourt; they had barely moved.
Bird himself tapped both fingers on both his shoulders, Bird himself signaling a 20-second timeout, and Bird himself said the words to his teammates that won't be repeated here, they being too rich to go with the morning muffins. He was angry and disgusted; the Celtics were not playing defense.
"Well, I thought me and (Dennis Johnson) did all we could do to play defense and get back and make him miss his shot, but we just didn't get much help," said Bird. "Nobody else came across half-court, so I thought it was time for a 20-second and to regroup after something like that."
It was a lazy play by lazy Celtics, and the Celtics, even if they are not good, will not permit a team to play lazy basketball against them. They work, and you must work to beat them. Until then, the Celtics were not working.
"We were back downcourt," said Kevin McHale, "and it was bad defensive play by us. We didn't get back on defense, and then there was that 20-second timeout. K.C. (Jones) said to us, 'Hey, if you can't get back, then get out of the game.' And everybody was pumped up and we started playing a little better after that."
Jones was as upset as Bird. "We've got two people back on defense and three people nowhere in sight, and they get the offensive rebound and put it in to score," said Jones. "That's time for 20 seconds and some words. I told them, 'You can't allow two men to play defense.' "
The words were taken to heart by the Celtics, but not immediately. Patrick Ewing took the ball in the corner and dribbled -- that's dribbled -- around Robert Parish from corner to basket for a score and a 68-65 lead. Then Bill Cartwright went around Parish again, the score now 70-70, but soon the Knicks would stall, for the Celtics would erupt.
Boston went on an 11-1 run at the end of the third period, then carried it to 27-5 deep into the fourth quarter, but citing the points scored would be looking through the microscope from the wrong end. For it was defense, not points, that had turned this game into a rout and reduced the Knicks to the appearance of a sub-.500 team that they are.
"Then Kevin was blocking some shots and DJ was playing good defense and Robert was getting the rebounds," said Bird of the repercussions once the Boston defense "kicked in." The Celtics' defense "really shut them down there when we really neeed to, and then we went down the other end and scored some baskets."
Technically, Boston also adjusted when Jones switched defensive style and had his players sag more on the inside. "I thought K.C. did a great job of changing defenses," said McHale. "We had two defenses and we were into the aggressive fronting one and they started reading that very well. Then, all of a sudden, we got back more into a sagging defense, playing behind the guy, and once we did that, we seemed to take them out of their game. I thought it was a really good coaching job, changing defenses."
McHale was Cyclops for much of this one, for he took a poke in the eye from Cartwright in the first quarter (Chopper Bill also got Bird in the nose on a pick and Danny Ainge in the chops on a rebound), and McHale couldn't see well for the rest of the game. He went to an optometrist afterwards.
"For a long time, my whole left side was blurred," said McHale. "Everything was a blur."
So were the Celtics in that final 3:32 of the third and all of the fourth quarter that counted. Until then, it was rough-and-tumble, ragged and edgy, and even if New York's Johnny Newman saw it this way -- "A lot of banging went on out there; we're a tough team, but they really knocked us around" -- the game seemed more like a WWF night at the Garden, rasslin' everywhere, than a playoff game.
Then came that Green stuff after a Jackson miss, a few choice cusses from Bird and Boston reacting for the defense, skillfully and tightly. A word to the wise usually is sufficient with the Celtics.
This is what Larry Bird does for the Celtics. This was not a lefty leaner in the lane that would turn this game on its heel, but a glare of disgust, a stare of rebuke. This was not a three-pointer from Nashua Street that suddenly lit the fires, but words of rebuke. This was anger.
And this was the situation in this first playoff game of bumps and bruises, black-and-blues, pokes in the eye and bodies on the parquet. The Celtics were in the game, 60-59 their favor, but not really in the game when Mark Jackson and Sidney Green of the Knicks swooped down from midcourt on the break, Bird back there on defense.
Jackson got his shot off, which happens in such situations, and Jackson also missed his shot, which also happens. But what happened next shouldn't happen if the Celtics are in the game, because Green was able to swat in an uncontested stuff. Three Celtics watched contentedly from the wrong side of midcourt; they had barely moved.
Bird himself tapped both fingers on both his shoulders, Bird himself signaling a 20-second timeout, and Bird himself said the words to his teammates that won't be repeated here, they being too rich to go with the morning muffins. He was angry and disgusted; the Celtics were not playing defense.
"Well, I thought me and (Dennis Johnson) did all we could do to play defense and get back and make him miss his shot, but we just didn't get much help," said Bird. "Nobody else came across half-court, so I thought it was time for a 20-second and to regroup after something like that."
It was a lazy play by lazy Celtics, and the Celtics, even if they are not good, will not permit a team to play lazy basketball against them. They work, and you must work to beat them. Until then, the Celtics were not working.
"We were back downcourt," said Kevin McHale, "and it was bad defensive play by us. We didn't get back on defense, and then there was that 20-second timeout. K.C. (Jones) said to us, 'Hey, if you can't get back, then get out of the game.' And everybody was pumped up and we started playing a little better after that."
Jones was as upset as Bird. "We've got two people back on defense and three people nowhere in sight, and they get the offensive rebound and put it in to score," said Jones. "That's time for 20 seconds and some words. I told them, 'You can't allow two men to play defense.' "
The words were taken to heart by the Celtics, but not immediately. Patrick Ewing took the ball in the corner and dribbled -- that's dribbled -- around Robert Parish from corner to basket for a score and a 68-65 lead. Then Bill Cartwright went around Parish again, the score now 70-70, but soon the Knicks would stall, for the Celtics would erupt.
Boston went on an 11-1 run at the end of the third period, then carried it to 27-5 deep into the fourth quarter, but citing the points scored would be looking through the microscope from the wrong end. For it was defense, not points, that had turned this game into a rout and reduced the Knicks to the appearance of a sub-.500 team that they are.
"Then Kevin was blocking some shots and DJ was playing good defense and Robert was getting the rebounds," said Bird of the repercussions once the Boston defense "kicked in." The Celtics' defense "really shut them down there when we really neeed to, and then we went down the other end and scored some baskets."
Technically, Boston also adjusted when Jones switched defensive style and had his players sag more on the inside. "I thought K.C. did a great job of changing defenses," said McHale. "We had two defenses and we were into the aggressive fronting one and they started reading that very well. Then, all of a sudden, we got back more into a sagging defense, playing behind the guy, and once we did that, we seemed to take them out of their game. I thought it was a really good coaching job, changing defenses."
McHale was Cyclops for much of this one, for he took a poke in the eye from Cartwright in the first quarter (Chopper Bill also got Bird in the nose on a pick and Danny Ainge in the chops on a rebound), and McHale couldn't see well for the rest of the game. He went to an optometrist afterwards.
"For a long time, my whole left side was blurred," said McHale. "Everything was a blur."
So were the Celtics in that final 3:32 of the third and all of the fourth quarter that counted. Until then, it was rough-and-tumble, ragged and edgy, and even if New York's Johnny Newman saw it this way -- "A lot of banging went on out there; we're a tough team, but they really knocked us around" -- the game seemed more like a WWF night at the Garden, rasslin' everywhere, than a playoff game.
Then came that Green stuff after a Jackson miss, a few choice cusses from Bird and Boston reacting for the defense, skillfully and tightly. A word to the wise usually is sufficient with the Celtics.
1988 NBA Playoffs: 11-Minute-Run Propels C's to Victory
April 30, 1988
This isn't piecework. You get paid off in W's only when you complete the job.
In other words, the New York Knicks accomplished nothing last night. They may have learned something, but they didn't accomplish anything other than to remind the world that the Boston Celtics have not eliminated the word "explosive" from their team vocabulary.
With 3:32 remaining in the third period of last night's playoff opener, a Bill Cartwright corner turnaround gave his team a 74-71 lead. Had the game been stopped there, the Knicks would have been ahead in every category, starting with hustle. A scant 11 minutes 20 seconds later, Rick Pitino and his coaching staff were picking through the rubble of the collapsed building. His team was down by 20 (103-83), and that's the margin it would lose by. It was Boston 112, New York 92, in the opener of this best-of-five series, and yes, folks, Rick Pitino says he's seen it all before.
"What it teaches us is that the Boston Celtics must be played for 48 minutes," said the Knicks coach. "Even at the half, when we were hanging in there (a 53-51 Boston lead), I told our team what to expect. I've seen it so many times when I was here (at Boston University). Teams play them well for three quarters and then get blown out."
There was unanimous agreement in both head coaching minds that the key man had been Dennis Johnson. DJ had his playoff face firmly affixed, coming up with 16 points, 9 assists and 4 steals. He seemed to be involved in everything as the Celtics ripped off a crowd-pleasing 32-9 spurt which changed that 3-point New York lead into the comfy 103-83 Boston advantage.
"The difference in the game," contended Pitino, "was DJ. He had two spurts which killed us. We lived in his pants for the entire game, and for him to do that in the fourth quarter was remarkable."
Seconding the motion was K.C. Jones. "Dennis ignited it for us," he said. "That turned Larry (Bird) loose. Kevin (McHale) started blocking shots, and Robert (Parish) took over the boards. The whole thing came together."
