If you're a Knicks fan, you're happy for Mr. Robinson. It's like seeing your kid grow up and graduate college. Actually, it's more like seeing your kid grow up, graduate college, flip you off and drive away in an expensive car with another, cooler family.
--Wall Street Journal
Doc's playoff rotation has been tight . . . and successful. The starters plus Sheed, Baby, and TA. Throw in Michael Finley for a minute here and two minutes there, and call it a day. Except when you let Nate Robinson escape from the dungeon and he responds with one of those classic Celtic bench performances provided by little used scrubs at critical junctures in the post-season. In other words, it's a good bet Nate Robinson is now part of Celtics lore, especially if the Celtics win banner 18 against the purple and especially if he makes a meaningful contribution in the Finals.
But will he?
Nate has been a little Sam Cassellish to me. Don't get me wrong. I'm not Hatin' on Nate. If you've read this blog for any time, you know that I still defend Sam Cassell's end-of-season performance for the green. In his first game with the Celtics, he dropped the game-winning three on the Spurs (on the road, no less), and played pretty well at home in the first round. Cassell had his share of disappointing performances, too. And that's what makes Nate's tenure with Boston "Cassellish." He's up and down and a bit unpredictable.
This is not what you need in the NBA Finals, particularly when the Finals start on the road, where a 3-point deficit can become 18 in the blink of an eye, aided by point-guard boneheadedness. It's no secret that most players play better at home in the playoffs. Often it's a difference of night and day. It says here that Doc didn't just wait for the right playoff game to insert Nate, he waited for the right home playoff game to do so. Now with the Finals starting in LA, Doc has a bit of dilemma, made more difficult by the fact that Tony Allen, the back-up point guard Doc employed for most of the post-season, will likely be spending a few tours of duty guarding Kobe.
Who plays the point then? Nate? On the road? Did his game 6 performance in Boston constitute a moment that the Celtics' bench rides into the Finals? Or did his forgettable second-half performance in game 6 represent his return to earth from the rarefied air of quarter number 2?
I'm gonna say Doc plays Nate in the first half of game 1, but keeps him on a short leash.
What say you?
5.31.2010
Who All Will Guard Kobe?
Do we start out with Pierce on Bryant and Jesus on Artest or vice versa? I don't know, and, really, I don't care. Try it one way and then the other. See what happens. What I do care about are DKDs (Designated Kobe Defenders) 3, 4 and 5. In 2008, we only needed to go three deep. The third DKD proved to be a difference maker in Game 4, which decided the series. His name? James Posey.
Nails has moved on, and the question is, who do we have to replace him?
It says here that we've still got plenty.
Tony Allen is undersized, but physical. He'll be sure to use his fouls in pushing Kobe around. After TA comes Marquis Daniels. Thinner but longer, Squisy has a chance to prove why we signed him in the first place. Having received a free pass during the regular season because he has "good hair," he will now be counted on to use the full length of his body to frustrate #24.UPDATE: 5/31. Doc says Marquis is out indefinitely. Perhaps the whole series. Boooooooooooooo!
Finally, we have the most intriguing member of the DKDs, Michael Finley. At 6-7, Finley stands the tallest of the three. At 37, Finley may also be the wisest. Perhaps most importantly, Finley can drain the 3 ball. No Kobe playing free safety to offer help defense when he's guarding Mike.
But is Finley too old to play D?
We're not talking about lots of minutes, and we're only asking for short spurts. No one doubts that Finely is still in good shape. All he needs to do his channel his energy and his length for 5 or so minutes every game. I think he'll make a meaningful contribution on D. But he if can't, we've still got four other guys to throw at the Fakers' star.
Nails has moved on, and the question is, who do we have to replace him?
It says here that we've still got plenty.
Tony Allen is undersized, but physical. He'll be sure to use his fouls in pushing Kobe around. After TA comes Marquis Daniels. Thinner but longer, Squisy has a chance to prove why we signed him in the first place. Having received a free pass during the regular season because he has "good hair," he will now be counted on to use the full length of his body to frustrate #24.UPDATE: 5/31. Doc says Marquis is out indefinitely. Perhaps the whole series. Boooooooooooooo!
Finally, we have the most intriguing member of the DKDs, Michael Finley. At 6-7, Finley stands the tallest of the three. At 37, Finley may also be the wisest. Perhaps most importantly, Finley can drain the 3 ball. No Kobe playing free safety to offer help defense when he's guarding Mike.
But is Finley too old to play D?
We're not talking about lots of minutes, and we're only asking for short spurts. No one doubts that Finely is still in good shape. All he needs to do his channel his energy and his length for 5 or so minutes every game. I think he'll make a meaningful contribution on D. But he if can't, we've still got four other guys to throw at the Fakers' star.
Will the Desire for Revenge Decide the Outcome?
131-92 is seared into the psyche of all Lakerdom. Nor let us forget the game 4 collapse. No doubt, then, the purple will be seeking some payback. But will their desire for revenge play a role in the outcome of the Finals?
To answer that question, let's first look back at the 2008-09 regular season match-ups between the green and purple. These games were important because they were the first time the teams played since the Celtics had humiliated the Fakers the previous June. If revenge would ever decide the outcome of a basketball contest, one would think it would have been those two games.
Yet both games were up for grabs in the final minutes. One game was tied with three minutes to go. The other game went into OT. The Lakers won both games, to be sure. But you'd think if revenge were to have played a role, it would have played a bigger role than that. The Lakers wanted to win those games more. But wanting to win a game to salvage some self-respect and then winning only by a small margin is a little different than administering a beating out of revenge.
This year's Lakers team has a championship of their own. They had an up and down regular season, and didn't face much competition during the Western Conference playoffs. So will they all sit down and watch the 2008 Finals to get themselves riled up? Will it matter?
In the end, the 2010 NBA Finals will be decided much as the 2008 Finals were. Can the Lakers withstand the physical play of the Celtics big men? Can anyone guard Rondo? Will the Celtics defense be able to stop Kobe? Who will rebound, get the loose balls, and execute when it counts?
I don't see revenge helping the purple much on these fronts.
To answer that question, let's first look back at the 2008-09 regular season match-ups between the green and purple. These games were important because they were the first time the teams played since the Celtics had humiliated the Fakers the previous June. If revenge would ever decide the outcome of a basketball contest, one would think it would have been those two games.
Yet both games were up for grabs in the final minutes. One game was tied with three minutes to go. The other game went into OT. The Lakers won both games, to be sure. But you'd think if revenge were to have played a role, it would have played a bigger role than that. The Lakers wanted to win those games more. But wanting to win a game to salvage some self-respect and then winning only by a small margin is a little different than administering a beating out of revenge.
This year's Lakers team has a championship of their own. They had an up and down regular season, and didn't face much competition during the Western Conference playoffs. So will they all sit down and watch the 2008 Finals to get themselves riled up? Will it matter?
In the end, the 2010 NBA Finals will be decided much as the 2008 Finals were. Can the Lakers withstand the physical play of the Celtics big men? Can anyone guard Rondo? Will the Celtics defense be able to stop Kobe? Who will rebound, get the loose balls, and execute when it counts?
I don't see revenge helping the purple much on these fronts.
5.30.2010
Plaschke Weighs in on the Rivalry
Them again.
The ugly uniforms, the obnoxious fans, the chippy players, and that damn cigar.
Kevin McHale's arm around Kurt Rambis' neck, Cedric Maxwell's hands around his own neck, Larry Bird on the wing, Danny Ainge on the floor and Paul Pierce in that damn wheelchair.
The Memorial Day Massacre, the Heat Game, the Junior Skyhook game, the June 17 Swoon, and those damn balloons.
Love it and loathe it, the Lakers are once again going green, their 111-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns here Saturday night clinching the Western Conference championship and setting up the 12th NBA Finals meeting of the most storied championship rivalry in any sport.
It will be the Lakers against the Boston Celtics in the Finals, a phrase as common in the sports lexicon as, say, "Paul Pierce is a flopper."
If you sense any angst here, well, the Lakers have endured 51 years of it in this rivalry, losing nine of the 11 Finals, including being run out of Boston two seasons ago in possibly the most embarrassing Finals clinching in NBA history.
--BILL PLASCHKE
Good stuff.
The ugly uniforms, the obnoxious fans, the chippy players, and that damn cigar.
Kevin McHale's arm around Kurt Rambis' neck, Cedric Maxwell's hands around his own neck, Larry Bird on the wing, Danny Ainge on the floor and Paul Pierce in that damn wheelchair.
The Memorial Day Massacre, the Heat Game, the Junior Skyhook game, the June 17 Swoon, and those damn balloons.
Love it and loathe it, the Lakers are once again going green, their 111-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns here Saturday night clinching the Western Conference championship and setting up the 12th NBA Finals meeting of the most storied championship rivalry in any sport.
It will be the Lakers against the Boston Celtics in the Finals, a phrase as common in the sports lexicon as, say, "Paul Pierce is a flopper."
If you sense any angst here, well, the Lakers have endured 51 years of it in this rivalry, losing nine of the 11 Finals, including being run out of Boston two seasons ago in possibly the most embarrassing Finals clinching in NBA history.
--BILL PLASCHKE
Good stuff.
Bynum may have Knee Drained
Andrew Bynum, who didn't play in the 2008 NBA Finals because of a left knee injury, said he is seriously thinking about having his right knee drained so he can be ready for the Celtics.
Bynum has been playing with a torn cartilage in his knee since the first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He said the knee continues to have swelling.
"I'm going to think about it all day [Sunday]."
LINK
Bynum has been playing with a torn cartilage in his knee since the first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He said the knee continues to have swelling.
"I'm going to think about it all day [Sunday]."
LINK
Magic Johnson: It's Really Getting Hard Not to Love this Guy
I might not ever post again.
This about says it all.
Nostradamus Picks the Celtics
I say they win the championship. This is the last roundup for these guys. The three-year window of the Big Three is about to close. It’s highly unlikely that they’ll all still be here, healthy, in any future season.
--Dan Shaughnessy
You remember, Mr. Shaughnessy, right?Pretty impressive.
Florida Celts Fan also stuck by this team through their 27-27 finish to the regular season.
But we'll talk more about her and the 1969 Boston Celtics later, after we hoist banner 18 in a couple of weeks.
--Dan Shaughnessy
You remember, Mr. Shaughnessy, right?
Boston Globe, March 16:
“Everybody around here is simply too negative. Not me. I still believe. I don’t care if the Celtics are 2-9 against the Cavaliers, Magic, and Hawks. Seeing them lose at home to the New Jersey Nets doesn’t discourage me. Getting whupped by the Grizz by 20 at the Garden is OK. Sometimes you’ve just got to see the glass as half-full. This is one of those times . . . Count me in. Put me on the Big Green Bus. I believe.’’
Boston Globe, April 15:
“This group was ready for the playoffs on Oct. 27. The regular season was little more than a nuisance and they made sure we all knew it. The Celtics went through the motions for 82 games with one goal in mind: Be healthy in the playoffs . . . it’s all OK. As long as they peak in the playoffs . . . Going through the motions through the holidays was just fine with me. I just wanted to see Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen still running the floor in April. So here we are. And they’re all healthy . . . They’ll beat Cleveland . . . I’m taking the Celtics over the Heat, then again over the mighty Cavaliers.’’
Florida Celts Fan also stuck by this team through their 27-27 finish to the regular season.
But we'll talk more about her and the 1969 Boston Celtics later, after we hoist banner 18 in a couple of weeks.
Cowens Once Feigned Disnterest in Celtics Resurgence
Dave Cowens, whose uniform No. 18 is retired in the TD Banknorth Garden rafters, said he loosened his ties with the organization over the years after becoming head coach of the Charlotte Hornets (1997-99) and Warriors (2001-03). ``The Celtics' slide wasn't hard for me because I was working for other people and doing other things,'' Cowens said.
As a former Boston Celtics player, were you then surprised by the resurgence of the Celtics? "I didn't really think about it one way or the other. I knew they were going to be a lot better than they were last year with getting those player. Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are two of the better players in this league."
LINK
Christ. You need to loosen up a bit, Dave. I mean, I understand being employed by other teams and all. But you were a Boston Celtic. You still are a Boston Celtic. You and the Celtics will be forever linked in the minds of basketball fans everywhere. Larry Bird, a consummate professional in his own right, even had something nice to say about the Celtics' rebirth:
And though he runs a team that competes against both the Lakers and Celtics, Bird has a decided interest in the outcome of tonight’s game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals. “Oh, yeah,” he said. “I want the Celtics to win it."
LINK to rest of Bird article.
After the Celtics did win it, Bird said this:
The outcome pleased Celtics legend Larry Bird, who was among those who waited 22 years to hoist another banner. "I'm happy for the Celtics and the city of Boston. I know what it means to win a championship as a Celtic and the place championships hold in the history of the franchise," Pacers President Bird said.
As a former Boston Celtics player, were you then surprised by the resurgence of the Celtics? "I didn't really think about it one way or the other. I knew they were going to be a lot better than they were last year with getting those player. Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are two of the better players in this league."
LINK
Christ. You need to loosen up a bit, Dave. I mean, I understand being employed by other teams and all. But you were a Boston Celtic. You still are a Boston Celtic. You and the Celtics will be forever linked in the minds of basketball fans everywhere. Larry Bird, a consummate professional in his own right, even had something nice to say about the Celtics' rebirth:
And though he runs a team that competes against both the Lakers and Celtics, Bird has a decided interest in the outcome of tonight’s game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals. “Oh, yeah,” he said. “I want the Celtics to win it."
LINK to rest of Bird article.
After the Celtics did win it, Bird said this:
The outcome pleased Celtics legend Larry Bird, who was among those who waited 22 years to hoist another banner. "I'm happy for the Celtics and the city of Boston. I know what it means to win a championship as a Celtic and the place championships hold in the history of the franchise," Pacers President Bird said.
5.29.2010
Aren't the Celtics Clever
2008
John Havlicek presents the Eastern Conference Championship Trophy to Wyc Grousbeck.
John Havlicek wore #17.
Celtics go on to win banner 17.
2010
Dave Cowens presents the Eastern Conference Championship Trophy to Wyc Grousbeck.
Dave Cowens wore #18.
Celtics now pursue banner 18.
See a pattern here?
How clever.
John Havlicek presents the Eastern Conference Championship Trophy to Wyc Grousbeck.
John Havlicek wore #17.
Celtics go on to win banner 17.
2010
Dave Cowens presents the Eastern Conference Championship Trophy to Wyc Grousbeck.
Dave Cowens wore #18.
Celtics now pursue banner 18.
See a pattern here?
How clever.
We are Family
Most of us are familiar with the text message Larry Bird sent to Danny Ainge midway through the third quarter of game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals. As it turns out, Kevin McHale texted Ainge shortly thereafter with a similar message.
Way back on December 9, 2007, I proposed that Ainge arrange for members of the last Celtics championship to participate in the next banner-hoisting ceremony via a private, closed-circuit party. I mean, you couldn't expect the GM's of the Indiana Pacers and the Minnesota Timberwolves to attend the ceremony in public, especially after McHale had been accused by Laker fans of turning down a better trade (Odom/Bynum) for a worse trade (Al Jefferson and picks), simply because McHale hates the Lakers and once played for the Celtics.
Turns out Ainge, Bird, and McHale decided to throw a virtual banner-hoisting ceremony for themselves. Now if we can just figure out when and how Bill Walton communicated with the others.
LINK
So there it was for all the world to see. Dave Cowens, standing at center court, handing the Eastern Conference Championship trophy to Wyc Grousbeck, and exhorting him on to banner 18. Danny Ainge was standing behind #18, smiling ear-to-ear.
You got that?
1974 & 1976 in front.
1984 & 1986 in back.
I became a Celtics fan in 1974. That means I've been bleeding green longer than Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish or Danny Ainge. I'd include Bill Walton, but I'm pretty sure he has been bleeding green since birth. So he's got me by a few years.
In any event, my being is one with the universe when different generations of the Celtic family reunite around a championship campaign. After all, Celtics fans are as much a part of that family as are the players, coaches, and management.
A common theme on this blog.
Way back on December 9, 2007, I proposed that Ainge arrange for members of the last Celtics championship to participate in the next banner-hoisting ceremony via a private, closed-circuit party. I mean, you couldn't expect the GM's of the Indiana Pacers and the Minnesota Timberwolves to attend the ceremony in public, especially after McHale had been accused by Laker fans of turning down a better trade (Odom/Bynum) for a worse trade (Al Jefferson and picks), simply because McHale hates the Lakers and once played for the Celtics.
Turns out Ainge, Bird, and McHale decided to throw a virtual banner-hoisting ceremony for themselves. Now if we can just figure out when and how Bill Walton communicated with the others.
