1984 NBA Finals
That's right. In a 14-hour span, the world champion Celtics went from the Boston Garden to the Rose Garden for a congratulatory message from President Ronald Reagan.
". . . You are the Celtics, and like the original Celtics, the great Irish warriors in olden times, you have fought for and won great victories with great glory," said Reagan.
"As the leaders of your organization changed, as one group of stars was replaced by another group, the Celtics not only survived, they maintained their championship form," Reagan continued. "Because always, the Celtics have been a team of champions, larger and greater than any one player, coach or manager. And in celebrating your championship, we see how America can be a nation of champions as well."
Twenty-one members of the Celtic family (Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Cedric Maxwell were conspicuous absentees) lined up on the White House lawn for the president's five-minute salutation. At the conclusion of Reagan's prepared remarks, NBA commissioner David Stern delivered a short speech, Celtic general manager Red Auerbach gave the president a Celtics jacket, and coach K.C. Jones and Dennis Johnson gave the chief executive an autographed basketball.
Boston guard Danny Ainge (wearing Blues Brothers sunglasses) got the biggest laugh from Reagan. "When he came through to shake hands, I asked him if he could change the law so that all playoff shares become tax free in the future," joked Ainge.
Jones, who coached the Washington Bullets for three years before he was fired in 1976, said, "This experience tops off a fantastic year. Having a chance to stand next to the president and say a few words and present a ball is a nice experience."
"I felt very comfortable with the man," said Auerbach, the retiring GM who has lived in Washington for over 40 years. Auerbach said his first NBA team, the Washington Capitals, visited President Harry Truman in the late '40s.
"It's a thrill to have the President of the United States shake your hand," Auerbach added. "It was inspiring - the culmination of a fantastic year."
In additon to nine players, the Celtics were represented by owners Don Gaston, Alan Cohen and Paul Dupee, Auerbach, assistant general manager Jan Volk, Jones, assistant coaches Chris Ford and Jimmy Rodgers, trainer Ray Melchiorre, assistant trainer Wayne Lebeaux, team physician Thomas Silva and publicist Jeff Twiss. Stern and NBA publicist Brian McIntyre were also in the receiving line.
No one could account for the absence of Bird, Parish and Maxwell, Boston's starting frontcourt. "We expected them," said Volk. "We don't know why they aren't here. It was a late night and I'm sure they were very tired."
Bird wasn't too tired to do a radio program yesterday morning, and Maxwell was up before the crack of dawn to do the CBS Morning News. The reclusive Parish hasn't been talking to the media.
About Me
Celtics Contemplate Repeat in 1985
1984 NBA Finals
Who will the 12 Celtics be next year? Start with Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale and DJ. All are under contract and should be considered untouchable, unless Auerbach can get a Patrick Ewing or Ralph Sampson for the aging and increasingly moody Parish.
Cedric Maxwell and Gerald Henderson are free agents. "They are the next order of business," says Volk.
Maxwell does a lot of kidding about not being in Boston next year. He has always expressed interest in playing in Atlanta, but his agent, Ron Grinker, is very tight with Auerbach. Both Grinker and Auerbach maintained that they would "get it done" at the end of the season. Maxwell earned $400,00 least year and is reportedly seeking something in the $700,000 range.
Henderson is represented by Boston agent Scott Lang. The Celtics have talked with neither Grinker nor Lang in the last month, but Auerbach says, "We're in the middle of discussions, and they've got nothing to worry about. If some team comes in and signs one of 'em, we'll match it." Henderson made $105,000 last year and is looking to do much, much better.
The 1983-84 Celtics squad was rounded out by Danny Ainge, Quinn Buckner, Scott Wedman, M.L. Carr, Kite and Clark. One or two of these players will probably be missing from next year's team.
-Buckner and Wedman are high-salaried veterans who served limited roles. Wedman has been in the league 10 years, makes $700,000 a season (Cleveland pays half) and often spends longs stretches on the bench. Buckner is an eight- year veteran. If the Celtics sign Henderson and don't trade Ainge, Buckner might become trade bait. But both Wedman and Buckner will be hard to unload because of their age and income.
-Ainge is Boston's top trade bait. His salary escalates to $450,000 next year and $550,000 a year later. You simply don't pay a young talent that kind of money to play the role Ainge has been playing.
He would like to play more, or move on. "I'm curious as to what the team is going to be," Ainge says. "There's been a lot of talk about me moving on, but I don't know. I think there would be some good about me going somewhere else, but I could be happy here, too. I don't think I could accept the same role again, but I have to be the one to do something about it. I'm going to work harder than ever this summer, play in a summer pro league, and work on a weight program . . . I don't intend to play as little as this year, wherever I am."
Auerbach admits he has talked to teams about Ainge, and says, "It never hurts to listen." He has ruled out the possibility of a deal prior to Tuesday's draft.
Ainge has great value. After Wedman went down with a broken leg in Game 4 of the finals, Ainge moved in as the third guard. One Eastern Conference coach paid Ainge a nice compliment, saying, "The Celtics had a blessing in disguise with their guards when Wedman got hurt. If they had continued to play Scott Wedman at guard, there is no way they could have beaten the Lakers."
-Carr said he would retire if the Celtics won the championship. But that was before the conclusion of the Lakers series, and he's not sure now. Carr has one year remaining on his contract, and Auerbach says, "Right now, we're happy with M.L."
-Kite and Clark. The Celtics like Kite. He's a quick study and has a tremendous attitude. He is threatend only if Boston picks a big man in the first round Tuesday, or if Winfred King (who spent the year on the injured list) terrorizes the rookie camp.
Clark is a mystery. Coach K.C. Jones loves the rookie from Mississippi, but Clark was never trusted in a real game situation. He could wind up taking the place of Buckner, or drifting off to the Continental Basketball Assn. The Celtics will be looking for improved ballhandling and more confidence from Clark when camp opens.
Who will the 12 Celtics be next year? Start with Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale and DJ. All are under contract and should be considered untouchable, unless Auerbach can get a Patrick Ewing or Ralph Sampson for the aging and increasingly moody Parish.
Cedric Maxwell and Gerald Henderson are free agents. "They are the next order of business," says Volk.
Maxwell does a lot of kidding about not being in Boston next year. He has always expressed interest in playing in Atlanta, but his agent, Ron Grinker, is very tight with Auerbach. Both Grinker and Auerbach maintained that they would "get it done" at the end of the season. Maxwell earned $400,00 least year and is reportedly seeking something in the $700,000 range.
Henderson is represented by Boston agent Scott Lang. The Celtics have talked with neither Grinker nor Lang in the last month, but Auerbach says, "We're in the middle of discussions, and they've got nothing to worry about. If some team comes in and signs one of 'em, we'll match it." Henderson made $105,000 last year and is looking to do much, much better.
The 1983-84 Celtics squad was rounded out by Danny Ainge, Quinn Buckner, Scott Wedman, M.L. Carr, Kite and Clark. One or two of these players will probably be missing from next year's team.
-Buckner and Wedman are high-salaried veterans who served limited roles. Wedman has been in the league 10 years, makes $700,000 a season (Cleveland pays half) and often spends longs stretches on the bench. Buckner is an eight- year veteran. If the Celtics sign Henderson and don't trade Ainge, Buckner might become trade bait. But both Wedman and Buckner will be hard to unload because of their age and income.
-Ainge is Boston's top trade bait. His salary escalates to $450,000 next year and $550,000 a year later. You simply don't pay a young talent that kind of money to play the role Ainge has been playing.
He would like to play more, or move on. "I'm curious as to what the team is going to be," Ainge says. "There's been a lot of talk about me moving on, but I don't know. I think there would be some good about me going somewhere else, but I could be happy here, too. I don't think I could accept the same role again, but I have to be the one to do something about it. I'm going to work harder than ever this summer, play in a summer pro league, and work on a weight program . . . I don't intend to play as little as this year, wherever I am."
Auerbach admits he has talked to teams about Ainge, and says, "It never hurts to listen." He has ruled out the possibility of a deal prior to Tuesday's draft.
Ainge has great value. After Wedman went down with a broken leg in Game 4 of the finals, Ainge moved in as the third guard. One Eastern Conference coach paid Ainge a nice compliment, saying, "The Celtics had a blessing in disguise with their guards when Wedman got hurt. If they had continued to play Scott Wedman at guard, there is no way they could have beaten the Lakers."
-Carr said he would retire if the Celtics won the championship. But that was before the conclusion of the Lakers series, and he's not sure now. Carr has one year remaining on his contract, and Auerbach says, "Right now, we're happy with M.L."
-Kite and Clark. The Celtics like Kite. He's a quick study and has a tremendous attitude. He is threatend only if Boston picks a big man in the first round Tuesday, or if Winfred King (who spent the year on the injured list) terrorizes the rookie camp.
Clark is a mystery. Coach K.C. Jones loves the rookie from Mississippi, but Clark was never trusted in a real game situation. He could wind up taking the place of Buckner, or drifting off to the Continental Basketball Assn. The Celtics will be looking for improved ballhandling and more confidence from Clark when camp opens.
Red Wonders What Happened to that Laker Dynasty?
1984 NBA Finals
Point to the 14 Celtics banners hanging over their heads, invoke Celtic pride if you must, but pride, history and tradition are empty symbols to the one enduring trait of this team, champions of the basketball world for the 15th time. The Celtics are the sweetest-sounding of four-letter words - a team.
"Dynasty? What dynasty?" Red Auerbach couldn't help but say as he entered the locker room, Quinn Buckner pouring champagne over his head and Larry Bird hugging him in a deep embrace. "You guys (the media) were talking about a dynasty the Lakers had, but what dynasty? Here's the only dynasty right here . . . this team."
Auerbach shouted those words, poking his needle in those who would have crowned the Lakers the world's best for one game. He stepped onto the podium in the maelstrom of the Celtics locker room and clenched one fist, punching it in the air, then clenching the other, punching the memory of those who would have written off his Celtics with both his fists. This moment, his last as general manager, was as good as the other 14.
Auerbach grasped the NBA championship trophy, rubbed both hands over it proudly and then raised it high. Auerbach looked past the chaos of his winning team, champagne corks popping everywhere, and searched for Larry Bird, his player, the team player, as Celtic as Russell, Cousy, Sharman and Havlicek. Bird, though, slipped quietly behind his boss, opened his can of Miller Lite and poured it over the bald, once-red head. Again Bird and Auerbach hugged long.
"Dynasty? What dynasty?" Auerbach said again and again. "I guess their dynasty lasted only one series . . . this feels great."
His cigar hadn't been lit when Auerbach pushed his way into the locker room because the ending was closer than the game. When Dennis Johnson drove to the hoop with 2:43 left and was fouled, giving him two free throws and the Celtics a 104-95 lead, Auerbach jumped out of his loge seat, took two little steps into the aisle and punched the air. The game, the championship, the crowning moment to this career that began so long ago seemed near.
But Auerbach jumped out of his seat in despair when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dropped his sky hook, and again when James Worthy buried a 15-footer, closing the Boston lead to 105-102 with 74 ticks left in Auerbach's career. Still, the Celtics prevailed as they always have in these seventh games of championship series, and Auerbach waited until the championship trophy was in his hands before lighting up. Appropriately.
When Bird stopped pouring his beer over Auerbach's head, he learned that he was unanimously named the Most Valuable Player of the series. Of that there is no argument, but Bird was not the MVP last night, for that title belonged to Cedric Maxwell and the trio of Celtics guards, Dennis Johnson, Gerald Henderson and Danny Ainge. No sparks came from Bird last night; only the hard work.
"It feels good being named the MVP, but I had a lot of help out there," said Bird. "We played hard and K.C. (Jones) put it all together and coached us all the way to victory. To be honest, (the Lakers) should have swept and it was virtually over after, that game they swept us, but we came back and played hard and played together."
Did this championship feel better than the first title three years ago?
"I don't know," Bird replied. "I'll have to think about it."
Over in the corner, quietly away from the vortex of champagne and celebration, coach K.C. Jones was being congratulated. One of the first to get to him, his message delivered by an embrace, was former teammate Bill Sharman. Jones was near tears.
"I can't explain how I feel," Jones said. "It's too great a feeling . . . my first thought is that these guys, all these players, made me a better coach and I needed their help. I wanted this championship and they went out and got it for me."
Jones looked around the mad madcap locker room, champagne pouring everywhere, his friends embracing him, the respect now his that seemed to have left him for good in Washington. Jones took in the whole scene and spontaneously blurted out his feelings.
"I like this; I've got to say I like this."
It was a Celtic moment played over now for the 15th time, replayed through generations. Different men, different players, different coaches, one result. And Red Auerbach's cigar has lighted the way for them all, one man responsible for the most enduring of sports successes. His idea always was simple - teamwork.
Simple but brilliant.
Point to the 14 Celtics banners hanging over their heads, invoke Celtic pride if you must, but pride, history and tradition are empty symbols to the one enduring trait of this team, champions of the basketball world for the 15th time. The Celtics are the sweetest-sounding of four-letter words - a team.
"Dynasty? What dynasty?" Red Auerbach couldn't help but say as he entered the locker room, Quinn Buckner pouring champagne over his head and Larry Bird hugging him in a deep embrace. "You guys (the media) were talking about a dynasty the Lakers had, but what dynasty? Here's the only dynasty right here . . . this team."
Auerbach shouted those words, poking his needle in those who would have crowned the Lakers the world's best for one game. He stepped onto the podium in the maelstrom of the Celtics locker room and clenched one fist, punching it in the air, then clenching the other, punching the memory of those who would have written off his Celtics with both his fists. This moment, his last as general manager, was as good as the other 14.
Auerbach grasped the NBA championship trophy, rubbed both hands over it proudly and then raised it high. Auerbach looked past the chaos of his winning team, champagne corks popping everywhere, and searched for Larry Bird, his player, the team player, as Celtic as Russell, Cousy, Sharman and Havlicek. Bird, though, slipped quietly behind his boss, opened his can of Miller Lite and poured it over the bald, once-red head. Again Bird and Auerbach hugged long.
"Dynasty? What dynasty?" Auerbach said again and again. "I guess their dynasty lasted only one series . . . this feels great."
His cigar hadn't been lit when Auerbach pushed his way into the locker room because the ending was closer than the game. When Dennis Johnson drove to the hoop with 2:43 left and was fouled, giving him two free throws and the Celtics a 104-95 lead, Auerbach jumped out of his loge seat, took two little steps into the aisle and punched the air. The game, the championship, the crowning moment to this career that began so long ago seemed near.
But Auerbach jumped out of his seat in despair when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dropped his sky hook, and again when James Worthy buried a 15-footer, closing the Boston lead to 105-102 with 74 ticks left in Auerbach's career. Still, the Celtics prevailed as they always have in these seventh games of championship series, and Auerbach waited until the championship trophy was in his hands before lighting up. Appropriately.
When Bird stopped pouring his beer over Auerbach's head, he learned that he was unanimously named the Most Valuable Player of the series. Of that there is no argument, but Bird was not the MVP last night, for that title belonged to Cedric Maxwell and the trio of Celtics guards, Dennis Johnson, Gerald Henderson and Danny Ainge. No sparks came from Bird last night; only the hard work.
"It feels good being named the MVP, but I had a lot of help out there," said Bird. "We played hard and K.C. (Jones) put it all together and coached us all the way to victory. To be honest, (the Lakers) should have swept and it was virtually over after, that game they swept us, but we came back and played hard and played together."
Did this championship feel better than the first title three years ago?
"I don't know," Bird replied. "I'll have to think about it."
Over in the corner, quietly away from the vortex of champagne and celebration, coach K.C. Jones was being congratulated. One of the first to get to him, his message delivered by an embrace, was former teammate Bill Sharman. Jones was near tears.
"I can't explain how I feel," Jones said. "It's too great a feeling . . . my first thought is that these guys, all these players, made me a better coach and I needed their help. I wanted this championship and they went out and got it for me."
Jones looked around the mad madcap locker room, champagne pouring everywhere, his friends embracing him, the respect now his that seemed to have left him for good in Washington. Jones took in the whole scene and spontaneously blurted out his feelings.
"I like this; I've got to say I like this."
It was a Celtic moment played over now for the 15th time, replayed through generations. Different men, different players, different coaches, one result. And Red Auerbach's cigar has lighted the way for them all, one man responsible for the most enduring of sports successes. His idea always was simple - teamwork.
Simple but brilliant.
McHale Says Celtics Won Battle of Wills
1984 NBA Finals
You knew it was going to be a good year for the Celtics when a guy who once tried out for the team was elected mayor of Boston, and the venerable Red Auerbach announced that this would be his farewell cigar.
One of the absolutes of living in this region since the '50s has been that at least twice every decade, the Celtics reward local loyalty with a world championship.
And so it was that in the heat of the midnight hour, at the conclusion of the latest season in NBA history, the Celtics waved Flag No. 15 last night with a 111-102 victory over the estimable Los Angeles Lakers.
"I'll tell you what," said Celtics sixth man Kevin McHale. "If you looked in everybody's eyes before the game, you knew we would win out with will and determination . . . It was will. We wanted it more than they did."
It was the 113th game of an 8 1/2-month season, a campaign that captured the heads and hearts of New Englanders as never before. The Celtics have won 54 percent of NBA crowns since 1957 (15 of 28), but none of the previous paths to paydirt inspired the fervor and fires of this one.
"This is sweeter than our first championship (vs. Houston in 1981), because we beat a team that is equal to us," said Cedric Maxwell, who was heroic in the finale with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists.
Larry Bird (20 points, 12 rebounds) was the consensus series MVP, but in Game 7, Max was The Man.
Maxwell: "Before the game, I said, Well boys, one more time. Just hop on my back, and I'll take you on it.' I've always been a big-game player, and tonight was a big game."