For the first 32 minutes and change, the Celtics were off balance at both ends. New York just wouldn't go away. The Knicks led by 7 (23-16) early during a first quarter in which they threw in three three-pointers. They were down by only the solitary bucket at the half, and then only because they had been too careless with the basketball (12 first-half turnovers for 16 points) against a team which exerts minimal defensive pressure. They hadn't panicked when the Celtics made a few halfhearted flurries in the third quarter (i.e., a little spurt of 8-2 which gave Boston a 68-63 lead).
It was at this juncture that New York really started to worry the smug patrons as the Knicks strung together a run of 11-3 which was capped by the Cartwright basket.
DJ started his team on the road to recovery with a get-back score off the aforementioned Cartwright bucket. He next took it to the hoop, his miss leading to a McHale tip-in, to which was attached a loose ball foul on Cartwright that sent DJ back to the line (weird, but true). That three-point play was the final go-ahead hoop, and it was followed by a 17-footer by Bird, his first routine open basket of a huff-and-puff 29-point night.
It was 82-75 after three, and the Knicks were incapable of a comeback, in large measure because of a cessation of decent shot selection. Mix in poor entry passes and the simple inability of some people to catch the basketball, and the situation quickly got out of control. Only a Johnny Newman free throw (78-75) and a Mark Jackson post-up flip (84-77) prevented a shutout over the next 7 1/2 minutes.
By far Boston's most pleasing development was the frisky play of McHale, who blocked five shots and acted more like his old defensive self than he has all season. The downside was that he was poked in the eye and had to seek the services of an optometrist following the game. Stay tuned.
When the teams peruse the game tape, they will note that the game belonged to New York for more than 2 1/2 periods, and that it was Boston which was desperately figuring out how to react to the Knicks, not vice versa. Patrick Ewing (16 points, 11 rebounds) established an immediate inside game with a strong hook on his first possession, and when the Celtics went to double up inside, New York made Boston pay with three-pointers, three of them submitted by Sedric Toney. Conversely, Boston was held to one failed three-point attempt by Danny Ainge. Speaking of which, the value of Jim Paxson was amply demonstrated when he came through with 12 points on a night when Ainge (1 for 4 and in early foul trouble) shoulda stood in bed.
The press, you say? It was in storage. Pitino never showed it until the score was 92-79, whereupon the Celtics ripped through it for a layup.
This wasn't great theater. It wasn't great basketball. It wasn't great anything. It's just a 1-0 Boston series lead, and according to Pitino, losing by 20 was better than losing by 2.
"This will help them understand what Boston is all about," he smiled.
He has only two more chances for the lesson to sink in.
This isn't piecework. You get paid off in W's only when you complete the job.
In other words, the New York Knicks accomplished nothing last night. They may have learned something, but they didn't accomplish anything other than to remind the world that the Boston Celtics have not eliminated the word "explosive" from their team vocabulary.
With 3:32 remaining in the third period of last night's playoff opener, a Bill Cartwright corner turnaround gave his team a 74-71 lead. Had the game been stopped there, the Knicks would have been ahead in every category, starting with hustle. A scant 11 minutes 20 seconds later, Rick Pitino and his coaching staff were picking through the rubble of the collapsed building. His team was down by 20 (103-83), and that's the margin it would lose by. It was Boston 112, New York 92, in the opener of this best-of-five series, and yes, folks, Rick Pitino says he's seen it all before.
"What it teaches us is that the Boston Celtics must be played for 48 minutes," said the Knicks coach. "Even at the half, when we were hanging in there (a 53-51 Boston lead), I told our team what to expect. I've seen it so many times when I was here (at Boston University). Teams play them well for three quarters and then get blown out."
There was unanimous agreement in both head coaching minds that the key man had been Dennis Johnson. DJ had his playoff face firmly affixed, coming up with 16 points, 9 assists and 4 steals. He seemed to be involved in everything as the Celtics ripped off a crowd-pleasing 32-9 spurt which changed that 3-point New York lead into the comfy 103-83 Boston advantage.
"The difference in the game," contended Pitino, "was DJ. He had two spurts which killed us. We lived in his pants for the entire game, and for him to do that in the fourth quarter was remarkable."
Seconding the motion was K.C. Jones. "Dennis ignited it for us," he said. "That turned Larry (Bird) loose. Kevin (McHale) started blocking shots, and Robert (Parish) took over the boards. The whole thing came together."
For the first 32 minutes and change, the Celtics were off balance at both ends. New York just wouldn't go away. The Knicks led by 7 (23-16) early during a first quarter in which they threw in three three-pointers. They were down by only the solitary bucket at the half, and then only because they had been too careless with the basketball (12 first-half turnovers for 16 points) against a team which exerts minimal defensive pressure. They hadn't panicked when the Celtics made a few halfhearted flurries in the third quarter (i.e., a little spurt of 8-2 which gave Boston a 68-63 lead).
It was at this juncture that New York really started to worry the smug patrons as the Knicks strung together a run of 11-3 which was capped by the Cartwright basket.
DJ started his team on the road to recovery with a get-back score off the aforementioned Cartwright bucket. He next took it to the hoop, his miss leading to a McHale tip-in, to which was attached a loose ball foul on Cartwright that sent DJ back to the line (weird, but true). That three-point play was the final go-ahead hoop, and it was followed by a 17-footer by Bird, his first routine open basket of a huff-and-puff 29-point night.
It was 82-75 after three, and the Knicks were incapable of a comeback, in large measure because of a cessation of decent shot selection. Mix in poor entry passes and the simple inability of some people to catch the basketball, and the situation quickly got out of control. Only a Johnny Newman free throw (78-75) and a Mark Jackson post-up flip (84-77) prevented a shutout over the next 7 1/2 minutes.
By far Boston's most pleasing development was the frisky play of McHale, who blocked five shots and acted more like his old defensive self than he has all season. The downside was that he was poked in the eye and had to seek the services of an optometrist following the game. Stay tuned.
When the teams peruse the game tape, they will note that the game belonged to New York for more than 2 1/2 periods, and that it was Boston which was desperately figuring out how to react to the Knicks, not vice versa. Patrick Ewing (16 points, 11 rebounds) established an immediate inside game with a strong hook on his first possession, and when the Celtics went to double up inside, New York made Boston pay with three-pointers, three of them submitted by Sedric Toney. Conversely, Boston was held to one failed three-point attempt by Danny Ainge. Speaking of which, the value of Jim Paxson was amply demonstrated when he came through with 12 points on a night when Ainge (1 for 4 and in early foul trouble) shoulda stood in bed.
The press, you say? It was in storage. Pitino never showed it until the score was 92-79, whereupon the Celtics ripped through it for a layup.
This wasn't great theater. It wasn't great basketball. It wasn't great anything. It's just a 1-0 Boston series lead, and according to Pitino, losing by 20 was better than losing by 2.
"This will help them understand what Boston is all about," he smiled.
He has only two more chances for the lesson to sink in.
1988 NBA Playoffs: Strange Reunion for Rick Carlisle
April 30, 1988
It always has been strange to come back. Rick Carlisle laughs about these trips to Boston with the New York Knicks.
For starters, he gets to visit the house on which he's been making payments all season. Next, he visits with old friends, old teammates. Even that isn't the same.
His Celtic contemporary with whom he talks most often is center Greg Kite. Kite was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers months ago.
"Greg really likes it out there," said Carlisle last night, stretching his calves on the parquet floor of the Garden. "He's finally getting a chance to show what he can do. I went to his house for dinner when we played out there. He lives in Manhattan Beach -- can you believe that?"
Who can believe where the whims of the NBA can take you? Who could guess that Carlisle, waived by the Celtics in training camp, would return to the scene of the crime in the opening round of the playoffs? He is the only New York Knick with a championship ring. He is the only New York Knick who understands what Boston playoff basketball is all about.
"It's been interesting," he said. "When I was with the Celtics, I remember the attitudes of teams that came in here trying to beat them. They were all so hungry, so eager to play.
"But the Celtics were always ready to play at that point, too. After 82 games, you get stale. But then the playoffs come around and you know the Celtics live for the day-to-day challenge."
The day-to-day challenge on this New York club has been quite different. It is a young team prone to inconsistencies. It is a hungry team with a hungry coach, Rick Pitino, who has presented Carlisle with challenges he never considered.
"He's got so many different ideas on how to play the game," said Carlisle. "I've got four years in the NBA, and I figured at this point I wasn't going to learn a whole lot more. But I've learned so much from being on this team.
"Not that it hasn't been without some tense moments. During the bad times, Rick can be very demanding, very impatient. In the short run, it's hard to understand, but in the long run, it's for our benefit."
To compare Pitino with K.C. Jones, Carlisle said, is impossible. "I can't think of two further opposites," he said. "Yet both are probably perfect for their situation."
What is Rick Carlisle's situation? The biggest benefit, continued life in the NBA, has made his year with the Knicks valuable.
Pitino rescued him from the Albany Patroons of the Continental Basketball Association, where he was averaging 17.3 points an outing. After pouring in a career-high 21 in his Knick debut, Carlisle has appeared in just 25 games. He is not an integral part of the master plan. In fact, his role from team to team hasn't changed much.
"I'm really happy on this team," he said. "I'm from New York State, and I was a Knicks fan way back. All I wanted to do this year was stay in the league."