LINK
So there it was for all the world to see. Dave Cowens, standing at center court, handing the Eastern Conference Championship trophy to Wyc Grousbeck, and exhorting him on to banner 18. Danny Ainge was standing behind #18, smiling ear-to-ear.
You got that?
1974 & 1976 in front.
1984 & 1986 in back.
I became a Celtics fan in 1974. That means I've been bleeding green longer than Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish or Danny Ainge. I'd include Bill Walton, but I'm pretty sure he has been bleeding green since birth. So he's got me by a few years.
In any event, my being is one with the universe when different generations of the Celtic family reunite around a championship campaign. After all, Celtics fans are as much a part of that family as are the players, coaches, and management.
A common theme on this blog.
Hatin' on Nate
I've been on a Celtics email distribution list since 1999, and I can tell you one thing: the amount of hatred poured on Mighty Mouse was unprecedented. "Worst trade in Celtics' history," one fan wrote. Obviously, the Joe Johnson and Vin Baker trades weren't fresh in his mind. Another fan compared him to Stephon Marbury. Starberry had exactly one good game as a Boston Celtic, his first. I wasn't a math major, but I'm pretty sure there's a word to describe something that has a starting point but no ending point: infinity. That was a long silence between good games for Steph. Nate? Last night marked another in more than a handful of games in which Tiny II made a memorable and meaningful contribution.
Sometimes we Celtics fans go a little overboard and a little over the edge.
Sometimes we Celtics fans go a little overboard and a little over the edge.
5.28.2010
Cowens at Center Court???
Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!
That's my dog! The original reason I loved the green!!!!!
That's my dog! The original reason I loved the green!!!!!
5.24.2010
1988 Eastern Conference Finals: Celtics Reluctantly Pass the Torch
6/4/1988
There were three seconds left, and that was that. Larry Bird walked off the floor. Danny Ainge walked off the floor. Then Dennis Johnson. Finally, the limping, gimping Robert Parish and Kevin McHale exited.
There were three seconds left and the celebration had begun inside the huge arena and the five starting Celtics walked and walked and . . . Kevin McHale stopped. He shook Isiah Thomas' hand. "Go get 'em," the Celtics forward said in the middle of the noise in the middle of the floor of the Silverdome at 11:30 last night. "Neither of those teams want to play physical out there in the West. Go right after 'em. Don't be satisfied with getting there. Go get 'em. You can. You're good."
Thus the torch was passed. Go get 'em. There was not a lot of ceremony involved, but -- then again -- not much was needed. The Detroit Pistons were the new kings of the professional basketball East, 95-90 winners in this sixth and final game of the best-of-seven playoff series to determine a representative for next week's NBA Finals. The Boston Celtics were going home. "The Pistons were better," one Celtic after another had to agree. "No matter how much you talk, you have to say the Pistons were better."
"You can only talk so much about what you're doing wrong before you have to talk about what the other team was doing right," McHale said. "You have to say that's a hell of a defensive team." "They covered everything," Danny Ainge said. "There never seemed to be any open shots. They forced us to work the clock down. They forced us to take shots we didn't want to take. They played good defense."
This final game was snipped from the same cloth as all the other games. The game was a flat-out struggle for the Celtics. Never did they seem to have a rhythm, a flow. Never did they find a secret word or code or 20-foot jumper that worked again and again. Every shot was put through the basket with a lot of hammering, a lot of Black and Decker noise. When did scoring a basket become such a hard task? Men who are paid a lot of money to put this round leather ball through this much larger metal rim suddenly could not do the simple act that had made them millionaires.
"And it wasn't one of those 'Larry just wasn't hitting' stories, either," Danny Ainge said. "We had a lot more problems than that." "I think we shot 10 percentage points lower in the series than we did during the season," McHale said. "You just can't do that. Forty percent (actually 41) during the series. That just won't get it done." The individual pieces of the Celtics game had disappeared. It was as if all the pieces on a chessboard suddenly were restricted, their moves cut by half or even more. Queens and bishops and castles had become rooks. Pawns. One space. No more.
Bird seemed smothered by the Pistons' Dennis Rodman. The butterfly jumper simply would not work. WOULD NOT WORK. He was 4 for 17 in the game, 23 percent. Struggling. Even on his drives, the ball would go around the rim, spinning hard, spinning out. He looked as if he were trying to change the game by his force of will. The will could not work. Not this time.
Ainge?
He scored 2 points in the final two games. He came out of a whirlpool in this one, troubled by a back that ached and throbbed, couldn't hit a shot. Couldn't hit anything. Three-point king. One for 11. Couldn't throw his dirty laundry into a clothes hamper. Dennis Johnson? Also aching. Aching worse. Brought to the city a day late from his bed at home. Walking as if he were Fred Sanford going to get the morning paper. Trying to fight through his bad back. Unable to move the way he wanted to move.
"Everybody was just getting frustrated out there," Dennis Johnson said. "We weren't hitting once again, and everybody started forcing shots. Frustrated." Robert Parish was out of the game before the first period was finished, walking slowly on a knee bruised in a collision with the Pistons' Vinnie Johnson. McHale mostly was McHale, spinning through the middle, finding his offense, but the Pistons closed on him as if he were a mouse in a trap. How could he move? He was playing with reserves who had not played much in these games -- with Mark Acres and Brad Lohaus and Jim Paxson and Dirk Minniefield -- and the Pistons were able to shuffle extra people to the trouble spots.
Hard. Everything was hard for the Celtics. Harder and harder, to be exact. As this game went longer -- as most of the games went longer -- everything became harder and harder. Too old? Too tired? Too whatever. The Pistons were the team that was flying at the end of these games. The Celtics were the ones who were not.
"You have to give them credit," Danny Ainge said. "They're the Pistons -- and I don't like the Pistons, just don't like 'em -- but you have to give them credit." He sat in the locker room that was quiet and businesslike. An era was ending as tall men took showers. Red Auerbach was talking quietly about retirement. Larry Bird had a crowd around him in a corner. Robert Parish dressed without a word, no one bothering him.
"What will I do if it's Detroit against the Lakers in the Finals?" Danny Ainge asked himself -- more than anyone else -- as he had a sudden thought. "That would be a tough one."
"Would you watch?" a reporter asked.
Ainge thought for half a second.
"I don't think so," he said.
There were three seconds left, and that was that. Larry Bird walked off the floor. Danny Ainge walked off the floor. Then Dennis Johnson. Finally, the limping, gimping Robert Parish and Kevin McHale exited.
There were three seconds left and the celebration had begun inside the huge arena and the five starting Celtics walked and walked and . . . Kevin McHale stopped. He shook Isiah Thomas' hand. "Go get 'em," the Celtics forward said in the middle of the noise in the middle of the floor of the Silverdome at 11:30 last night. "Neither of those teams want to play physical out there in the West. Go right after 'em. Don't be satisfied with getting there. Go get 'em. You can. You're good."
Thus the torch was passed. Go get 'em. There was not a lot of ceremony involved, but -- then again -- not much was needed. The Detroit Pistons were the new kings of the professional basketball East, 95-90 winners in this sixth and final game of the best-of-seven playoff series to determine a representative for next week's NBA Finals. The Boston Celtics were going home. "The Pistons were better," one Celtic after another had to agree. "No matter how much you talk, you have to say the Pistons were better."
"You can only talk so much about what you're doing wrong before you have to talk about what the other team was doing right," McHale said. "You have to say that's a hell of a defensive team." "They covered everything," Danny Ainge said. "There never seemed to be any open shots. They forced us to work the clock down. They forced us to take shots we didn't want to take. They played good defense."
This final game was snipped from the same cloth as all the other games. The game was a flat-out struggle for the Celtics. Never did they seem to have a rhythm, a flow. Never did they find a secret word or code or 20-foot jumper that worked again and again. Every shot was put through the basket with a lot of hammering, a lot of Black and Decker noise. When did scoring a basket become such a hard task? Men who are paid a lot of money to put this round leather ball through this much larger metal rim suddenly could not do the simple act that had made them millionaires.
"And it wasn't one of those 'Larry just wasn't hitting' stories, either," Danny Ainge said. "We had a lot more problems than that." "I think we shot 10 percentage points lower in the series than we did during the season," McHale said. "You just can't do that. Forty percent (actually 41) during the series. That just won't get it done." The individual pieces of the Celtics game had disappeared. It was as if all the pieces on a chessboard suddenly were restricted, their moves cut by half or even more. Queens and bishops and castles had become rooks. Pawns. One space. No more.
Bird seemed smothered by the Pistons' Dennis Rodman. The butterfly jumper simply would not work. WOULD NOT WORK. He was 4 for 17 in the game, 23 percent. Struggling. Even on his drives, the ball would go around the rim, spinning hard, spinning out. He looked as if he were trying to change the game by his force of will. The will could not work. Not this time.
Ainge?
He scored 2 points in the final two games. He came out of a whirlpool in this one, troubled by a back that ached and throbbed, couldn't hit a shot. Couldn't hit anything. Three-point king. One for 11. Couldn't throw his dirty laundry into a clothes hamper. Dennis Johnson? Also aching. Aching worse. Brought to the city a day late from his bed at home. Walking as if he were Fred Sanford going to get the morning paper. Trying to fight through his bad back. Unable to move the way he wanted to move.
"Everybody was just getting frustrated out there," Dennis Johnson said. "We weren't hitting once again, and everybody started forcing shots. Frustrated." Robert Parish was out of the game before the first period was finished, walking slowly on a knee bruised in a collision with the Pistons' Vinnie Johnson. McHale mostly was McHale, spinning through the middle, finding his offense, but the Pistons closed on him as if he were a mouse in a trap. How could he move? He was playing with reserves who had not played much in these games -- with Mark Acres and Brad Lohaus and Jim Paxson and Dirk Minniefield -- and the Pistons were able to shuffle extra people to the trouble spots.
Hard. Everything was hard for the Celtics. Harder and harder, to be exact. As this game went longer -- as most of the games went longer -- everything became harder and harder. Too old? Too tired? Too whatever. The Pistons were the team that was flying at the end of these games. The Celtics were the ones who were not.
"You have to give them credit," Danny Ainge said. "They're the Pistons -- and I don't like the Pistons, just don't like 'em -- but you have to give them credit." He sat in the locker room that was quiet and businesslike. An era was ending as tall men took showers. Red Auerbach was talking quietly about retirement. Larry Bird had a crowd around him in a corner. Robert Parish dressed without a word, no one bothering him.
"What will I do if it's Detroit against the Lakers in the Finals?" Danny Ainge asked himself -- more than anyone else -- as he had a sudden thought. "That would be a tough one."
"Would you watch?" a reporter asked.
Ainge thought for half a second.
"I don't think so," he said.
1988 Eastern Conference Finals: RODMAN DEFUSES BIRD
6/2/1988
There were but 10 seconds left in regulation, Celtics ready to inbound the ball, and everyone knew the play would be to Larry Bird. Score tied, 92-92, ball to Bird. It was running steadily through Dennis Rodman's mind. "Stay on him," said Pistons forward Rodman, describing what it would take to keep Bird from making this another one of those Celtic victories. "Body him up. Don't let him get that turnaround. Try to make him take a shot that he doesn't ordinarily take.
"And in a sense, he did take it, in the last second." Bird took the shot, a twisting, low-percentage 25- to 30-footer from the right side, and when it didn't land, the Celtics were on their way to the brink of playoff elimination. Rodman, the man who at this time last year was defending his words about Bird being considered a top player because he is white, last night was the leading Detroit defender against the Celtics star and helped spark the Pistons' 102-96 overtime victory for a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals.
Rodman was the man in Bird's face virtually all evening, fronting him when it counted, pestering him in crucial moments, helping to contain him to 12 points after the first half -- and only 2 in the five-minute overtime. "Rodman was the key to the game," said Detroit captain Isiah Thomas. "He came in and gave us that extra lift."
"Obviously," said Adrian Dantley, "it's the best game he's had." Rodman, like virtually the entire Detroit crew, was virtually unnoticeable in the first half when the Celtics barreled along to a 54-40 lead. For some reason, said Rodman, the spirit in the Detroit room would give a visitor the idea that the Pistons were leading by 14 points.
"We were up, I mean really up," said Rodman, who added that maybe it was Detroit's "younger legs" that ran off with this game. "Everyone was in there saying, 'It's not over, it's not over, it's not over.' We had to play it like it was a Game 7. For two games (including Monday's loss in Detroit), we just weren't shooting." By the end of the third quarter, the Pistons had cut more than 50 percent off the Boston lead, to 70-65. With only 1:22 gone in the fourth quarter, they had taken the lead, 71-70, in the midst of a stretch in which the Celtics went just under nine minutes without a field goal.
Nine seconds into the fourth quarter, Rodman canned Detroit's first shot to bring Boston's lead down to 70-67. He hit another big bucket with 7:19 to go in regulation, knocking in James Edwards' second straight miss from the free throw line. While Thomas was stealing the offensive show, Rodman was knocking in his key points and keeping up the Bird facial. "Are you the story?" said Hubie Brown, teasing Rodman as he dashed from one TV interview to the next (seven in all). "Hey, are you the story?"
Indeed he was, though Rodman's soft-spokenness hardly bespoke his stature this night. He walked calmly from one TV standup to the next, oblivious to the the young woman outside the Detroit room who screeched as he went by, then added, "Oh, I hate him." Nothing could bother him this night. "We've won two games in the Boston Garden in the playoffs," he said. "No one does that. You just don't do that." In part, it was because Rodman kept Bird in check and didn't let Kevin McHale slip away with it all at the same time.
"Try to body him up," said Rodman, again reviewing the defensive strategy against Bird. "Hey, in the first half he was on fire -- no one was going to stop him. But if you can be aggressive on the boards, then he has to work harder to make his baskets. That's what you try to do. "That one at the end of regulation, I think he wishes he didn't take that shot. It didn't work. And I think maybe he's struggling a little bit. Come Friday, hopefully he's still struggling."
There were but 10 seconds left in regulation, Celtics ready to inbound the ball, and everyone knew the play would be to Larry Bird. Score tied, 92-92, ball to Bird. It was running steadily through Dennis Rodman's mind. "Stay on him," said Pistons forward Rodman, describing what it would take to keep Bird from making this another one of those Celtic victories. "Body him up. Don't let him get that turnaround. Try to make him take a shot that he doesn't ordinarily take.
"And in a sense, he did take it, in the last second." Bird took the shot, a twisting, low-percentage 25- to 30-footer from the right side, and when it didn't land, the Celtics were on their way to the brink of playoff elimination. Rodman, the man who at this time last year was defending his words about Bird being considered a top player because he is white, last night was the leading Detroit defender against the Celtics star and helped spark the Pistons' 102-96 overtime victory for a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals.
Rodman was the man in Bird's face virtually all evening, fronting him when it counted, pestering him in crucial moments, helping to contain him to 12 points after the first half -- and only 2 in the five-minute overtime. "Rodman was the key to the game," said Detroit captain Isiah Thomas. "He came in and gave us that extra lift."
"Obviously," said Adrian Dantley, "it's the best game he's had." Rodman, like virtually the entire Detroit crew, was virtually unnoticeable in the first half when the Celtics barreled along to a 54-40 lead. For some reason, said Rodman, the spirit in the Detroit room would give a visitor the idea that the Pistons were leading by 14 points.
"We were up, I mean really up," said Rodman, who added that maybe it was Detroit's "younger legs" that ran off with this game. "Everyone was in there saying, 'It's not over, it's not over, it's not over.' We had to play it like it was a Game 7. For two games (including Monday's loss in Detroit), we just weren't shooting." By the end of the third quarter, the Pistons had cut more than 50 percent off the Boston lead, to 70-65. With only 1:22 gone in the fourth quarter, they had taken the lead, 71-70, in the midst of a stretch in which the Celtics went just under nine minutes without a field goal.
Nine seconds into the fourth quarter, Rodman canned Detroit's first shot to bring Boston's lead down to 70-67. He hit another big bucket with 7:19 to go in regulation, knocking in James Edwards' second straight miss from the free throw line. While Thomas was stealing the offensive show, Rodman was knocking in his key points and keeping up the Bird facial. "Are you the story?" said Hubie Brown, teasing Rodman as he dashed from one TV interview to the next (seven in all). "Hey, are you the story?"
Indeed he was, though Rodman's soft-spokenness hardly bespoke his stature this night. He walked calmly from one TV standup to the next, oblivious to the the young woman outside the Detroit room who screeched as he went by, then added, "Oh, I hate him." Nothing could bother him this night. "We've won two games in the Boston Garden in the playoffs," he said. "No one does that. You just don't do that." In part, it was because Rodman kept Bird in check and didn't let Kevin McHale slip away with it all at the same time.
"Try to body him up," said Rodman, again reviewing the defensive strategy against Bird. "Hey, in the first half he was on fire -- no one was going to stop him. But if you can be aggressive on the boards, then he has to work harder to make his baskets. That's what you try to do. "That one at the end of regulation, I think he wishes he didn't take that shot. It didn't work. And I think maybe he's struggling a little bit. Come Friday, hopefully he's still struggling."