After seven early lead changes, the Celtics went ahead for good in the first minute of the second quarter. The ubiquitous Maxwell scored 17 in a stellar first half that ended with the Celtics bolting to a 58-52 lead.
LA closed to within one midway through the third, and Boston's lead was only 82-78 with 2:44 left in the period. Then green lightning struck. With Bird sitting on the pine, the Celtics closed the quarter with a 9-0 run that pushed the home team to a 91-78 lead and rocked the steamy (90-degree) Garden. The Celtics had outscored the Lakers, 19-6, in 6:43.
The crucial run came following a basket by Jamaal Wilkes. After Henderson rebounded his own miss, McHale started the run with a 16-foot jumper. Robert Parish (16 rebounds and one final defensive gem) rebounded a Michael Cooper miss, and Danny Ainge hit a 20-foot jumper. Then McHale rebounded an errant shot by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29 points), and Parish hit a free throw after being fouled on a followup of his own shot. Maxwell slapped away a James Worthy pass. Parish was fouled (on a third shot) by Wilkes and hit two more free throws. Henderson rebounded a Kareem miss, and McHale closed the quarter with a pair of foul shots.
The Celtics were jumping all over each other when the period ended, Bird leading the cheers with M.L. Carr and Co.
"It didn't make me mad not to be in there," said Bird, who hit only 6 of 18 shots. "K.C. (Jones) did a great job letting Max and Kevin work 'em over down low."
The gallant Lakers would not fold, however. A series that will be ranked with the NBA's best could not close with a blowout.
After DJ (22 points) hit two free throws to give the Celtics their biggest lead (99-85 with 7:58 left), Kareem, Magic and Cooper led the Lakers back to within three points - plus possession of the basketball.
The Celtics could have panicked when their lead wilted to 105-102 with less than a minute to go. Not this year.
"I wasn't worried," Bird said. "When you got the lead in the fourth quarter, it shouldn't bother you. That's when teams choke up; but as long as you have the lead, you should be OK."
LA's last chance to close to within one point ended when Parish blocked an off-balance Magic drive with 50 seconds left. DJ got the ball and was fouled as he attempted a layup. He made both, and the Lakers, trailing by 107-102 with 45 seconds left, called time. Crowd control became a problem from that point on.
After the pause, McHale got the rebound of a second shot by LA and kicked it upcourt. Bird was fouled with 26 seconds left and made both. That sealed it. A pair of free throws by Bird set the final score.
Lakers coach Pat Riley conceded, "I think they are the better team. They don't have the same kind of talent we have. They have equal talent, but it's made differently. In a game decided by aggressiveness and rebounding, their talent is better than ours. We have to hope our quickness gets the better of their size, and it did for a while, about 3 1/2 games. Then their size and power started to take control."
Celtic glory was spread around like one cold beer among friends. Parish kept grabbing big rebounds. He finished with 16, scored nine points on second shots and accounted for four more by his teammates. Meanwhile, heroic Max was everywhere, DJ looked like the former playoff MVP he is, and Bird was the Hoosier Hoop Hosanna you've come to know and love.
The seeds of victory were planted in the first half as Boston outhustled and outrebounded (26-16) LA. The Celtics outrebounded the Lakers, 14-6, in the crucial third, and by game's end, the rebounding score was Boston 52, LA 33. That explains how a team can win by seven when it shoots 39.5 percent and scores three baskets in the final quarter.
It took the Celtics only 13 minutes to establish their lead for keeps. There were six lead changes in the first quarter, which ended at 30-30. LA made 11 of 18 shots in the period, and the Celtics hit 11 of 22.
Tied, ahead or behind, Maxwell never lost control of the night. He taunted Worthy mercilessly and kept the Celtics in charge. "I just told him he couldn't guard me," said Max. "I said, James, this isn't the 2-A league. This is the big time, and you have to guard me.' "
LA tied it at the end of the first on a three-pointer from the left corner by Cooper, then took a 32-30 lead when Worthy scored to start the second.
The Celtics took the lead for good with eight straight: two free throws and a drive by Bird, a Quinn Buckner layup off the break and a perfect give- and-go basket by Ainge off a Bird feed.
A rugged three-point play by Maxwell gave the Celtics a 47-38 lead with 7:42 left in the half. By that time, little-used Mitch Kupchak was in the LA pivot, Kurt Rambis had three fouls, and the Lakers were looking shaky. They weren't helped when Worthy tossed up an air ball from the free throw line.
There was no question about Boston's state of mind.
"We have character, courage, poise," said Maxwell. "We have it all."
They have it all - including a 15th championship flag.
You knew it was going to be a good year for the Celtics when a guy who once tried out for the team was elected mayor of Boston, and the venerable Red Auerbach announced that this would be his farewell cigar.
One of the absolutes of living in this region since the '50s has been that at least twice every decade, the Celtics reward local loyalty with a world championship.
And so it was that in the heat of the midnight hour, at the conclusion of the latest season in NBA history, the Celtics waved Flag No. 15 last night with a 111-102 victory over the estimable Los Angeles Lakers.
"I'll tell you what," said Celtics sixth man Kevin McHale. "If you looked in everybody's eyes before the game, you knew we would win out with will and determination . . . It was will. We wanted it more than they did."
It was the 113th game of an 8 1/2-month season, a campaign that captured the heads and hearts of New Englanders as never before. The Celtics have won 54 percent of NBA crowns since 1957 (15 of 28), but none of the previous paths to paydirt inspired the fervor and fires of this one.
"This is sweeter than our first championship (vs. Houston in 1981), because we beat a team that is equal to us," said Cedric Maxwell, who was heroic in the finale with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists.
Larry Bird (20 points, 12 rebounds) was the consensus series MVP, but in Game 7, Max was The Man.
Maxwell: "Before the game, I said, Well boys, one more time. Just hop on my back, and I'll take you on it.' I've always been a big-game player, and tonight was a big game."
After seven early lead changes, the Celtics went ahead for good in the first minute of the second quarter. The ubiquitous Maxwell scored 17 in a stellar first half that ended with the Celtics bolting to a 58-52 lead.
LA closed to within one midway through the third, and Boston's lead was only 82-78 with 2:44 left in the period. Then green lightning struck. With Bird sitting on the pine, the Celtics closed the quarter with a 9-0 run that pushed the home team to a 91-78 lead and rocked the steamy (90-degree) Garden. The Celtics had outscored the Lakers, 19-6, in 6:43.
The crucial run came following a basket by Jamaal Wilkes. After Henderson rebounded his own miss, McHale started the run with a 16-foot jumper. Robert Parish (16 rebounds and one final defensive gem) rebounded a Michael Cooper miss, and Danny Ainge hit a 20-foot jumper. Then McHale rebounded an errant shot by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29 points), and Parish hit a free throw after being fouled on a followup of his own shot. Maxwell slapped away a James Worthy pass. Parish was fouled (on a third shot) by Wilkes and hit two more free throws. Henderson rebounded a Kareem miss, and McHale closed the quarter with a pair of foul shots.
The Celtics were jumping all over each other when the period ended, Bird leading the cheers with M.L. Carr and Co.
"It didn't make me mad not to be in there," said Bird, who hit only 6 of 18 shots. "K.C. (Jones) did a great job letting Max and Kevin work 'em over down low."
The gallant Lakers would not fold, however. A series that will be ranked with the NBA's best could not close with a blowout.
After DJ (22 points) hit two free throws to give the Celtics their biggest lead (99-85 with 7:58 left), Kareem, Magic and Cooper led the Lakers back to within three points - plus possession of the basketball.
The Celtics could have panicked when their lead wilted to 105-102 with less than a minute to go. Not this year.
"I wasn't worried," Bird said. "When you got the lead in the fourth quarter, it shouldn't bother you. That's when teams choke up; but as long as you have the lead, you should be OK."
LA's last chance to close to within one point ended when Parish blocked an off-balance Magic drive with 50 seconds left. DJ got the ball and was fouled as he attempted a layup. He made both, and the Lakers, trailing by 107-102 with 45 seconds left, called time. Crowd control became a problem from that point on.
After the pause, McHale got the rebound of a second shot by LA and kicked it upcourt. Bird was fouled with 26 seconds left and made both. That sealed it. A pair of free throws by Bird set the final score.
Lakers coach Pat Riley conceded, "I think they are the better team. They don't have the same kind of talent we have. They have equal talent, but it's made differently. In a game decided by aggressiveness and rebounding, their talent is better than ours. We have to hope our quickness gets the better of their size, and it did for a while, about 3 1/2 games. Then their size and power started to take control."
Celtic glory was spread around like one cold beer among friends. Parish kept grabbing big rebounds. He finished with 16, scored nine points on second shots and accounted for four more by his teammates. Meanwhile, heroic Max was everywhere, DJ looked like the former playoff MVP he is, and Bird was the Hoosier Hoop Hosanna you've come to know and love.
The seeds of victory were planted in the first half as Boston outhustled and outrebounded (26-16) LA. The Celtics outrebounded the Lakers, 14-6, in the crucial third, and by game's end, the rebounding score was Boston 52, LA 33. That explains how a team can win by seven when it shoots 39.5 percent and scores three baskets in the final quarter.
It took the Celtics only 13 minutes to establish their lead for keeps. There were six lead changes in the first quarter, which ended at 30-30. LA made 11 of 18 shots in the period, and the Celtics hit 11 of 22.
Tied, ahead or behind, Maxwell never lost control of the night. He taunted Worthy mercilessly and kept the Celtics in charge. "I just told him he couldn't guard me," said Max. "I said, James, this isn't the 2-A league. This is the big time, and you have to guard me.' "
LA tied it at the end of the first on a three-pointer from the left corner by Cooper, then took a 32-30 lead when Worthy scored to start the second.
The Celtics took the lead for good with eight straight: two free throws and a drive by Bird, a Quinn Buckner layup off the break and a perfect give- and-go basket by Ainge off a Bird feed.
A rugged three-point play by Maxwell gave the Celtics a 47-38 lead with 7:42 left in the half. By that time, little-used Mitch Kupchak was in the LA pivot, Kurt Rambis had three fouls, and the Lakers were looking shaky. They weren't helped when Worthy tossed up an air ball from the free throw line.
There was no question about Boston's state of mind.
"We have character, courage, poise," said Maxwell. "We have it all."
They have it all - including a 15th championship flag.
Larry v. Magic: Game 14 (part 6)
1984 NBA Finals Game 7DJ's Defense on Magic Helped Sway the Series
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage
Eight of those 15 banners have come at the expense of the Lakers, who have never beaten the Celtics in a championship final.
This series saw mistakes by Los Angeles and a key adjustment by Coach K. C. Jones of the Celtics make a difference.
Before Game 1, the expected matchup at big guard was between Dennis Johnson, 6-4, and Earvin (Magic) Johnson, the 6-8 playmaker who makes the Lakers run.
Instead, the 6-2 Gerald Henderson played Magic Johnson. The Lakers ran at will in the opener, Magic had 18 points and 10 assists, and Los Angeles had a victory that erased the Celtics' homecourt advantage.
In the second-guessing that followed the loss, Red Auerbach's words were recalled after he had acquired Dennis Johnson from the Phoenix Suns in a trade for Rick Robey last year. "Now we have a guy who can play Magic," the Celtic president and general manager had said,
Then why was Henderson playing Magic?
Coach Jones did not waver from that matchup until halftime of the fourth game, with the Lakers leading the series, 2-1, and the game by 14 points.
During the intermission, Jones gave Henderson and Dennis Johnson the choice of switching matchups. Dennis Johnson took the challenge and Magic Johnson and the Laker running game were never the same.The Lakers got only two fast-break baskets in the second half of game four before the overtime. Harassed by Dennis Johnson, Magic also made a bad pass that led to the extra session and the 129-125 victory that sent the series back to Boston tied, 2-2, and that regained for Boston the home- court edge.
Larry Bird, who was voted unanimously as the series' most valuable player, took note of another major reason for his team's success.
A Big Play
"We lucked out in the first two games we won," said Bird, who had 192 points, 98 rebounds, 25 assists and 15 steals for the series. "Gerald's steal in Game 2 definitely was the biggest play of the series. If he had not made that steal, we would have been down, 2-0, and it would have been very tough to come back on their court."
Henderson stole a cross-court pass from James Worthy, intended for Byron Scott, and scored on a lay-in that tied the game, 113-113, with 15 seconds left in regulation time. Then came a big mistake by Magic Johnson, who dribbled away the final seconds of regulation without the Lakers getting off a shot. The Celtics won in overtime.
While Bird got the job done for the Celtics, Magic failed when the Lakers needed him and Dennis Johnson was the chief reason. In the deciding game, he slowed Magic's pace to the midcourt line and then dropped off and dared him to hit from the outside. Magic did not, shooting only 5 for 14.
"Boston harassed Magic particularly in the last three games," Kurt Rambis, the Laker power forward, said. "Dennis Johnson did a good job making him turn, making it much more different to scan the court the way he can do when he is running free."
During the trophy presentation, Auerbach, who has been involved in all 15 titles either as coach or general manager, chided those who had made reference to a Laker dynasty.
"Dynasty, what dynasty?" said Auerbach. "The only dynasty is right here in Boston."
Larry v. Magic: Game 14 (part 5)
1984 NBA Finals Game 7
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage
Bird Captures Finals MVP
Larry Bird won the Most Valuable Player award, although he scored a series- low 20 points on 6-of-18 shooting. Bird, who grabbed 12 rebounds, was averaging 28 points per game in the series going into last night.
Maxwell, the MVP when the Celtics last won the title in 1981, said he told his teammates before the game, "to get on my back and I'd carry them in. I've always been ready to rise to the occasion. I'm not a great player, but I feel I'm a money player."
Bird said despite the aggressiveness of the two teams, particularly in the last four games, there was no "bad blood" between the Celtics and Lakers.
"This series was nothing like the one against New York," Bird said, referring to the quarterfinal round victory over the Knicks. "They have nothing but great players and I can't say anything bad against them."
Said Jones: "The Lakers busted our cookies for seven games. They have done a great job getting in the finals three straight years."
"It was their night, their town, their fans, their friends," Lakers Coach Pat Riley said. "Our Achilles' heel was rebounding and not being able to counter their aggressiveness and strength. They pursued every loose ball."
The Celtics led by 13 going into the fourth quarter, but the Lakers frantically rallied to cut the deficit to 105-102 with 1:15 left on a three- point play by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who finished with 29 points, and a basket by James Worthy, who had 21.
But two free throws by Dennis Johnson, who had 22 points, made it 107-102 with 45 seconds left and two more foul shots by Bird set off a wild celebration by the sellout crowd of 14,890.
For the second time in a row in Boston Garden, the two teams battled in sauna-like temperatures in the non air-conditioned arena, although it was not as hot as during Game 5 last Friday night, which the Celtics won by 18 points. As in that game, Boston used a strong rebounding advantage and occasional dead-eye outside shooting to hold off the Lakers in Game 7.
Four of Boston's seven seventhgame triumphs have come against Los Angeles, the Celtics' old rival who had not met them in 15 years. Since 1959, Boston has won all eight championship series meetings between the two teams.
Gerald Henderson, scoreless in the first half when he picked up three quick fouls, came back to score nine points in the first 4:43 of the third period. But at the same time, the Lakers worked desperately to trim Boston's six-point halftime margin, scoring 20 points in the first 6:43 to cut the deficit to 73-72.
After a basket by Bird, Abdul-Jabbar had a chance to cut the margin to one again, but he missed two free throws and when Parish shot over Abdul-Jabbar for a basket and free throw, the Celtics seemed to find a spark.
Holding the Lakers to one shot every time down the floor, Boston scored the last nine points of the quarter to take a 91-78 advantage into the final 12 minutes.
The Celtics now have won 14 straight final-round appearances and are 15-1 overall, with the only loss coming in 1958 in six games to St. Louis. The Lakers are second in the NBA with eight championships, but five of those titles came in the 1940s and 1950s when the franchise was located in Minneapolis.
In Los Angeles, the Lakers are 3-10 in the finals, with titles in 1972, 1980 and 1982.
In the stands to see the latest triumph was Arnold "Red" Auerbach, who is retiring as Celtics' general manager. He was coach for the first nine Boston titles, with his last game a twopoint victory over the Lakers in 1966. He will now stay on as the team's president.
The Lakers, who wilted in the Boston Garden heat in Game 5, showed no hesitancy in running from the opening tap last night. They had three fastbreak baskets in the first 4:26, two of them resulting in three-point plays by Kurt Rambis and Abdul-Jabbar.
But the Celtics more than kept pace, getting eight points in less than four minutes from Maxwell to lead 2016 with 3:38 left in the period.
Abdul-Jabbar finished with 12 points in the quarter, but it took a three- point corner shot from Michael Cooper to tie the score at 30-30 just before the period ended.
Boston got the game's first strong scoring run early in the second quarter. Bird hit four straight points, then capped the 8-0 rally with a pass to Danny Ainge for a 38-32 Celtics lead.
Moments later, Maxwell's threepoint play gave the Celtics their largest lead of the half, 47-38, with 7:42 left. Los Angeles then got its fast break working, forcing Boston to foul to prevent easy layups.
But the Lakers failed to come back completely as they went 1-for-2 in each of their last four trips to the free-throw line.
That helped the Celtics maintain a 58-52 lead at halftime as Maxwell finished the first two periods with 17 points, including 11-for-13 free throws.
The Lakers handed Boston its first loss in 10 playoff home games with a 115-109 victory in the series opener as Abdul-Jabbar hit 12 of 17 shots and scored 32 points after missing a pregame meeting and practice with a migraine.