The league has changed since the season started, and the team he once knew as the Boston Celtics has taken on a new look. Gone are Kite, Darren Daye, Conner Henry, Jerry Sichting. The new guys -- Dirk Minniefield, Artis Gilmore, Reggie Lewis, Brad Lohaus, Mark Acres -- glance at Rick Carlisle with mild recognition.
You can't go back, not even less than a year later, and expect it to be the same.
"I watch (the Celtics) a lot on television," Carlisle said. "One thing that hasn't changed is the emphasis. Push the ball up and go to the strength. It's been that way for decades."
For decades, the Celtics have swept aside upstart clubs like the New York Knicks without much thought. Maybe Patrick Ewing and Mark Jackson don't completely understand how it's done, but Rick Carlisle, championship ring in tow, realizes it all too well.
"I've seen the finished product," he said. "It's something you don't ever forget."
It always has been strange to come back. Rick Carlisle laughs about these trips to Boston with the New York Knicks.
For starters, he gets to visit the house on which he's been making payments all season. Next, he visits with old friends, old teammates. Even that isn't the same.
His Celtic contemporary with whom he talks most often is center Greg Kite. Kite was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers months ago.
"Greg really likes it out there," said Carlisle last night, stretching his calves on the parquet floor of the Garden. "He's finally getting a chance to show what he can do. I went to his house for dinner when we played out there. He lives in Manhattan Beach -- can you believe that?"
Who can believe where the whims of the NBA can take you? Who could guess that Carlisle, waived by the Celtics in training camp, would return to the scene of the crime in the opening round of the playoffs? He is the only New York Knick with a championship ring. He is the only New York Knick who understands what Boston playoff basketball is all about.
"It's been interesting," he said. "When I was with the Celtics, I remember the attitudes of teams that came in here trying to beat them. They were all so hungry, so eager to play.
"But the Celtics were always ready to play at that point, too. After 82 games, you get stale. But then the playoffs come around and you know the Celtics live for the day-to-day challenge."
The day-to-day challenge on this New York club has been quite different. It is a young team prone to inconsistencies. It is a hungry team with a hungry coach, Rick Pitino, who has presented Carlisle with challenges he never considered.
"He's got so many different ideas on how to play the game," said Carlisle. "I've got four years in the NBA, and I figured at this point I wasn't going to learn a whole lot more. But I've learned so much from being on this team.
"Not that it hasn't been without some tense moments. During the bad times, Rick can be very demanding, very impatient. In the short run, it's hard to understand, but in the long run, it's for our benefit."
To compare Pitino with K.C. Jones, Carlisle said, is impossible. "I can't think of two further opposites," he said. "Yet both are probably perfect for their situation."
What is Rick Carlisle's situation? The biggest benefit, continued life in the NBA, has made his year with the Knicks valuable.
Pitino rescued him from the Albany Patroons of the Continental Basketball Association, where he was averaging 17.3 points an outing. After pouring in a career-high 21 in his Knick debut, Carlisle has appeared in just 25 games. He is not an integral part of the master plan. In fact, his role from team to team hasn't changed much.
"I'm really happy on this team," he said. "I'm from New York State, and I was a Knicks fan way back. All I wanted to do this year was stay in the league."
The league has changed since the season started, and the team he once knew as the Boston Celtics has taken on a new look. Gone are Kite, Darren Daye, Conner Henry, Jerry Sichting. The new guys -- Dirk Minniefield, Artis Gilmore, Reggie Lewis, Brad Lohaus, Mark Acres -- glance at Rick Carlisle with mild recognition.
You can't go back, not even less than a year later, and expect it to be the same.
"I watch (the Celtics) a lot on television," Carlisle said. "One thing that hasn't changed is the emphasis. Push the ball up and go to the strength. It's been that way for decades."
For decades, the Celtics have swept aside upstart clubs like the New York Knicks without much thought. Maybe Patrick Ewing and Mark Jackson don't completely understand how it's done, but Rick Carlisle, championship ring in tow, realizes it all too well.
"I've seen the finished product," he said. "It's something you don't ever forget."
4.21.2010
1988 NBA Playoffs: Pitino Postpones Press, Celtics Cruise
4/30/1988
The warnings were repeated time and time again. Watch out for the New York press. Look out for those New York traps. Full-court pressure defense, as everyone plainly understood, was Rick Pitino's personal bogeyman, ready to spook the most comfortable of NBA dynasties on a moment's notice.
How's this for a scare? With 3:32 to play in the third quarter last night, the New York Knicks led the Boston Celtics, 74-71. And they had not pressed the home team once.
"One thing we wanted to do early in the year was to get that press ready for fatigue, back-to-back games, the surprise element," said Pitino. "But our man defense was so good in the first half, we had no reason to go to it.
"I have too much respect for the Boston coaching staff and their personnel to think they couldn't stop our press. They had too much time to prepare."
Winning without the press? At that magical 3:32 mark of the third quarter, seemingly it could be done. New York's half-court man defense was both solid and bothersome. The team was denying the ball, doubling low, picking up the cutters. The Celtics' offense looked disjointed, ragged, jumbled.
The Knicks couldn't have hoped for anything better.
But Pitino has another bogeyman following him, and this one tends to turn on his team at the worst possible moments. This demon has yet to be tamed by Patrick Ewing & Co. through a long NBA season.
When, oh when, will the guys from New York learn to shoot the ball?
Exhibit A: A 38.5 percentage from the floor in the second half.
Exhibit B: Nine consecutive misses starting right after that 3:32 mark, during which time Boston ripped off a nifty 13-1 run that sent the visitors into a nosedive.
Exhibit C: Ewing did not score a basket in the final 17:01. "Shooter" Johnny Newman was 3 for 13. Floor general Mark Jackson was little better at 4 for 11.
"I wouldn't say they shut us down," said Ewing, who finished with 16 points, "but a good team should rely on its defense to generate the offense. Tonight Boston played better defense than we did."
It has been the custom with New York to play end-to-end for much of the game, but certainly when the Knicks need to play catch-up, the press is a natural weapon. The Knicks found themselves in a precarious position in the final 3 1/2 minutes of the third and a good part of the fourth quarter. How can you press if you can't set it up? How can you set it up if you can't score?
"Scoring has been one of our weaknesses all year," said Pitino. "Even when our press has been going great, we've never been able to get it on enough times. We've had to learn to work around that."
The lesson did not go particularly well at the most critical juncture of this game. The 13-1 Boston run grew to a 17-3 run, then a 21-3 run, then a 27-5 run and, by the time some semblance of order was restored, the Celtics were up by 20 and cruising to a W in the opening game of this best-of-five playoff series.
"We were in a pretty good situation for a time," said forward Bill Cartwright. "We had our opportunities. We'd make a good defensive play, then throw it away down the other end. It's a matter of taking better care of the ball. We just have to understand what's happening out there and when to slow it down."
They are a young bunch, this New York team, and only one starter in the lot (Sidney Green) had a day of playoff experience before last night. So maybe that's it?
"That's got nothing to do with it," bristled Jackson, a rookie. "Boston has done the same thing against teams with lots of veterans on it.
"We didn't come here just to hang with them. We came out of this game knowing we can play with them, knowing we can beat them."
Winning without the press? Maybe. But it hasn't been done yet.
The warnings were repeated time and time again. Watch out for the New York press. Look out for those New York traps. Full-court pressure defense, as everyone plainly understood, was Rick Pitino's personal bogeyman, ready to spook the most comfortable of NBA dynasties on a moment's notice.
How's this for a scare? With 3:32 to play in the third quarter last night, the New York Knicks led the Boston Celtics, 74-71. And they had not pressed the home team once.
"One thing we wanted to do early in the year was to get that press ready for fatigue, back-to-back games, the surprise element," said Pitino. "But our man defense was so good in the first half, we had no reason to go to it.
"I have too much respect for the Boston coaching staff and their personnel to think they couldn't stop our press. They had too much time to prepare."
Winning without the press? At that magical 3:32 mark of the third quarter, seemingly it could be done. New York's half-court man defense was both solid and bothersome. The team was denying the ball, doubling low, picking up the cutters. The Celtics' offense looked disjointed, ragged, jumbled.
The Knicks couldn't have hoped for anything better.
But Pitino has another bogeyman following him, and this one tends to turn on his team at the worst possible moments. This demon has yet to be tamed by Patrick Ewing & Co. through a long NBA season.
When, oh when, will the guys from New York learn to shoot the ball?
Exhibit A: A 38.5 percentage from the floor in the second half.
Exhibit B: Nine consecutive misses starting right after that 3:32 mark, during which time Boston ripped off a nifty 13-1 run that sent the visitors into a nosedive.
Exhibit C: Ewing did not score a basket in the final 17:01. "Shooter" Johnny Newman was 3 for 13. Floor general Mark Jackson was little better at 4 for 11.
"I wouldn't say they shut us down," said Ewing, who finished with 16 points, "but a good team should rely on its defense to generate the offense. Tonight Boston played better defense than we did."
It has been the custom with New York to play end-to-end for much of the game, but certainly when the Knicks need to play catch-up, the press is a natural weapon. The Knicks found themselves in a precarious position in the final 3 1/2 minutes of the third and a good part of the fourth quarter. How can you press if you can't set it up? How can you set it up if you can't score?