1988 Eastern Conference Finals: Pistons Bring Celtics to Brink
6/2/1988
The Detroit Pistons had been wondering aloud exactly what it would take for them to win a close game in Boston Garden. Well, holding the Celtics to 25 percent shooting in a half should do until something better comes along. Yup, the Celtics are once again a game away from playoff elimination. For the first time in their history, they have lost two fifth games at home when tied at 2-2. Atlanta did it two weeks ago, and the Pistons shoved the Celtics farther out on the plank last night with a 102-96 overtime decision before 14,890 stunned Garden onlookers. The Pistons take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals back to the Silverdome for Game 6 tomorrow night.
Boston had lurched into overtime despite two Larry Bird misses in the final 34 seconds of regulation. Fred Roberts had tied the game at 92 (Boston's only 2 substitute points of the night) on a short post-up with 1:09 left, but Bird was unable to get the shots he wanted because Dennis Rodman played him tough. Larry shot 4 for 15 in the second half plus OT.
The contest had started out as a real basketball game, in contrast to the previous brawls underneath, but by the fourth quarter, it was trench warfare again. Every whistle created outrage, and you'll be hearing around town today about how Jake O'Donnell brought down the Celtics. Six field goals in the final 17 minutes is what ruined the Celtics, not Jake O'Donnell.
We're talking about a team which had a scoreless starter (Danny Ainge) and had four men score all but 2 of its points. With Isiah Thomas taking it upon himself to make things happen, Detroit shrugged off a 54-40 halftime deficit, turning the game upside down with a 19-2 run which changed a 68-56 Boston lead into a 75-70 Detroit advantage with 9:24 remaining in regulation.
Thomas had his Good Twin/ Evil Twin routine perfected last night. In the first half, he was 3 for 10 with his basketball mind back in Ypsilanti. In the second half plus overtime, Thomas scored 29 of his game-high 35 points and did it by taking 20 shots. Isiah took eight of Detroit's last nine shots in regulation (leaving one crumb for Bill Laimbeer), and had Boston been able to do anything offensively, he would have been vilified for his hostile takeover of the Detroit offense. "I said to myself, 'If we are going to lose, I'm going down shooting,' " Thomas explained. "If I was going to lose, I was going to shoot us out or shoot us in."
The Celtics were dominated by Detroit's post-intermission defense. The home team shot 6 for 20 in the third quarter, 4 for 16 in the fourth quarter and 2 for 12 in the overtime. That's 12 for 48 in 29 minutes of basketball. That's pathetic. "At the half," said Thomas, "we knew if we could make a couple of shots we could get back in the game because we felt our defense was good enough to keep them from making shots they're accustomed to making."
Boston was loose and easy in the first half, moving from a 29-26 one-period edge to the comfy halftime spread with a sound mixture of inside and outside basketball. Bird appeared to be his old self. By halftime, he had 15 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a block, and there were times when he appeared omnipresent. The crowd sensed a big Boston victory. But Detroit never stopped believing in itself. "In the first half, we weren't contesting every shot," said John Salley. "In the second half, we concentrated. Even if we got there late, we made sure a hand was up. And we went after every rebound."
Boston's high-water mark was at 56-40. But here Dennis Johnson hung out a pass which Thomas knocked ahead, leading to a layup for Joe Dumars (18). The next thing Boston knew, it was 56-46 and Adrian Dantley was on a little roll. Boston's sluggish offense awoke, trading hoops with the Pistons for three minutes or so. The key reversal came in the final nine seconds of the third period. Two free throws by Kevin McHale (26 before fouling out with 1:59 left in regulation) made it 70-61, Boston. But Thomas first scored on a lane jumper over half of North America, then stole the inbounds from the shell-shocked Ainge (scoreless in 47 minutes) and popped in a short jumper, sending the Pistons riding into the final period on a cloud, down by a scant 5 points (70-65).
The momentum carried over as Detroit scored on its first five possessions to go up, 75-70. By now the Pistons' defensive commitment was total, and the Celtics just couldn't get good shots. Referees O'Donnell and Hue Hollins did their best to adjudicate the mutual mauling underneath, but with Boston punching it inside every time downcourt, it was Slam-Dance Time in the paint again. Once in overtime, the Celtics failed to improve. A second-chance basket by DJ gave them a 94-92 lead, but the next 6 points belonged to Detroit as a free throw and gift three-point play by Dantley (with all the whacking going on, Hollins decides to call a teeny-tiny touch outside on Roberts) and a shovel drive by Thomas made it 98-94 with 1:55 to go.
Boston's last gasp came at the 23-second mark. It was 100-96 when Jim Paxson and Rodman became entangled and Jake called an offensive foul on Paxson. So let us not hear about Detroit being unable to get key calls in Boston. And if they win tomorrow night, the Pistons won't have to worry about anything having to do with Boston until next year.
The Detroit Pistons had been wondering aloud exactly what it would take for them to win a close game in Boston Garden. Well, holding the Celtics to 25 percent shooting in a half should do until something better comes along. Yup, the Celtics are once again a game away from playoff elimination. For the first time in their history, they have lost two fifth games at home when tied at 2-2. Atlanta did it two weeks ago, and the Pistons shoved the Celtics farther out on the plank last night with a 102-96 overtime decision before 14,890 stunned Garden onlookers. The Pistons take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals back to the Silverdome for Game 6 tomorrow night.
Boston had lurched into overtime despite two Larry Bird misses in the final 34 seconds of regulation. Fred Roberts had tied the game at 92 (Boston's only 2 substitute points of the night) on a short post-up with 1:09 left, but Bird was unable to get the shots he wanted because Dennis Rodman played him tough. Larry shot 4 for 15 in the second half plus OT.
The contest had started out as a real basketball game, in contrast to the previous brawls underneath, but by the fourth quarter, it was trench warfare again. Every whistle created outrage, and you'll be hearing around town today about how Jake O'Donnell brought down the Celtics. Six field goals in the final 17 minutes is what ruined the Celtics, not Jake O'Donnell.
We're talking about a team which had a scoreless starter (Danny Ainge) and had four men score all but 2 of its points. With Isiah Thomas taking it upon himself to make things happen, Detroit shrugged off a 54-40 halftime deficit, turning the game upside down with a 19-2 run which changed a 68-56 Boston lead into a 75-70 Detroit advantage with 9:24 remaining in regulation.
Thomas had his Good Twin/ Evil Twin routine perfected last night. In the first half, he was 3 for 10 with his basketball mind back in Ypsilanti. In the second half plus overtime, Thomas scored 29 of his game-high 35 points and did it by taking 20 shots. Isiah took eight of Detroit's last nine shots in regulation (leaving one crumb for Bill Laimbeer), and had Boston been able to do anything offensively, he would have been vilified for his hostile takeover of the Detroit offense. "I said to myself, 'If we are going to lose, I'm going down shooting,' " Thomas explained. "If I was going to lose, I was going to shoot us out or shoot us in."
The Celtics were dominated by Detroit's post-intermission defense. The home team shot 6 for 20 in the third quarter, 4 for 16 in the fourth quarter and 2 for 12 in the overtime. That's 12 for 48 in 29 minutes of basketball. That's pathetic. "At the half," said Thomas, "we knew if we could make a couple of shots we could get back in the game because we felt our defense was good enough to keep them from making shots they're accustomed to making."
Boston was loose and easy in the first half, moving from a 29-26 one-period edge to the comfy halftime spread with a sound mixture of inside and outside basketball. Bird appeared to be his old self. By halftime, he had 15 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a block, and there were times when he appeared omnipresent. The crowd sensed a big Boston victory. But Detroit never stopped believing in itself. "In the first half, we weren't contesting every shot," said John Salley. "In the second half, we concentrated. Even if we got there late, we made sure a hand was up. And we went after every rebound."
Boston's high-water mark was at 56-40. But here Dennis Johnson hung out a pass which Thomas knocked ahead, leading to a layup for Joe Dumars (18). The next thing Boston knew, it was 56-46 and Adrian Dantley was on a little roll. Boston's sluggish offense awoke, trading hoops with the Pistons for three minutes or so. The key reversal came in the final nine seconds of the third period. Two free throws by Kevin McHale (26 before fouling out with 1:59 left in regulation) made it 70-61, Boston. But Thomas first scored on a lane jumper over half of North America, then stole the inbounds from the shell-shocked Ainge (scoreless in 47 minutes) and popped in a short jumper, sending the Pistons riding into the final period on a cloud, down by a scant 5 points (70-65).
The momentum carried over as Detroit scored on its first five possessions to go up, 75-70. By now the Pistons' defensive commitment was total, and the Celtics just couldn't get good shots. Referees O'Donnell and Hue Hollins did their best to adjudicate the mutual mauling underneath, but with Boston punching it inside every time downcourt, it was Slam-Dance Time in the paint again. Once in overtime, the Celtics failed to improve. A second-chance basket by DJ gave them a 94-92 lead, but the next 6 points belonged to Detroit as a free throw and gift three-point play by Dantley (with all the whacking going on, Hollins decides to call a teeny-tiny touch outside on Roberts) and a shovel drive by Thomas made it 98-94 with 1:55 to go.
Boston's last gasp came at the 23-second mark. It was 100-96 when Jim Paxson and Rodman became entangled and Jake called an offensive foul on Paxson. So let us not hear about Detroit being unable to get key calls in Boston. And if they win tomorrow night, the Pistons won't have to worry about anything having to do with Boston until next year.
1988 Eastern Conference Finals: James Edwards Making a Difference
5/30/1988
Today the uniform is blue, his team is in Michigan, the games are deciding the Eastern championship and he is the hero. James Edwards is making all of the difference. If the Pistons did not have James Edwards, people are saying . . . "We would be in deep trouble," coach Chuck Daly says. "Deep trouble." "We would probably be down, 3-0," Isiah Thomas says.
James Edwards? The Pistons lead the Celtics, 2-1, and it might be 3-0 if not for a three-point miracle by Kevin McHale. Then you imagine the removal of Edwards, and every theme of this series crumbles, collapses. Back problems have reduced Detroit power forward Rick Mahorn to a 3.3-points-per-game bully, and a bad shoulder has ruined center Bill Laimbeer's shooting (6 points per game) and rebounding (7 per game).
Three months ago, Edwards was scoring his normal 15.5 points per game for a last-place team in Phoenix, his fourth team in a nondescript 11-year career. Today, he is wearing dark glasses and smiling, conducting instant press conferences wherever he appears. He has scored 35 points and controlled 15 rebounds against the Celtics, and he has been on the floor for each game's end.
"He gives us inside strength," Thomas says. "With Mahorn and Laimbeer being injured, we would have absolutely no inside game." This often has been Detroit's largest problem, and it reportedly maddens Thomas that Laimbeer has refused to learn post-up moves. "The biggest thing that hurt us last year in our series with Celtics was the inability of Laimbeer to take advantage of a small guy guarding him inside," Thomas says. "When the Celtics were switching, we were still constantly having to take jump shots. When it was going inside, their power forward (Kevin McHale) was playing our small forward, and their small forward (Larry Bird) was playing our center. That's a defensive mismatch. Now, with Edwards, we're able to take advantage of it."
Edwards is doing for the Pistons on a much larger scale what Dirk Minniefield did for the Celtics early this season. The Celtics hadn't been able to run until Minniefield -- who had been waived or traded by five teams -- showed them how. Edwards survived the Phoenix drug investigation ("It happened, it's over now, and I've kind of forgotten about it") and went to Detroit in the Suns' fire sale last February for Ron Moore and a second-round choice in 1991.
The Dirk Minniefields and James Edwardses are everywhere. The matter is finding them. "I pretty much knew him," says Daly, who was an assistant at Cleveland when Edwards and Laimbeer were the team's centers. "We ran more stuff for him there (Cleveland); here we have to fit him in. He was better then, he was younger, and he's sat out a lot the last couple of years. (Edwards has missed 111 games the last three seasons.) But he can score, and he's been very valuable."
Edwards keeps meeting the same people. "At Cleveland I started, and Laimbeer was backing me up," Edwards says. "Now he's starting and I'm backing him up, and Chuck was there for both situations." His career began with a 15.2-ppg rookie year with the Lakers. "That's why I got traded for Adrian Dantley, as a matter of fact," Edwards says. "AD went to LA, and I went to Indiana."
Three years later, he had moved to Cleveland. "Indiana had set on an amount they were going to give me, and (owner Ted) Stepien was going to give me a lot more," says Edwards, who signed a landmark $875,000 contract with Crazy Teddie (His Prices Are Insane). For that kind of money, he was expected to fill the role of a Robert Parish, but Edwards is not that type.
"People expected a lot," he says.
He produced his 16.7 points for several coaches at Cleveland in '82, and underwent arthroscopic knee surgery the following year. "I came back and played one game," Edwards says. "After the game, I was packing my bag and they said I was gone to Phoenix. I called my agent, and he told me to get on a plane."
He played with Dennis Johnson for one year, and the two of them can be seen conversing during this series. "Everybody thought the Rick Robey trade was a bad trade for the team," Edwards says. "I guess (DJ) and (coach) John MacLeod didn't get along, but I don't think he wanted to leave at all." Edwards was playing a video game at home last winter when coach John Wenzel called and said, "You know we've been talking about trades, James. Well, you've been traded to Detroit. Thanks for playing with us."
He averaged only 5.4 points with the Pistons in the regular season, and was held out of five games. But he indicated his worth with 16 points last month at Boston. "When we first got him, everybody thought his biggest asset would be in the Boston series," Laimbeer says. "Everybody says our second unit and first unit are two completely different squads."
"He's a serious threat, and he helps all of us," says Vinnie Johnson, the second unit's designated Microwave. "The play they run for me is a motion play where I come off a pick for the shot. Boston may have Parish and McHale switch out on me, but now I'm able to punch the ball into James and get him a couple of three-point plays. Now they have to think about him in there, and even if I get it going, they can't just switch out on me."
This is very important. "For this team to win, for us to get over the top," says Thomas, "Vinnie Johnson has to play well." So Edwards arrives, and Vinnie averages 14.7 points and 50 percent against the Celtics. Edwards comes off the bench, and the world stops talking about Mahorn and Laimbeer. Edwards is a free agent, and Isiah wants him again next year. "It depends on how much the organization wants to keep winning," Thomas says. "If they want to keep winning, then they should want to have him back. We have to have him back."
James Edwards.
Why couldn't the Celtics get him?
Today the uniform is blue, his team is in Michigan, the games are deciding the Eastern championship and he is the hero. James Edwards is making all of the difference. If the Pistons did not have James Edwards, people are saying . . . "We would be in deep trouble," coach Chuck Daly says. "Deep trouble." "We would probably be down, 3-0," Isiah Thomas says.
James Edwards? The Pistons lead the Celtics, 2-1, and it might be 3-0 if not for a three-point miracle by Kevin McHale. Then you imagine the removal of Edwards, and every theme of this series crumbles, collapses. Back problems have reduced Detroit power forward Rick Mahorn to a 3.3-points-per-game bully, and a bad shoulder has ruined center Bill Laimbeer's shooting (6 points per game) and rebounding (7 per game).
Three months ago, Edwards was scoring his normal 15.5 points per game for a last-place team in Phoenix, his fourth team in a nondescript 11-year career. Today, he is wearing dark glasses and smiling, conducting instant press conferences wherever he appears. He has scored 35 points and controlled 15 rebounds against the Celtics, and he has been on the floor for each game's end.
"He gives us inside strength," Thomas says. "With Mahorn and Laimbeer being injured, we would have absolutely no inside game." This often has been Detroit's largest problem, and it reportedly maddens Thomas that Laimbeer has refused to learn post-up moves. "The biggest thing that hurt us last year in our series with Celtics was the inability of Laimbeer to take advantage of a small guy guarding him inside," Thomas says. "When the Celtics were switching, we were still constantly having to take jump shots. When it was going inside, their power forward (Kevin McHale) was playing our small forward, and their small forward (Larry Bird) was playing our center. That's a defensive mismatch. Now, with Edwards, we're able to take advantage of it."
Edwards is doing for the Pistons on a much larger scale what Dirk Minniefield did for the Celtics early this season. The Celtics hadn't been able to run until Minniefield -- who had been waived or traded by five teams -- showed them how. Edwards survived the Phoenix drug investigation ("It happened, it's over now, and I've kind of forgotten about it") and went to Detroit in the Suns' fire sale last February for Ron Moore and a second-round choice in 1991.
The Dirk Minniefields and James Edwardses are everywhere. The matter is finding them. "I pretty much knew him," says Daly, who was an assistant at Cleveland when Edwards and Laimbeer were the team's centers. "We ran more stuff for him there (Cleveland); here we have to fit him in. He was better then, he was younger, and he's sat out a lot the last couple of years. (Edwards has missed 111 games the last three seasons.) But he can score, and he's been very valuable."