Los Angeles came within seconds of becoming the first team in the championship series to win the first two games on the road. The Lakers led 113-111 and had the ball with 20 seconds left, but Worthy, who made 11 of 12 shots and scored 29 points, threw a balloon pass that was intercepted by Gerald Henderson, who scored to send the game into overtime.
Reserve guard Scott Wedman, who later suffered a hairline fracture in his left leg, hit a corner jumper with 14 seconds left to boost the Celtics into a 124-121 victory, tying the series.
Magic Johnson set a finals record with 21 assists in Game 3 as the Lakers won 137-104 with a lightning fast break that demoralized the Celtics.
After the third game, Bird said the Celtics "played like sissies" and promised that the Lakers would never again out-tough Boston.
The Celtics, though outshot 59 percent to 43 percent, won Game 4 129-125 in overtime. The game was marked by more physical, aggressive play than the series had seen before, and Boston outrebounded the Lakers 27-12 on the offensive end.
Bird led the way with 29 points and 21 rebounds, including nine offensive.
The aggressiveness was magnified by a clothesline hit of Rambis by Boston's Kevin McHale as Rambis drove in for a layup. Moments later, Bird and Abdul- Jabbar squared off and exchanged harsh words after jostling each other for a rebound.
Lakers Coach Pat Riley said McHale's hit "changed the mood of the whole series" from basketball to war.
When the Celtics outrebounded the Lakers 57-37 and also outshot them for the first time in Game 5, the result was a 121-103 Boston victory and a 3-2 lead in the series. Bird was outstanding, hitting 20 of 25 shots and pulling down 17 rebounds.
Abdul-Jabbar had another migraine before the sixth game, and the result was the same as in Game 1, a Los Angeles victory and a brilliant performance by the 37-year-old Lakers center. He had nine of his 30 points in the last 5:19 as the Lakers pulled away to a 119-108 triumph after Boston led by as many as 11 points in the third period.
1984 Was a Little Sweeter than 1983
What a difference a year made for the Boston Celtics.
In 1983 the Celtics were overshadowed by the archrival Philadelphia 76ers and humbled in four playoff games by the Milwaukee Bucks. A year later, Boston is the National Basketball Association champion for the 15th time, with a 111-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers last night. Boston now owns seven more titles than any other franchise.
"You know the sweetest thing to winning the title?" asked center Robert Parish. "It's all next year, hearing them announce, O'Here come the world
champion Celtics.'
"That's like having someone say O'mister' every time he mentions your name. It's a sign of respect."
That respect last came for the Celtics in 1981, the second year of what ultimately will be known as the Larry Bird Era for pro basketball's most successful team.
Bird, an all-NBA first-team performer in each of his five years in Boston, again led the way as the Celtics roared to a 62-20 regular-season record, best in the league.
He was in the NBA's top 10 in both scoring (24.2 points per game) and rebounds (10.1) and led the league's forwards in assists.
And perhaps most important, Bird was an inspiration to his teammates, diving for loose balls, rebounding, passing, scoring, running hard. What else could they do but work hard when they saw him playing like someone struggling to save his job.
Despite the Celtics' fine record, 1983-84 was a season of adjustments, including a new coach in K.C. Jones and a new starting guard in Dennis Johnson.
In addition, potential trouble with contracts was avoided.
"These players operated under trying conditions," said Jones, who replaced Bill Fitch before the season started. "They were coming off a bad playoff last year. But they set goals -making me the all-star coach, having the best record, reaching the finals -and they accomplished them all.
"There were some ups and downs but everyone stuck together."
Johnson, a former All-Star at Seattle and Phoenix who had a reputation for giving gray hair to coaches, was acquired from the Suns for backup center Rick Robey. His statistics were modest -- 13.2 points and 4.2 assists per game -- but he played tough defense and solidified a relatively weak backcourt.
"D.J. was a very important addition to the team," Jones said. "He gave us a strong personality defensively, gave us some offense and rebounding from the guard position and most of all gave us direction in the backcourt."
Also before the season, the Celtics signed Bird to a seven-year, $15 million contract and then won a battle with the New York Knicks for free agent Kevin McHale, who went on to be voted the NBA's best sixth man.
Finally, Parish, who sat out four pre-season games while sulking over the salaries of Bird and McHale, was brought into the fold.
So with the loose ends connected, even a change in team ownership did not cause any problems.
In 1983 the Celtics were overshadowed by the archrival Philadelphia 76ers and humbled in four playoff games by the Milwaukee Bucks. A year later, Boston is the National Basketball Association champion for the 15th time, with a 111-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers last night. Boston now owns seven more titles than any other franchise.
"You know the sweetest thing to winning the title?" asked center Robert Parish. "It's all next year, hearing them announce, O'Here come the world
champion Celtics.'
"That's like having someone say O'mister' every time he mentions your name. It's a sign of respect."
That respect last came for the Celtics in 1981, the second year of what ultimately will be known as the Larry Bird Era for pro basketball's most successful team.
Bird, an all-NBA first-team performer in each of his five years in Boston, again led the way as the Celtics roared to a 62-20 regular-season record, best in the league.
He was in the NBA's top 10 in both scoring (24.2 points per game) and rebounds (10.1) and led the league's forwards in assists.
And perhaps most important, Bird was an inspiration to his teammates, diving for loose balls, rebounding, passing, scoring, running hard. What else could they do but work hard when they saw him playing like someone struggling to save his job.
Despite the Celtics' fine record, 1983-84 was a season of adjustments, including a new coach in K.C. Jones and a new starting guard in Dennis Johnson.
In addition, potential trouble with contracts was avoided.
"These players operated under trying conditions," said Jones, who replaced Bill Fitch before the season started. "They were coming off a bad playoff last year. But they set goals -making me the all-star coach, having the best record, reaching the finals -and they accomplished them all.
"There were some ups and downs but everyone stuck together."
Johnson, a former All-Star at Seattle and Phoenix who had a reputation for giving gray hair to coaches, was acquired from the Suns for backup center Rick Robey. His statistics were modest -- 13.2 points and 4.2 assists per game -- but he played tough defense and solidified a relatively weak backcourt.
"D.J. was a very important addition to the team," Jones said. "He gave us a strong personality defensively, gave us some offense and rebounding from the guard position and most of all gave us direction in the backcourt."
Also before the season, the Celtics signed Bird to a seven-year, $15 million contract and then won a battle with the New York Knicks for free agent Kevin McHale, who went on to be voted the NBA's best sixth man.
Finally, Parish, who sat out four pre-season games while sulking over the salaries of Bird and McHale, was brought into the fold.
So with the loose ends connected, even a change in team ownership did not cause any problems.
Best Moments of the 1984 Finals Recalled
I will call the winners to the stage, right here on the parquet floor.
This has been an exceptional show - seven games, coast to coast, back and forth - and I want to thank everyone who has been involved, even if you've only been watching the games on the living room floor, holding your breath during the second end of one-and-one foul shots. A special thanks to the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Here are the awards. Please hold your applause until the end . . .
Most Memorable Shot (1) - Before the sixth game in Los Angeles, the Celtics' Gerald Henderson was practicing at one basket by himself. A group of fans began hooting at him as they stood on the sidelines.
Henderson walked to them and started talking. He gave them the ball and they began taking long shots at the basket from behind the row of courtside seats. Henderson retrieved the ball.
Finally, one of the fans handed a kid who appeared to be about 9 years old to Henderson. The Celtics guard carried the kid to within 10 feet of the basket and set him on the floor. The kid took one shot. Swish. Everyone in the Fabulous Forum applauded.
Best Talker - Cedric Maxwell. No contest. He was a downright quote machine, making a thoughtful analogy about every facet of the series. He even talked with body language, giving the choke sign when James Worthy missed that foul shot in the closing stages of the fourth game.
"Before Kevin McHale hit Kurt Rambis, the Lakers were just running across the street whenever they wanted," Max said in one favorite quote. "Now, they stop at the
corner, push the button, wait for the light and look both ways."
Second place went to M.L. Carr. Third was a surprising tie between Larry Bird and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Best Fan - Step right up here, Jack Nicholson. Put this right next to the Oscar.
You were terrific, from beginning to end. The fact that you weren't giving interviews about this, saying, "It's not my show, it's theirs," only made you better.
Biggest Frontrunners - First prize goes to a few members of a Saugus Travel trip to Los Angeles who watched the third-game rout of the Celtics and flew home the next day, canceling their reservations for the fourth game. How to go, folks.
Second prize goes to the rest of us. We said the Celtics didn't have a chance after the third game. (The Lakers are too good.) Then we said the Lakers didn't have a chance after the fifth game. (The Lakers don't have enough heart.)
Most Memorable Shot (2) - James Worthy's flying dunk against Larry Bird in the fourth game. He went around Bird and under the basket and came back with a rama-slamma from behind the backboard that would have made The Good Doctor himself quite proud.
James Worthy also had the next half-dozen or so most memorable shots during games.
Most Inspirational Sight - The players on the Celtics' bench fanning the starters during timeouts during the hothouse fifth game. M.L. Carr had that cheapo-cheapo fan. Quinn Buckner had a towel. The entire bench was involved in the effort to beat both the Lakers and the heat.
There was a lovely, old-time, small-time look to the proceedings.
Best Fan Club - The Rambis Youth. This group contained a half-dozen kids who wore Lakers' purple T-shirts - I Am An Official Member Of Rambis Youth - and dark-rimmed eyeglass frames to resemble their hero.
They waited before one game for Maxwell with a sign that read: "Maxwell is Dirt, Compared to Kurt." Maxwell borrowed a pair of the glasses and did a Rambis impression. He took one shot and missed the basket by 30 feet.
Best Paraphernalia - A bunch of Celtics fans arrived for the fifth game with pieces of clothesline, complete with wooden clothespins. The fans were cheering Kevin McHale's hit - a clothesline - on Rambis in the fourth game that was portrayed as the meanest act since Little Orphan Annie was left in the cold.
"It's OK, Kevin," one of the clothesliners told McHale. "That play looked like a charge by Rambis to us."
Best Player - Kareem this. Kareem that. Magic this. Magic that.
Take it away, Larry Bird. Even on your worst nights you were spectacular to watch.
Most Poignant Link To The Past - Jerry West, the current general manager and former Lakers star on all those teams that finished second to the Celtics, told an NBA official he wouldn't be going to Boston for the seventh game.
"Why not?" the NBA official asked.
"Too nervous," Jerry West said. "I'd get too nervous. I couldn't stand it."
Best Sportswriter Fun - During the long stretch between the first game and the second, with Boston attacked by rain, a group of sportswriters was in the hospitality room at the Marriott Hotel with nothing to do. The sportswriters went to an old standby, filling a wastebasket with water and setting it atop the partially opened front door.
Lakers coach Pat Riley then walked through the door.
Strangest Trip - The Celtics could have clinched the series on Sunday in Los Angeles. They took a long, red-eye flight afterward that started at 10 p.m. (LA time), stopped for an hour in New York at JFK airport, then arrived in Boston at 7:30 on Monday morning.
If the Celtics had won the title, the flight would have been seven hours of hijinks and hilarity, completed with a giant welcoming crowd at Logan Airport. The flight was seven hours of sleep and casual conversation. The crowd at the airport was comprised of friends and relations.
Most Memorable Shot (3) - Tommy Heinsohn, the former Celtics forward and present CBS announcer, was walking across the court before the fifth game. A ball rolled to his feet. He picked it up, threw up a 20-footer, sportcoat and all, and it zipped through the basket.
He tried to continue walking as if he still could do this every day, but as people cheered, a nice smile came across Tommy Heinsohn's face.
Best In Show - Well, you probably know that one by now. Don't you?
This has been an exceptional show - seven games, coast to coast, back and forth - and I want to thank everyone who has been involved, even if you've only been watching the games on the living room floor, holding your breath during the second end of one-and-one foul shots. A special thanks to the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Here are the awards. Please hold your applause until the end . . .
Most Memorable Shot (1) - Before the sixth game in Los Angeles, the Celtics' Gerald Henderson was practicing at one basket by himself. A group of fans began hooting at him as they stood on the sidelines.
Henderson walked to them and started talking. He gave them the ball and they began taking long shots at the basket from behind the row of courtside seats. Henderson retrieved the ball.
Finally, one of the fans handed a kid who appeared to be about 9 years old to Henderson. The Celtics guard carried the kid to within 10 feet of the basket and set him on the floor. The kid took one shot. Swish. Everyone in the Fabulous Forum applauded.
Best Talker - Cedric Maxwell. No contest. He was a downright quote machine, making a thoughtful analogy about every facet of the series. He even talked with body language, giving the choke sign when James Worthy missed that foul shot in the closing stages of the fourth game.
"Before Kevin McHale hit Kurt Rambis, the Lakers were just running across the street whenever they wanted," Max said in one favorite quote. "Now, they stop at the
corner, push the button, wait for the light and look both ways."
Second place went to M.L. Carr. Third was a surprising tie between Larry Bird and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Best Fan - Step right up here, Jack Nicholson. Put this right next to the Oscar.
You were terrific, from beginning to end. The fact that you weren't giving interviews about this, saying, "It's not my show, it's theirs," only made you better.
Biggest Frontrunners - First prize goes to a few members of a Saugus Travel trip to Los Angeles who watched the third-game rout of the Celtics and flew home the next day, canceling their reservations for the fourth game. How to go, folks.
Second prize goes to the rest of us. We said the Celtics didn't have a chance after the third game. (The Lakers are too good.) Then we said the Lakers didn't have a chance after the fifth game. (The Lakers don't have enough heart.)
Most Memorable Shot (2) - James Worthy's flying dunk against Larry Bird in the fourth game. He went around Bird and under the basket and came back with a rama-slamma from behind the backboard that would have made The Good Doctor himself quite proud.
James Worthy also had the next half-dozen or so most memorable shots during games.
Most Inspirational Sight - The players on the Celtics' bench fanning the starters during timeouts during the hothouse fifth game. M.L. Carr had that cheapo-cheapo fan. Quinn Buckner had a towel. The entire bench was involved in the effort to beat both the Lakers and the heat.
There was a lovely, old-time, small-time look to the proceedings.
Best Fan Club - The Rambis Youth. This group contained a half-dozen kids who wore Lakers' purple T-shirts - I Am An Official Member Of Rambis Youth - and dark-rimmed eyeglass frames to resemble their hero.
They waited before one game for Maxwell with a sign that read: "Maxwell is Dirt, Compared to Kurt." Maxwell borrowed a pair of the glasses and did a Rambis impression. He took one shot and missed the basket by 30 feet.
Best Paraphernalia - A bunch of Celtics fans arrived for the fifth game with pieces of clothesline, complete with wooden clothespins. The fans were cheering Kevin McHale's hit - a clothesline - on Rambis in the fourth game that was portrayed as the meanest act since Little Orphan Annie was left in the cold.
"It's OK, Kevin," one of the clothesliners told McHale. "That play looked like a charge by Rambis to us."
Best Player - Kareem this. Kareem that. Magic this. Magic that.
Take it away, Larry Bird. Even on your worst nights you were spectacular to watch.
Most Poignant Link To The Past - Jerry West, the current general manager and former Lakers star on all those teams that finished second to the Celtics, told an NBA official he wouldn't be going to Boston for the seventh game.
"Why not?" the NBA official asked.
"Too nervous," Jerry West said. "I'd get too nervous. I couldn't stand it."
Best Sportswriter Fun - During the long stretch between the first game and the second, with Boston attacked by rain, a group of sportswriters was in the hospitality room at the Marriott Hotel with nothing to do. The sportswriters went to an old standby, filling a wastebasket with water and setting it atop the partially opened front door.
Lakers coach Pat Riley then walked through the door.
Strangest Trip - The Celtics could have clinched the series on Sunday in Los Angeles. They took a long, red-eye flight afterward that started at 10 p.m. (LA time), stopped for an hour in New York at JFK airport, then arrived in Boston at 7:30 on Monday morning.
If the Celtics had won the title, the flight would have been seven hours of hijinks and hilarity, completed with a giant welcoming crowd at Logan Airport. The flight was seven hours of sleep and casual conversation. The crowd at the airport was comprised of friends and relations.
Most Memorable Shot (3) - Tommy Heinsohn, the former Celtics forward and present CBS announcer, was walking across the court before the fifth game. A ball rolled to his feet. He picked it up, threw up a 20-footer, sportcoat and all, and it zipped through the basket.
He tried to continue walking as if he still could do this every day, but as people cheered, a nice smile came across Tommy Heinsohn's face.
Best In Show - Well, you probably know that one by now. Don't you?
Rebounding Edge Made a Difference in '84, Too
1984 NBA Finals
While champagne was pouring freely over the heads of the Celtic players long past midnight in Boston yesterday, the stunned and dejected Los Angeles players were poring over the reasons why the Lakers had not won the National Basketball Association championship.
Although the reasons varied as to why the Celtics achieved a 111-102 victory in the decisive seventh game Tuesday night at the Boston Garden, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the overpowering Laker center, seemed to have the best grasp of what had happened.
"The Celtics are better," said the 37-year-old Laker captain and the leading scorer in N.B.A. history. "A lot has been said during this series about us having the better talent on paper. Maybe so, but that's not where basketball games are won and lost.
"I told some of the guys before the game that we had to control the boards to win. We didn't, they did."
Then after a pause, the 7-foot-2-inch center got his point across by citing the rebounding statistics that he apparently had painfully memorized.
"Sixteen rebounds for Robert Parish," he said, referring to the total for the Celtic center in Game 7. "They controlled the defensive boards and we did not hit our shots from the outside, and we had a lot of them. They outrebounded us, 52-33, and 20-9 on the offensive boards."