"Scoring has been one of our weaknesses all year," said Pitino. "Even when our press has been going great, we've never been able to get it on enough times. We've had to learn to work around that."
The lesson did not go particularly well at the most critical juncture of this game. The 13-1 Boston run grew to a 17-3 run, then a 21-3 run, then a 27-5 run and, by the time some semblance of order was restored, the Celtics were up by 20 and cruising to a W in the opening game of this best-of-five playoff series.
"We were in a pretty good situation for a time," said forward Bill Cartwright. "We had our opportunities. We'd make a good defensive play, then throw it away down the other end. It's a matter of taking better care of the ball. We just have to understand what's happening out there and when to slow it down."
They are a young bunch, this New York team, and only one starter in the lot (Sidney Green) had a day of playoff experience before last night. So maybe that's it?
"That's got nothing to do with it," bristled Jackson, a rookie. "Boston has done the same thing against teams with lots of veterans on it.
"We didn't come here just to hang with them. We came out of this game knowing we can play with them, knowing we can beat them."
Winning without the press? Maybe. But it hasn't been done yet.
4.18.2010
1988 NBA Playoffs: Celtics Ready for Title Run
4/29/1988
See ya later, Sixers. No way, LA (Clippers, that is). Nets? Nyet.
The pretenders are gone. The 82-game jockeying for position is done. The playoffs are here. And what Boston fans wish to know is this: Are the Celtics an emotional stock worth buying into?
"I may be wrong," says Larry Bird, "but from what I've seen of practice this week, the guys will come to play. That's what makes it enjoyable for me, when everybody comes to play. It seems to me everybody thinks we can win the championship. I think it will be very hard to take it away from us this year."
The quest for championship No. 17 begins tonight (8, SportsChannel) at Boston Garden against the New York Knicks, a 38-44 team which finished (24-16) better than it started (14-28), and which comes into the playoffs holding a large banner which says, WE'RE GONNA PRESS, AND YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
The Celtics say they will be ready for New York's menu of traps. "Practicing against a press all week will help us," says Danny Ainge. "Half the effectiveness of a press during the regular season is the element of surprise. The press is going to cause some turnovers, and it's going to give us some lay-ins. We have to make sure it hurts them more than it does us."
Bird believes that's exactly what will happen if the Celtics do what they should against the New York pressure. And what, Larry, is that?
"Keep the ball moving," he stresses. "Make short, crisp passes. Don't throw long passes and don't try to dribble through it. Make short, crisp passes and we should be all right."
Both sides have avoided bulletin board quotes. The Knicks have paid proper homage to the defending Eastern Conference champions all week, while the most inflammatory thing the Celtics are saying is that because they are healthier and deeper than they were a year ago, they happen to like their chances of full playoff success.
You're not going to get any insults out of K.C. Jones, for example. "They're a dangerous playoff opponent," the coach says. "Any team you'd play during this first round would have been dangerous. There are no weak sisters out there. Washington would have been tough. Indiana. It doesn't matter."
Aside from the press, the two individual matters occupying most of Boston's thoughts are Patrick Ewing and Mark Jackson. The former was an offensive marauder in the final six weeks of the season, while the latter continued to stockpile rave reviews as the most clever rookie point guard since Magic Johnson nine years ago. The Knicks are not a good pure shooting team. They like to get it inside to Ewing and Bill Cartwright (look for a lot of Twin Towers effect), and they always want the ball to start off in Jackson's hands. Eliminating Jackson's penetration will be an integral element of Boston's defensive game plan.
Controlling Ewing will be Part 2. "They seem to be going to him all the time," points out Bird. "He can expect to see double- and triple-teaming every time he gets it low."
The Celtics have adopted the attitude that they, not the opponents, will control their destiny. "We are reasonably healthy," says K.C. "We're definitely much better off injurywise. The other thing is that we've got more bench strength with (Jim) Paxson, (Dirk) Minniefield, (Mark) Acres and (Artis) Gilmore. They can all give us meaningful minutes."
Compared to a year ago, the picture is far brighter. Bird says his sprained left ankle is fine. "I haven't played for a week, and I might be a little rusty," he says, "but if I am, that won't last long." Dennis Johnson (right shoulder), Robert Parish (right knee) and Kevin McHale (left knee) all practiced hard and reasonably well this week. Not only aren't there any major injuries, there is no sign of fatigue.
There really is no reason for the Celtics to be tired. The number of big-minute games for the veterans dropped drastically in the second half of the season. The advent of Paxson helped cut down the playing time of Johnson and Ainge. Parish's playing time was reduced to 31 minutes a game, thanks to Acres and Gilmore. McHale went 40 minutes or more just 10 times after March 1. Bird, of course, never wants to come out. "I feel great," he says. "I've been off for a week."
If yesterday's argument-filled scrimmage is any guide, they're tired of looking at each other. So bring on New York. Bring on the press. Bring on the Lakers, if you want. The Celtics are ready to play some serious basketball.
See ya later, Sixers. No way, LA (Clippers, that is). Nets? Nyet.
The pretenders are gone. The 82-game jockeying for position is done. The playoffs are here. And what Boston fans wish to know is this: Are the Celtics an emotional stock worth buying into?
"I may be wrong," says Larry Bird, "but from what I've seen of practice this week, the guys will come to play. That's what makes it enjoyable for me, when everybody comes to play. It seems to me everybody thinks we can win the championship. I think it will be very hard to take it away from us this year."
The quest for championship No. 17 begins tonight (8, SportsChannel) at Boston Garden against the New York Knicks, a 38-44 team which finished (24-16) better than it started (14-28), and which comes into the playoffs holding a large banner which says, WE'RE GONNA PRESS, AND YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
The Celtics say they will be ready for New York's menu of traps. "Practicing against a press all week will help us," says Danny Ainge. "Half the effectiveness of a press during the regular season is the element of surprise. The press is going to cause some turnovers, and it's going to give us some lay-ins. We have to make sure it hurts them more than it does us."
Bird believes that's exactly what will happen if the Celtics do what they should against the New York pressure. And what, Larry, is that?
"Keep the ball moving," he stresses. "Make short, crisp passes. Don't throw long passes and don't try to dribble through it. Make short, crisp passes and we should be all right."
Both sides have avoided bulletin board quotes. The Knicks have paid proper homage to the defending Eastern Conference champions all week, while the most inflammatory thing the Celtics are saying is that because they are healthier and deeper than they were a year ago, they happen to like their chances of full playoff success.
You're not going to get any insults out of K.C. Jones, for example. "They're a dangerous playoff opponent," the coach says. "Any team you'd play during this first round would have been dangerous. There are no weak sisters out there. Washington would have been tough. Indiana. It doesn't matter."
Aside from the press, the two individual matters occupying most of Boston's thoughts are Patrick Ewing and Mark Jackson. The former was an offensive marauder in the final six weeks of the season, while the latter continued to stockpile rave reviews as the most clever rookie point guard since Magic Johnson nine years ago. The Knicks are not a good pure shooting team. They like to get it inside to Ewing and Bill Cartwright (look for a lot of Twin Towers effect), and they always want the ball to start off in Jackson's hands. Eliminating Jackson's penetration will be an integral element of Boston's defensive game plan.
Controlling Ewing will be Part 2. "They seem to be going to him all the time," points out Bird. "He can expect to see double- and triple-teaming every time he gets it low."
The Celtics have adopted the attitude that they, not the opponents, will control their destiny. "We are reasonably healthy," says K.C. "We're definitely much better off injurywise. The other thing is that we've got more bench strength with (Jim) Paxson, (Dirk) Minniefield, (Mark) Acres and (Artis) Gilmore. They can all give us meaningful minutes."
Compared to a year ago, the picture is far brighter. Bird says his sprained left ankle is fine. "I haven't played for a week, and I might be a little rusty," he says, "but if I am, that won't last long." Dennis Johnson (right shoulder), Robert Parish (right knee) and Kevin McHale (left knee) all practiced hard and reasonably well this week. Not only aren't there any major injuries, there is no sign of fatigue.
There really is no reason for the Celtics to be tired. The number of big-minute games for the veterans dropped drastically in the second half of the season. The advent of Paxson helped cut down the playing time of Johnson and Ainge. Parish's playing time was reduced to 31 minutes a game, thanks to Acres and Gilmore. McHale went 40 minutes or more just 10 times after March 1. Bird, of course, never wants to come out. "I feel great," he says. "I've been off for a week."
If yesterday's argument-filled scrimmage is any guide, they're tired of looking at each other. So bring on New York. Bring on the press. Bring on the Lakers, if you want. The Celtics are ready to play some serious basketball.
1988 NBA Playoffs: Paxson Looking Forward to Playoff Debut as Celtic
4/28/1988
No offense to the Mychal Thompsons, Kelvin Ranseys, Calvin Natts, Kenny Carrs and Kiki Vandweghes he used to play with in Portland, but Jim Paxson kinda feels this may be the first real playoff team he's ever been on.
"The Lakers were always the best team in our conference," he says. "Even if we got past the first round, we never had enough firepower to beat Los Angeles. It would be over early, and then off to the golf course. Here people go to the golf course, but we're still playing."