Edwards keeps meeting the same people. "At Cleveland I started, and Laimbeer was backing me up," Edwards says. "Now he's starting and I'm backing him up, and Chuck was there for both situations." His career began with a 15.2-ppg rookie year with the Lakers. "That's why I got traded for Adrian Dantley, as a matter of fact," Edwards says. "AD went to LA, and I went to Indiana."
Three years later, he had moved to Cleveland. "Indiana had set on an amount they were going to give me, and (owner Ted) Stepien was going to give me a lot more," says Edwards, who signed a landmark $875,000 contract with Crazy Teddie (His Prices Are Insane). For that kind of money, he was expected to fill the role of a Robert Parish, but Edwards is not that type.
"People expected a lot," he says.
He produced his 16.7 points for several coaches at Cleveland in '82, and underwent arthroscopic knee surgery the following year. "I came back and played one game," Edwards says. "After the game, I was packing my bag and they said I was gone to Phoenix. I called my agent, and he told me to get on a plane."
He played with Dennis Johnson for one year, and the two of them can be seen conversing during this series. "Everybody thought the Rick Robey trade was a bad trade for the team," Edwards says. "I guess (DJ) and (coach) John MacLeod didn't get along, but I don't think he wanted to leave at all." Edwards was playing a video game at home last winter when coach John Wenzel called and said, "You know we've been talking about trades, James. Well, you've been traded to Detroit. Thanks for playing with us."
He averaged only 5.4 points with the Pistons in the regular season, and was held out of five games. But he indicated his worth with 16 points last month at Boston. "When we first got him, everybody thought his biggest asset would be in the Boston series," Laimbeer says. "Everybody says our second unit and first unit are two completely different squads."
"He's a serious threat, and he helps all of us," says Vinnie Johnson, the second unit's designated Microwave. "The play they run for me is a motion play where I come off a pick for the shot. Boston may have Parish and McHale switch out on me, but now I'm able to punch the ball into James and get him a couple of three-point plays. Now they have to think about him in there, and even if I get it going, they can't just switch out on me."
This is very important. "For this team to win, for us to get over the top," says Thomas, "Vinnie Johnson has to play well." So Edwards arrives, and Vinnie averages 14.7 points and 50 percent against the Celtics. Edwards comes off the bench, and the world stops talking about Mahorn and Laimbeer. Edwards is a free agent, and Isiah wants him again next year. "It depends on how much the organization wants to keep winning," Thomas says. "If they want to keep winning, then they should want to have him back. We have to have him back."
James Edwards.
Why couldn't the Celtics get him?
Bye, Bye Bynum?
J-M wrote on May 23, 2010 at 10:46 pm
How was Bynum? I didn’t get the chance to watch the game, but I just read ESPN’s article on the possibility that PJ may sit him due to his “ineffectiveness.”
ken wrote on May 23, 2010 at 10:48 pm
Andrew looked slow and hurting. 2 points and 3 fouls in 8 minutes. Phil said Andrew is not playing in game 4.
Cdog wrote on May 23, 2010 at 11:03 pm
It is a bum deal about Bynum, because without him we go from a deep front line to a thin front line. But the kid just doesn’t look right out there, and from all reports, hasn’t even practiced in weeks.
sT wrote on May 23, 2010 at 11:13 pm
Yeah, after seeing Bynum tonight, we will be without him (a non factor) for the rest of the Playoffs, IMO. Just like the previous years, unfortunately for the Lakers.
Forum Blue and Gold
I'm gonna take the party line and say it would be much more fun to administer a beat down on a Laker team with a healthy Andrew Bynum in the fold.
How was Bynum? I didn’t get the chance to watch the game, but I just read ESPN’s article on the possibility that PJ may sit him due to his “ineffectiveness.”
ken wrote on May 23, 2010 at 10:48 pm
Andrew looked slow and hurting. 2 points and 3 fouls in 8 minutes. Phil said Andrew is not playing in game 4.
Cdog wrote on May 23, 2010 at 11:03 pm
It is a bum deal about Bynum, because without him we go from a deep front line to a thin front line. But the kid just doesn’t look right out there, and from all reports, hasn’t even practiced in weeks.
sT wrote on May 23, 2010 at 11:13 pm
Yeah, after seeing Bynum tonight, we will be without him (a non factor) for the rest of the Playoffs, IMO. Just like the previous years, unfortunately for the Lakers.
Forum Blue and Gold
I'm gonna take the party line and say it would be much more fun to administer a beat down on a Laker team with a healthy Andrew Bynum in the fold.
5.23.2010
Home Court DISadvantage
At 8:30 last night, this was The Colosseum. The Celtics [team stats] and the crowd were the lions. The Magic - led by Dwight Howard, who came to the NBA directly from Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy - were the main course. One quarter and several bites later, the Celtics had a 27-12 lead and people were trying to hack into Paul Pierce [stats]’s Twitter account to order toe tags for the dinner guests.
LINK
Of all our concerns heading into the 2009-2010 NBA playoffs (and let's be honest, there were plenty: KG's peg leg, Fat Boy Sheed, lack of chemistry, tuning out of the coach, old age, and finishing the last 34 games 17-17), my biggest concern was our home-court DISadvantage. I had no doubt that we would win a big game or two on the road.
But as soon as I got excited about that possibility, I quickly remembered the flip side of the equation: We stink at home. Crap, I would say to myself. We're screwed. But the "stink" has become "stunk," clearly a past tense, as I'm pretty sure we've put that demon to bed. Saturday night's utter destruction at the jungle is only the latest sign that the team playing basketball in the Hub over the last two weeks bears no resemblance to the one that roamed the hardwood from the day after Christmas until season's end.
So the excitement has returned.
And then some.
If we close out the Magic tonight, I will literally be drooling for the Finals to start against the Fakers, because that series will begin on the road. We never stopped being a good team on the road at any point during this year's campaign.
The Fakers and their fans certainly have to be a little worried about that.
LINK
Of all our concerns heading into the 2009-2010 NBA playoffs (and let's be honest, there were plenty: KG's peg leg, Fat Boy Sheed, lack of chemistry, tuning out of the coach, old age, and finishing the last 34 games 17-17), my biggest concern was our home-court DISadvantage. I had no doubt that we would win a big game or two on the road.
But as soon as I got excited about that possibility, I quickly remembered the flip side of the equation: We stink at home. Crap, I would say to myself. We're screwed. But the "stink" has become "stunk," clearly a past tense, as I'm pretty sure we've put that demon to bed. Saturday night's utter destruction at the jungle is only the latest sign that the team playing basketball in the Hub over the last two weeks bears no resemblance to the one that roamed the hardwood from the day after Christmas until season's end.
So the excitement has returned.
And then some.
If we close out the Magic tonight, I will literally be drooling for the Finals to start against the Fakers, because that series will begin on the road. We never stopped being a good team on the road at any point during this year's campaign.
The Fakers and their fans certainly have to be a little worried about that.
Will the Anguish Return for Jerry West?
PART I
Friends remain puzzled by Jerry West's anguish.
A public torment that is at once spectacular and unnerving. Over the years it has abated somewhat, and the man's wife reports that during the first three rounds her husband's stomach has not required its seasonal medical attention. This is a good sign, and you don't know how good.
Once, when he was still coaching the Los Angeles Lakers, he didn't speak to her for three weeks. It was their first year of marriage, and she was too scared to talk to anyone but her mother about it. Later he told her it was nothing personal. It was playoff time.
It used to be that after a Laker loss, his mood might require her to seek another ride home. But when a division rival pasted the Lakers and Magic Johnson went down and out with an ankle injury, the family retreated to a movie that he actually remembers seeing. ''He even spoke to us,'' says his wife. The occasion is remembered by everyone that attended because he didn’t seem preoccupied.
Yet his world remains clouded by a strange misery that neither friends nor success can lift, a cultivated gloom that, like his clutch play for 14 Laker seasons, is practically a work of art.
This is a man who left the Lakers to blaze new trails with the Memphis Grizzlies, only to leave the Grizzlies without accomplishing his primary goal, building a contender. This past spring, West found himself back in the City of Angels to present Mitch Kupchak with the Western Conference trophy--as tears of joy streamed down face. His beloved purple would not have to stand by idly while the hated green stormed off with yet another championship, as he had feared for much of the 2007-2008 regular season. Instead, the Lakers could put up a fight, and maybe even administer a beating of the kind his Laker teams used to receive from Boston during the 1960s.
originally posted by Lex before the 2008 NBA Finals
Friends remain puzzled by Jerry West's anguish.A public torment that is at once spectacular and unnerving. Over the years it has abated somewhat, and the man's wife reports that during the first three rounds her husband's stomach has not required its seasonal medical attention. This is a good sign, and you don't know how good.
Once, when he was still coaching the Los Angeles Lakers, he didn't speak to her for three weeks. It was their first year of marriage, and she was too scared to talk to anyone but her mother about it. Later he told her it was nothing personal. It was playoff time.
It used to be that after a Laker loss, his mood might require her to seek another ride home. But when a division rival pasted the Lakers and Magic Johnson went down and out with an ankle injury, the family retreated to a movie that he actually remembers seeing. ''He even spoke to us,'' says his wife. The occasion is remembered by everyone that attended because he didn’t seem preoccupied.
Yet his world remains clouded by a strange misery that neither friends nor success can lift, a cultivated gloom that, like his clutch play for 14 Laker seasons, is practically a work of art.
This is a man who left the Lakers to blaze new trails with the Memphis Grizzlies, only to leave the Grizzlies without accomplishing his primary goal, building a contender. This past spring, West found himself back in the City of Angels to present Mitch Kupchak with the Western Conference trophy--as tears of joy streamed down face. His beloved purple would not have to stand by idly while the hated green stormed off with yet another championship, as he had feared for much of the 2007-2008 regular season. Instead, the Lakers could put up a fight, and maybe even administer a beating of the kind his Laker teams used to receive from Boston during the 1960s.
originally posted by Lex before the 2008 NBA Finals
Lakers Already Favored to Beat C's
Of the four remaining teams, the Lakers and the Boston Celtics have proven to be the most consistent and the ones to beat come June. Thus, the Boston Celtics [+200 ML] have been listed and given the second best sports betting odds to win the 2009-10 NBA Championship Odds.
Here’s how the rest of the field compares in the category of 2009-10 NBA Championship Odds Favorites:
Los Angeles Lakers [-200 ML]
Boston Celtics [+200 ML]
LINK
Let's be honest, gang.
The way the Celtics are playing, the green should be favored against the 2008 Celtics, the 1971-72 Lakers, and a host of other all-time great teams. But are they favored against the injured and barely-able-to-form-a-team-to-run-practice-sessions LA Lakers?
Of course not.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
You feed these Celtics grapes, you break out the lounge chairs and fan them, you stroke their egos, and we all know the result. You kick them in the ass, tell them that their gonna get smoked, and then rub their noses in it, well, then the real Celtics step up to the plate.
KG may have had the best line of the post-season.
After beating the Cavs in the semis, he sat himself down at the post-game presser, looked around, and wondered where everybody came from? Why was the media suddenly interested in the left-for-dead Boston Celtics?
F' em.
That was KG's message.
Here were the odds heading into the playoffs:
Here’s how the rest of the field compares in the category of 2009-10 NBA Championship Odds Favorites:
Los Angeles Lakers [-200 ML]
Boston Celtics [+200 ML]
LINK
Let's be honest, gang.
The way the Celtics are playing, the green should be favored against the 2008 Celtics, the 1971-72 Lakers, and a host of other all-time great teams. But are they favored against the injured and barely-able-to-form-a-team-to-run-practice-sessions LA Lakers?
Of course not.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
You feed these Celtics grapes, you break out the lounge chairs and fan them, you stroke their egos, and we all know the result. You kick them in the ass, tell them that their gonna get smoked, and then rub their noses in it, well, then the real Celtics step up to the plate.
KG may have had the best line of the post-season.
After beating the Cavs in the semis, he sat himself down at the post-game presser, looked around, and wondered where everybody came from? Why was the media suddenly interested in the left-for-dead Boston Celtics?
F' em.
That was KG's message.
Here were the odds heading into the playoffs:
| NBA | ||
| 2009-2010 NBA Championship Updated May 3, 2010 | ||
| Cleveland | 8/5 | EVEN |
| L.A. Lakers | 19/10 | 2/1 |
| Orlando | 9/2 | 7/2 |
| Phoenix | 15/1 | 15/1 |
| San Antonio | 22/1 | 20/1 |
| Utah | 25/1 | 22/1 |
| Atlanta | 18/1 | 28/1 |
| Boston | 18/1 | 35/1 |
Beat LA
This is what it's all about, baby.
Speaking of Baby, what did he have to say about the Beat LA chants?
You Want Some of This?
Mike Wilbon said last night's game and the rest of the WCFs are all about 1 thing:
The Lakers playing basketball with the Celtics in mind, and the Celtics playing basketball with the Lakers in mind. The opponent (Suns and Magic) get to play the hapless victims. The Celtics and Lakers are already trying to break each others will by sending messages.
Good point.
I'm not giving up on the Suns yet. Not to win the series. But to win a couple of games.
Otherwise, it's cool.
The whole purpose of this blog is purple v. green. It's a purple and green world.
One more NBA Finals to prove it.
The Lakers playing basketball with the Celtics in mind, and the Celtics playing basketball with the Lakers in mind. The opponent (Suns and Magic) get to play the hapless victims. The Celtics and Lakers are already trying to break each others will by sending messages.
Good point.
I'm not giving up on the Suns yet. Not to win the series. But to win a couple of games.
Otherwise, it's cool.
The whole purpose of this blog is purple v. green. It's a purple and green world.
One more NBA Finals to prove it.
Magic Johnson Earning Some Love from Celtic Nation
Stuart Scott:
The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic had the two best regular season records in the NBA and looked like two dominant teams on a collision course for a duel in the Eastern Conference Finals. Now those teams look more like lint the Boston Celtics have brushed off their shoulders. What happened?
Magic Johnson:
Rondo, Rondo, and more Rondo. Rajon Rondo is the best all-around point guard in the NBA, bar none. And it's not even close.
Any Questions?
Come on, Celtic Nation. If you watched the Larry v. Magic HBO special, then you know Magic Johnson yearns for love . . . from everyone. I think he's earned a little love from us. I trust his analysis now more than just about anybody else. When we stink, he tells us why. We we're dominant, he knows why.
Let's give it up for Mr. Purple.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic had the two best regular season records in the NBA and looked like two dominant teams on a collision course for a duel in the Eastern Conference Finals. Now those teams look more like lint the Boston Celtics have brushed off their shoulders. What happened?
Magic Johnson:
Rondo, Rondo, and more Rondo. Rajon Rondo is the best all-around point guard in the NBA, bar none. And it's not even close.
Any Questions?
Come on, Celtic Nation. If you watched the Larry v. Magic HBO special, then you know Magic Johnson yearns for love . . . from everyone. I think he's earned a little love from us. I trust his analysis now more than just about anybody else. When we stink, he tells us why. We we're dominant, he knows why.
Let's give it up for Mr. Purple.
5.13.2010
1988 Eastern Conference Finals: Bird Sparks Comeback that Evens Series
5/31/1988
The game was slowly drifting away from the Celtics yesterday. The Pistons felt it. The Silverdome crowd of 26,625 sensed it. And Larry Bird fought it. As the third quarter ended, there was not much Bird could do. The Celtics were trailing, 68-60, and Bird was on the bench with 12 points, four fouls and a vow that, if nothing else, he would make a final effort to get Boston back in the game.
As has been the case for most of the Eastern Conference finals, he had been a picture of offensive inconsistency and frustration, playing in spurts that seemed to indicate he was coming out of a malaise that had been affecting his game all week. Then it began. A three-pointer from the left corner. Swish. A 14-foot jumper just inside the foul line. Swish. A drive to the basket on Joe Dumars that resulted in two free throws.
Two minutes had gone by in the fourth quarter. And the Pistons' 8-point lead had dissolved to 1. The crowd was quiet. Many had probably seen this eight days before when Bird made the fourth quarter his personal clinic in the seventh game against the Atlanta Hawks. This was more personal. The Pistons, on the verge of taking a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, had seen their worst nightmare turn into reality.
A minute later, Bird picked up his fifth foul. The crowd again turned the Silverdome into a noise chamber, sensing a reprieve. There was none. In a bizarre game that was the latest chapter of a strange series, the Celtics hung on for a 79-78 victory. While Bird did not take control at the end, he started the comeback in the fourth quarter and led the Celtics with 20 points and 10 rebounds, also contributing 6 assists. For a change, Bird ended the game feeling fresh. When he picked up his fourth foul with 6:41 left in the third, he got a rare mid-game rest.