For the entire series, the Celtics played tougher than the Lakers. They outworked the Lakers on the backboards and that stymied the heralded Los Angeles fast break. Over all, the Lakers were outrebounded, 337-306, for the series, including by 131-96 on the offensive boards. They won the two games in which they outrebounded the Celtics.
Two other things hurt the Lakers Tuesday night: the absence of Bob McAdoo, an excellent scorer who never played because of a strained Achilles' tendon, and the Celtic efficiency at the free-throw line. Boston made 43 of 51 foul shots and Los Angeles 18 of 28.
Before the matchup between the N.B.A.'s two most powerful franchises, the hype was whether the bigger and more physical Celtics could beat a team noted for finesse and speed.
"I heard all the hoopla of our differences from day one of this series, everybody did," said M. L. Carr of Boston. "I have always thought basketball games are won and lost inside and under the baskets, but everyone overlooked one thing; When the 15th championship flag hangs from the rafters of the Boston Garden, we will be remembered as the team that did what it had to do to win."
While champagne was pouring freely over the heads of the Celtic players long past midnight in Boston yesterday, the stunned and dejected Los Angeles players were poring over the reasons why the Lakers had not won the National Basketball Association championship.
Although the reasons varied as to why the Celtics achieved a 111-102 victory in the decisive seventh game Tuesday night at the Boston Garden, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the overpowering Laker center, seemed to have the best grasp of what had happened.
"The Celtics are better," said the 37-year-old Laker captain and the leading scorer in N.B.A. history. "A lot has been said during this series about us having the better talent on paper. Maybe so, but that's not where basketball games are won and lost.
"I told some of the guys before the game that we had to control the boards to win. We didn't, they did."
Then after a pause, the 7-foot-2-inch center got his point across by citing the rebounding statistics that he apparently had painfully memorized.
"Sixteen rebounds for Robert Parish," he said, referring to the total for the Celtic center in Game 7. "They controlled the defensive boards and we did not hit our shots from the outside, and we had a lot of them. They outrebounded us, 52-33, and 20-9 on the offensive boards."
For the entire series, the Celtics played tougher than the Lakers. They outworked the Lakers on the backboards and that stymied the heralded Los Angeles fast break. Over all, the Lakers were outrebounded, 337-306, for the series, including by 131-96 on the offensive boards. They won the two games in which they outrebounded the Celtics.
Two other things hurt the Lakers Tuesday night: the absence of Bob McAdoo, an excellent scorer who never played because of a strained Achilles' tendon, and the Celtic efficiency at the free-throw line. Boston made 43 of 51 foul shots and Los Angeles 18 of 28.
Before the matchup between the N.B.A.'s two most powerful franchises, the hype was whether the bigger and more physical Celtics could beat a team noted for finesse and speed.
"I heard all the hoopla of our differences from day one of this series, everybody did," said M. L. Carr of Boston. "I have always thought basketball games are won and lost inside and under the baskets, but everyone overlooked one thing; When the 15th championship flag hangs from the rafters of the Boston Garden, we will be remembered as the team that did what it had to do to win."
No Excuses from Magic or Kareem
1984 NBA Finals
"The best team usually wins, and they were the better team," Abdul-Jabbar said. "We didn't hit our outside shots, we didn't control our defensive boards and we weren't getting any room to work inside."
Magic had a ready-made excuse. "He had to play in pain," Abdul-Jabbar said. "When that happens, there are certain things you can't do. But Magic's not the type to complain."
No, he isn't. "The knee was no excuse," he said softly. "It was money time. I was here. I played. So it was no excuse."
Insult to injury: Kareem was mauled by some jerks as he tried to leave the court.
"Somebody ripped my glasses off and I got punched," he said. "People tried to tear off my uniform. Someone was jumping on my back, so I had to push them off. I had to defend myself. I wasn't scared, but I wasn't going to let them dismember me. It's only a few people with no sense who try things like that. The Garden people are very unprofessional when it comes to crowd control."
Security had been beefed up, but Kareem was right. An hour and a half after the game, there still were hundreds of "fans" roaming Causeway Street outside the arena. The roof of one car was caved in, and one cretin smashed a window on the bus transporting writers back to their hotel.
There weren't nearly enough cops on the scene. The mob was out of control. It was a major bummer after the exhilarating events earlier in the evening.
The Celtics, anticipating trouble, had ridden to the Garden in vans and escaped in them afterward through an exit not even long-time club employees knew existed.
Great Celtic defense to the end.
"The best team usually wins, and they were the better team," Abdul-Jabbar said. "We didn't hit our outside shots, we didn't control our defensive boards and we weren't getting any room to work inside."
Magic had a ready-made excuse. "He had to play in pain," Abdul-Jabbar said. "When that happens, there are certain things you can't do. But Magic's not the type to complain."
No, he isn't. "The knee was no excuse," he said softly. "It was money time. I was here. I played. So it was no excuse."
Insult to injury: Kareem was mauled by some jerks as he tried to leave the court.
"Somebody ripped my glasses off and I got punched," he said. "People tried to tear off my uniform. Someone was jumping on my back, so I had to push them off. I had to defend myself. I wasn't scared, but I wasn't going to let them dismember me. It's only a few people with no sense who try things like that. The Garden people are very unprofessional when it comes to crowd control."
Security had been beefed up, but Kareem was right. An hour and a half after the game, there still were hundreds of "fans" roaming Causeway Street outside the arena. The roof of one car was caved in, and one cretin smashed a window on the bus transporting writers back to their hotel.
There weren't nearly enough cops on the scene. The mob was out of control. It was a major bummer after the exhilarating events earlier in the evening.
The Celtics, anticipating trouble, had ridden to the Garden in vans and escaped in them afterward through an exit not even long-time club employees knew existed.
Great Celtic defense to the end.
Pat Riley: We were Better for 3 and a Half Games
1984 NBA Finals
All along it had been a test of Los Angeles Lakers speed against Boston Celtics strength.
For two weeks and six games, there was no verdict as the momentum shifted back and forth. Until last night.
In front of a capacity crowd of 14,890 zealous fans inside the Boston Garden, the Celtics overpowered the Lakers with a punishing inside game and put together a huge, 52-33 victory on the boards to take a 111-102 victory and the NBA championship.
For the Celtics, who were led by Cedric Maxwell's eight rebounds and 24 points - 14 of which were scored from the free-throw line - it was their 15th title, and their first since 1981, when they beat the Houston Rockets.
Moreover, it was their eighth title over the Lakers, their seventh since the Lakers moved from Minneapolis.
And most of all, the seventh-game victory preserved the Celtics' record of never losing a seventh game in a title series.
Larry Bird, the unanimous choice for series MVP, scored 20 points, and guard Dennis Johnson scored 22, his 12-for-12 free-throw shooting helping the Celtics to a remarkable 51-28 edge from the line.
For the Lakers, who shot 48.8 percent to Boston's 39.5, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 29 points, James Worthy scored 21 and Magic Johnson scored 16 to go with 15 assists.
"It hasn't sunk in yet," Bird said. "But this is a great feeling. In the finals, L.A. had a chance to take us in four straight, but we hung in there. We knew we had an advantage on the boards. That's where I have the edge on (Michael) Cooper, and Robert (Parish) is a little quicker than Kareem. We really worked hard on both boards, and it showed."
"Before we went out there," said a jubilant Maxwell, "I said, 'Just hop on my back, and I'll carry you tonight, boys.'
"We played a great team in L.A."
After it was over, after the Celtics had beaten back a fourth-period Los Angeles run that had all but wiped out a 14-point Celtics lead, the fans who had watched the game in the stands pushed their way through security forces lining the sidelines and flooded onto the parquet surface, engulfing both Celtics and Lakers in a wild demonstration of celebration.
But the players somehow worked their way through the crowd and into their locker rooms, and the Celtics gathered as NBA commissioner David Stern presented the championship trophy to Red Auerbach, who is retiring as the Boston general manager.
"It feels great!" screamed Auerbach, whose customary victory cigar was clenched firmly between his teeth as he waved the trophy above his head.
"What ever happened to the Los Angeles dynasty?" he asked.
Good question, actually.
The Lakers, appearing in their fourth final series in the last five years, were crushed on the boards throughout the series and had depended on their fastbreak to win.
When it worked, as it did when they wiped out the Celtics in Game 3 by 33 points, the Lakers were impressive.
But when it didn't work, the Lakers were vulnerable to Boston's inside power game, which last night allowed the Celts to jump out to two nine-point leads en route to a 58-52 lead at the half.
"We're both very talented teams," said Lakers coach Pat Riley, "but we don't have the same kind of talent that Boston does. We're made differently. Theirs is an aggressive and rebounding talent, where we have wiry, speedy people. You hope your quickness will get to their size, and it did, for 3 1/2 games of this series."
In the second half, it was more of the same as the Lakers, playing without reserve center Bob McAdoo (strained Achilles' tendon), let the game slip away from them in a hurry.
Finally, in a final quarter in which Los Angeles cut a 14-point Boston lead to three, Magic Johnson committed a crucial turnover and let another shot get blocked, icing the game for Boston.
Before the crucial Boston scoring spurt in the third quarter, the Celtics were up by only 73-72 with 5 minutes, 16 seconds to go in the period. The crowd was tentative. The tenor of the game had not been set.
But the Celts began to power their way to the boards and through the lane, scoring 16 of their next 18 points on shots within the paint while the Lakers scored only six in the run.
That gave the Celtics a 91-78 lead going into the fourth quarter - a lead that they jacked to 14 points, at 99-85, with 7:57 to go in the game.
But the Lakers turned to a small lineup for more speed and roared back with a 15-6 scoring run of their own, cutting the Boston lead to five points at 105-100 with 1:56 to go.
At that point, the momentum was with L.A. for the first time in the game. The Lakers already had cashed in on two three-point field goals and had the Celtics reeling, Boston committing five turnovers in seven possessions in one section of the run.
But then disaster struck Magic Johnson, whose late-second gaffes had cost the Lakers victories in Games 2 and 4.
This time, Johnson brought the ball downcourt after a missed shot by Parish (14 points, game-high 16 rebounds), only to have it swiped from him by Dennis Johnson, preserving the five-point lead.
Though D.J. did not score on the other end (Cooper, 16 points, blocked his layup attempt), the Lakers had blown a big chance.
Worthy did cut the lead to 105-102 with 1:15 to play, but by then, the Lakers were in a position where they had to play perfectly to win.
They didn't.
Magic Johnson, streaking downcourt, had an off-balance push-shot blocked by Parish, and, with 45 seconds left, Dennis Johnson hit two free throws for a 109-102 lead - a lead that held up when L.A.'s desperation shots fell away and Bird closed out the scoring from the line.
And that's when the celebration started, when Maxwell and M.L. Carr high fived, when Bird raised his arms to signal final victory, when the Boston fans began their surge to the court.
This morning, the Celtics will follow the lead of last year's 76ers and go to Washington, where they will be greeted by President Reagan in the White House Rose Garden.
And tomorrow, the City of Boston will give them a parade.
They'll toast Bird, no doubt, and they'll get teary over Kevin McHale, Maxwell and the rest of them.
But if they are going to toast anything but a player, they will toast strength, which last night won out over speed in the final game of the NBA season.
All along it had been a test of Los Angeles Lakers speed against Boston Celtics strength.
For two weeks and six games, there was no verdict as the momentum shifted back and forth. Until last night.
In front of a capacity crowd of 14,890 zealous fans inside the Boston Garden, the Celtics overpowered the Lakers with a punishing inside game and put together a huge, 52-33 victory on the boards to take a 111-102 victory and the NBA championship.
For the Celtics, who were led by Cedric Maxwell's eight rebounds and 24 points - 14 of which were scored from the free-throw line - it was their 15th title, and their first since 1981, when they beat the Houston Rockets.
Moreover, it was their eighth title over the Lakers, their seventh since the Lakers moved from Minneapolis.
And most of all, the seventh-game victory preserved the Celtics' record of never losing a seventh game in a title series.
Larry Bird, the unanimous choice for series MVP, scored 20 points, and guard Dennis Johnson scored 22, his 12-for-12 free-throw shooting helping the Celtics to a remarkable 51-28 edge from the line.
For the Lakers, who shot 48.8 percent to Boston's 39.5, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 29 points, James Worthy scored 21 and Magic Johnson scored 16 to go with 15 assists.
"It hasn't sunk in yet," Bird said. "But this is a great feeling. In the finals, L.A. had a chance to take us in four straight, but we hung in there. We knew we had an advantage on the boards. That's where I have the edge on (Michael) Cooper, and Robert (Parish) is a little quicker than Kareem. We really worked hard on both boards, and it showed."
"Before we went out there," said a jubilant Maxwell, "I said, 'Just hop on my back, and I'll carry you tonight, boys.'
"We played a great team in L.A."
After it was over, after the Celtics had beaten back a fourth-period Los Angeles run that had all but wiped out a 14-point Celtics lead, the fans who had watched the game in the stands pushed their way through security forces lining the sidelines and flooded onto the parquet surface, engulfing both Celtics and Lakers in a wild demonstration of celebration.
But the players somehow worked their way through the crowd and into their locker rooms, and the Celtics gathered as NBA commissioner David Stern presented the championship trophy to Red Auerbach, who is retiring as the Boston general manager.
"It feels great!" screamed Auerbach, whose customary victory cigar was clenched firmly between his teeth as he waved the trophy above his head.
"What ever happened to the Los Angeles dynasty?" he asked.
Good question, actually.
The Lakers, appearing in their fourth final series in the last five years, were crushed on the boards throughout the series and had depended on their fastbreak to win.
When it worked, as it did when they wiped out the Celtics in Game 3 by 33 points, the Lakers were impressive.
But when it didn't work, the Lakers were vulnerable to Boston's inside power game, which last night allowed the Celts to jump out to two nine-point leads en route to a 58-52 lead at the half.
"We're both very talented teams," said Lakers coach Pat Riley, "but we don't have the same kind of talent that Boston does. We're made differently. Theirs is an aggressive and rebounding talent, where we have wiry, speedy people. You hope your quickness will get to their size, and it did, for 3 1/2 games of this series."
In the second half, it was more of the same as the Lakers, playing without reserve center Bob McAdoo (strained Achilles' tendon), let the game slip away from them in a hurry.
Finally, in a final quarter in which Los Angeles cut a 14-point Boston lead to three, Magic Johnson committed a crucial turnover and let another shot get blocked, icing the game for Boston.
Before the crucial Boston scoring spurt in the third quarter, the Celtics were up by only 73-72 with 5 minutes, 16 seconds to go in the period. The crowd was tentative. The tenor of the game had not been set.
But the Celts began to power their way to the boards and through the lane, scoring 16 of their next 18 points on shots within the paint while the Lakers scored only six in the run.
That gave the Celtics a 91-78 lead going into the fourth quarter - a lead that they jacked to 14 points, at 99-85, with 7:57 to go in the game.
But the Lakers turned to a small lineup for more speed and roared back with a 15-6 scoring run of their own, cutting the Boston lead to five points at 105-100 with 1:56 to go.
At that point, the momentum was with L.A. for the first time in the game. The Lakers already had cashed in on two three-point field goals and had the Celtics reeling, Boston committing five turnovers in seven possessions in one section of the run.
But then disaster struck Magic Johnson, whose late-second gaffes had cost the Lakers victories in Games 2 and 4.
This time, Johnson brought the ball downcourt after a missed shot by Parish (14 points, game-high 16 rebounds), only to have it swiped from him by Dennis Johnson, preserving the five-point lead.
Though D.J. did not score on the other end (Cooper, 16 points, blocked his layup attempt), the Lakers had blown a big chance.
Worthy did cut the lead to 105-102 with 1:15 to play, but by then, the Lakers were in a position where they had to play perfectly to win.
They didn't.
Magic Johnson, streaking downcourt, had an off-balance push-shot blocked by Parish, and, with 45 seconds left, Dennis Johnson hit two free throws for a 109-102 lead - a lead that held up when L.A.'s desperation shots fell away and Bird closed out the scoring from the line.
And that's when the celebration started, when Maxwell and M.L. Carr high fived, when Bird raised his arms to signal final victory, when the Boston fans began their surge to the court.
This morning, the Celtics will follow the lead of last year's 76ers and go to Washington, where they will be greeted by President Reagan in the White House Rose Garden.
And tomorrow, the City of Boston will give them a parade.
They'll toast Bird, no doubt, and they'll get teary over Kevin McHale, Maxwell and the rest of them.
But if they are going to toast anything but a player, they will toast strength, which last night won out over speed in the final game of the NBA season.
Larry v. Magic: Game 14 (part 4)
1984 NBA Finals Game 7Magic Says He'll Party, too, Not Sulk in a Dark Room
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage
The Boston Celtics might have put a damper on Magic Johnson's planned victory party last night, defeating the Lakers, 111-102, to win the NBA Championship.
But Los Angeles's All-Star guard still would like to hang some balloons and drink a few bottles of champagne when the team gets back to the West Coast.
''The ending isn't good, but the party isn't over, 'cause, like, I'm a party, fun guy,'' Johnson said early this morning. ''They're celebrating 'cause they're the champs, but I'm going to celebrate, too.
''I got here. I played my hardest. I gave my all. I'm not the champ, but I'm very near. I'm going to party for myself and my teammates, cause we were right there.''
Johnson, who was the Championship Series MVP in 1980 and 1982, scored 16 points, had 15 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds, but he still could not stop the NBA's glamor team from turning into sleeping beauty.
Johnson had a chance to put on another Magic show after Los Angeles cut an 11-point deficit to 105-102 with 1:14 to play. He actually had two opportunities to slice the Celtics' lead to a point.
The first time, Johnson had the ball in transition, but was stripped by Boston guard Dennis Johnson.