Paxson played in nine playoff series as a Trail Blazer. Well, make it eight. He was injured in 1981, seeing action during a miniseries loss to Kansas City in just one game for four minutes. "But it was long enough to go 0 for 3," he laughs. Anyway, his teams went 2-7 in series and 13-21 in postseason games. He has never played on a team that has advanced past the second round. As much as any player on the 1988 Celtics, he is looking forward to the playoffs.
"I am very excited," he declares. "Already, I can see a difference in the feeling here. The attitude is like, 'OK, now let's really start working.' It's not that they weren't working hard before, but there is a higher expectation level here than I'm used to. Not every team knows how to work. I've been on teams in the last three or four years that didn't work hard in practice and which lost in the playoffs because they couldn't execute. All of us who are new here -- Artis (Gilmore), Dirk (Minniefield), the rookies -- can see the difference, and we're all looking forward to these playoffs."
The Celtics have no plans to contact the Better Business Bureau in Portland, because Paxson has lived up to his billing. "I'd say there's even more to him than we expected," contends assistant coach/player personnel director Jimmy Rodgers. "He's shown more defensive ability than we had thought. He can be a defensive stopper. And he's very good at post-ups. We knew he could move without the ball and shoot. But these other parts of his game have pleased us very much."
Paxson's numbers aren't dramatic. In 28 games as a Celtic, he averaged 8.7 points while shooting 49 percent from the floor. He cracked double figures 13 times, with a high of 19 points. By the Boston substitute standards of the past two seasons, Paxson is a scoring machine.
What he happens to be is a pro. "He's a starter coming off the bench," says K.C. Jones. "We'll be counting on his experience to help us in the playoffs."
Adds Rodgers, "He's an experienced player who is top-quality. He gives us a lot more confidence. Another important thing about Jim is his size (6 feet 5 inches). Playoff basketball is usually more physical, and he can add, offensively and defensively, in that aspect."
Paxson stresses that the situation he finds himself in here is the precise one he dreamed about during his final unhappy year or two in Portland. "I wanted to be with a team that was good enough to win, which could determine its own destiny. I was afraid I'd spend 2 1/2 years sitting in Portland, which would be a bad way to go out."
That, however, is no longer a worry. When the Knicks arrive tomorrow night, Jim Paxson will be wearing a white uniform with the green lettering and he'll be thinking about winning a championship, not teeing up the white ball.
No offense to the Mychal Thompsons, Kelvin Ranseys, Calvin Natts, Kenny Carrs and Kiki Vandweghes he used to play with in Portland, but Jim Paxson kinda feels this may be the first real playoff team he's ever been on.
"The Lakers were always the best team in our conference," he says. "Even if we got past the first round, we never had enough firepower to beat Los Angeles. It would be over early, and then off to the golf course. Here people go to the golf course, but we're still playing."
Paxson played in nine playoff series as a Trail Blazer. Well, make it eight. He was injured in 1981, seeing action during a miniseries loss to Kansas City in just one game for four minutes. "But it was long enough to go 0 for 3," he laughs. Anyway, his teams went 2-7 in series and 13-21 in postseason games. He has never played on a team that has advanced past the second round. As much as any player on the 1988 Celtics, he is looking forward to the playoffs.
"I am very excited," he declares. "Already, I can see a difference in the feeling here. The attitude is like, 'OK, now let's really start working.' It's not that they weren't working hard before, but there is a higher expectation level here than I'm used to. Not every team knows how to work. I've been on teams in the last three or four years that didn't work hard in practice and which lost in the playoffs because they couldn't execute. All of us who are new here -- Artis (Gilmore), Dirk (Minniefield), the rookies -- can see the difference, and we're all looking forward to these playoffs."
The Celtics have no plans to contact the Better Business Bureau in Portland, because Paxson has lived up to his billing. "I'd say there's even more to him than we expected," contends assistant coach/player personnel director Jimmy Rodgers. "He's shown more defensive ability than we had thought. He can be a defensive stopper. And he's very good at post-ups. We knew he could move without the ball and shoot. But these other parts of his game have pleased us very much."
Paxson's numbers aren't dramatic. In 28 games as a Celtic, he averaged 8.7 points while shooting 49 percent from the floor. He cracked double figures 13 times, with a high of 19 points. By the Boston substitute standards of the past two seasons, Paxson is a scoring machine.
What he happens to be is a pro. "He's a starter coming off the bench," says K.C. Jones. "We'll be counting on his experience to help us in the playoffs."
Adds Rodgers, "He's an experienced player who is top-quality. He gives us a lot more confidence. Another important thing about Jim is his size (6 feet 5 inches). Playoff basketball is usually more physical, and he can add, offensively and defensively, in that aspect."
Paxson stresses that the situation he finds himself in here is the precise one he dreamed about during his final unhappy year or two in Portland. "I wanted to be with a team that was good enough to win, which could determine its own destiny. I was afraid I'd spend 2 1/2 years sitting in Portland, which would be a bad way to go out."
That, however, is no longer a worry. When the Knicks arrive tomorrow night, Jim Paxson will be wearing a white uniform with the green lettering and he'll be thinking about winning a championship, not teeing up the white ball.
1988 NBA Playoffs: Celtics Hope to Make Short Work of Knicks
4/27/1988
It was only Tuesday, so there was no need for Artis Gilmore to pretend he was Patrick Ewing, or Reggie Lewis to make like Mark Jackson.
The Celtics don't care much for that kind of workout, anyway. While New York undoubtedly spent yesterday running wind sprints and suffering through full-court defensive slides, Boston went about the business of playing basketball. There will be no gimmicks, no special defenses when the team opens its postseason Friday against the Knicks in a best-of-five first-round series.
The Celtics will be expected to win this series handily, and the best possible way to go about that is to play their brand of team basketball and prevent New York from building momentum toward a lengthy battle.
"New York's intensity is going to be at the highest level in the world," said coach K.C. Jones. "They are coming in enthusiastic with nothing to lose. They'll be scrambling for loose balls and taking it to us. We have to match that from the start."
In other words, nip those Christmas-in-April miracles in the bud. Shut the door early and leave the welcome mat in the closet.
"The Knicks can look as good as any team in the league on a particular day, and then they can look really bad," said Danny Ainge. "That's why they finished where they did. They've played some great games against us this year where they got confidence as the game went along. That's what we've got to stop them from doing."
Last Nov. 18, New York trooped into Boston Garden figuring to have little chance of marching out with a W. Then the Celtics stumbled through a freakish second quarter without scoring a field goal, and suddenly the Knicks saw a chance to win the game. Boston prevailed in double overtime (111-109), but the visitors had proved to themselves they could play with the Celtics, and stole a 106-98 win less than two months later (Jan. 9) at Madison Square Garden. Although the guys in green captured the final meeting of the regular season March 26, the Knicks nearly pulled one out in Hartford (they lost, 95-93).
"There's nothing like confidence," said Robert Parish, "and they have gotten a taste of it by winning consistently."
Winning does not come easily for a team without many true scorers. Thus, defense has become its trademark, i.e. a bothersome trapping defense, not unlike what coach Rick Pitino implemented at Providence College.
The difference, of course, is players of NBA caliber are more adept at exposing the weaknesses.
"Their style is definitely unique," said Ainge. "They take a lot of gambles, lots of risks. We have to be patient. If they go to the trap, we should be able to destroy that trap.
"What they want to do in that situation is rush the shot, or take the first one that's available. We have to take our time and move the ball."
"I think the key is to come out and pressure them," said Larry Bird. "They turn the ball over, too."
Indeed, mistakes tend to hurt the experienced team less than the younger guys, who haven't made as many -- or recovered from as many.
"This team more than any other I've been on knows naturally how to relax," said Gilmore, whose playoff experience has been with San Antonio and Chicago. "They know what it takes to be on top of their game. Some teams say they are ready to play, but you can't just say it, you've got to do what it takes.
"New York is a young, talented team that is very capable of winning. But hopefully during the course of the game, they will make mistakes and we'll capitalize on them. That's the difference between an experienced team and a young team."
It was only Tuesday, so there was no need for Artis Gilmore to pretend he was Patrick Ewing, or Reggie Lewis to make like Mark Jackson.
The Celtics don't care much for that kind of workout, anyway. While New York undoubtedly spent yesterday running wind sprints and suffering through full-court defensive slides, Boston went about the business of playing basketball. There will be no gimmicks, no special defenses when the team opens its postseason Friday against the Knicks in a best-of-five first-round series.
The Celtics will be expected to win this series handily, and the best possible way to go about that is to play their brand of team basketball and prevent New York from building momentum toward a lengthy battle.
"New York's intensity is going to be at the highest level in the world," said coach K.C. Jones. "They are coming in enthusiastic with nothing to lose. They'll be scrambling for loose balls and taking it to us. We have to match that from the start."
In other words, nip those Christmas-in-April miracles in the bud. Shut the door early and leave the welcome mat in the closet.
"The Knicks can look as good as any team in the league on a particular day, and then they can look really bad," said Danny Ainge. "That's why they finished where they did. They've played some great games against us this year where they got confidence as the game went along. That's what we've got to stop them from doing."
Last Nov. 18, New York trooped into Boston Garden figuring to have little chance of marching out with a W. Then the Celtics stumbled through a freakish second quarter without scoring a field goal, and suddenly the Knicks saw a chance to win the game. Boston prevailed in double overtime (111-109), but the visitors had proved to themselves they could play with the Celtics, and stole a 106-98 win less than two months later (Jan. 9) at Madison Square Garden. Although the guys in green captured the final meeting of the regular season March 26, the Knicks nearly pulled one out in Hartford (they lost, 95-93).