"It helped a lot," said Bird. "I really felt rested when I came back. We were down by 8 and everyone seemed pretty cold. So I just decided to go after it. I felt real good. And when the first shot went in, I really seemed to have my rhythm." Bird had been out of sync all afternoon, mainly because he was dodging Piston arms and legs that seemed to gravitate toward him.
The tone for the game was set in the first few minutes when he went down in a heap with Bill Laimbeer. When he tried to get up, he found Laimbeer clinging to him. A few seconds later, he swatted off Laimbeer again. When it happened a third time, Bird lost his temper and picked up a foolish foul by pushing Laimbeer right in front of referee Ed Rush. "Pushing I don't mind," said Bird. "Shoving I don't mind. But when they start slapping your hand as you shoot it and don't call it, well, that's different. That affects things. I didn't like it and I said something."
He said too much and received his second technical of the season. When Bird lost his temper, he also lost the rest of his offensive rhythm. A minute later, he picked up his fourth foul and was headed for the bench. While Bird sat, the Celtics fiddled. The Pistons outscored them, 17-4, and took control of a game no one seemed to want.
"Offensively, neither team was doing much," said Bird. "But I thought we were playing a good game defensively. We just had to hang in there until our shots started going in." Not many of them did, and the Celtics began the fourth quarter in a hole. then Bird started his comeback. Not even a fifth foul with 9:13 left slowed him down.
The game came down to a last-chance effort by the Pistons, who were trailing by a point with eight seconds left. Dumars' last-second shot was gathered in by Robert Parish. The Celtics had not only survived but prospered, heading back to Boston with the home-court advantage restored. "It's all a matter of confidence," said Bird. "This team hasn't been shooting that well, but it never stops trying, never stops working. If we can start putting the ball in the basket, Detroit is going to be in trouble."
Bird is not ready to predict a victory, just as he wasn't ready to concede defeat when the Celtics dropped Saturday's game. "We've been in this situation a lot of times," he said. "We got what we came here for today. A lot of people had written us off. Now it's different. It's a best-of-three series. Our goal is to win the championship. And we're not going to do that unless we win this series. "Today helped. It's a lot better to be tied at two games than down, three to one." For the Celtics, it was a lot better to have Larry Bird taking control of the game. Even if only for a few minutes.
The game was slowly drifting away from the Celtics yesterday. The Pistons felt it. The Silverdome crowd of 26,625 sensed it. And Larry Bird fought it. As the third quarter ended, there was not much Bird could do. The Celtics were trailing, 68-60, and Bird was on the bench with 12 points, four fouls and a vow that, if nothing else, he would make a final effort to get Boston back in the game.
As has been the case for most of the Eastern Conference finals, he had been a picture of offensive inconsistency and frustration, playing in spurts that seemed to indicate he was coming out of a malaise that had been affecting his game all week. Then it began. A three-pointer from the left corner. Swish. A 14-foot jumper just inside the foul line. Swish. A drive to the basket on Joe Dumars that resulted in two free throws.
Two minutes had gone by in the fourth quarter. And the Pistons' 8-point lead had dissolved to 1. The crowd was quiet. Many had probably seen this eight days before when Bird made the fourth quarter his personal clinic in the seventh game against the Atlanta Hawks. This was more personal. The Pistons, on the verge of taking a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, had seen their worst nightmare turn into reality.
A minute later, Bird picked up his fifth foul. The crowd again turned the Silverdome into a noise chamber, sensing a reprieve. There was none. In a bizarre game that was the latest chapter of a strange series, the Celtics hung on for a 79-78 victory. While Bird did not take control at the end, he started the comeback in the fourth quarter and led the Celtics with 20 points and 10 rebounds, also contributing 6 assists. For a change, Bird ended the game feeling fresh. When he picked up his fourth foul with 6:41 left in the third, he got a rare mid-game rest.
"It helped a lot," said Bird. "I really felt rested when I came back. We were down by 8 and everyone seemed pretty cold. So I just decided to go after it. I felt real good. And when the first shot went in, I really seemed to have my rhythm." Bird had been out of sync all afternoon, mainly because he was dodging Piston arms and legs that seemed to gravitate toward him.
The tone for the game was set in the first few minutes when he went down in a heap with Bill Laimbeer. When he tried to get up, he found Laimbeer clinging to him. A few seconds later, he swatted off Laimbeer again. When it happened a third time, Bird lost his temper and picked up a foolish foul by pushing Laimbeer right in front of referee Ed Rush. "Pushing I don't mind," said Bird. "Shoving I don't mind. But when they start slapping your hand as you shoot it and don't call it, well, that's different. That affects things. I didn't like it and I said something."
He said too much and received his second technical of the season. When Bird lost his temper, he also lost the rest of his offensive rhythm. A minute later, he picked up his fourth foul and was headed for the bench. While Bird sat, the Celtics fiddled. The Pistons outscored them, 17-4, and took control of a game no one seemed to want.
"Offensively, neither team was doing much," said Bird. "But I thought we were playing a good game defensively. We just had to hang in there until our shots started going in." Not many of them did, and the Celtics began the fourth quarter in a hole. then Bird started his comeback. Not even a fifth foul with 9:13 left slowed him down.
The game came down to a last-chance effort by the Pistons, who were trailing by a point with eight seconds left. Dumars' last-second shot was gathered in by Robert Parish. The Celtics had not only survived but prospered, heading back to Boston with the home-court advantage restored. "It's all a matter of confidence," said Bird. "This team hasn't been shooting that well, but it never stops trying, never stops working. If we can start putting the ball in the basket, Detroit is going to be in trouble."
Bird is not ready to predict a victory, just as he wasn't ready to concede defeat when the Celtics dropped Saturday's game. "We've been in this situation a lot of times," he said. "We got what we came here for today. A lot of people had written us off. Now it's different. It's a best-of-three series. Our goal is to win the championship. And we're not going to do that unless we win this series. "Today helped. It's a lot better to be tied at two games than down, three to one." For the Celtics, it was a lot better to have Larry Bird taking control of the game. Even if only for a few minutes.
1988 Eastern Conference Finals: CELTICS SCORE 79 POINTS, BUT WIN
5/31/1988
Before any of the other stuff comes into play, let's establish one important fact. This series is tied at two games apiece. So many weird things happened in this Back To The Future game that it would be a simple matter to overlook the ramifications of this truly bizarre encounter. But there are no style points in the NBA playoffs. You score more points than the other guy, you win the game. Fortunately, we have a Kevin McHale around to get a handle on this macabre afternoon of NBA basketball.
"Like I always say," McHale chirped, "if you're only gonna score 79, it's better to hold them to 78." Yup, no misspoken words there. The Boston Celtics tied the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals yesterday afternoon with a 79-78 triumph over the Detroit Pistons in the Silverdome, an anti-basketball edifice that doesn't deserve better basketball to start with. "We face a three-game series," said a somber Detroit coach Chuck Daly. "(The Celtics) have survived another scare, just like in the Atlanta series."
But 79-78? Is Ike still in the White House? Wonder what new mischief Lucy Ricardo will be cooking up at the Club Tropicana. Can't wait to see where John Cameron Swayze hopscotches around for headlines tonight. 79-78? The last time the Celtics won a playoff game by scoring 79 points was on March 21, 1954 (when the Celtics beat the Knicks by the same score), or 415 playoff games ago. 79-78? Isn't that a Denver-San Antonio halftime score?
Moreover, the game ended as Celtics-Pistons close games seem destined to end -- in controversy. The major question at the conclusion was whether Robert Parish goaltended a Joe Dumars jumper as the buzzer sounded. Neither Darell Garretson nor Ed Rush thought so. No other opinions mattered. Detroit had a full eight seconds to go for the winning basket following a miss-one, make-one trip to the line by Dennis Johnson, who was foolishly fouled by Isiah Thomas a long way from the hoop ("We were going for a steal," explained Daly). The ball was inbounded from the left sideline to Isiah, who was guarded by Danny Ainge.
The Celtics had a foul to give, but Ainge chose not to give it. Larry Bird abandoned Bill Laimbeer to double-team Thomas, and the Detroit floor general gave it up to Laimbeer (a game-high 29 points), who was stationed straightaway in three-point territory. He passed up the shot and fed Dumars, who had flashed into the lane, then took a contested jumper over an onrushing DJ. The shot was short. Parish grabbed the 13-footer as the buzzer sounded. He later held his hands about 10 inches apart and said it was that much short. Dumars said it wasn't goaltending. Laimbeer said it was, but that "
Parish does that all the time, and he's very good at it." Replays were, as usual, inconclusive. The Pistons have now lost two excruciating games in this series, but in neither have they been deserving of much sympathy. On Thursday night, they missed 10 of 32 second-half free throws. Yesterday they were pathetic offensively in both the first and fourth periods, bookending 10-point quarters around 26 in the second quarter and 32 in the third, when they changed a 10-point halftime deficit (46-36) into a 68-60 lead entering Period 4.
How bad was Detroit? Well, after Laimbeer hit a right baseline jumper to make it 8-4 (7:55 of the first quarter), the Pistons missed an official total of 20 consecutive shots. Yeah, well how bad was Boston? The Celtics won this vital game while making eight field goals and shooting 29 percent in the second half. While Detroit was going 0 for 20, the Celtics were a mere 5 for 13 and were able to construct nothing larger than a 14-point lead (37-23, 41-27) despite making four second-quarter three-pointers (three by Ainge, one by Johnson).
"At the half," said Daly, "I was ecstatic. We were only 10 down (46-36) after missing 20 straight. They should have been up by 25." As you might expect, each side credited the other team's defense for its offensive problems. There is no denying that we may be seeing a new level of mutual defensive intensity. But 79-78? On this much, everyone agreed: The first minute and a half of the fourth quarter was crucial. That's when Bird came back, after sitting out the final 6:41 of the third period in foul trouble, to score the first 7 points of the final period. Things started on a positive note for the Celtics with a 24-second violation on the Pistons. Bird responded with a broken-play left-wing three-pointer. Adrian Dantley turned it over, and Bird nailed a 14-footer. Vinnie Johnson missed, and Bird took it to the hoop for two free throws, making it 68-67, Pistons.
"Yeah, Bird was hot," said Laimbeer. "But where were we on the other end? We came out with no life. We were dead." The largest spread in the remainder of the game was Detroit's 4-point lead of 71-67. The Celtics erased that with a little run of 6-0 for a 73-71 lead (7:24 remaining). Detroit regained the lead at 75-74 on a Thomas jumper (3:44). The game was tied at 76 when Laimbeer, who had scored half his team's 36 intermission points, tapped in a miss by Dumars (1 for 10). But DJ took a Bird feed and calmly swished a foul line jumper, tying the game at 78 with 1:13 remaining. Next came a fateful Detroit possession. Good Boston defense put Dumars in a right-corner pickle as the shot clock was winding down and, with two seconds left before a violation, he called for a 20-second timeout. When play resumed, a Dantley right-corner inbounds alley-oop feed to John Salley went directly into the basket for a seldom-seen turnover.
At least that was the official call. Salley's version was that he touched the ball. If that's true, the basket should have counted. With 26 seconds left, DJ missed a left baseline leaner, but McHale pulled down the huge offensive rebound and pitched it back out. Boston called time out with 20 seconds left and 18 on the shot clock. On the inbounds, Johnson got it to Bird, who dumped it in to McHale on the right box with 11 seconds left. McHale threw it back to DJ. This is when Thomas rammed Johnson in the vain hope of a steal. DJ missed his first shot but rattled home the second, leaving Boston ahead by the antedeluvian score of 79-78 and setting up the dramatic finale.
"That's one of the weirdest games, one of the weirdest turnarounds I've ever been in," observed K.C. Jones. Oh, it's a strange series, all right. Who knows? Maybe Chuck Nevitt will become an issue before it's over.
Before any of the other stuff comes into play, let's establish one important fact. This series is tied at two games apiece. So many weird things happened in this Back To The Future game that it would be a simple matter to overlook the ramifications of this truly bizarre encounter. But there are no style points in the NBA playoffs. You score more points than the other guy, you win the game. Fortunately, we have a Kevin McHale around to get a handle on this macabre afternoon of NBA basketball.
"Like I always say," McHale chirped, "if you're only gonna score 79, it's better to hold them to 78." Yup, no misspoken words there. The Boston Celtics tied the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals yesterday afternoon with a 79-78 triumph over the Detroit Pistons in the Silverdome, an anti-basketball edifice that doesn't deserve better basketball to start with. "We face a three-game series," said a somber Detroit coach Chuck Daly. "(The Celtics) have survived another scare, just like in the Atlanta series."
But 79-78? Is Ike still in the White House? Wonder what new mischief Lucy Ricardo will be cooking up at the Club Tropicana. Can't wait to see where John Cameron Swayze hopscotches around for headlines tonight. 79-78? The last time the Celtics won a playoff game by scoring 79 points was on March 21, 1954 (when the Celtics beat the Knicks by the same score), or 415 playoff games ago. 79-78? Isn't that a Denver-San Antonio halftime score?
Moreover, the game ended as Celtics-Pistons close games seem destined to end -- in controversy. The major question at the conclusion was whether Robert Parish goaltended a Joe Dumars jumper as the buzzer sounded. Neither Darell Garretson nor Ed Rush thought so. No other opinions mattered. Detroit had a full eight seconds to go for the winning basket following a miss-one, make-one trip to the line by Dennis Johnson, who was foolishly fouled by Isiah Thomas a long way from the hoop ("We were going for a steal," explained Daly). The ball was inbounded from the left sideline to Isiah, who was guarded by Danny Ainge.
The Celtics had a foul to give, but Ainge chose not to give it. Larry Bird abandoned Bill Laimbeer to double-team Thomas, and the Detroit floor general gave it up to Laimbeer (a game-high 29 points), who was stationed straightaway in three-point territory. He passed up the shot and fed Dumars, who had flashed into the lane, then took a contested jumper over an onrushing DJ. The shot was short. Parish grabbed the 13-footer as the buzzer sounded. He later held his hands about 10 inches apart and said it was that much short. Dumars said it wasn't goaltending. Laimbeer said it was, but that "
Parish does that all the time, and he's very good at it." Replays were, as usual, inconclusive. The Pistons have now lost two excruciating games in this series, but in neither have they been deserving of much sympathy. On Thursday night, they missed 10 of 32 second-half free throws. Yesterday they were pathetic offensively in both the first and fourth periods, bookending 10-point quarters around 26 in the second quarter and 32 in the third, when they changed a 10-point halftime deficit (46-36) into a 68-60 lead entering Period 4.
How bad was Detroit? Well, after Laimbeer hit a right baseline jumper to make it 8-4 (7:55 of the first quarter), the Pistons missed an official total of 20 consecutive shots. Yeah, well how bad was Boston? The Celtics won this vital game while making eight field goals and shooting 29 percent in the second half. While Detroit was going 0 for 20, the Celtics were a mere 5 for 13 and were able to construct nothing larger than a 14-point lead (37-23, 41-27) despite making four second-quarter three-pointers (three by Ainge, one by Johnson).
"At the half," said Daly, "I was ecstatic. We were only 10 down (46-36) after missing 20 straight. They should have been up by 25." As you might expect, each side credited the other team's defense for its offensive problems. There is no denying that we may be seeing a new level of mutual defensive intensity. But 79-78? On this much, everyone agreed: The first minute and a half of the fourth quarter was crucial. That's when Bird came back, after sitting out the final 6:41 of the third period in foul trouble, to score the first 7 points of the final period. Things started on a positive note for the Celtics with a 24-second violation on the Pistons. Bird responded with a broken-play left-wing three-pointer. Adrian Dantley turned it over, and Bird nailed a 14-footer. Vinnie Johnson missed, and Bird took it to the hoop for two free throws, making it 68-67, Pistons.
"Yeah, Bird was hot," said Laimbeer. "But where were we on the other end? We came out with no life. We were dead." The largest spread in the remainder of the game was Detroit's 4-point lead of 71-67. The Celtics erased that with a little run of 6-0 for a 73-71 lead (7:24 remaining). Detroit regained the lead at 75-74 on a Thomas jumper (3:44). The game was tied at 76 when Laimbeer, who had scored half his team's 36 intermission points, tapped in a miss by Dumars (1 for 10). But DJ took a Bird feed and calmly swished a foul line jumper, tying the game at 78 with 1:13 remaining. Next came a fateful Detroit possession. Good Boston defense put Dumars in a right-corner pickle as the shot clock was winding down and, with two seconds left before a violation, he called for a 20-second timeout. When play resumed, a Dantley right-corner inbounds alley-oop feed to John Salley went directly into the basket for a seldom-seen turnover.