''He made a good play, but then 'Coop' (Michael Cooper, who blocked Dennis Johnson's layup ) saved the day,'' Johnson said.
The Lakers had one more chance to get back within one. This time, Magic got the ball in the middle of a three-on-two and drove to the top of the key.
But when he tried to hit an open James Worthy underneath, Celtics center Robert Parish swatted the ball away to Dennis Johnson with 50 seconds to go and D.J. converted a pair of free throws after he was fouled five seconds later.
''James was wide open,'' Magic said. ''I knew that was the money, there. He was coming in at an angle. It was James, Kareem and (Boston's Larry) Bird. Bird took Kareem, so I was going to pass it to James.''
Lakers coach Pat Riley, who had an eyewitness view of Parish's steal, said there definitely was contact on the play.
''I felt there was a foul on that play,'' Riley said, ''and that would have given us two things. It would have allowed us a chance to get within one and it would have given us a breath of fresh air, stopped the game for a second, be able to have guys collect themselves.
''But it didn't work out. They (Boston) ended up making two great defensive plays at the end of the game and they ended up winning the game. So, breaks are made for winners. And the winners got the breaks tonight.''
Johnson took close to an hour in the shower before he finally came out to meet the press. He still thought it was Cedric Maxwell who made the critical play.
Who could blame him for a fading memory? This was one series Magic would probably rather store in the attic of his mind. He was a central figure in three Lakers' losses during this grueling playoff.
Johnson forgot how to tell time in Game 2 and never got off a shot at the end of regulation during an eventual overtime loss in Boston. Then he had a chance to win Game 4, but his pass to Worthy was picked off by Parish just before the end of regulation in another overtime loss, this one at the Forum.
Johnson shot just 5-for-14 in the grand finale and was not the same electric charge that ignited the Lakers' fastbreak in Games 1 and 3.
There is some speculation that the reason Johnson shortcircuited was a heavily taped left knee that has bothered him since last Friday.
''It hurt some, but I'm not going to make any excuses,'' Johnson said. ''I was going to play.''
Lakers coach Pat Riley had too much class to use Johnson's knee as an excuse.
''Magic played his heart out,'' Riley said. ''He was so gallant at the end of the game. He kept attacking, kept trying to make the plays. He kept taking the ball to the basket. He kept trying to force the issue, to create. And, he was there most of the time. So, there's no excuses for Magic. He tried to play it as he always does.''
Johnson is at his best in transition. So are the Lakers. This is one team that was almost totally dependent on the fastbreak all season.
But the Lakers never rebounded consistently well enough to get into the free-flowing game they love so much. They were outrebounded last night, 52-33.
''If you don't have the ball, you can't run,'' Johnson said.
Maybe the Lakers weren't that good, after all. Maybe the glitter they projected early in the series was a temporary illusion. The Lakers were married to a philosophy and, when the Celtics cramped their style, they responded poorly.
This was one time where the Celtics' size and brute strength finally overcame the Lakers' greyhound quickness.
''Their strength is size and power inside,'' Riley said. ''That was the difference. They are a great rebounding team and it's not by chance. They pursue every ball. It's an American free enterprise system on the boards and that's their strength.''
The Celtics certainly pounded the Lakers' 37-year-old center, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, into submission, holding the hub of LA's team to just six rebounds.
''I'm disappointed,'' said Abdul-Jabbar, who finished with 29 points. ''I probably should have played better.''
The 7-2 Abdul-Jabbar, who has won three NBA championships, one in Milwaukee and two with the Lakers, reportedly will play for one more year before retiring. James Worthy, a star on the rise, had 21 points, but grabbed only four rebounds.
''I think we block shots a lot,'' Worthy said. ''And when we do that, that leaves them open for rebounds. Our rotation wasn't there when we went to block shots and that left a lot of gaps.''
Worthy thought the Lakers might still pull off a miracle late in the fourth quarter.
''We tried to get a spurt going,'' Worthy said, ''but it seemed like when we got to the peak of it, we fell off the end of the cliff.''
Johnson was the player who suffered the most bruises once the Lakers landed in a ditch.
''I'm not cryin','' he said. ''When you live your life, you want to take part in something special. Right now, it's pretty hard to take and disappointing. But it was great to participate and play and have an opportunity to almost win.
KC Jones was a Welcome Change after Fitch
1984 NBA Finals
K.C. Jones claimed he was ''very happy.''
There was no hard evidence of it.
He sat on the Celtics' bench, during their 111-102 Game 7 win over the Lakers last night in Boston Garden. That would not seem so unusual except that Jones is the Celtics' coach. Coaches do not sit anymore.
Well, occasionally K.C. would get up and make a G-rated point to referees Earl Strom and Darell Garretson. But it was not something that would attract the CBS cameras. Jones is believed to be the first coach to win the NBA championship while keeping the top button buttoned on his sport coat.
Just how would the quiet man celebrate?
''I'll go home and baby-sit,'' Jones said, ''so my wife can go out and celebrate.'' ''Kase,'' as Celtics fans and players call him, has seen fire and rain. Nine years ago he coached the Wes Unseld-Elvin Hayes Washington Bullets to the best record in basketball. But the Bullets were smoked 4-0 in the finals by Golden State. The CBS cameras invaded one of his final timeouts and heard K.C. tell the Bullets . . . nothing. ''What we got?'' Jones asked, as millions snickered. ''What we got?'' As it turned out, it got Jones fired.
Jones now says he already had instructed the Bullets, and that the camera got there too late. Whatever, it was a particuarly leaden cross for one of the NBA's all-time defensive players and team men to bear. Don Nelson got him a job as a Milwaukee assistant for a while, then Jones returned to Boston to assist Bill Fitch. Jones became friends with Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell, Kevin McHale and the emerging Celtics, but no one fingered him as head coaching material.
Then, last year, Fitch turned the pressure cooker a notch too high and the Celtics evaporated in the Eastern semifinals, losing four in a row to Milwaukee. Fitch soon left. Harry Mangurian put the club up for sale. McHale, a prospective free agent, veered dangerously close to signing with the Knicks. Bird's contract was up in '84. The Celtics appeared in such turmoil that catching the defending champion Sixers seemed out of the question. The question, rather, was survival.
So Jones became the head coach. ''I knew the guys, I've stolen a few plays here and there,'' he said. ''I never thought I'd be a head coach again, but I had to take assistant jobs because they were there. This job kind of fell into my lap. Rather, I should say, I walked into this mess.''
What did Jones say in his first team meeting?
''I don't remember,'' he said.
But Donald Gaston bought the Celtics, signed both McHale and Bird. And Jones's actions turned out to be decisive. He replaced Fitch's starting backcourt of Danny Ainge and Quinn Buckner with the far more harmonious combination of Dennis Johnson (swiped from Phoenix for Rick Robey) and Gerald Henderson. He played the same rotations all year long, letting the Celtics sleep peacefully each night with full knowledge of their roles. He let Bird and McHale and Johnson get the attention - one-liners, a staple of Fitch's career, are not his thing. Even after this championship game, the winning coach was not even fully encircled by reporters.
''The players, they're the ones who deserve the attention,'' Jones said. ''I just rode their coattails all year long. I didn't do much of anything, really.''
The Celtics fell behind the Lakers 2-1 with Jones observing inertia, with the 6-2 Henderson guarding the 6-9 Magic Johnson. But then Dennis Johnson, at a combative 6-4, took over and harassed Magic for the last four games, three of which Boston won.
''That was something the media wanted,'' Jones pooh-poohed. ''It wasn't a big factor. Everybody wanted that matchup to go along with Bird and Magic and (Robert) Parish and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. So it finally happened.''
Jones was asked about an MVP for the series.
''I'd have to go with Larry,'' he said. ''I mean, we had other guys. Parish was the foundation. And (Cedric) Maxwell, I was hoping he'd play a big game tonight and he came through for us.
''I've won championships here before, playing for the Celtics. The fans always come out on the court. The only thing about being the coach is that I'm a little closer to the exit, that's all.''
He talked about how the Celtics stopped the Lakers' running game, about how he encouraged them ''to make three or four passes, move the ball, move their bodies'' when the Lakers got close. He was talking about other things, obligingly but not enthusiastically, when losing coach Pat Riley reached over with a hand. Jones shook it and smiled.
''You deserved it,'' said Riley, looking tired. ''You deserved it. Congratulations.''
Jones nodded, and faced his questioners again.
''I hadn't changed that much in nine years,'' he said. ''I've been around a long time. I'm an expert on the game.''
K.C. Jones claimed he was ''very happy.''
There was no hard evidence of it.
He sat on the Celtics' bench, during their 111-102 Game 7 win over the Lakers last night in Boston Garden. That would not seem so unusual except that Jones is the Celtics' coach. Coaches do not sit anymore.
Well, occasionally K.C. would get up and make a G-rated point to referees Earl Strom and Darell Garretson. But it was not something that would attract the CBS cameras. Jones is believed to be the first coach to win the NBA championship while keeping the top button buttoned on his sport coat.
Just how would the quiet man celebrate?
''I'll go home and baby-sit,'' Jones said, ''so my wife can go out and celebrate.'' ''Kase,'' as Celtics fans and players call him, has seen fire and rain. Nine years ago he coached the Wes Unseld-Elvin Hayes Washington Bullets to the best record in basketball. But the Bullets were smoked 4-0 in the finals by Golden State. The CBS cameras invaded one of his final timeouts and heard K.C. tell the Bullets . . . nothing. ''What we got?'' Jones asked, as millions snickered. ''What we got?'' As it turned out, it got Jones fired.
Jones now says he already had instructed the Bullets, and that the camera got there too late. Whatever, it was a particuarly leaden cross for one of the NBA's all-time defensive players and team men to bear. Don Nelson got him a job as a Milwaukee assistant for a while, then Jones returned to Boston to assist Bill Fitch. Jones became friends with Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell, Kevin McHale and the emerging Celtics, but no one fingered him as head coaching material.
Then, last year, Fitch turned the pressure cooker a notch too high and the Celtics evaporated in the Eastern semifinals, losing four in a row to Milwaukee. Fitch soon left. Harry Mangurian put the club up for sale. McHale, a prospective free agent, veered dangerously close to signing with the Knicks. Bird's contract was up in '84. The Celtics appeared in such turmoil that catching the defending champion Sixers seemed out of the question. The question, rather, was survival.
So Jones became the head coach. ''I knew the guys, I've stolen a few plays here and there,'' he said. ''I never thought I'd be a head coach again, but I had to take assistant jobs because they were there. This job kind of fell into my lap. Rather, I should say, I walked into this mess.''
What did Jones say in his first team meeting?
''I don't remember,'' he said.
But Donald Gaston bought the Celtics, signed both McHale and Bird. And Jones's actions turned out to be decisive. He replaced Fitch's starting backcourt of Danny Ainge and Quinn Buckner with the far more harmonious combination of Dennis Johnson (swiped from Phoenix for Rick Robey) and Gerald Henderson. He played the same rotations all year long, letting the Celtics sleep peacefully each night with full knowledge of their roles. He let Bird and McHale and Johnson get the attention - one-liners, a staple of Fitch's career, are not his thing. Even after this championship game, the winning coach was not even fully encircled by reporters.
''The players, they're the ones who deserve the attention,'' Jones said. ''I just rode their coattails all year long. I didn't do much of anything, really.''
The Celtics fell behind the Lakers 2-1 with Jones observing inertia, with the 6-2 Henderson guarding the 6-9 Magic Johnson. But then Dennis Johnson, at a combative 6-4, took over and harassed Magic for the last four games, three of which Boston won.
''That was something the media wanted,'' Jones pooh-poohed. ''It wasn't a big factor. Everybody wanted that matchup to go along with Bird and Magic and (Robert) Parish and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. So it finally happened.''
Jones was asked about an MVP for the series.
''I'd have to go with Larry,'' he said. ''I mean, we had other guys. Parish was the foundation. And (Cedric) Maxwell, I was hoping he'd play a big game tonight and he came through for us.
''I've won championships here before, playing for the Celtics. The fans always come out on the court. The only thing about being the coach is that I'm a little closer to the exit, that's all.''
He talked about how the Celtics stopped the Lakers' running game, about how he encouraged them ''to make three or four passes, move the ball, move their bodies'' when the Lakers got close. He was talking about other things, obligingly but not enthusiastically, when losing coach Pat Riley reached over with a hand. Jones shook it and smiled.
''You deserved it,'' said Riley, looking tired. ''You deserved it. Congratulations.''
Jones nodded, and faced his questioners again.
''I hadn't changed that much in nine years,'' he said. ''I've been around a long time. I'm an expert on the game.''
The Celtics Road to Banner 15 Started with DJ
1984 NBA Finals
The Celtics' road to the championship began last year after Boston was eliminated from the playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks in a four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Soon after, Bill Fitch resigned as the coach and Red Auerbach, the president and general manager, returned the coaching reins to what he calls "the Celtic family." He named K. C. Jones, who had played on eight Celtic championship teams.
"Tonight, I have won as a coach, " said Jones, who had reached the final round as coach once before, when his Washington Bullets were beaten by the Golden State Warriors in 1975. "The guys put themselves together. They accepted a new coach and a new system. I would consider us going to the championship in the first season, a great a accomplishment."
The new ownership, Boston Sports Inc., whose three shareholders include Don Gaston, the former executive vice president of Gulf & Western Industries, which owns the Knicks, and Alan Cohen, the former president of Madison Square Garden, took over the team in August .
But the most important change on the court came last June with the acquisition of Johnson in a trade with the Phoenix Suns for Rick Robey.
The 6-4 Johnson played a key role in leading the Celtics to the best regular season record in the league (62-20), which gave them the important playoff homecourt advantage. The Celtics were 12-1 at home during the 22-game playoff grind.
The Celtics' road to the championship began last year after Boston was eliminated from the playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks in a four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Soon after, Bill Fitch resigned as the coach and Red Auerbach, the president and general manager, returned the coaching reins to what he calls "the Celtic family." He named K. C. Jones, who had played on eight Celtic championship teams.
"Tonight, I have won as a coach, " said Jones, who had reached the final round as coach once before, when his Washington Bullets were beaten by the Golden State Warriors in 1975. "The guys put themselves together. They accepted a new coach and a new system. I would consider us going to the championship in the first season, a great a accomplishment."
The new ownership, Boston Sports Inc., whose three shareholders include Don Gaston, the former executive vice president of Gulf & Western Industries, which owns the Knicks, and Alan Cohen, the former president of Madison Square Garden, took over the team in August .
But the most important change on the court came last June with the acquisition of Johnson in a trade with the Phoenix Suns for Rick Robey.
The 6-4 Johnson played a key role in leading the Celtics to the best regular season record in the league (62-20), which gave them the important playoff homecourt advantage. The Celtics were 12-1 at home during the 22-game playoff grind.
Parish Steal Thwarts Laker Surge
1984 NBA Finals
The Celtics, whose 1983-84 season began with a new coach, new ownership and Dennis Johnson, the big guard they lacked, brought a 15th National Basketball Association title to Boston tonight.
The Celtics, the most successful team ever in the N.B.A., used their chief attribute - brute strength - to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in the seventh game of the championship series, 111-102, before a frenzied, capacity crowd of 14,890 at Boston Garden.
Boston, whose playoff rivalry with Los Angeles, spanning more than two decades, has produced some of the most memorable moments in pro basketball history, has now won four championships in the last 11 seasons. The Celtics have also never lost in the seven times they have played in the seventh game of a championship series.
Rebounding Slowed Lakers
The big starting front line of Cedric Maxwell, Larry Bird and Robert Parish had 36 rebounds in the game, 3 more than the entire Laker team. Los Angeles, which thrives on its speed, had its running game stymied by the Celtics' 52-33 rebounding edge, which included a 20-9 advantage on the offensive boards.
The Celtics, who led throughout the game but had to hold off a furious rally by the Lakers in the final minutes, were so aggressive about going to the basket that 43 of their points came on free throws, 14 by the 6-foot-8-inch Maxwell, who led all Boston scorers with 24 points.
Bird, who had 20 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists, was a unanimous choice as the most valuable player of the championship series. In the 7 games, he had 192 points, 98 rebounds, 25 assists and 15 steals.
After the Celtics built a 99-85 lead, their largest of the game, with 7 minutes 58 seconds remaining, the Lakers charged back with a 17-6 surge behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who led all scorers with 29 points.
With 1:29 left Dennis Johnson stripped Magic Johnson of the ball. He drove for the basket, but the Laker forward Michael Cooper blocked the shot. Fifteen seconds later, James Worthy sliced the lead to 105-102 with a 15-footer.
Steal by Parish
Then Parish stole the ball from Magic Johnson and the Laker surge was thwarted.
"Maxwell hit my arm," Magic Johnson said of Parish's steal of his attempted pass to Worthy. "James was open under the basket. I saw James and I was passing to him. That was the money. It would have brought us to 1."
The Celtics scored the next 6 points, including two free throws each by Johnson, who finished with 22 points, and Bird. The game was held up momentarily just before the end when fans started pouring onto the court. The victory, ending the seven and one-half month N.B.A. season, was the Celtics' eighth over the Lakers in a championship series, the first of which came in 1959, when the Lakers were based in Minneapolis. The Celtics have never lost to the Lakers in a final round, and have only lost a championship series once, in 1958 to the St. Louis Hawks.
"It was a classic series," Coach Pat Riley of the Laker, said. "Their strength is size and power. That was the difference tonight. That and their aggressiveness in going to the basket. It led to all those free throws that beat us.
The Celtics, whose 1983-84 season began with a new coach, new ownership and Dennis Johnson, the big guard they lacked, brought a 15th National Basketball Association title to Boston tonight.