"There's nothing like confidence," said Robert Parish, "and they have gotten a taste of it by winning consistently."
Winning does not come easily for a team without many true scorers. Thus, defense has become its trademark, i.e. a bothersome trapping defense, not unlike what coach Rick Pitino implemented at Providence College.
The difference, of course, is players of NBA caliber are more adept at exposing the weaknesses.
"Their style is definitely unique," said Ainge. "They take a lot of gambles, lots of risks. We have to be patient. If they go to the trap, we should be able to destroy that trap.
"What they want to do in that situation is rush the shot, or take the first one that's available. We have to take our time and move the ball."
"I think the key is to come out and pressure them," said Larry Bird. "They turn the ball over, too."
Indeed, mistakes tend to hurt the experienced team less than the younger guys, who haven't made as many -- or recovered from as many.
"This team more than any other I've been on knows naturally how to relax," said Gilmore, whose playoff experience has been with San Antonio and Chicago. "They know what it takes to be on top of their game. Some teams say they are ready to play, but you can't just say it, you've got to do what it takes.
"New York is a young, talented team that is very capable of winning. But hopefully during the course of the game, they will make mistakes and we'll capitalize on them. That's the difference between an experienced team and a young team."
1988 NBA Playoffs: Celtics Expect to Play Through Pain
4/26/1988
Kevin McHale lounged in Ted Williams style, wrapped in a towel cut just below the hip. Larry Bird, all business, made a beeline for the exercise bike. Dennis Johnson entered bellowing out a particularly impressive version of "Ramblin' Man." The Chief, as always, slipped in quietly.
It's playoff time for the Celtics; that much could be discerned from the energy level at Hellenic College yesterday. Yet the activity did not mean the heel/ankle/shoulder/knee injuries have magically disappeared with the coming of postseason. It simply means the Celtics have a reason to play through pain again.
This pain should be easier to handle than last season, when McHale and Parish seemed certain to keel over at any moment. Trainer Ed Lacerte assured yesterday that while the injuries are nagging, "none should interfere with their quality of play."
Bird, who sprained his left ankle at Boston Garden against Chicago last Thursday and missed the final road trip of the season, was favoring his swollen foot, but ran through every drill.
"I didn't do too much damage to it, " he said, "but I'll need a couple more days before I can do the things I really want on it."
The New York Knicks come to town Friday, so Boston has until then to cure all ills. The Celtics were hoping for some extra healing time this past weekend, but the league forced Johnson (shoulder) and Parish (knee) to make the trip.
"It didn't do my knee any good," said Parish.
"It wasn't right," said Bird. "We worked so hard to get into the position to earn that rest. It's pretty sad on the league's part. It's not our fault they televised our last two games.
"In order for us to win a championship, we have to do what we feel is right. To do that, we need to be rested and get healthy. The league can do whatever it wants, but the players make up the league.
"It's time the Players Association regrouped and started stopping some of this. I can understand they want us to play, but when you have a guy like DJ saying he's hurt, a guy who plays so hard and has been around the league so long . . ."
Boston is banking on the experience of Johnson and others to KO the Knicks quickly. Rick Pitino's Traveling Salvation Show has been on a roll of late behind two youngsters, rookie point guard Mark Jackson and center Patrick Ewing.
"The Knicks are a very intense ballclub," said Parish. "The one key with them is they never give up. They are very physical, very scrappy."
"They put out a lot of effort," said Bird. "They put pressure on the ball and make you do things you don't want to do. I think the key is to come out and pressure them. They turn the ball over, too."
Danny Ainge, who racked up a healthy chunk of minutes over the weekend while his injured counterparts rested, got his day off yesterday. Ainge was in attendance, but spent most of practice on the sidelines . . . Bird on a playoff roster that does not include Bill Walton: "Bill has been gone so long it's almost like he's not part of it anymore. You see M.L. Carr at the games and he was around for so many years you feel like he's still part of the team, but Bill was just there that one year. It's not that we don't want him to be part of it. One of my greatest feelings as a player was to be alongside him in a game. But Bill has been gone too long now."
Kevin McHale lounged in Ted Williams style, wrapped in a towel cut just below the hip. Larry Bird, all business, made a beeline for the exercise bike. Dennis Johnson entered bellowing out a particularly impressive version of "Ramblin' Man." The Chief, as always, slipped in quietly.
It's playoff time for the Celtics; that much could be discerned from the energy level at Hellenic College yesterday. Yet the activity did not mean the heel/ankle/shoulder/knee injuries have magically disappeared with the coming of postseason. It simply means the Celtics have a reason to play through pain again.
This pain should be easier to handle than last season, when McHale and Parish seemed certain to keel over at any moment. Trainer Ed Lacerte assured yesterday that while the injuries are nagging, "none should interfere with their quality of play."
Bird, who sprained his left ankle at Boston Garden against Chicago last Thursday and missed the final road trip of the season, was favoring his swollen foot, but ran through every drill.
"I didn't do too much damage to it, " he said, "but I'll need a couple more days before I can do the things I really want on it."
The New York Knicks come to town Friday, so Boston has until then to cure all ills. The Celtics were hoping for some extra healing time this past weekend, but the league forced Johnson (shoulder) and Parish (knee) to make the trip.
"It didn't do my knee any good," said Parish.
"It wasn't right," said Bird. "We worked so hard to get into the position to earn that rest. It's pretty sad on the league's part. It's not our fault they televised our last two games.
"In order for us to win a championship, we have to do what we feel is right. To do that, we need to be rested and get healthy. The league can do whatever it wants, but the players make up the league.
"It's time the Players Association regrouped and started stopping some of this. I can understand they want us to play, but when you have a guy like DJ saying he's hurt, a guy who plays so hard and has been around the league so long . . ."
Boston is banking on the experience of Johnson and others to KO the Knicks quickly. Rick Pitino's Traveling Salvation Show has been on a roll of late behind two youngsters, rookie point guard Mark Jackson and center Patrick Ewing.
"The Knicks are a very intense ballclub," said Parish. "The one key with them is they never give up. They are very physical, very scrappy."
"They put out a lot of effort," said Bird. "They put pressure on the ball and make you do things you don't want to do. I think the key is to come out and pressure them. They turn the ball over, too."
Danny Ainge, who racked up a healthy chunk of minutes over the weekend while his injured counterparts rested, got his day off yesterday. Ainge was in attendance, but spent most of practice on the sidelines . . . Bird on a playoff roster that does not include Bill Walton: "Bill has been gone so long it's almost like he's not part of it anymore. You see M.L. Carr at the games and he was around for so many years you feel like he's still part of the team, but Bill was just there that one year. It's not that we don't want him to be part of it. One of my greatest feelings as a player was to be alongside him in a game. But Bill has been gone too long now."
1988 NBA Playoffs: Is Home Court Advantage a Big Deal?
4/21/1988
The Celtics are once again the Eastern Conference champs. "So what?" you ask. Is that a big deal in this town?
"Very much so," says proud K.C. Jones, who contends that this is his most satisfying regular-season coaching achievement.
Think back to the start of the season. No Kevin McHale. An old team. Rising powers in Detroit, Atlanta and Chicago. Lots of publicity concerning a revived Central Division. Three rookies on the club. In K.C.'s eyes, this was hardly the recipe for a first-place season.
"I didn't expect us to do it this year," Jones says. "But we got great efforts early in the season from Darren (Daye) and Fred (Roberts) and from the rest of the starters. I think back to certain games. The overtime win against New York. The game in Hartford when we were up by 20 on Chicago without Kevin and finally lost. I wasn't sure how good we'd be."
Once again, they were good enough to claim the home-court advantage for all conference playoff series in which they participate. But that's not enough for McHale, whose 33 points helped bury the Pistons Tuesday night and ensured the title.
"Having the home court is nice," he says, "but I can't believe we won't have to win a road game in the East somewhere. We could lose one at home. Anyway, in order to be a true champion, you have to be able to beat a team in its place."
The Celtics have three games remaining in the regular season, and, while they have nothing at stake, they could play a pivotal role in determining their second-round playoff foe (assuming they don't blow the first-round series, of course). They play Chicago at home tonight (7:30, SportsChannel), in Atlanta tomorrow and in Chicago Sunday afternoon. Chicago and Atlanta are locked in a battle for the third and fourth spots in the East. No. 3 will play No. 6 (Cleveland or slumping Milwaukee) and would then play the winner of No. 2 (Detroit) vs. No. 7 (whoever). No. 4 will play No. 5 (Cleveland or Milwaukee) and then play the winner of No. 1 (Boston) vs. No. 8 (whoever).
Boston can help determine that 3-4 placement. Moreover, the Celtics would like to establish a little turf superiority with the Bulls, against whom they are 2-2, and the Hawks, against whom they are 4-1.
"I'd like to see us stay sharp and improve," Jones says. "I'm interested in how consistently well we play. We don't want to let down. We'd like to send Chicago and Atlanta a message."