At least that was the official call. Salley's version was that he touched the ball. If that's true, the basket should have counted. With 26 seconds left, DJ missed a left baseline leaner, but McHale pulled down the huge offensive rebound and pitched it back out. Boston called time out with 20 seconds left and 18 on the shot clock. On the inbounds, Johnson got it to Bird, who dumped it in to McHale on the right box with 11 seconds left. McHale threw it back to DJ. This is when Thomas rammed Johnson in the vain hope of a steal. DJ missed his first shot but rattled home the second, leaving Boston ahead by the antedeluvian score of 79-78 and setting up the dramatic finale.
"That's one of the weirdest games, one of the weirdest turnarounds I've ever been in," observed K.C. Jones. Oh, it's a strange series, all right. Who knows? Maybe Chuck Nevitt will become an issue before it's over.
1988 Eastern Conference Finals: Bird Slacking Off in Practice, Too
May 30, 1988
Nobody's ever going to accuse Larry Bird of not practicing enough. That is, not until now. Bird is in a three-game slump, and his shooting percentage bears closer resemblance to Wade Boggs' batting average than Bird's usual greatness. The keenest of Bird-watchers -- the man who rebounds and then feeds Bird those crisp passes in his legendary shootaround -- says that recently Bird has been taking a lot fewer pregame practice shots.
"Usually I break a sweat," said Celtics assistant equipment manager Joe Qatato. "But the last three games I've noticed we've been out for just a short time. It's unusual." Qatato says he doesn't keep count but has been told by reporters that Bird shoots roughly an average of 300 shots before each game, and even more during playoff time. Thus far in the Detroit series, he launched 107 practice shots prior to Game 1, 104 prior to Game 2 in Boston and 119 before Game 3 at the Silverdome.
Could Bird be hurting?
"No," said Qatato. "Larry's one of my best friends and everything's fine both physically and mentally. The Pistons are playing good defense and, hey, look at all the rebounds he's getting." Has Qatato said anything to Bird about shooting only for 10 or 12 minutes? "No," said Qatato. "It's not my place to ask -- he calls the shots."
"I don't think you can read anything into it," said general manager Jan Volk. "You have to ask him," said coach K.C. Jones. "I don't watch him shoot." Maybe Bird is just trying to conserve energy, "No," said Bird. "I don't count my shots. I couldn't tell you if I shot more or I shot less."
Bird patiently signed every autograph after Saturday's loss, and yesterday gleefully posed with a local high school basketball team whose gym the Celtics borrowed to practice. The man doesn't seem worried. But if practice does indeed make perfect, the Celtics are in trouble. Shooting at the other end of the court last week was a guy with a ready smile who's there when Bird arrives and he's still there when Bird leaves. He tossed up 356 shots before Game 2 and 373 before Game 3.
His name is Isiah Thomas.
Nobody's ever going to accuse Larry Bird of not practicing enough. That is, not until now. Bird is in a three-game slump, and his shooting percentage bears closer resemblance to Wade Boggs' batting average than Bird's usual greatness. The keenest of Bird-watchers -- the man who rebounds and then feeds Bird those crisp passes in his legendary shootaround -- says that recently Bird has been taking a lot fewer pregame practice shots.
"Usually I break a sweat," said Celtics assistant equipment manager Joe Qatato. "But the last three games I've noticed we've been out for just a short time. It's unusual." Qatato says he doesn't keep count but has been told by reporters that Bird shoots roughly an average of 300 shots before each game, and even more during playoff time. Thus far in the Detroit series, he launched 107 practice shots prior to Game 1, 104 prior to Game 2 in Boston and 119 before Game 3 at the Silverdome.
Could Bird be hurting?
"No," said Qatato. "Larry's one of my best friends and everything's fine both physically and mentally. The Pistons are playing good defense and, hey, look at all the rebounds he's getting." Has Qatato said anything to Bird about shooting only for 10 or 12 minutes? "No," said Qatato. "It's not my place to ask -- he calls the shots."
"I don't think you can read anything into it," said general manager Jan Volk. "You have to ask him," said coach K.C. Jones. "I don't watch him shoot." Maybe Bird is just trying to conserve energy, "No," said Bird. "I don't count my shots. I couldn't tell you if I shot more or I shot less."
Bird patiently signed every autograph after Saturday's loss, and yesterday gleefully posed with a local high school basketball team whose gym the Celtics borrowed to practice. The man doesn't seem worried. But if practice does indeed make perfect, the Celtics are in trouble. Shooting at the other end of the court last week was a guy with a ready smile who's there when Bird arrives and he's still there when Bird leaves. He tossed up 356 shots before Game 2 and 373 before Game 3.
His name is Isiah Thomas.
1988 Eastern Conference Finals: Bird Slump Nothing New
5/30/1988
The truth is, folks, it's all happened before.
Larry Bird doesn't have to be injured or ill in order to have difficulty scoring in the postseason. When the playoffs come, and nobody takes nights or afternoons off and the focus becomes defense, defense and maybe a little more defense mixed in, Bird frequently has struggled for games on end.
Sample:
1980 PHILADELPHIA, Games 3, 4 and 5
FG-FGA FT-FTA Rebs. (O-D-T) Assists Points
9-21 3-4 2-19-21 4 22
6-15 7-8 4-9-13 3 19
5-19 2-2 4-10-14 4 12
20-55 12-14 10-38-48 11 53
1981 HOUSTON, Games 3, 4 and 5
3-11 2-4 0-12-12 7 8
3-11 2-2 1-11-12 8 8
5-16 2-2 2-11-13 5 12
11-38 6-8 3-34-37 20 28
1982 WASHINGTON, Games 3 and 4
3-8 8-9 3-10-13 1 14
4-16 2-2 0-8-8 1 10
7-24 10-11 3-18-21 2 24
1982 PHILADELPHIA, Games 6 and 7
8-19 4-4 4-16-20 8 20
6-19 2-2 4-13-17 4 14
14-38 6-6 8-29-37 12 34
1983 ATLANTA, Games 1 and 2
9-20 8-8 1-14-15 5 26
4-18 7-8 7-9-16 9 15
13-38 15-16 8-23-31 14 41
1985 PHILADELPHIA, Games 4 and 5
4-15 6-6 2-5-7 6 14
6-18 5-7 1-4-5 5 17
10-33 11-12 3-9-12 11 31
1987 LOS ANGELES, Games 4, 5 and 6
7-19 5-5 1-9-10 7 21
7-18 8-9 2-10-2 7 23
6-16 4-4 1-8-9 5 16
20-53 17-18 4-27-21 19 60
So when you look at what's going on now in the DETROIT series . . .
8-20 3-5 1-8-9 6 20
6-20 6-7 2-10-12 8 18
6-17 6-6 2-9-11 8 18
20-57 15-18 5-27-32 22 56
You don't have to automatically assume anything is "wrong" with him. Maybe there is, and maybe there isn't, but it's more likely the Pistons are just doing a great job on him. Take note, however, at some of those rebound and assist totals over the years during these times of shooting woe. That's why Larry Bird is Larry Bird. If you just want a scorer, you could always bring Lou Hudson out of retirement.
The truth is, folks, it's all happened before.
Larry Bird doesn't have to be injured or ill in order to have difficulty scoring in the postseason. When the playoffs come, and nobody takes nights or afternoons off and the focus becomes defense, defense and maybe a little more defense mixed in, Bird frequently has struggled for games on end.
Sample:
1980 PHILADELPHIA, Games 3, 4 and 5
FG-FGA FT-FTA Rebs. (O-D-T) Assists Points
9-21 3-4 2-19-21 4 22
6-15 7-8 4-9-13 3 19
5-19 2-2 4-10-14 4 12
20-55 12-14 10-38-48 11 53
1981 HOUSTON, Games 3, 4 and 5
3-11 2-4 0-12-12 7 8
3-11 2-2 1-11-12 8 8
5-16 2-2 2-11-13 5 12
11-38 6-8 3-34-37 20 28
1982 WASHINGTON, Games 3 and 4
3-8 8-9 3-10-13 1 14
4-16 2-2 0-8-8 1 10
7-24 10-11 3-18-21 2 24
1982 PHILADELPHIA, Games 6 and 7
8-19 4-4 4-16-20 8 20
6-19 2-2 4-13-17 4 14
14-38 6-6 8-29-37 12 34
1983 ATLANTA, Games 1 and 2
9-20 8-8 1-14-15 5 26
4-18 7-8 7-9-16 9 15
13-38 15-16 8-23-31 14 41
1985 PHILADELPHIA, Games 4 and 5
4-15 6-6 2-5-7 6 14
6-18 5-7 1-4-5 5 17
10-33 11-12 3-9-12 11 31
1987 LOS ANGELES, Games 4, 5 and 6
7-19 5-5 1-9-10 7 21
7-18 8-9 2-10-2 7 23
6-16 4-4 1-8-9 5 16
20-53 17-18 4-27-21 19 60
So when you look at what's going on now in the DETROIT series . . .
8-20 3-5 1-8-9 6 20
6-20 6-7 2-10-12 8 18
6-17 6-6 2-9-11 8 18
20-57 15-18 5-27-32 22 56
You don't have to automatically assume anything is "wrong" with him. Maybe there is, and maybe there isn't, but it's more likely the Pistons are just doing a great job on him. Take note, however, at some of those rebound and assist totals over the years during these times of shooting woe. That's why Larry Bird is Larry Bird. If you just want a scorer, you could always bring Lou Hudson out of retirement.
1988 Eastern Conference Finals: Bird Loses Touch
May 29, 1988
He says he feels as good as he ever has during the playoffs. He says he is getting closer to where he wants to be, to finding out why he has been more ordinary than extraordinary in the past three games. But time is growing short for the Celtics, and Larry Bird knows it.
The numbers in yesterday's 98-94 loss to the Pistons weren't bad: 18 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists. But they were nothing near the kind of productiion the Celtics expect of Bird and Bird expects of himself. "I'm doing something wrong," said Bird, icing down his feet, the only part of his body that wasn't cold at the end of the game. Bird and the rest of the Celtic regulars watched the last 31 seconds from the bench as K.C. Jones made an early concession gesture. "I started out and hit a couple of shots early. But after that, I didn't have much rhythm."
Bird is running low on confidence these days as well. At least as low as Bird will let himself run. "My confidence is not as good as it was in the fourth quarter against Atlanta," he said. That Bird could go from megastar in the seventh game of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Hawks to falling star after three games against the Pistons is one of life's quirks that he cannot really understand.
Despite the speculation about his health, Bird maintains he is feeling fine. "Really," he said, "I feel fine. As good as I ever have during the playoffs. There's nothing wrong with me." In yesterday's game, Bird played in spurts. He started out with a fire in his belly, if not in his eye. As early as the opening tap, Bird was asking for the ball. And two quick jumpers boosted his spirits.
But then his offense, like that of the rest of the Celtics with the exception of Kevin McHale, floated off into some unknown reaches of the Silverdome. "The Pistons were switching off on me, so I was just dumping the ball in to Kevin," said Bird. McHale could not carry the offense alone. And when the Celtics made a fourth-quarter rush, cutting a 16-point Piston lead (90-74) to 6 with 7:44 left, it seemed the perfect time for Bird to readjust his cape.
But not this time. At least not offensively. Bird shot and missed and then shot and missed again, and suddenly No. 33 was almost invisible. "We had some chances," said Bird. "But then Danny (Ainge) missed a couple and I missed a couple." The frustrating thing is that Bird sees himself coming out of this slump, if one can call it a slump. "On Thursday (in Game 2), I was missing by a lot," said Bird. "Today it was just by a bit. I'm getting closer. But that's not much consolation."
With the Celtics trailing, 2-1, in this best-of-seven series, Bird realizes it is time to take some drastic measures. The Celtics cannot afford to leave Michigan down by two games. They have already lost the home-court edge. They are two games from losing the series. With very little more to lose, Bird says he will go on the offensive. "I'm going to be more aggressive in the next game," he said. "I'm going to drive more. I need to do more things."
Certainly Bird can do only so much. Although his shooting has been off, there has been nothing wrong with his rebounding, or his defense, or in the way he has handed off assists. He almost had a triple-double by halftime yesterday. But during a stretch in which the Celtics are suffering an offensive power outage, they cannot afford to have Bird as a set-up man for everyone else.
There were signs yesterday that Bird was ready to take a leading role again. "I saw the fire there," said Jones. "He put in his first three shots. After that, it seems the old thing took over again." K.C. is worried. So is Bird. "No matter who you're playing, when you're down, 2-1, you have to be concerned," Bird said.
But right now it is just concern. Nothing more. No panic -- yet. The Celtics can still turn things in their direction with a victory tomorrow. But in order to do that, they need Larry Bird.
All of him.
He says he feels as good as he ever has during the playoffs. He says he is getting closer to where he wants to be, to finding out why he has been more ordinary than extraordinary in the past three games. But time is growing short for the Celtics, and Larry Bird knows it.
The numbers in yesterday's 98-94 loss to the Pistons weren't bad: 18 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists. But they were nothing near the kind of productiion the Celtics expect of Bird and Bird expects of himself. "I'm doing something wrong," said Bird, icing down his feet, the only part of his body that wasn't cold at the end of the game. Bird and the rest of the Celtic regulars watched the last 31 seconds from the bench as K.C. Jones made an early concession gesture. "I started out and hit a couple of shots early. But after that, I didn't have much rhythm."
Bird is running low on confidence these days as well. At least as low as Bird will let himself run. "My confidence is not as good as it was in the fourth quarter against Atlanta," he said. That Bird could go from megastar in the seventh game of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Hawks to falling star after three games against the Pistons is one of life's quirks that he cannot really understand.
Despite the speculation about his health, Bird maintains he is feeling fine. "Really," he said, "I feel fine. As good as I ever have during the playoffs. There's nothing wrong with me." In yesterday's game, Bird played in spurts. He started out with a fire in his belly, if not in his eye. As early as the opening tap, Bird was asking for the ball. And two quick jumpers boosted his spirits.
But then his offense, like that of the rest of the Celtics with the exception of Kevin McHale, floated off into some unknown reaches of the Silverdome. "The Pistons were switching off on me, so I was just dumping the ball in to Kevin," said Bird. McHale could not carry the offense alone. And when the Celtics made a fourth-quarter rush, cutting a 16-point Piston lead (90-74) to 6 with 7:44 left, it seemed the perfect time for Bird to readjust his cape.
But not this time. At least not offensively. Bird shot and missed and then shot and missed again, and suddenly No. 33 was almost invisible. "We had some chances," said Bird. "But then Danny (Ainge) missed a couple and I missed a couple." The frustrating thing is that Bird sees himself coming out of this slump, if one can call it a slump. "On Thursday (in Game 2), I was missing by a lot," said Bird. "Today it was just by a bit. I'm getting closer. But that's not much consolation."
With the Celtics trailing, 2-1, in this best-of-seven series, Bird realizes it is time to take some drastic measures. The Celtics cannot afford to leave Michigan down by two games. They have already lost the home-court edge. They are two games from losing the series. With very little more to lose, Bird says he will go on the offensive. "I'm going to be more aggressive in the next game," he said. "I'm going to drive more. I need to do more things."
Certainly Bird can do only so much. Although his shooting has been off, there has been nothing wrong with his rebounding, or his defense, or in the way he has handed off assists. He almost had a triple-double by halftime yesterday. But during a stretch in which the Celtics are suffering an offensive power outage, they cannot afford to have Bird as a set-up man for everyone else.
There were signs yesterday that Bird was ready to take a leading role again. "I saw the fire there," said Jones. "He put in his first three shots. After that, it seems the old thing took over again." K.C. is worried. So is Bird. "No matter who you're playing, when you're down, 2-1, you have to be concerned," Bird said.
But right now it is just concern. Nothing more. No panic -- yet. The Celtics can still turn things in their direction with a victory tomorrow. But in order to do that, they need Larry Bird.
All of him.
1988 Eastern Conference Finals: Pistons Grab 2-1 Lead
5/29/1988
Chuck Daly's team now has a 2-1 series lead, with the third game scheduled for the Silverdome tomorrow afternoon. To look at his face and to hear his cautious responses to questions concerning the mortality of the Boston Celtics, you might think he was down, 0-3, with the fourth game scheduled for Red Auerbach's apartment.
"You know the scene in 'Fatal Attraction' when the woman rises up out of the bathtub after you think she's dead?" Daly inquired in the aftermath of yesterday's 98-94 conquest of the Celtics. "That's the Celtics. I swear to God, if we had five wins against them, (commissioner David) Stern would come in and take two of them away."
Of course, he ought to have three victories already, but that's a different story. The series stands at 2-1 for many reasons, but how about Joe Dumars and James Edwards, to name two? Dumars, a docile 4-for-11 shooter in Boston Thursday, was an All-Star level player yesterday. He was essentially left alone by Boston's slowly rotting defense, and he responded by hitting his first six shots en route to a 12-for-21, 29-point game.