The Celtics, the most successful team ever in the N.B.A., used their chief attribute - brute strength - to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in the seventh game of the championship series, 111-102, before a frenzied, capacity crowd of 14,890 at Boston Garden.
Boston, whose playoff rivalry with Los Angeles, spanning more than two decades, has produced some of the most memorable moments in pro basketball history, has now won four championships in the last 11 seasons. The Celtics have also never lost in the seven times they have played in the seventh game of a championship series.
Rebounding Slowed Lakers
The big starting front line of Cedric Maxwell, Larry Bird and Robert Parish had 36 rebounds in the game, 3 more than the entire Laker team. Los Angeles, which thrives on its speed, had its running game stymied by the Celtics' 52-33 rebounding edge, which included a 20-9 advantage on the offensive boards.
The Celtics, who led throughout the game but had to hold off a furious rally by the Lakers in the final minutes, were so aggressive about going to the basket that 43 of their points came on free throws, 14 by the 6-foot-8-inch Maxwell, who led all Boston scorers with 24 points.
Bird, who had 20 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists, was a unanimous choice as the most valuable player of the championship series. In the 7 games, he had 192 points, 98 rebounds, 25 assists and 15 steals.
After the Celtics built a 99-85 lead, their largest of the game, with 7 minutes 58 seconds remaining, the Lakers charged back with a 17-6 surge behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who led all scorers with 29 points.
With 1:29 left Dennis Johnson stripped Magic Johnson of the ball. He drove for the basket, but the Laker forward Michael Cooper blocked the shot. Fifteen seconds later, James Worthy sliced the lead to 105-102 with a 15-footer.
Steal by Parish
Then Parish stole the ball from Magic Johnson and the Laker surge was thwarted.
"Maxwell hit my arm," Magic Johnson said of Parish's steal of his attempted pass to Worthy. "James was open under the basket. I saw James and I was passing to him. That was the money. It would have brought us to 1."
The Celtics scored the next 6 points, including two free throws each by Johnson, who finished with 22 points, and Bird. The game was held up momentarily just before the end when fans started pouring onto the court. The victory, ending the seven and one-half month N.B.A. season, was the Celtics' eighth over the Lakers in a championship series, the first of which came in 1959, when the Lakers were based in Minneapolis. The Celtics have never lost to the Lakers in a final round, and have only lost a championship series once, in 1958 to the St. Louis Hawks.
"It was a classic series," Coach Pat Riley of the Laker, said. "Their strength is size and power. That was the difference tonight. That and their aggressiveness in going to the basket. It led to all those free throws that beat us.
KC Jones and Pat Riley: How they Rose to the Top of their Profession
1984 NBA Finals
BOSTON
One looks like an actor, the other sings in public for recreation. Yet there is very little show biz about the two recent assistant coaches who were paired against each other in last night's National Basketball Association showdown.
K. C. Jones, whose Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 111- 102, to win the title, and Pat Riley, the Laker coach, are both pure basketball men, who have played on championship teams in this league, but they had vastly different experiences when they were one seat from their current head coaching jobs.
Jones had been treated as a threat by Bill Fitch, the coach of the Celtics until this season, whereas Riley is a friend and confidant of Paul Westhead, the previous Laker coach. Jones had been a head coach in Washington; Riley had never handled his own team until two seasons ago.
With their different preparations for their current jobs, both Jones and Riley had shown inner direction, a confidence in themselves and respect for their players in leading two poised teams into a packed Boston Garden last night.
Jones did not need to look far for confirmation of his value to the Celtics. Hanging above his head, in the rafters of the ancient barn, is a banner with all 13 retired uniform numbers. The highest, No. 25, was his, worn proudly in nine seasons, eight of them championship ones.
Jones was a quiet guard who threw efficient, unspectacular passes to Bill Russell on two national collegiate championship teams at the University of San Francisco, on the gold- medal team at the 1956 Olympics, and with the Celtics.
After his playing days, Jones became one of the first black coaches at a major nonblack university, Brandeis, before joining another former teammate, Bill Sharman, as an assistant with the 1972 champions, the Lakers. He took his first head pro job with San Diego of the old American Basketball Association and later coached the Washington Bullets for three seasons, winning 155 games and losing 91, the best record in the league for that period, after which he was dismissed for not winning the championship.
He became an assistant for Tom Sanders, Dave Cowens and Fitch in his old arena, feeling the adoration from the Boston fans and the respect of the new Celtic players. Jones is a quiet man, a secure man who can quietly commandeer a microphone in a club in the wee small hours of the morning and sing a ballad or two, not for pay but for fun.
However, his sense of self was a threat to Fitch, the first outsider ever hired as coach by the Celtics. Fitch, now at Houston, is a knowledgeable coach who wanted total control. Once in an airport, Jones consoled Gerald Henderson, who was brooding after a bad game, but Fitch complained that Jones was trying to take over the players.
Things got so bad that Jones sometimes did not know when practices were being held or what the thinking was on draft choices. It was a dreadful waste of his talent, and a blow to his pride. Still, he was home in Boston, he was one of the Celtics and, according to people who know him, he rarely showed the pain of being ignored.
When Fitch left for bigger money and more autonomy in Houston this season, the Celtics had one of their own, waiting one seat away. Strong in the forecourt and relatively weaker in the backcourt, he let Larry Bird do much of the thinking and passing of the point guard, and coaxed the best record in the league, 62 victories, 20 losses, from his squad.
In the final round of the playoffs, 6-foot-9-inch Magic Johnson was dominating the Celtics' smaller guards well into the fourth game, when 6-foot-4-inch Dennis Johnson began guarding him, taking over for the 6-foot-2-inch Henderson. The Celtics then won the fourth and fifth games and Jones was given the credit for the switch.
However, Jones said softly: "They wanted to do it," meaning Henderson and Dennis Johnson had agreed on the switch on the court. Jones was wise enough to know that if it seemed right to the two main guards, it probably was right.
Pat Riley of the Lakers had the opposite problem of K. C. Jones. He had been so closely identified with the previous coaching regime of Paul Westhead that he had to prove himself as a coach for the first time. Riley is a journeyman guard from Schenectady, N.Y., and the University of Kentucky who played much of his pro career with the Lakers. When he was dropped as a player, he went into a period of "mourning," as his wife, a counselor, put it, before he accepted life beyond playing.
Riley became a radio broadcaster and then an assistant to Westhead, a former English teacher who specialized in Shakespeare and taught the players by the book, with dozens of set plays. Riley was just learning to be an assistant coach with Westhead, who had won the championship as a rookie coach in 1980, but lost the players' loyalty early in the 1981-82 season and was dropped after Magic Johnson had publicly criticized him.
Jerry Buss, the owner, wanted Jerry West, the general manager, to coach, but West saw something spontaneous and open in Riley,and turned the job over to him.
"I just jumped into it," Riley once said. "I couldn't figure out why they fired Paul, still can't. The entire thing is a mystery to me. To be honest, everything I learned to do as a coach is from Paul Westhead."
He continued to learn, calling for a half-court trap defense that helped defeat the Philadelphia 76ers in the final round of 1982. Last year the Lakers were injured, but Riley also acknowledged that his players had lost their "razor edge" in losing to the 76ers. This season Riley worked his team so hard in practice that even Hubie Brown, the Knicks' coach, was impressed with their work habits.
With slicked-back hair, designer suits and smooth delivery, Riley could play the lead role in any midday soap opera, but his focus is Inglewood, not Hollywood. He treats his players as adults, designating his 12th man, Larry Spriggs, to run the "bed checks" for him. ("Every night he checks, and tells me they're still there," Riley once quipped, meaning the beds, not necessarily the players.)
The Lakers praise Pat Riley, just as the Celtics praise K. C. Jones, for much the same reason: a blend of freedom, security and discipline. Only one coach could win, but for the moment both former assistants seemed to have the respect of their squads. It isn't always that way.
BOSTON
One looks like an actor, the other sings in public for recreation. Yet there is very little show biz about the two recent assistant coaches who were paired against each other in last night's National Basketball Association showdown.
K. C. Jones, whose Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 111- 102, to win the title, and Pat Riley, the Laker coach, are both pure basketball men, who have played on championship teams in this league, but they had vastly different experiences when they were one seat from their current head coaching jobs.
Jones had been treated as a threat by Bill Fitch, the coach of the Celtics until this season, whereas Riley is a friend and confidant of Paul Westhead, the previous Laker coach. Jones had been a head coach in Washington; Riley had never handled his own team until two seasons ago.
With their different preparations for their current jobs, both Jones and Riley had shown inner direction, a confidence in themselves and respect for their players in leading two poised teams into a packed Boston Garden last night.
Jones did not need to look far for confirmation of his value to the Celtics. Hanging above his head, in the rafters of the ancient barn, is a banner with all 13 retired uniform numbers. The highest, No. 25, was his, worn proudly in nine seasons, eight of them championship ones.
Jones was a quiet guard who threw efficient, unspectacular passes to Bill Russell on two national collegiate championship teams at the University of San Francisco, on the gold- medal team at the 1956 Olympics, and with the Celtics.
After his playing days, Jones became one of the first black coaches at a major nonblack university, Brandeis, before joining another former teammate, Bill Sharman, as an assistant with the 1972 champions, the Lakers. He took his first head pro job with San Diego of the old American Basketball Association and later coached the Washington Bullets for three seasons, winning 155 games and losing 91, the best record in the league for that period, after which he was dismissed for not winning the championship.
He became an assistant for Tom Sanders, Dave Cowens and Fitch in his old arena, feeling the adoration from the Boston fans and the respect of the new Celtic players. Jones is a quiet man, a secure man who can quietly commandeer a microphone in a club in the wee small hours of the morning and sing a ballad or two, not for pay but for fun.
However, his sense of self was a threat to Fitch, the first outsider ever hired as coach by the Celtics. Fitch, now at Houston, is a knowledgeable coach who wanted total control. Once in an airport, Jones consoled Gerald Henderson, who was brooding after a bad game, but Fitch complained that Jones was trying to take over the players.
Things got so bad that Jones sometimes did not know when practices were being held or what the thinking was on draft choices. It was a dreadful waste of his talent, and a blow to his pride. Still, he was home in Boston, he was one of the Celtics and, according to people who know him, he rarely showed the pain of being ignored.
When Fitch left for bigger money and more autonomy in Houston this season, the Celtics had one of their own, waiting one seat away. Strong in the forecourt and relatively weaker in the backcourt, he let Larry Bird do much of the thinking and passing of the point guard, and coaxed the best record in the league, 62 victories, 20 losses, from his squad.
In the final round of the playoffs, 6-foot-9-inch Magic Johnson was dominating the Celtics' smaller guards well into the fourth game, when 6-foot-4-inch Dennis Johnson began guarding him, taking over for the 6-foot-2-inch Henderson. The Celtics then won the fourth and fifth games and Jones was given the credit for the switch.
However, Jones said softly: "They wanted to do it," meaning Henderson and Dennis Johnson had agreed on the switch on the court. Jones was wise enough to know that if it seemed right to the two main guards, it probably was right.
Pat Riley of the Lakers had the opposite problem of K. C. Jones. He had been so closely identified with the previous coaching regime of Paul Westhead that he had to prove himself as a coach for the first time. Riley is a journeyman guard from Schenectady, N.Y., and the University of Kentucky who played much of his pro career with the Lakers. When he was dropped as a player, he went into a period of "mourning," as his wife, a counselor, put it, before he accepted life beyond playing.
Riley became a radio broadcaster and then an assistant to Westhead, a former English teacher who specialized in Shakespeare and taught the players by the book, with dozens of set plays. Riley was just learning to be an assistant coach with Westhead, who had won the championship as a rookie coach in 1980, but lost the players' loyalty early in the 1981-82 season and was dropped after Magic Johnson had publicly criticized him.
Jerry Buss, the owner, wanted Jerry West, the general manager, to coach, but West saw something spontaneous and open in Riley,and turned the job over to him.
"I just jumped into it," Riley once said. "I couldn't figure out why they fired Paul, still can't. The entire thing is a mystery to me. To be honest, everything I learned to do as a coach is from Paul Westhead."
He continued to learn, calling for a half-court trap defense that helped defeat the Philadelphia 76ers in the final round of 1982. Last year the Lakers were injured, but Riley also acknowledged that his players had lost their "razor edge" in losing to the 76ers. This season Riley worked his team so hard in practice that even Hubie Brown, the Knicks' coach, was impressed with their work habits.
With slicked-back hair, designer suits and smooth delivery, Riley could play the lead role in any midday soap opera, but his focus is Inglewood, not Hollywood. He treats his players as adults, designating his 12th man, Larry Spriggs, to run the "bed checks" for him. ("Every night he checks, and tells me they're still there," Riley once quipped, meaning the beds, not necessarily the players.)
The Lakers praise Pat Riley, just as the Celtics praise K. C. Jones, for much the same reason: a blend of freedom, security and discipline. Only one coach could win, but for the moment both former assistants seemed to have the respect of their squads. It isn't always that way.
Blue-Collar Basketball Prevails
1984 NBA Finals
It was a victory for blue-collar basketball. Nothing secret or pretty about the Celtics' 111-102 victory over the Lakers in the seventh and deciding game of the NBA championship series Tuesday night in hot, rocking Boston Garden. The Clydesdales trampled the thoroughbreds.
The Celtics did it the only way they could. They kept banging the boards, getting second shots, getting fouled, making their foul shots, slowing the pace to a half-court game in which their superior beef up front could wear down the slimmer, sleeker Lakers.
Muscle over finesse, superior teamwork over a team with greater individual talent. Compared to the Lakers, the Celtics are relatively faceless except for Larry Bird. So what? Playing their game, forcing the Lakers to play their game, they are superior.
And so the Celtics rule the NBA again, for the 15th time. All's right with the world. Red Auerbach, the retiring patriarch of the most successful franchise (on a percentage basis) in professional sports, got to light his last, and one of his sweetest, victory cigars.
Another green-and-white flag will hang from those archaic rafters. The tradition and mystique continues. Celtic pride. It's a cliche, but damn it, it's special. It's special because the organization believes in it. Like the old dynastic Yankees, a player immediately gets better when he puts on the uniform.
And Boston is going crazy. At Fenway Park Monday night, as the Red Sox were rallying for a ninth-inning victory over the Yankees, a chant went up in the stands -- "Beat L.A.!"
At a Red Sox-Yankee game, the crowd is screaming for basketball? It boggles the mind, if you know this town. Today, Boston is all kelly green.
The crowd in Boston Garden Tuesday night was mad, insane. "The crowd wouldn't let us down," Celtic forward Kevin McHale said. "They will be partying in the streets tonight. In fact, I've got to go party now."
Give the Lakers crakers credit. They trailed almost all the game, and fell behind by 13 at the end of the third quarter after the Celtics had gone on an 18-6 tear. Playing in a snakepit, they easily could have folded, but they climbed back within three with possession and a minute to play.
But then Magic Johnson made his second consecutive turnover (a great defensive play by teammate Michael Cooper saved him on the first one), and Celtic Dennis Johnson took it the other way and made two crucial free throws.
It's going to be a long off-season for Magic. Critical mistakes at the end of regulation cost the Lakers a chance at victory in two games the Celtics went on to win in overtime. Now this. And he was well checked by D.J. over the last 2 1/2 games. In the finale, Magic made only five of 14 shots.
But he hardly cost L.A. the game. The game was lost on the boards and the foul line. The Celtics outrebounded the Lakers, 52-33 -- 20-9 on the offensive board. In their effort to go up with the jolly green giants, the Lakers fouled . . . and fouled . . . and fouled. The Lakers made 18 of 28 from the line, the Celtics 43 of 51. That's -- ouch -- a 25-point spread. That's the ballgame.
Celtic forward Cedric Maxwell made 14 of 17 foul shots en route to a team-high 24 points.
"We got a great game from Max," McHale said. "He said, 'Hop on my back and I'll lead you.' "
Some more astounding numbers. The Celtics were shooting only 44.9 percent to the Lakers' 51.9 coming into the finale. The Celtics shot an anemic 39.5 Tuesday to the Lakers' 48.8 -- and won by nine.
But enough numbers. Let's talk about the flesh and blood and heat and noise of the biggest pro basketball game in a lot of years. It was fitting it was played in the NBA's mecca, antiquated and overheated as it was. Old arenas, like old ball parks, have character. There's history in those musty corners, rickety girders. They're built straight up and down, not out, so everyone hangs over the court. The noise isn't diffused, but it rattles and reverberates and echoes until the eardrums ache.
It's hard to say how much the building and crowd meant to the Celtics. But they finished 12-1 at home in the playoffs against 3-7 on the road.
Larry Bird, unanimous series MVP, said, "It hasn't sunk in yet, but this is a great feeling. We lucked out in the first two games we won (the two overtimes). It's very tough to win on the other team's court. Gerald's steal in Game Two definitely was the big play of the series. If he didn't make it, we would have been down, 2-0, and it would have been very tough to come back on their court.
"We knew we had an advantage on the offensive boards. That's one place where I have the edge on Cooper, and Robert (Parish) is a little quicker than Kareem. We really worked hard on both boards, and it showed."
Hard work. The two words that sum up perfectly how and why the Celtics won this series. Hard, dirty, sweaty work. Hit the boards. Bang. Hit and bang some more.
K.C. Jones, a winner in his first season as Celtic coach, spoke of the togetherness that marked -- has always marked -- the shamrocks.
"These guys, from Larry on down to Carlos (Clark, the 12th man), have the ability to stick together and play hard. Larry is the leader; Robert is the backbone; DJ and Gerald (Henderson) are a great backcourt. The trade to get Dennis was one helluva trade. M.L. Carr off the bench is the guy who inspires the rest of the team, whether he plays two minutes or 20. Everyone contributes."