K.C. called off practice yesterday . . . Michael Jordan arrives in the aftermath of his 17th over-40 game of the season, a 47-point performance against New York Tuesday night. He leads the NBA in scoring, while teammate Charles Oakley clings to his slim rebounding lead.
The Celtics are once again the Eastern Conference champs. "So what?" you ask. Is that a big deal in this town?
"Very much so," says proud K.C. Jones, who contends that this is his most satisfying regular-season coaching achievement.
Think back to the start of the season. No Kevin McHale. An old team. Rising powers in Detroit, Atlanta and Chicago. Lots of publicity concerning a revived Central Division. Three rookies on the club. In K.C.'s eyes, this was hardly the recipe for a first-place season.
"I didn't expect us to do it this year," Jones says. "But we got great efforts early in the season from Darren (Daye) and Fred (Roberts) and from the rest of the starters. I think back to certain games. The overtime win against New York. The game in Hartford when we were up by 20 on Chicago without Kevin and finally lost. I wasn't sure how good we'd be."
Once again, they were good enough to claim the home-court advantage for all conference playoff series in which they participate. But that's not enough for McHale, whose 33 points helped bury the Pistons Tuesday night and ensured the title.
"Having the home court is nice," he says, "but I can't believe we won't have to win a road game in the East somewhere. We could lose one at home. Anyway, in order to be a true champion, you have to be able to beat a team in its place."
The Celtics have three games remaining in the regular season, and, while they have nothing at stake, they could play a pivotal role in determining their second-round playoff foe (assuming they don't blow the first-round series, of course). They play Chicago at home tonight (7:30, SportsChannel), in Atlanta tomorrow and in Chicago Sunday afternoon. Chicago and Atlanta are locked in a battle for the third and fourth spots in the East. No. 3 will play No. 6 (Cleveland or slumping Milwaukee) and would then play the winner of No. 2 (Detroit) vs. No. 7 (whoever). No. 4 will play No. 5 (Cleveland or Milwaukee) and then play the winner of No. 1 (Boston) vs. No. 8 (whoever).
Boston can help determine that 3-4 placement. Moreover, the Celtics would like to establish a little turf superiority with the Bulls, against whom they are 2-2, and the Hawks, against whom they are 4-1.
"I'd like to see us stay sharp and improve," Jones says. "I'm interested in how consistently well we play. We don't want to let down. We'd like to send Chicago and Atlanta a message."
K.C. called off practice yesterday . . . Michael Jordan arrives in the aftermath of his 17th over-40 game of the season, a 47-point performance against New York Tuesday night. He leads the NBA in scoring, while teammate Charles Oakley clings to his slim rebounding lead.
1988 NBA Playoffs: Walton's Return Deemed Iffy at Best
4/21/1988
If you're waiting for Bill Walton to return, don't, as they say, hold your breath.
According to team physician Arnold Scheller, time is running out on the Walton comeback bid. Big Bill last scrimmaged with the Celtics two weeks ago today. He experienced pain in his left foot and has restricted himself to therapy ever since.
"Bill challenged his foot two weeks ago," Scheller said. "He did well in those practices, but he had a flare-up of pain in the foot. We started him on some anti-inflammatories, and he showed improvement. But the major thing has been the joint mobilization he's undergone with (trainer) Ed (Lacerte) and (orthopedic physical therapist) Dan Dyrek. Now he's on a plateau, and it's not a situation where you want to push it. It's hard for Bill because he's dealing with peer pressure, management pressure and the competitive pressure he's put on himself."
Scheller emphasized that the holding pattern in no way implies that the surgery performed on Walton's left foot wasn't successful, in medical terms. "The best way to describe what was done," said Scheller, "is to say that his foot was taken apart and put back together. We ran tests to verify that the bone is healing. The problem here is tenderness in the soft tissue surrounding it."
The doctor believes Walton's foot will enable him to perform successfully in the 1988-89 season. "But as far as this season is concerned," Scheller concluded, "we're cutting it as close as we can."
It is not inconceivable that Walton's name will be placed on the active player list for the playoffs. The Celtics have until midnight Sunday to make the final decision.
If you're waiting for Bill Walton to return, don't, as they say, hold your breath.
According to team physician Arnold Scheller, time is running out on the Walton comeback bid. Big Bill last scrimmaged with the Celtics two weeks ago today. He experienced pain in his left foot and has restricted himself to therapy ever since.
"Bill challenged his foot two weeks ago," Scheller said. "He did well in those practices, but he had a flare-up of pain in the foot. We started him on some anti-inflammatories, and he showed improvement. But the major thing has been the joint mobilization he's undergone with (trainer) Ed (Lacerte) and (orthopedic physical therapist) Dan Dyrek. Now he's on a plateau, and it's not a situation where you want to push it. It's hard for Bill because he's dealing with peer pressure, management pressure and the competitive pressure he's put on himself."
Scheller emphasized that the holding pattern in no way implies that the surgery performed on Walton's left foot wasn't successful, in medical terms. "The best way to describe what was done," said Scheller, "is to say that his foot was taken apart and put back together. We ran tests to verify that the bone is healing. The problem here is tenderness in the soft tissue surrounding it."
The doctor believes Walton's foot will enable him to perform successfully in the 1988-89 season. "But as far as this season is concerned," Scheller concluded, "we're cutting it as close as we can."
It is not inconceivable that Walton's name will be placed on the active player list for the playoffs. The Celtics have until midnight Sunday to make the final decision.
1988 NBA Playoffs: Celtics Clinch East with Win Over Pistons
4/21/1988
We've all caught this kind of Celtics rise-to-the-occasion act before. What was this, their 1043d certified Big Game played here in the last 30 years?
But what was it with the Other Guys? Did Detroit think this was an exhibition in Saginaw? Or were these the Stepford Pistons in their place?
Whatever, it was hello, Eastern Conference championship, as the Celtics spotted Detroit the first 4 points and then simply whaled the, er, stuff out of the hated Silverdomians, beating them by a far worse margin than the laughably fraudulent 121-110 final score would suggest last night at Boston Garden.
The Boston Panzer Division front line of Kevin McHale (33 points, 7 assists), Robert Parish (25 points, game-high 12 rebounds) and the quietly supportive Larry Bird (22 points, 9 assists) obliterated its Detroit counterparts. McHale (13 for 15) and Parish (10 for 15) set up "Do Not Disturb" signs on the boxes early in the first period, and the obliging Pistons, who eschewed double teaming inside until the game was beyond retrieval, never bothered anyone.
"Flat" does not begin to describe the comatose condition of the Pistons, who played like so many Clippers and Nets, twice falling behind by 26 (83-57, 85-59) in the third period before showing any fighting spirit whatsoever. The Pistons were said to be secretly satisfied merely to have won the Central Division title. Whatever the cause of their languid effort, the dreary score goes up another notch: Detroit has lost 21 straight here.
Of course, the Celtics were (pick one) spellbinding, magnificent, glittering, stupendous or perhaps just plain triple excellent. They were also lucky. They got every fortuitous bounce, every long rebound and, of course, every necessary call, as most home teams do.
They shot 62 percent from the floor in the first half and 66 percent in the second. Much of this had to do with the fact that Boston was regularly shooting from 8 feet and in, and Detroit couldn't do anything about it.
"Our front line had 80 points," said McHale. "It's tough to beat that. It's disheartening for them. We're taking 3-foot jumpers and they're shooting from 15 and 18 feet."
The dominance was established early. Detroit scored the first two baskets, but a follow-up hoop by McHale and a fast break basket by Jim Paxson tied it, and any semblance of Detroit momentum was gone. Chuck Daly picked this night to experiment with a new defensive scheme, one which abandoned the routine double teams down low and altered defensive assignments. McHale, normally guarded by Rick Mahorn, instead found himself checked by Bill Laimbeer. By the period's end, it was evident this was a bad all-around idea. Laimbeer wasn't mobile enough to bother McHale, while the courageous Mahorn, who should be in the Mayo Clinic, or somewhere, having his back checked out (disc problem) instead of making a heroic struggle to play professional basketball, was helpless against Parish. Each Boston big person had 10 points by the period's end, and the team had a 31-24 lead. Then Bird heated up, and by the midway point of the second quarter, it was 45-31, Celtics. Detroit was going nowhere until Vinnie Johnson popped in 8 quickies to get it down to 7 at 48-41.
Here Dirk Minniefield made a play which clearly altered game momentum. He ambled from right to left and then fed Parish with a great shovel pass for a dunk. That collaboration buoyed the team and ignited the crowd, and with 16 seconds left, a pair of Bird free throws had the lead back to 16 (61-45).
Danny Ainge opened the second half with a two and a three, and with that, Detroit was never allowed to think it was in the game. With Bird acting as a feeder ("If Robert and Kevin are open like that, I'll keep getting them the ball"), the Celtics kept moving the ball inside-out and outside-in at will. It was 87-66 and 7:48 into the period before Larry even took a shot and 9:48 into the quarter before he made one (94-72).
Detroit had crept within 16 (95-79) on James Edwards' second buzzer-beater of the game by the period's end, but the Celtics went back to work in the fourth quarter, shooting 10 for 15 and toying with the visitors until the final three minutes.
The Celtics had treated their fans well. No anxiety. No suspense. Just a marvelous display of two-way basketball against a team which currently arouses their deepest negative passion.