Edwards, meanwhile, clinched the Fire Sale Objet d'Art of the Year award with another vital bench effort. Big James, whom the grateful Pistons rescued from the Phoenix Suns' attic, came off the bench in the third period as the Celtics were making a run and scored 9 of his 11 points in the final six minutes as Detroit took a comfortable 84-71 lead into the final period.
"I played with him in Phoenix," reminded Dennis Johnson. "He could always shoot the ball." Once upon a time, Larry Bird could, too. Or was that Larry's statue come to life, a la "Mannequin," last Sunday against the Hawks? Larry flopped a 6-for-17 effort on top of the 8-for-20 and 6-for-20 clunkers he had against Detroit in Boston. True, he led all rebounders with 11 and all assist men with 8, but the Celtics won't go very far with Bird shooting 35 percent (20 for 57).
"He's a time bomb," insists Daly, who knows that yesterday Bird actually did look better than he had in Boston and that he had three or four excruciating in-and-out shots in the treacherous Silverdome. "We're not taking any credit." Boston played its best basketball in the first four minutes of the game, when good ball movement and some tough shots in the face of Detroit's sound defense gave it a 16-11 lead.
The Celtics also looked very good during a two-minute stretch of the third period (closing within 6 at 70-64) and during a 2 1/2-minute burst in the final period (again closing within 6 at 90-84). It was the other 39 1/2 minutes they had trouble with.
Dumars was the early assassin. The third-year guard took advantage of rugged picks set by Bill Laimbeer and a slow-to-react Boston defense that left him open whenever either Adrian Dantley or Isiah Thomas had the ball. Dumars drilled three consecutive jumpers to give the Pistons a 17-16 lead, and when Kevin McHale (32) responded, Dumars salvaged a badly broken play (Bird had poked the ball away from Dantley) with a three-pointer (20-18). There would subsequently be four ties (20, 22, 27 and 29), but no more lead changes.
Edwards, the new Motown folk hero, made his big contribution after the Celtics had chopped a 14-point deficit (70-56) to 6 at 70-64. At this juncture, Bird agonized as a jumper spun out, leading to a three-point play by Thomas at the other end. McHale
missed a short hook, leading to a Detroit fast break. Vinnie Johnson missed, but in the ensuing ferocity of the rebound action Edwards picked up a loose ball and threw up a desperate prayer that the Hoop God answered in the affirmative. Better yet, a foul was affixed, and the Celtics had slipped from 6 down with the ball to minus-12 (76-64) in the span of a minute.
Edwards' contributions cannot be exaggerated, since Rick Mahorn is getting more feeble by the day because of his disc problem and Laimbeer had a very tame offensive day (0 for 3, 2 points). "James didn't play much against Chicago," points out Daly, "but I thought he would in this series because against Boston you need all the big people you can get."
Boston could have used another big guy; that's for sure. Robert Parish was a non-factor after picking up three fouls in the first six minutes, and there were no Edwardses available on the Boston bench. The Pistons even managed to survive a 14-point last quarter because the Celtics weren't offensively potent enough to make
them pay.
"Nobody's gonna beat anybody shooting 40 percent," said McHale, who had 31 of his 32 points by the end of the third quarter. "I don't care what kind of defense you play, or how you do on the boards, you just aren't gonna beat anybody shooting like
that." And forget about fast-break layups, of course. The Celtics run out of rebounds about as often as David Letterman hosts "Meet The Press."
They get another shot in the Dismal Dome tomorrow. They've been down this way before. Think of the 1984 LA series. But they were a bit (ahem) younger, then, too.
Chuck Daly's team now has a 2-1 series lead, with the third game scheduled for the Silverdome tomorrow afternoon. To look at his face and to hear his cautious responses to questions concerning the mortality of the Boston Celtics, you might think he was down, 0-3, with the fourth game scheduled for Red Auerbach's apartment.
"You know the scene in 'Fatal Attraction' when the woman rises up out of the bathtub after you think she's dead?" Daly inquired in the aftermath of yesterday's 98-94 conquest of the Celtics. "That's the Celtics. I swear to God, if we had five wins against them, (commissioner David) Stern would come in and take two of them away."
Of course, he ought to have three victories already, but that's a different story. The series stands at 2-1 for many reasons, but how about Joe Dumars and James Edwards, to name two? Dumars, a docile 4-for-11 shooter in Boston Thursday, was an All-Star level player yesterday. He was essentially left alone by Boston's slowly rotting defense, and he responded by hitting his first six shots en route to a 12-for-21, 29-point game.
Edwards, meanwhile, clinched the Fire Sale Objet d'Art of the Year award with another vital bench effort. Big James, whom the grateful Pistons rescued from the Phoenix Suns' attic, came off the bench in the third period as the Celtics were making a run and scored 9 of his 11 points in the final six minutes as Detroit took a comfortable 84-71 lead into the final period.
"I played with him in Phoenix," reminded Dennis Johnson. "He could always shoot the ball." Once upon a time, Larry Bird could, too. Or was that Larry's statue come to life, a la "Mannequin," last Sunday against the Hawks? Larry flopped a 6-for-17 effort on top of the 8-for-20 and 6-for-20 clunkers he had against Detroit in Boston. True, he led all rebounders with 11 and all assist men with 8, but the Celtics won't go very far with Bird shooting 35 percent (20 for 57).
"He's a time bomb," insists Daly, who knows that yesterday Bird actually did look better than he had in Boston and that he had three or four excruciating in-and-out shots in the treacherous Silverdome. "We're not taking any credit." Boston played its best basketball in the first four minutes of the game, when good ball movement and some tough shots in the face of Detroit's sound defense gave it a 16-11 lead.
The Celtics also looked very good during a two-minute stretch of the third period (closing within 6 at 70-64) and during a 2 1/2-minute burst in the final period (again closing within 6 at 90-84). It was the other 39 1/2 minutes they had trouble with.
Dumars was the early assassin. The third-year guard took advantage of rugged picks set by Bill Laimbeer and a slow-to-react Boston defense that left him open whenever either Adrian Dantley or Isiah Thomas had the ball. Dumars drilled three consecutive jumpers to give the Pistons a 17-16 lead, and when Kevin McHale (32) responded, Dumars salvaged a badly broken play (Bird had poked the ball away from Dantley) with a three-pointer (20-18). There would subsequently be four ties (20, 22, 27 and 29), but no more lead changes.
Edwards, the new Motown folk hero, made his big contribution after the Celtics had chopped a 14-point deficit (70-56) to 6 at 70-64. At this juncture, Bird agonized as a jumper spun out, leading to a three-point play by Thomas at the other end. McHale
missed a short hook, leading to a Detroit fast break. Vinnie Johnson missed, but in the ensuing ferocity of the rebound action Edwards picked up a loose ball and threw up a desperate prayer that the Hoop God answered in the affirmative. Better yet, a foul was affixed, and the Celtics had slipped from 6 down with the ball to minus-12 (76-64) in the span of a minute.
Edwards' contributions cannot be exaggerated, since Rick Mahorn is getting more feeble by the day because of his disc problem and Laimbeer had a very tame offensive day (0 for 3, 2 points). "James didn't play much against Chicago," points out Daly, "but I thought he would in this series because against Boston you need all the big people you can get."
Boston could have used another big guy; that's for sure. Robert Parish was a non-factor after picking up three fouls in the first six minutes, and there were no Edwardses available on the Boston bench. The Pistons even managed to survive a 14-point last quarter because the Celtics weren't offensively potent enough to make
them pay.
"Nobody's gonna beat anybody shooting 40 percent," said McHale, who had 31 of his 32 points by the end of the third quarter. "I don't care what kind of defense you play, or how you do on the boards, you just aren't gonna beat anybody shooting like
that." And forget about fast-break layups, of course. The Celtics run out of rebounds about as often as David Letterman hosts "Meet The Press."
They get another shot in the Dismal Dome tomorrow. They've been down this way before. Think of the 1984 LA series. But they were a bit (ahem) younger, then, too.
1988 Eastern Conference Finals: Auerbach Praises Pistons
5/28/1988
Red Auerbach doesn't want to be, but he is very impressed with the Detroit strategy in the Eastern Conference finals. "They played the first two games in Boston much more aggressively than they usually do," said the Celtics president."
They were much more physical. Guys not usually physical were very physical. I think what they wanted to do was set a physical tempo here in Boston and then step it up a notch in Detroit. My guessing is that their strategy was to set up the refs for the game in Detroit. You can't go from doing nothing physical to all of a sudden being very physical without getting fouls called. But they are gambling that by setting the tempo here, they can get away with more out there."
People close to some of the Lakers say they are rooting for the Celtics to win because they don't think there is any way the Celtics can beat them, while Detroit would present a much more formidable opponent. The Lakers also reportedly felt that Utah would be a lot tougher to play than Dallas because they match up much better with the Mavericks than the Jazz.
The Lakers say giant center Mark Eaton's presence in the lane all the time forced them to alter their shots and the quickness of guard John Stockton forced them to play more defense than they had all year. Stockton's ability to hold the ball for 20 seconds, then make a play to beat the 24-second clock, took the Laker fast break out of action and forced them to play tough defense every 24-second possession, which they do not like to do. They fear Detroit more than Boston or Dallas because Detroit has Isiah Thomas, who can do the same thing Stockton did: control the ball and then make a move to penetrate the defense and set up a play.
Red Auerbach doesn't want to be, but he is very impressed with the Detroit strategy in the Eastern Conference finals. "They played the first two games in Boston much more aggressively than they usually do," said the Celtics president."
They were much more physical. Guys not usually physical were very physical. I think what they wanted to do was set a physical tempo here in Boston and then step it up a notch in Detroit. My guessing is that their strategy was to set up the refs for the game in Detroit. You can't go from doing nothing physical to all of a sudden being very physical without getting fouls called. But they are gambling that by setting the tempo here, they can get away with more out there."
People close to some of the Lakers say they are rooting for the Celtics to win because they don't think there is any way the Celtics can beat them, while Detroit would present a much more formidable opponent. The Lakers also reportedly felt that Utah would be a lot tougher to play than Dallas because they match up much better with the Mavericks than the Jazz.
The Lakers say giant center Mark Eaton's presence in the lane all the time forced them to alter their shots and the quickness of guard John Stockton forced them to play more defense than they had all year. Stockton's ability to hold the ball for 20 seconds, then make a play to beat the 24-second clock, took the Laker fast break out of action and forced them to play tough defense every 24-second possession, which they do not like to do. They fear Detroit more than Boston or Dallas because Detroit has Isiah Thomas, who can do the same thing Stockton did: control the ball and then make a move to penetrate the defense and set up a play.
1988 Eastern Conference Finals: DJ Won the Battle
5/27/1988
He had been pushed and bumped and elbowed, and all he did was raise his eyebrows and look at referees Jack Madden and Mike Mathis. Dennis Johnson knew better than to expect whistles to blow on this particular evening. He knew that it had come down to a game of basic in-your-face basketball. It was a game of skins and shirts, playground style, where either you made a shot or you didn't. Either you made the play or you didn't.
Last night, with the frantic Boston Garden crowd of 14,890 chanting "DJ, DJ," Dennis Johnson did what he had to do to help the Celtics hang on to an incredible 119-115 double-overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons and tie the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals, 1-1.
All the Celtic guard did in the second overtime was take control, coming up with a pair of steals that took the heart out of the Pistons and scoring the final 6 points of the game, which took the soul out of them. "DJ just took over at the end," said Danny Ainge.
Someone obviously had to, since Larry Bird was an offensive no-show for the second straight game and no one else seemed to emerge. Oh, Kevin McHale threw in his controversial three-pointer which sent the game into the second overtime. "I raised my arms like everyone else on that one," said DJ, who seemed to get more of an adrenaline fix than anyone.
But the Pistons would not go gently into this good and long night. They were intent on leaving Boston with a 2-0 lead. Johnson wouldn't let them. He stole the ball from Joe Dumars and headed the length of the court. As he reached the basket, bodies collided and he felt himself sliding to the ground.
No whistle, and Johnson arched his eyebrows and gave Mathis a "come on" look. Then he stole the ball from Isiah Thomas, who had been conducting his own war with Johnson all night. They had banged each other the entire game and kept giving each other looks that were one step short of putting on the gloves. "He's a great clutch performer," conceded Pistons coach Chuck Daly. "He made the plays."
And he made them all in the final two minutes of the game. "I looked at the clock and there was 1:49 left," Johnson said. "I got a steal and then another steal. Things just fell into my hands." It was in his hands until nine seconds left, when his two foul shots gave the Celtics the 119-115 lead. The Pistons called time out, and the crowd, which had counted this one in the L column until McHale's miracle came out of the haze, started chanting DJ's name.
It started in the section of the stands where Red Auerbach sits and spread around the Garden, up to the rafters, where Johnny Most nearly went from agony to ecstasy.
Finally, the clock ran down as the Pistons tried one more time to win it. Fittingly enough, it ended with DJ blocking a Thomas shot and the two looking at each other for the final time in a long and draining evening.
The message was clear. They would meet again. And it was just as clear that on this night, Dennis Johnson had won the individual war.
He had been pushed and bumped and elbowed, and all he did was raise his eyebrows and look at referees Jack Madden and Mike Mathis. Dennis Johnson knew better than to expect whistles to blow on this particular evening. He knew that it had come down to a game of basic in-your-face basketball. It was a game of skins and shirts, playground style, where either you made a shot or you didn't. Either you made the play or you didn't.
Last night, with the frantic Boston Garden crowd of 14,890 chanting "DJ, DJ," Dennis Johnson did what he had to do to help the Celtics hang on to an incredible 119-115 double-overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons and tie the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals, 1-1.
All the Celtic guard did in the second overtime was take control, coming up with a pair of steals that took the heart out of the Pistons and scoring the final 6 points of the game, which took the soul out of them. "DJ just took over at the end," said Danny Ainge.
Someone obviously had to, since Larry Bird was an offensive no-show for the second straight game and no one else seemed to emerge. Oh, Kevin McHale threw in his controversial three-pointer which sent the game into the second overtime. "I raised my arms like everyone else on that one," said DJ, who seemed to get more of an adrenaline fix than anyone.
But the Pistons would not go gently into this good and long night. They were intent on leaving Boston with a 2-0 lead. Johnson wouldn't let them. He stole the ball from Joe Dumars and headed the length of the court. As he reached the basket, bodies collided and he felt himself sliding to the ground.
No whistle, and Johnson arched his eyebrows and gave Mathis a "come on" look. Then he stole the ball from Isiah Thomas, who had been conducting his own war with Johnson all night. They had banged each other the entire game and kept giving each other looks that were one step short of putting on the gloves. "He's a great clutch performer," conceded Pistons coach Chuck Daly. "He made the plays."
And he made them all in the final two minutes of the game. "I looked at the clock and there was 1:49 left," Johnson said. "I got a steal and then another steal. Things just fell into my hands." It was in his hands until nine seconds left, when his two foul shots gave the Celtics the 119-115 lead. The Pistons called time out, and the crowd, which had counted this one in the L column until McHale's miracle came out of the haze, started chanting DJ's name.
It started in the section of the stands where Red Auerbach sits and spread around the Garden, up to the rafters, where Johnny Most nearly went from agony to ecstasy.
Finally, the clock ran down as the Pistons tried one more time to win it. Fittingly enough, it ended with DJ blocking a Thomas shot and the two looking at each other for the final time in a long and draining evening.
The message was clear. They would meet again. And it was just as clear that on this night, Dennis Johnson had won the individual war.
1988 Eastern Conference Finals: Broken Play Key to Win
5/27/1988
The clock read 0:07 when Isiah Thomas' three-point launch from the left sideline in the first overtime soared over Kevin McHale's outstretched arms and dropped cleanly through the basket. The Detroit bench looked like a combination of Mardi Gras and New Year's Eve as the Celtics called time out and the Pistons had visions of a two-game advantage and home court on the horizon. It was 109-106, Detroit, and everyone, it seemed, was celebrating on the Detroit sideline, anticipating a commanding lead over the Celtics in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference
finals.
Except Isiah.
"I've been playing these guys long enough to know that it ain't over until the final buzzer sounds," said Thomas, who led the Pistons with 24 points and dished off eight assists. The Detroit coaching staff had one plan. When the Celtics put the ball in play, they'd go for the safe foul with the 3-point lead.
Dennis Johnson's inbounds pass flicked off Larry Bird's fingertips as the Pistons were momentarily stuck in neutral. The ball wound up in Kevin McHale's hands, and the most improbable scenario unfolded for Detroit. First, the Pistons were immobilized. Second, McHale made the shot.