Laker Coach Pat Riley was all class in defeat.
"It wasn't meant to be," he said, tears glistening in his eyes. "Their strength is size and power inside. That was the difference. They are a great rebounding team, and it's not by chance. They pursue every ball. It's the American free-enterprise system on the boards, and that's their strength."
Riley had dreamed of being the first team to beat the Celtics in a seventh game. He dreamed of denying the ghosts, of defying the tradition, of deflating the mystique.
He failed.
"We just didn't get it done," he said. "But it was a classic series, one I'll always remember."
It was a victory for blue-collar basketball. Nothing secret or pretty about the Celtics' 111-102 victory over the Lakers in the seventh and deciding game of the NBA championship series Tuesday night in hot, rocking Boston Garden. The Clydesdales trampled the thoroughbreds.
The Celtics did it the only way they could. They kept banging the boards, getting second shots, getting fouled, making their foul shots, slowing the pace to a half-court game in which their superior beef up front could wear down the slimmer, sleeker Lakers.
Muscle over finesse, superior teamwork over a team with greater individual talent. Compared to the Lakers, the Celtics are relatively faceless except for Larry Bird. So what? Playing their game, forcing the Lakers to play their game, they are superior.
And so the Celtics rule the NBA again, for the 15th time. All's right with the world. Red Auerbach, the retiring patriarch of the most successful franchise (on a percentage basis) in professional sports, got to light his last, and one of his sweetest, victory cigars.
Another green-and-white flag will hang from those archaic rafters. The tradition and mystique continues. Celtic pride. It's a cliche, but damn it, it's special. It's special because the organization believes in it. Like the old dynastic Yankees, a player immediately gets better when he puts on the uniform.
And Boston is going crazy. At Fenway Park Monday night, as the Red Sox were rallying for a ninth-inning victory over the Yankees, a chant went up in the stands -- "Beat L.A.!"
At a Red Sox-Yankee game, the crowd is screaming for basketball? It boggles the mind, if you know this town. Today, Boston is all kelly green.
The crowd in Boston Garden Tuesday night was mad, insane. "The crowd wouldn't let us down," Celtic forward Kevin McHale said. "They will be partying in the streets tonight. In fact, I've got to go party now."
Give the Lakers crakers credit. They trailed almost all the game, and fell behind by 13 at the end of the third quarter after the Celtics had gone on an 18-6 tear. Playing in a snakepit, they easily could have folded, but they climbed back within three with possession and a minute to play.
But then Magic Johnson made his second consecutive turnover (a great defensive play by teammate Michael Cooper saved him on the first one), and Celtic Dennis Johnson took it the other way and made two crucial free throws.
It's going to be a long off-season for Magic. Critical mistakes at the end of regulation cost the Lakers a chance at victory in two games the Celtics went on to win in overtime. Now this. And he was well checked by D.J. over the last 2 1/2 games. In the finale, Magic made only five of 14 shots.
But he hardly cost L.A. the game. The game was lost on the boards and the foul line. The Celtics outrebounded the Lakers, 52-33 -- 20-9 on the offensive board. In their effort to go up with the jolly green giants, the Lakers fouled . . . and fouled . . . and fouled. The Lakers made 18 of 28 from the line, the Celtics 43 of 51. That's -- ouch -- a 25-point spread. That's the ballgame.
Celtic forward Cedric Maxwell made 14 of 17 foul shots en route to a team-high 24 points.
"We got a great game from Max," McHale said. "He said, 'Hop on my back and I'll lead you.' "
Some more astounding numbers. The Celtics were shooting only 44.9 percent to the Lakers' 51.9 coming into the finale. The Celtics shot an anemic 39.5 Tuesday to the Lakers' 48.8 -- and won by nine.
But enough numbers. Let's talk about the flesh and blood and heat and noise of the biggest pro basketball game in a lot of years. It was fitting it was played in the NBA's mecca, antiquated and overheated as it was. Old arenas, like old ball parks, have character. There's history in those musty corners, rickety girders. They're built straight up and down, not out, so everyone hangs over the court. The noise isn't diffused, but it rattles and reverberates and echoes until the eardrums ache.
It's hard to say how much the building and crowd meant to the Celtics. But they finished 12-1 at home in the playoffs against 3-7 on the road.
Larry Bird, unanimous series MVP, said, "It hasn't sunk in yet, but this is a great feeling. We lucked out in the first two games we won (the two overtimes). It's very tough to win on the other team's court. Gerald's steal in Game Two definitely was the big play of the series. If he didn't make it, we would have been down, 2-0, and it would have been very tough to come back on their court.
"We knew we had an advantage on the offensive boards. That's one place where I have the edge on Cooper, and Robert (Parish) is a little quicker than Kareem. We really worked hard on both boards, and it showed."
Hard work. The two words that sum up perfectly how and why the Celtics won this series. Hard, dirty, sweaty work. Hit the boards. Bang. Hit and bang some more.
K.C. Jones, a winner in his first season as Celtic coach, spoke of the togetherness that marked -- has always marked -- the shamrocks.
"These guys, from Larry on down to Carlos (Clark, the 12th man), have the ability to stick together and play hard. Larry is the leader; Robert is the backbone; DJ and Gerald (Henderson) are a great backcourt. The trade to get Dennis was one helluva trade. M.L. Carr off the bench is the guy who inspires the rest of the team, whether he plays two minutes or 20. Everyone contributes."
Laker Coach Pat Riley was all class in defeat.
"It wasn't meant to be," he said, tears glistening in his eyes. "Their strength is size and power inside. That was the difference. They are a great rebounding team, and it's not by chance. They pursue every ball. It's the American free-enterprise system on the boards, and that's their strength."
Riley had dreamed of being the first team to beat the Celtics in a seventh game. He dreamed of denying the ghosts, of defying the tradition, of deflating the mystique.
He failed.
"We just didn't get it done," he said. "But it was a classic series, one I'll always remember."
Mad Max to the Rescue
1984 NBA Finals
He was lurking deep in the offensive bulrushes for the entire series. The attention had been focused on just about everybody else.Get Larry Bird shots, get Robert Parish shots, get something out of Kevin McHale, hope those guards deposit all those open jumpers . . . nobody ever mentioned the possibility of getting the ball in deep to Cedric Maxwell.
But when the call came, ooohhh, was he ready. Start thinking about game- ball citations and you start thinking about Maxwell, whose 24 points (17 in the first half), 8 rebounds and 8 assists were crucial as the Celtics won championship No. 15, 111-102, over the Lakers last night.
"Max was ready," related assistant coach Chris Ford. "Max said before the game - really, after the sixth game - Just ride my shoulders, guys.' He was really determined. He wanted the ball."
His first attempt to score was a negated basket on which Darel Garretson called an offensive foul. That might have been the last bad thing to happen to him. It was evident from the start that he would be an integral part of the Celtics' offense. It was almost like the early days of the Maxwell career, when he parlayed his tremendous inside agility into many big scoring nights.
By halftime, Max had sunk 11 of 13 free-throw attempts. The Lakers appeared confused, as if they had forgotten how dexterous Maxwell is inside.
"He got off early tonight," said LA assistant coach Dave Wohl. "Sometimes when a player hits a couple and gets a few free throws he gets his confidence up. Then we made it easier with reaching fouls. But you've got to credit Cedric Maxwell. We were maybe a little slow in our double-teaming, and he found the creases."
It was a vintage Maxwell performance, in that, mixed in with his scoring, was some superb offensive rebounding (five of his eight on the offensive end) and some intelligent passing. Max long ago established himself as the master of the inside-out pass to the wing man, and this skill was shown in the third period when he kept feeding Gerald Henderson for open jump shots. Max even put a little whipped cream on his sundae by swishing his first and only set shot attempt of the series in the third period, when the Celtics were singeing the LA inside double-teams for eight perimeter jumpers.
So easily were the Celtics getting the ball inside to Maxwell during the first half that it was necessary to inquire if there had been some technical adjustments made prior to the game. The answer was "No." It was just Maxwell conducting a post-graduate course in pivot play.
"He was pursuing the ball well," said Wohl. "He hadn't been doing that the entire series."
Added Boston assistant coach Jimmy Rodgers, "Max just seemed to have a little more freedom. He was just super aggressive down low tonight."
The Celtics constructed a 6-point (58-52) halftime lead due mainly to strong inside work that produced a plethora of free throws, plus some typical grinding offensive board work. In the entire first half, the Celtics had three perimeter field goals, in addition to one Parish post-up turnaround jumper.
"We felt we had to be more patient about going to our strengths," pointed out Rodgers. "We stopped making the extra pass in the sixth game, but tonight we made it again. Throughout this series we continued to short-list'; that is, we reduced the number of plays we would run. In the beginning of the series we were running about 10 plays. Tonight it was down to four or five, and getting it inside was a first-half priority."
Maxwell had taken home the 1981 final series MVP prize with a number of displays like this one. But in this series he simply hadn't been called upon to do much more offensively than to hang around waiting for a second shot. The Celtics obviously realized he was still capable of more involvement.
"The Lakers were so worried about stopping Larry (Bird)," said Danny Ainge, "that Max had some great openings. We all know how great he can be, and tonight he rose to the occasion."
"Give him all his credit," concluded LA assistant Bill Bertka. "He was taking it to the hoop and we were fouling him. He was able to deliver."
But, hey, it's not like there isn't some precedent. Cedric Maxwell is not exactly a mystery man to Boston Celtic opponents.
He was lurking deep in the offensive bulrushes for the entire series. The attention had been focused on just about everybody else.Get Larry Bird shots, get Robert Parish shots, get something out of Kevin McHale, hope those guards deposit all those open jumpers . . . nobody ever mentioned the possibility of getting the ball in deep to Cedric Maxwell.
But when the call came, ooohhh, was he ready. Start thinking about game- ball citations and you start thinking about Maxwell, whose 24 points (17 in the first half), 8 rebounds and 8 assists were crucial as the Celtics won championship No. 15, 111-102, over the Lakers last night.
"Max was ready," related assistant coach Chris Ford. "Max said before the game - really, after the sixth game - Just ride my shoulders, guys.' He was really determined. He wanted the ball."
His first attempt to score was a negated basket on which Darel Garretson called an offensive foul. That might have been the last bad thing to happen to him. It was evident from the start that he would be an integral part of the Celtics' offense. It was almost like the early days of the Maxwell career, when he parlayed his tremendous inside agility into many big scoring nights.
By halftime, Max had sunk 11 of 13 free-throw attempts. The Lakers appeared confused, as if they had forgotten how dexterous Maxwell is inside.
"He got off early tonight," said LA assistant coach Dave Wohl. "Sometimes when a player hits a couple and gets a few free throws he gets his confidence up. Then we made it easier with reaching fouls. But you've got to credit Cedric Maxwell. We were maybe a little slow in our double-teaming, and he found the creases."
It was a vintage Maxwell performance, in that, mixed in with his scoring, was some superb offensive rebounding (five of his eight on the offensive end) and some intelligent passing. Max long ago established himself as the master of the inside-out pass to the wing man, and this skill was shown in the third period when he kept feeding Gerald Henderson for open jump shots. Max even put a little whipped cream on his sundae by swishing his first and only set shot attempt of the series in the third period, when the Celtics were singeing the LA inside double-teams for eight perimeter jumpers.
So easily were the Celtics getting the ball inside to Maxwell during the first half that it was necessary to inquire if there had been some technical adjustments made prior to the game. The answer was "No." It was just Maxwell conducting a post-graduate course in pivot play.
"He was pursuing the ball well," said Wohl. "He hadn't been doing that the entire series."
Added Boston assistant coach Jimmy Rodgers, "Max just seemed to have a little more freedom. He was just super aggressive down low tonight."
The Celtics constructed a 6-point (58-52) halftime lead due mainly to strong inside work that produced a plethora of free throws, plus some typical grinding offensive board work. In the entire first half, the Celtics had three perimeter field goals, in addition to one Parish post-up turnaround jumper.
"We felt we had to be more patient about going to our strengths," pointed out Rodgers. "We stopped making the extra pass in the sixth game, but tonight we made it again. Throughout this series we continued to short-list'; that is, we reduced the number of plays we would run. In the beginning of the series we were running about 10 plays. Tonight it was down to four or five, and getting it inside was a first-half priority."
Maxwell had taken home the 1981 final series MVP prize with a number of displays like this one. But in this series he simply hadn't been called upon to do much more offensively than to hang around waiting for a second shot. The Celtics obviously realized he was still capable of more involvement.
"The Lakers were so worried about stopping Larry (Bird)," said Danny Ainge, "that Max had some great openings. We all know how great he can be, and tonight he rose to the occasion."
"Give him all his credit," concluded LA assistant Bill Bertka. "He was taking it to the hoop and we were fouling him. He was able to deliver."
But, hey, it's not like there isn't some precedent. Cedric Maxwell is not exactly a mystery man to Boston Celtic opponents.
Cornbread Outduels Worthy
1984 NBA Finals
About 100 years ago, after his team had humiliated and embarrassed the Boston Celtics with a 33-point thrashing in Game 3 and appeared to be en route to an easy championship (or so we so-called experts said), Los Angeles General Manager Jerry West gave an early vote to James Worthy for series MVP.
Bad move. That ticked off Celtic forward Cedric Maxwell, who was MVP of the '81 series.
"It took me six games to win my MVP," sniffed Cedric.
It was the start of a Maxwell-Worthy war, ultimately won by the man they call Cornbread but perhaps should call Conehead. There are times Maxwell does not appear to be of this solar system.
Maxwell fired the first gun when Worthy missed a crucial foul shot in the waning seconds of the Lakers' overtime giveaway of Game 4. Mad Max strolled across the lane clutching his throat a la Jack Nicholson as Worthy prepared to shoot again.
Now this did not sit well with Sweet Baby James, so he showed his irritation with a vigorous, vicious push from behind in Game 6 as Maxwell flew by on his way to a layup.
But Cornbread got the sweet last licks in Tuesday night's finale. He did a double number on Worthy, outplaying him and out-talking him. If he hadn't succeeded at the former, he would have seemed an awful fool for the latter. His jive talk -- "You can't guard me" -- would have been idiotic. Instead, it proved prophetic.
Never in doubt, insisted Maxwell.
"I was on a mission from God tonight," he said after the game in the champions' insane locker room.
A-ha. Proof of what we've long suspected. God roots for the Celtics.
Maxwell outscored Worthy, 24-21, outrebounded him, 8-4, and had eight assists to Worthy's two. Worthy had been a Celtic killer the entire series, but Maxwell neutralized him and then some. Larry Bird was the series MVP, but all the Celtics agreed that Maxwell was their main man in the seventh game. As he often has in the past, he elevated his game when it when it was most needed.
He promised he would before the game, telling his teammates "to climb aboard my back." Again, he would have embarrassed himself had he played poorly, but as they used to say about Ali, it ain't bragging if you can do it.
Maxwell kept Worthy well informed of what the evening held in store.
"I kept telling him he couldn't guard me. I said, 'James, this isn't the 2A league. This is the big time, and you have to guard me.' It kind of teed me off the
other day when he fouled me like that, but this time I figured I'd get back by being a spoiler at the other end. I just felt I could do anything I wanted to out there."
It's hard to say if Worthy was rattled, but he did shoot an air ball from the foul line. Hey, I can do that.
When it was all over, Maxwell paid tribute to Worthy and the Lakers and, in the process, lauded the Celtics.
"They may have more talent than us," Maxwell said. "They're a tremendous team and James Worthy is one of the rising superstars in the league. But we have perseverance, courage, character, poise and heart. We all got big hearts, as big as this room. How big is my heart? If I let it out of my chest right now, it'd squish everybody here."
Mad Max, 28, is a free agent and says he doesn't know if he'll remain a Celtic, although he would like to. Sounds like some heavy negotiating coming up. The Celts would be mad to let him go. They would lose board strength, a fine defender, an opportunistic scorer, and a lot of laughs.
Maxwell provided the few light moments in the otherwise taut, tense battle of the NBA giants. He did a hilarious imitation of Kurt Rambis in the shootaround Tuesday afternoon, donning horn-rimmed glasses, staggering around as if blind, then firing up a brick that missed the rim by 30 or so feet.
Maxwell guarded Magic Johnson briefly but effectively at a crucial point in a Celtic overtime victory, then insisted he would not accept that assignment again with a stirring but incomprehensible declaration: "I'm like Paul Revere. No taxation without representation. "
And 54-40 or fight. Also Lafayette, we are here.
Flaky? Sure. But Conehead Maxwell is also a winner with a heart that would squish everybody if he let it out of his chest.
What of the Lakers and their two superstars? Up and down in the finale, both of them.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 29 points, but had only six rebounds, two on the offensive boards, as opposed to 16 (eight offensive) by Robert Parish. The Celtic center emerged as a quiet but potent force after a slow start in the series. Kareem is a marvelous athlete, but he is a finesse player, and the Lakers desperately needed muscle up front to offset Parish, Maxwell, Bird and Kevin McHale.
Magic Johnson, who had to expend much energy and time getting the ball upcourt against the harassment of Dennis Johnson, also was fighting tendinitis in his knee. He had 15 assists but suffered through a sub-par shooting and rebounding night (five for 14 from the field, five rebounds), and made a critical turnover late in the game to badly damage the Lakers' bid to pull it out.
About 100 years ago, after his team had humiliated and embarrassed the Boston Celtics with a 33-point thrashing in Game 3 and appeared to be en route to an easy championship (or so we so-called experts said), Los Angeles General Manager Jerry West gave an early vote to James Worthy for series MVP.
Bad move. That ticked off Celtic forward Cedric Maxwell, who was MVP of the '81 series.