"It was satisfying," said Bird. "That's the type of game we like to play against a playoff opponent. With the feelings we have about Detroit, it makes it all the better, to do it here."
Fanwise, yes. What the Celtics would really like, however, is someday to once again do it there.
We've all caught this kind of Celtics rise-to-the-occasion act before. What was this, their 1043d certified Big Game played here in the last 30 years?
But what was it with the Other Guys? Did Detroit think this was an exhibition in Saginaw? Or were these the Stepford Pistons in their place?
Whatever, it was hello, Eastern Conference championship, as the Celtics spotted Detroit the first 4 points and then simply whaled the, er, stuff out of the hated Silverdomians, beating them by a far worse margin than the laughably fraudulent 121-110 final score would suggest last night at Boston Garden.
The Boston Panzer Division front line of Kevin McHale (33 points, 7 assists), Robert Parish (25 points, game-high 12 rebounds) and the quietly supportive Larry Bird (22 points, 9 assists) obliterated its Detroit counterparts. McHale (13 for 15) and Parish (10 for 15) set up "Do Not Disturb" signs on the boxes early in the first period, and the obliging Pistons, who eschewed double teaming inside until the game was beyond retrieval, never bothered anyone.
"Flat" does not begin to describe the comatose condition of the Pistons, who played like so many Clippers and Nets, twice falling behind by 26 (83-57, 85-59) in the third period before showing any fighting spirit whatsoever. The Pistons were said to be secretly satisfied merely to have won the Central Division title. Whatever the cause of their languid effort, the dreary score goes up another notch: Detroit has lost 21 straight here.
Of course, the Celtics were (pick one) spellbinding, magnificent, glittering, stupendous or perhaps just plain triple excellent. They were also lucky. They got every fortuitous bounce, every long rebound and, of course, every necessary call, as most home teams do.
They shot 62 percent from the floor in the first half and 66 percent in the second. Much of this had to do with the fact that Boston was regularly shooting from 8 feet and in, and Detroit couldn't do anything about it.
"Our front line had 80 points," said McHale. "It's tough to beat that. It's disheartening for them. We're taking 3-foot jumpers and they're shooting from 15 and 18 feet."
The dominance was established early. Detroit scored the first two baskets, but a follow-up hoop by McHale and a fast break basket by Jim Paxson tied it, and any semblance of Detroit momentum was gone. Chuck Daly picked this night to experiment with a new defensive scheme, one which abandoned the routine double teams down low and altered defensive assignments. McHale, normally guarded by Rick Mahorn, instead found himself checked by Bill Laimbeer. By the period's end, it was evident this was a bad all-around idea. Laimbeer wasn't mobile enough to bother McHale, while the courageous Mahorn, who should be in the Mayo Clinic, or somewhere, having his back checked out (disc problem) instead of making a heroic struggle to play professional basketball, was helpless against Parish. Each Boston big person had 10 points by the period's end, and the team had a 31-24 lead. Then Bird heated up, and by the midway point of the second quarter, it was 45-31, Celtics. Detroit was going nowhere until Vinnie Johnson popped in 8 quickies to get it down to 7 at 48-41.
Here Dirk Minniefield made a play which clearly altered game momentum. He ambled from right to left and then fed Parish with a great shovel pass for a dunk. That collaboration buoyed the team and ignited the crowd, and with 16 seconds left, a pair of Bird free throws had the lead back to 16 (61-45).
Danny Ainge opened the second half with a two and a three, and with that, Detroit was never allowed to think it was in the game. With Bird acting as a feeder ("If Robert and Kevin are open like that, I'll keep getting them the ball"), the Celtics kept moving the ball inside-out and outside-in at will. It was 87-66 and 7:48 into the period before Larry even took a shot and 9:48 into the quarter before he made one (94-72).
Detroit had crept within 16 (95-79) on James Edwards' second buzzer-beater of the game by the period's end, but the Celtics went back to work in the fourth quarter, shooting 10 for 15 and toying with the visitors until the final three minutes.
The Celtics had treated their fans well. No anxiety. No suspense. Just a marvelous display of two-way basketball against a team which currently arouses their deepest negative passion.
"It was satisfying," said Bird. "That's the type of game we like to play against a playoff opponent. With the feelings we have about Detroit, it makes it all the better, to do it here."
Fanwise, yes. What the Celtics would really like, however, is someday to once again do it there.
1988 NBA Playoffs: Celtics Stumble on Way to Playoffs
4/19/1988
If it were a movie, it would have been "Lost Weekend." But the villain wasn't alcohol, it was complacency.
The results were a 120-109 loss to the Cavaliers Friday night and a 98-92 setback at the hands of the Bullets Sunday afternoon.
With four regular-season games remaining and those back-to-back losses hanging over the Celtics' heads, coach K.C. Jones looks reality square in the eye and tells it like it is.
"We're not ready for the playoffs," said Jones. And if anyone should know about playoffs, it is Jones, who is venturing into the NBA's second season for the eighth time in his coaching career after having appeared in nine postseasons as a player.
Jones ran his troops through a two-hour drill at Hellenic College yesterday morning, concentrating on the half-court game at both ends.
"All I am concentrating on right now is Detroit," said Jones. "We gotta win. They are going to come out at us like Cleveland and Washington did."
If the Celtics lose to the Pistons tonight at the Garden (SportsChannel, 7:35), it would mark only the fourth three-game losing streak for Boston in the Larry Bird Era.
"The Pistons will be coming into town loose and relaxed," said Jones, whose team will finish off the regular season against heavyweights. After the Pistons, Michael Jordan and the Bulls invade the Garden Thursday night for the home finale, then the Celtics finish up on the road at Atlanta Friday night and in Chicago Sunday afternoon.
"I prefer to finish off the season against tough teams," said Jones. "Detroit, Atlanta and Chicago are all playoff teams." He said the Celtics will not deviate from their regular game plan or rest any starters in preparation for the playoffs.
The Celtics can wrap up the best record in the Eastern Conference tonight with a victory, which would give them the home-court advantage throughout the conference playoffs.
Dennis Johnson, who missed the last two games because of a sore right shoulder, is expected to be in the starting lineup tonight.
As for the Bill Walton Watch . . . The three-time All-American from UCLA worked out with weights yesterday at Hellenic, but did not participate in the scrimmage game. It is not likely that he will be activated for the playoffs.
Jones, who said he hadn't counted on Walton's return, isn't overly concerned about the weekend letdown.
"It's natural to have a letdown," he said. "We were prepared for the Cleveland game, but we weren't for Washington. We came out and played ragged. Since I've been in the league, I've tried to guard against the letdowns. You just have got to come out and play with intensity."
Losing leads has been ailing the Celtics. "That's happened to us too often this season," said Jones. "Maybe something good will come out of it."
It had better. If they don't find the intensity, there could be a long summer and a multitude of "Are the Celtics Dead?" stories ahead.
If it were a movie, it would have been "Lost Weekend." But the villain wasn't alcohol, it was complacency.
The results were a 120-109 loss to the Cavaliers Friday night and a 98-92 setback at the hands of the Bullets Sunday afternoon.
With four regular-season games remaining and those back-to-back losses hanging over the Celtics' heads, coach K.C. Jones looks reality square in the eye and tells it like it is.
"We're not ready for the playoffs," said Jones. And if anyone should know about playoffs, it is Jones, who is venturing into the NBA's second season for the eighth time in his coaching career after having appeared in nine postseasons as a player.
Jones ran his troops through a two-hour drill at Hellenic College yesterday morning, concentrating on the half-court game at both ends.
"All I am concentrating on right now is Detroit," said Jones. "We gotta win. They are going to come out at us like Cleveland and Washington did."
If the Celtics lose to the Pistons tonight at the Garden (SportsChannel, 7:35), it would mark only the fourth three-game losing streak for Boston in the Larry Bird Era.
"The Pistons will be coming into town loose and relaxed," said Jones, whose team will finish off the regular season against heavyweights. After the Pistons, Michael Jordan and the Bulls invade the Garden Thursday night for the home finale, then the Celtics finish up on the road at Atlanta Friday night and in Chicago Sunday afternoon.
"I prefer to finish off the season against tough teams," said Jones. "Detroit, Atlanta and Chicago are all playoff teams." He said the Celtics will not deviate from their regular game plan or rest any starters in preparation for the playoffs.
The Celtics can wrap up the best record in the Eastern Conference tonight with a victory, which would give them the home-court advantage throughout the conference playoffs.
Dennis Johnson, who missed the last two games because of a sore right shoulder, is expected to be in the starting lineup tonight.
As for the Bill Walton Watch . . . The three-time All-American from UCLA worked out with weights yesterday at Hellenic, but did not participate in the scrimmage game. It is not likely that he will be activated for the playoffs.
Jones, who said he hadn't counted on Walton's return, isn't overly concerned about the weekend letdown.
"It's natural to have a letdown," he said. "We were prepared for the Cleveland game, but we weren't for Washington. We came out and played ragged. Since I've been in the league, I've tried to guard against the letdowns. You just have got to come out and play with intensity."
Losing leads has been ailing the Celtics. "That's happened to us too often this season," said Jones. "Maybe something good will come out of it."
It had better. If they don't find the intensity, there could be a long summer and a multitude of "Are the Celtics Dead?" stories ahead.
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