After the 119-115 double-OT loss, Thomas looked at the game's biggest bucket with a sense of humor. "They probably designed it that way," he grinned. And "no," said Isiah, he wasn't thinking about vindication after his three-pointer for his boo-boo in last year's Game 5. "That's in your (the media's) mind, but it wasn't on mine. We lost. We can't dwell on it. We have to get ready for Saturday's game," said Thomas, who blamed his team's poor free throw shooting (24 for 35), particularly in the late stages of regulation and the OTs, for contributing to the loss just as much as McHale's clutch shot and Johnson's steals and game-winning free throws.
"It happens sometimes -- we're normally a good free throw-shooting team," added Thomas. "But we're going home and we play really well at home. Teams have to come into the Silverdome and play extremely well to beat us." Bill Laimbeer, who fouled out in the second OT, said, "We thought we had the game won. We probably should have fouled McHale and, unfortunately, he made the three-pointer. It just happened so fast.
"We played good enough to win and we didn't, but we have to go out now and take advantage of playing on our court." Laimbeer said that after Thomas nailed his three-pointer, "I knew the game wasn't over because they have a lot of good three-point shooters. And then the guy who's not their best three-point shooter happened to can it.
"Hey, the Boston Celtics are a very talented team and they're defending champions in the East," he added. "Granted, we play better at home, but their goal is to win one in Detroit. "It's frustrating at the moment. We thought we should have won the game, but we didn't. But we have an outstanding ballclub and our fans will be excited to see us come home.
"Tonight we played good basketball. I felt even though it was going back and forth, we controlled the game." Pistons coach Chuck Daly said, "Neither club wanted to give in. They ultimately prevailed. When we had the 3-point lead, we wanted to foul but the play broke down and then the officials called (McHale's shot) a three.
"I don't know whether the call was correct or not. I didn't see a replay. But (referee Jack) Madden called it good, and so it was." Daly said the game wound down to both teams trading baskets "and who could get the basket to win the game. Our foul shooting down the stretch cost us -- both in regulation and overtime.
"But they're a great team and we're a good team and we've got five more games to play," added Daly, who unwittingly predicted a seven-game series with that remark. Joe Dumars, who had a chance to win the game after McHale's basket when he fired up a corner jumper -- an air ball -- said the Celtics got back into the game "on a busted play. It caught us off guard a little bit."
It must have shocked Dumars, who never came close three seconds later. "Physically, the Celtics should have been tired because we're younger," said Dumars. "But they have big hearts. They fought back. We've had two hard-fought games and now we have to protect our home-court advantage."
The clock read 0:07 when Isiah Thomas' three-point launch from the left sideline in the first overtime soared over Kevin McHale's outstretched arms and dropped cleanly through the basket. The Detroit bench looked like a combination of Mardi Gras and New Year's Eve as the Celtics called time out and the Pistons had visions of a two-game advantage and home court on the horizon. It was 109-106, Detroit, and everyone, it seemed, was celebrating on the Detroit sideline, anticipating a commanding lead over the Celtics in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference
finals.
Except Isiah.
"I've been playing these guys long enough to know that it ain't over until the final buzzer sounds," said Thomas, who led the Pistons with 24 points and dished off eight assists. The Detroit coaching staff had one plan. When the Celtics put the ball in play, they'd go for the safe foul with the 3-point lead.
Dennis Johnson's inbounds pass flicked off Larry Bird's fingertips as the Pistons were momentarily stuck in neutral. The ball wound up in Kevin McHale's hands, and the most improbable scenario unfolded for Detroit. First, the Pistons were immobilized. Second, McHale made the shot.
After the 119-115 double-OT loss, Thomas looked at the game's biggest bucket with a sense of humor. "They probably designed it that way," he grinned. And "no," said Isiah, he wasn't thinking about vindication after his three-pointer for his boo-boo in last year's Game 5. "That's in your (the media's) mind, but it wasn't on mine. We lost. We can't dwell on it. We have to get ready for Saturday's game," said Thomas, who blamed his team's poor free throw shooting (24 for 35), particularly in the late stages of regulation and the OTs, for contributing to the loss just as much as McHale's clutch shot and Johnson's steals and game-winning free throws.
"It happens sometimes -- we're normally a good free throw-shooting team," added Thomas. "But we're going home and we play really well at home. Teams have to come into the Silverdome and play extremely well to beat us." Bill Laimbeer, who fouled out in the second OT, said, "We thought we had the game won. We probably should have fouled McHale and, unfortunately, he made the three-pointer. It just happened so fast.
"We played good enough to win and we didn't, but we have to go out now and take advantage of playing on our court." Laimbeer said that after Thomas nailed his three-pointer, "I knew the game wasn't over because they have a lot of good three-point shooters. And then the guy who's not their best three-point shooter happened to can it.
"Hey, the Boston Celtics are a very talented team and they're defending champions in the East," he added. "Granted, we play better at home, but their goal is to win one in Detroit. "It's frustrating at the moment. We thought we should have won the game, but we didn't. But we have an outstanding ballclub and our fans will be excited to see us come home.
"Tonight we played good basketball. I felt even though it was going back and forth, we controlled the game." Pistons coach Chuck Daly said, "Neither club wanted to give in. They ultimately prevailed. When we had the 3-point lead, we wanted to foul but the play broke down and then the officials called (McHale's shot) a three.
"I don't know whether the call was correct or not. I didn't see a replay. But (referee Jack) Madden called it good, and so it was." Daly said the game wound down to both teams trading baskets "and who could get the basket to win the game. Our foul shooting down the stretch cost us -- both in regulation and overtime.
"But they're a great team and we're a good team and we've got five more games to play," added Daly, who unwittingly predicted a seven-game series with that remark. Joe Dumars, who had a chance to win the game after McHale's basket when he fired up a corner jumper -- an air ball -- said the Celtics got back into the game "on a busted play. It caught us off guard a little bit."
It must have shocked Dumars, who never came close three seconds later. "Physically, the Celtics should have been tired because we're younger," said Dumars. "But they have big hearts. They fought back. We've had two hard-fought games and now we have to protect our home-court advantage."
1988 Eastern Conference Finals: DJ the Hero in Game 2 OT Win
5/27/1988
It had to happen. Sooner or later, these nasty rivals were destined to go straight to the mattresses. Innocent bystanders be damned, the Celtics and Pistons have now officially gone to war. They shoved and elbowed and banged and huffed and puffed through 58 minutes of oft-sloppy but never timid basketball last night at Boston Garden, and when it was over, the Celtics had saved face and the series, in that order.
With Kevin McHale making a controversial three-pointer (was his foot on the line or wasn't it?) to tie it with five seconds remaining in the first overtime, and with Dennis (Money Time) Johnson dominating the final 1:25 of the ballgame, the Celtics tied up the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals, 1-1, with a stirring 119-115 double-overtime triumph over the rugged Detroit Pistons.
Boston was trailing, 115-113, with 1:39 remaining in the second OT following a Joe Dumars jumper. DJ tied it with an inside-out foul line jumper from McHale. At 1:06, Isiah Thomas, whose chances to be a hero thanks to a sensational three-pointer had been wiped out by McHale's improbable shot, won a jump ball from Larry Bird, only to spoil the possession with a not-needed 21-foot miss from the right wing.
Johnson took the ball hard to the hoop, drawing, and sinking, two free throws to put Boston ahead, 117-115, with 43 seconds to go. Detroit elected to clear out the left side for Adrian Dantley, who settled for a flat set shot from 20 feet, which was rebounded by Robert Parish at the 25-second mark.
DJ was rammed by Thomas with nine seconds left, and DJ swished both. He completed his night's work following a Detroit timeout by smashing away an Isiah three-point attempt from the left wing, knocking it out of bounds with six seconds to go. A Vinnie Johnson heave ended it.
If the Celtics go on to win either this series and the NBA title, people will immediately turn their thoughts back to that fateful Boston possession with seven seconds left in the first OT. Thomas had just capped a Detroit comeback from a 106-102 OT deficit with an icy three-pointer from the left over a switched-off McHale two seconds earlier. Boston called time, and on the inbounds a DJ pass skimmed off the fingers of the struggling (6 for 20) Larry Bird. But wait . . . McHale, a lifetime 1-for-21 three-point shooter who hadn't attempted even one desperation three in 76 regular-season and playoff games this year, picked the ball off and swished a line-drive three from the dead center of the court.
The question was whether or not his foot was nudging the line. There was a lengthy midcourt pow-wow between the officiating crew of Jack Madden and Mike Mathis and the entire Detroit entourage. At length, Madden emerged from the conclave with his arms raised, signifying a game-tying (109-109) three-pointer.
There was plenty of action left in that OT, however. First Dumars air-balled a corner three. Then Bird traveled after receiving the inbounds. Finally, Bill Laimbeer's weak lob intended for Thomas was knocked away by the ubiquitous DJ, sending one and all into the second OT.
The Pistons will bemoan the favorable three-point ruling for about the next three centuries (both Skip Caray and Rick Barry on WTBS say even the replays were too close to make a definitive call), but the fact is that Detroit essentially outplayed the Celtics and gift-wrapped this game in about 10 different ways. Start with abominable second-half free throws.
Detroit got much the best of the down-the-stretch officiating in the feared Boston Garden, but Detroit managed to hit only 22 of 32 in the second half, plus OTs. Detroit also led by 5 (96-91) with 4:07 left in regulation, but the Pistons were then in the middle of an amazing stretch, during which they could manage but one field goal (a tough Thomas banker to put his team ahead, (98-97) in 10 minutes.
Detroit had also provided Boston with life by committing 15 first-half turnovers, good for 20 Celtics points. Included among Detroit's game total of 21 turnovers were no fewer than seven offensive fouls. The missed free throws absolutely leveled the Pistons. Dantley missed the second of two with 11 seconds to go in regulation, leaving the score tied at 102. James Edwards, otherwise praiseworthy (18 points off the bench), missed a pair to start the first OT. Dantley missed two more with the score tied at 113 in the second OT. And so on.
By no extraordinary stretch of anyone's most fertile imagination could this be called a great game. The 66 personal fouls were well earned. Messrs. Madden and Mathis could have called 166 more. It was a game of hand-to-hand combat, owing more to Camp Lejeune than to a classroom at West Point. The largest margin attained by either team was 7, which Boston had as early as 15-8 (before the turnovers took over) and as late as 76-69. But the Pistons never allowed Boston to run and hide.
The Detroit guys had it down to 81-78 after three quarters, and by the time the fourth quarter was 1:20 old, a basket by the fired-up Microwave (Vinnie Johnson) had put the Pistons in front, 82-81. A bit later on, Detroit took apparent control, moving into such leads as 94-89 (two John Salley free throws) and 96-91 (two freebies by Edwards).
Boston's last-gasp regulation run started with an inside-outer by the irrepressible DJ (22 points, 10 assists, 3 steals), whose swisher made it 96-93 (3:50). Boston got back into the lead on the only Bird basket of the last 27-plus minutes (97-96), but the key shot down that particular stretch was a playground shovel drive by Danny Ainge which gave the Celtics a 102-101 lead with 28 seconds left. Dantley's first chance to be a hero followed, but he could get only half the job done, making one of two with 11 seconds to go. Bird's bid to win it on a right corner spinner from 17 feet was well defensed by Salley.
But that was long before McHale's Three-Pointer Heard 'Round The Commonwealth, or before Dennis Johnson enhanced a reputation which should make him a spokesman for some company which seeks to portray an image of continually coming through under pressure.
And now it's off to the wilds of Pontiac, tied at 1-1. They'd better remember to bring their entrenching tools.
It had to happen. Sooner or later, these nasty rivals were destined to go straight to the mattresses. Innocent bystanders be damned, the Celtics and Pistons have now officially gone to war. They shoved and elbowed and banged and huffed and puffed through 58 minutes of oft-sloppy but never timid basketball last night at Boston Garden, and when it was over, the Celtics had saved face and the series, in that order.
With Kevin McHale making a controversial three-pointer (was his foot on the line or wasn't it?) to tie it with five seconds remaining in the first overtime, and with Dennis (Money Time) Johnson dominating the final 1:25 of the ballgame, the Celtics tied up the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals, 1-1, with a stirring 119-115 double-overtime triumph over the rugged Detroit Pistons.
Boston was trailing, 115-113, with 1:39 remaining in the second OT following a Joe Dumars jumper. DJ tied it with an inside-out foul line jumper from McHale. At 1:06, Isiah Thomas, whose chances to be a hero thanks to a sensational three-pointer had been wiped out by McHale's improbable shot, won a jump ball from Larry Bird, only to spoil the possession with a not-needed 21-foot miss from the right wing.
Johnson took the ball hard to the hoop, drawing, and sinking, two free throws to put Boston ahead, 117-115, with 43 seconds to go. Detroit elected to clear out the left side for Adrian Dantley, who settled for a flat set shot from 20 feet, which was rebounded by Robert Parish at the 25-second mark.
DJ was rammed by Thomas with nine seconds left, and DJ swished both. He completed his night's work following a Detroit timeout by smashing away an Isiah three-point attempt from the left wing, knocking it out of bounds with six seconds to go. A Vinnie Johnson heave ended it.
If the Celtics go on to win either this series and the NBA title, people will immediately turn their thoughts back to that fateful Boston possession with seven seconds left in the first OT. Thomas had just capped a Detroit comeback from a 106-102 OT deficit with an icy three-pointer from the left over a switched-off McHale two seconds earlier. Boston called time, and on the inbounds a DJ pass skimmed off the fingers of the struggling (6 for 20) Larry Bird. But wait . . . McHale, a lifetime 1-for-21 three-point shooter who hadn't attempted even one desperation three in 76 regular-season and playoff games this year, picked the ball off and swished a line-drive three from the dead center of the court.
The question was whether or not his foot was nudging the line. There was a lengthy midcourt pow-wow between the officiating crew of Jack Madden and Mike Mathis and the entire Detroit entourage. At length, Madden emerged from the conclave with his arms raised, signifying a game-tying (109-109) three-pointer.
There was plenty of action left in that OT, however. First Dumars air-balled a corner three. Then Bird traveled after receiving the inbounds. Finally, Bill Laimbeer's weak lob intended for Thomas was knocked away by the ubiquitous DJ, sending one and all into the second OT.
The Pistons will bemoan the favorable three-point ruling for about the next three centuries (both Skip Caray and Rick Barry on WTBS say even the replays were too close to make a definitive call), but the fact is that Detroit essentially outplayed the Celtics and gift-wrapped this game in about 10 different ways. Start with abominable second-half free throws.
Detroit got much the best of the down-the-stretch officiating in the feared Boston Garden, but Detroit managed to hit only 22 of 32 in the second half, plus OTs. Detroit also led by 5 (96-91) with 4:07 left in regulation, but the Pistons were then in the middle of an amazing stretch, during which they could manage but one field goal (a tough Thomas banker to put his team ahead, (98-97) in 10 minutes.
Detroit had also provided Boston with life by committing 15 first-half turnovers, good for 20 Celtics points. Included among Detroit's game total of 21 turnovers were no fewer than seven offensive fouls. The missed free throws absolutely leveled the Pistons. Dantley missed the second of two with 11 seconds to go in regulation, leaving the score tied at 102. James Edwards, otherwise praiseworthy (18 points off the bench), missed a pair to start the first OT. Dantley missed two more with the score tied at 113 in the second OT. And so on.
By no extraordinary stretch of anyone's most fertile imagination could this be called a great game. The 66 personal fouls were well earned. Messrs. Madden and Mathis could have called 166 more. It was a game of hand-to-hand combat, owing more to Camp Lejeune than to a classroom at West Point. The largest margin attained by either team was 7, which Boston had as early as 15-8 (before the turnovers took over) and as late as 76-69. But the Pistons never allowed Boston to run and hide.
The Detroit guys had it down to 81-78 after three quarters, and by the time the fourth quarter was 1:20 old, a basket by the fired-up Microwave (Vinnie Johnson) had put the Pistons in front, 82-81. A bit later on, Detroit took apparent control, moving into such leads as 94-89 (two John Salley free throws) and 96-91 (two freebies by Edwards).
Boston's last-gasp regulation run started with an inside-outer by the irrepressible DJ (22 points, 10 assists, 3 steals), whose swisher made it 96-93 (3:50). Boston got back into the lead on the only Bird basket of the last 27-plus minutes (97-96), but the key shot down that particular stretch was a playground shovel drive by Danny Ainge which gave the Celtics a 102-101 lead with 28 seconds left. Dantley's first chance to be a hero followed, but he could get only half the job done, making one of two with 11 seconds to go. Bird's bid to win it on a right corner spinner from 17 feet was well defensed by Salley.
But that was long before McHale's Three-Pointer Heard 'Round The Commonwealth, or before Dennis Johnson enhanced a reputation which should make him a spokesman for some company which seeks to portray an image of continually coming through under pressure.
And now it's off to the wilds of Pontiac, tied at 1-1. They'd better remember to bring their entrenching tools.
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