"It took me six games to win my MVP," sniffed Cedric.
It was the start of a Maxwell-Worthy war, ultimately won by the man they call Cornbread but perhaps should call Conehead. There are times Maxwell does not appear to be of this solar system.
Maxwell fired the first gun when Worthy missed a crucial foul shot in the waning seconds of the Lakers' overtime giveaway of Game 4. Mad Max strolled across the lane clutching his throat a la Jack Nicholson as Worthy prepared to shoot again.
Now this did not sit well with Sweet Baby James, so he showed his irritation with a vigorous, vicious push from behind in Game 6 as Maxwell flew by on his way to a layup.
But Cornbread got the sweet last licks in Tuesday night's finale. He did a double number on Worthy, outplaying him and out-talking him. If he hadn't succeeded at the former, he would have seemed an awful fool for the latter. His jive talk -- "You can't guard me" -- would have been idiotic. Instead, it proved prophetic.
Never in doubt, insisted Maxwell.
"I was on a mission from God tonight," he said after the game in the champions' insane locker room.
A-ha. Proof of what we've long suspected. God roots for the Celtics.
Maxwell outscored Worthy, 24-21, outrebounded him, 8-4, and had eight assists to Worthy's two. Worthy had been a Celtic killer the entire series, but Maxwell neutralized him and then some. Larry Bird was the series MVP, but all the Celtics agreed that Maxwell was their main man in the seventh game. As he often has in the past, he elevated his game when it when it was most needed.
He promised he would before the game, telling his teammates "to climb aboard my back." Again, he would have embarrassed himself had he played poorly, but as they used to say about Ali, it ain't bragging if you can do it.
Maxwell kept Worthy well informed of what the evening held in store.
"I kept telling him he couldn't guard me. I said, 'James, this isn't the 2A league. This is the big time, and you have to guard me.' It kind of teed me off the
other day when he fouled me like that, but this time I figured I'd get back by being a spoiler at the other end. I just felt I could do anything I wanted to out there."
It's hard to say if Worthy was rattled, but he did shoot an air ball from the foul line. Hey, I can do that.
When it was all over, Maxwell paid tribute to Worthy and the Lakers and, in the process, lauded the Celtics.
"They may have more talent than us," Maxwell said. "They're a tremendous team and James Worthy is one of the rising superstars in the league. But we have perseverance, courage, character, poise and heart. We all got big hearts, as big as this room. How big is my heart? If I let it out of my chest right now, it'd squish everybody here."
Mad Max, 28, is a free agent and says he doesn't know if he'll remain a Celtic, although he would like to. Sounds like some heavy negotiating coming up. The Celts would be mad to let him go. They would lose board strength, a fine defender, an opportunistic scorer, and a lot of laughs.
Maxwell provided the few light moments in the otherwise taut, tense battle of the NBA giants. He did a hilarious imitation of Kurt Rambis in the shootaround Tuesday afternoon, donning horn-rimmed glasses, staggering around as if blind, then firing up a brick that missed the rim by 30 or so feet.
Maxwell guarded Magic Johnson briefly but effectively at a crucial point in a Celtic overtime victory, then insisted he would not accept that assignment again with a stirring but incomprehensible declaration: "I'm like Paul Revere. No taxation without representation. "
And 54-40 or fight. Also Lafayette, we are here.
Flaky? Sure. But Conehead Maxwell is also a winner with a heart that would squish everybody if he let it out of his chest.
What of the Lakers and their two superstars? Up and down in the finale, both of them.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 29 points, but had only six rebounds, two on the offensive boards, as opposed to 16 (eight offensive) by Robert Parish. The Celtic center emerged as a quiet but potent force after a slow start in the series. Kareem is a marvelous athlete, but he is a finesse player, and the Lakers desperately needed muscle up front to offset Parish, Maxwell, Bird and Kevin McHale.
Magic Johnson, who had to expend much energy and time getting the ball upcourt against the harassment of Dennis Johnson, also was fighting tendinitis in his knee. He had 15 assists but suffered through a sub-par shooting and rebounding night (five for 14 from the field, five rebounds), and made a critical turnover late in the game to badly damage the Lakers' bid to pull it out.
Lakers were Dazed by Rugged Play
1984 NBA Finals
If the Los Angeles Lakers flew home dazed and amazed, confused and feeling totally abused, they canbe forgiven. How would you like to be a 1984 team beaten by a club playing 1964 basketball?
The Lakers' players fulfilled all their artistic promise, floating and soaring and gliding and styling at every opportunity. Every night they unveiled the opening of another offensive show, making over half their field goal attempts (51 percent). The Celtics, by contrast, grunted and groaned and huffed and puffed and struggled to make 44 percent of their shots while shooting over 50 percent in a game only once (and then not by much) while shooting under 40 percent twice, including a dismal .396 bricklaying in the seventh game.
But just as football games are won by total points scored and not accumulated first downs, so, too, are basketball games decided by overall point total and not by field goal percentage. Nor is there any extra value awarded to, say, a James Worthy slam job over three people as opposed to an innocuous Larry Bird rebound layup. Two points is two points, and the Celtics scored more points than the Lakers on four occasions, and thus are the 1983-84 NBA champions.
What the Celtics did offensively to win the series is simple to understand. They banged the boards to give themselves multiple scoring opportunities and they took the ball inside to work their way to the foul line. Without second-chance points and a big free throw shooting advantage, the Celtics could not have beaten the Lakers. (See accompanying box.)
LA is very much a prototypical modern team, replete with superb multi- skilled athletes such as Magic Johnson, Michael Cooper and Worthy. They are the quintessence of finesse. The Celtics, while not what you would call cloddish, are nevertheless somewhat old-fashioned. They are not a reliable outside shooting team by contemporary standards. They begin each game assuming the need to run and pound the offensive boards. On nights when their outside shots are falling they are a great, almost unstoppable team. On other occasions they are like the typical late '50s, early '60s team, content to shoot 40 percent and win by playing aggressive basketball.
Had the Lakers not handed away Games 2 and 4 (need we chronicle those boo- boos any more?), we'd be praising them for their grace and skill. But the Lakers did open the door, and the tough-minded, pushy, cocky and eminently lovable Celtics barged right through it. Robert Parish and Dennis Johnson (talk about an old-fashioned, hard-nosed player) began to assert themselves, and Larry Bird began performing like, well, Larry Bird. LA never could regain control of the series.
"Our team is footloose and freewheeling," explained LA coach Pat Riley. "Our people have wiry bodies. We're built for speed and we like it that way. It's brought us two world's championships in the last five years. But if we have a weakness, it's rebounding. If we're going to compete with a team like the Celtics and other Eastern Conference teams, we have to improve as rebounders."
Admitted Kurt Rambis, LA's only frontline bruiser, "We didn't do the job on the boards - period."
While Bird was unrelentingly brilliant on the glass from the beginning of Game 1 through the end of Game 7, the man whose inspired play helped turn the series around was Parish. From Game 4 on he was every bit as effective for the Celtics as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was for the Lakers. Parish burned fiercely, averaging over five offensive rebounds a game in the final four games. In Game 7 he accounted for 13 of Boston's 21 second-chance points, scoring nine points on second efforts himself, while retrieving the ball for two other baskets.
Bird and Parish were abetted often enough by Cedric Maxwell and Kevin McHale to give the Celtics the sufficient board dominance needed to offset LA's superior shooting. The board pounding, combined with Boston's basic inside power game, resulted in many pleasurable trips to the foul line. Consider that during the construction of a six-point halftime lead in Game 7 the Celtics made but three outside shots. "They have four terrific inside post players," marveled LA assistant coach Dave Wohl, "and they present a totally different defensive problem than any other team in the league."
Dennis Johnson's play in the final four games was another crucial factor. He came back from a horrendous 16-minute, four-point stint in Game 3 to post games of 20, 22, 20 and 22. He also wrapped a defensive blanket around Magic Johnson similar to the one in which he smothered Sidney Moncrief in the Milwaukee series. He anchored the backcourt, while Gerry Henderson enjoyed some very fine moments and Danny Ainge made his contributions.
The backcourt irony was that while Boston's rotation suddenly became comprehensible (Scott Wedman was out and Quinn Buckner was reduced to a total of 10 minutes in the final two games), LA's substitution pattern was falling apart. It was now-you-see-him-now- you-don't with Mike McGee and Byron Scott, as Riley searched fruitlessly for consistent bench help from his guards.
The problem with discussing the Celtics, of course, is that one can never stray too far from the reality of Larry Bird. Los Angeles geared its entire defense toward stopping him, and he still scored, passed, rebounded and defended himself into a richly-deserved MVP award.
Is there anything left to say about Bird? Perhaps what Cassio said of the fair Desdemona in "Othello" (Act II, i 62-65) will suffice. We shall therefore refer to Larry as one
"...That paragons description and wild fame
One that excels the quirks of blazoning pens,
And in th' essential vesture of creation
Does tire the ingener."
Look, you try covering Bird 300 times and see if your vocabulary is up to the task.
If the Los Angeles Lakers flew home dazed and amazed, confused and feeling totally abused, they canbe forgiven. How would you like to be a 1984 team beaten by a club playing 1964 basketball?
The Lakers' players fulfilled all their artistic promise, floating and soaring and gliding and styling at every opportunity. Every night they unveiled the opening of another offensive show, making over half their field goal attempts (51 percent). The Celtics, by contrast, grunted and groaned and huffed and puffed and struggled to make 44 percent of their shots while shooting over 50 percent in a game only once (and then not by much) while shooting under 40 percent twice, including a dismal .396 bricklaying in the seventh game.
But just as football games are won by total points scored and not accumulated first downs, so, too, are basketball games decided by overall point total and not by field goal percentage. Nor is there any extra value awarded to, say, a James Worthy slam job over three people as opposed to an innocuous Larry Bird rebound layup. Two points is two points, and the Celtics scored more points than the Lakers on four occasions, and thus are the 1983-84 NBA champions.
What the Celtics did offensively to win the series is simple to understand. They banged the boards to give themselves multiple scoring opportunities and they took the ball inside to work their way to the foul line. Without second-chance points and a big free throw shooting advantage, the Celtics could not have beaten the Lakers. (See accompanying box.)
LA is very much a prototypical modern team, replete with superb multi- skilled athletes such as Magic Johnson, Michael Cooper and Worthy. They are the quintessence of finesse. The Celtics, while not what you would call cloddish, are nevertheless somewhat old-fashioned. They are not a reliable outside shooting team by contemporary standards. They begin each game assuming the need to run and pound the offensive boards. On nights when their outside shots are falling they are a great, almost unstoppable team. On other occasions they are like the typical late '50s, early '60s team, content to shoot 40 percent and win by playing aggressive basketball.
Had the Lakers not handed away Games 2 and 4 (need we chronicle those boo- boos any more?), we'd be praising them for their grace and skill. But the Lakers did open the door, and the tough-minded, pushy, cocky and eminently lovable Celtics barged right through it. Robert Parish and Dennis Johnson (talk about an old-fashioned, hard-nosed player) began to assert themselves, and Larry Bird began performing like, well, Larry Bird. LA never could regain control of the series.
"Our team is footloose and freewheeling," explained LA coach Pat Riley. "Our people have wiry bodies. We're built for speed and we like it that way. It's brought us two world's championships in the last five years. But if we have a weakness, it's rebounding. If we're going to compete with a team like the Celtics and other Eastern Conference teams, we have to improve as rebounders."
Admitted Kurt Rambis, LA's only frontline bruiser, "We didn't do the job on the boards - period."
While Bird was unrelentingly brilliant on the glass from the beginning of Game 1 through the end of Game 7, the man whose inspired play helped turn the series around was Parish. From Game 4 on he was every bit as effective for the Celtics as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was for the Lakers. Parish burned fiercely, averaging over five offensive rebounds a game in the final four games. In Game 7 he accounted for 13 of Boston's 21 second-chance points, scoring nine points on second efforts himself, while retrieving the ball for two other baskets.
Bird and Parish were abetted often enough by Cedric Maxwell and Kevin McHale to give the Celtics the sufficient board dominance needed to offset LA's superior shooting. The board pounding, combined with Boston's basic inside power game, resulted in many pleasurable trips to the foul line. Consider that during the construction of a six-point halftime lead in Game 7 the Celtics made but three outside shots. "They have four terrific inside post players," marveled LA assistant coach Dave Wohl, "and they present a totally different defensive problem than any other team in the league."
Dennis Johnson's play in the final four games was another crucial factor. He came back from a horrendous 16-minute, four-point stint in Game 3 to post games of 20, 22, 20 and 22. He also wrapped a defensive blanket around Magic Johnson similar to the one in which he smothered Sidney Moncrief in the Milwaukee series. He anchored the backcourt, while Gerry Henderson enjoyed some very fine moments and Danny Ainge made his contributions.
The backcourt irony was that while Boston's rotation suddenly became comprehensible (Scott Wedman was out and Quinn Buckner was reduced to a total of 10 minutes in the final two games), LA's substitution pattern was falling apart. It was now-you-see-him-now- you-don't with Mike McGee and Byron Scott, as Riley searched fruitlessly for consistent bench help from his guards.
The problem with discussing the Celtics, of course, is that one can never stray too far from the reality of Larry Bird. Los Angeles geared its entire defense toward stopping him, and he still scored, passed, rebounded and defended himself into a richly-deserved MVP award.
Is there anything left to say about Bird? Perhaps what Cassio said of the fair Desdemona in "Othello" (Act II, i 62-65) will suffice. We shall therefore refer to Larry as one
"...That paragons description and wild fame
One that excels the quirks of blazoning pens,
And in th' essential vesture of creation
Does tire the ingener."
Look, you try covering Bird 300 times and see if your vocabulary is up to the task.
Larry v. Magic: Game 14 (Part 3)
1984 NBA Finals Game 7
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage
The 1984 Finals were a Clash of Cultures
What it came down to was a triumph over doubt.
When the Boston Celtics took the seventh game, we discovered all over again that not just suckers have faith. The older we get, the more difficult it gets to hold that hard work and teamwork and grinding it out can prevail. The Los Angeles Lakers had more of what we were afraid wins in the modern world.
They were taller, at center and point guard; they were faster at almost every position. They had better shooters, better fast-breakers, and theirs was the destiny of the post-industrial world.
They were West Coast, at a time when East Coast is decaying or dead. They were flash and glitter and Hollywood, they had cheerleaders and Dancing Barry and Jack Nicholson at courtside with Walter Matthau in reserve. We were lunchpail and bump-and-run and grinding it out. They were Ronald Reagan - glib, California, show-biz, luck. We were Tip O'Neill - aging, overweight, clinging to the notion of helping those left behind.
Arnold Toynbee told us about yin and yang, challenge and response, and how the difficult climate of northern Europe helped those people overcome the sun- dwellers of the land where fruit grew on trees. But we had reason to doubt that those from a harsh climate could overcome those who lived in the land of sun and balmy breezes. You can't measure toughness on the depth chart. Wanting-it-more is the measurement that's hardest to quantify.
L.A. took Game 1 and the home-court advantage; we luck out in overtime in Game 2. Game 3 they blow us away; Game 4 is ours again in OT. Give L.A. one more point at the end of regulation in Games 2 and 4, and we're obliterated, four straight. Game 5, we tough it out; Game 6, they come back. Game 7, it's a war.
Anyone heading in for a layup, forget it, you were going to get mugged. It was hockey's King Clancy who said, "If you can't beat 'em in the alley, you can't beat 'em on the ice," and our Celts beat 'em in the alley and then in the Garden.
Who'd ever have thought our Dennis would outplay their Magic in the titanic battle of the backcourt Johnsons? Magic was gimpy at the end, a brilliant colt hobbled by injury.
The Lakers came back, they were within three points right near the end, but they got outmuscled, out-banged, out-desired, out-home-advantaged. One reason basketball is such a great game is that there are many ways to play and win. If you can't run with the oppo, you slow it down, post them up, muscle in the rebounds, and keep them off the break. Boston did that.
In terms of talent, L.A. is a little better than the Celts. We did it with rebounds, defense, a little intimidation, and a guy named Bird. Get me the ball, says Larry, I'll make things happen when the game and everything else is at stake. Even when he's missing, or throws the ball away, or his man snakes past him for a stuff, Bird comes back. He does not talk, he does!
He is not the biggest or fastest or best, statistically, at anything but foul-shooting, and that's because shooting fouls is in large measure mental. Bird is mentally tough, and the reason we are all in awe is that he's taken talent that extra step, past mental toughness, to a place where no one else plays.
Bird is out there all by himself. But you pick up your ball, and eye that basket, and mentally rehearse that jumper, or finish that layup with the reverse twist and underhand scoop that spins in off the backboard and drops through hitting nothing but twine, and become Bird. Bird lives!
Like the yearning voter who "becomes" the charismatic politician, the backyard hoopster "becomes" Larry Bird. We all have access to baskets and balls, and fantasies are free.
Baseball was the game when Ruth was the name. Football had its day when television got large. But Dr. Naismith's game is the game of this age, played everywhere, by everybody. Boys, men, girls, women, athletes in wheelchairs. When you no longer play full court, five-on-five, you go half-court, winner's out, call your own fouls, win-by-two.
The Russians play, the Chinese too. Hoop is the game because you need nothing but a ball and a basket and a loincloth. You don't need ice, hockey sticks, bats, gloves, cleats, shoulder pads, helmets, a level field, polo mallets, cricket bats, skis, fishing rods - the list of things you don't need is infinite.
Just a ball, a basket, and it's you and your imagination. Bird and his teammates made it possible for us to imagine victory in its sweetest sense. The work ethic works, even in the seventh game. What a feeling! There's hope!
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