January 19, 1980
The Celtics gave another Garden capacity crowd some of that old-time fast- break and team-concept religion last night, blowing the Portland Trail Blazers out with a devastating third-period run and cruising to a 111-93 victory.
A 27-6 ramble in the final 7:13 of the third period broke open what had been a hard-fought game, sending the Celtics into the final period holding an 86-66 lead they would have no trouble maintaining. They built the lead up to a peak of 26 (104-78) with 4:46 remaining.
There wasn't much trouble deciding who should get the MVP award, for the decisive third period could have easily been subtitled "The Dave Cowens Story." The Captain dropped in 14 points, and during this period he scored 10 points in the first 5:17, when the game was still a game, sank his final six shots of the quarter and played the defensive board game he must play in order for the Celtics to be a great team.
Portland, which led at the period (33-22) and half (51-49) was leading, 57-55, when Cowens picked up the team and the crowd with eight points in the next two minutes. He engaged in a brief one-on-one duel with Maurice Lucas which resulted in the latter's return to the Portland bench, and it was he who kicked off a burst of 14 straight points with a power hook and a jumper. That run boosted the Celtics into a 73-60 lead, and the game was never close after that. With Cowens and Larry Bird (17 points, 15 rebounds) sweeping the boards and with the ball again moving in October fashion, Boston shot a dazzling 15 for 20 in that third quarter.
Considering that they had continued their recent wretched play on offense by shooting 30 percent (6-for-20) in the first period, and considering that the Trail Blazers had completely embarrassed them at the other end for the entire half, the Celtics had to be very pleased about finding themselves trailing by just two points (51-49) at the half.
There was, incidentally, some poetic justice involved in the attainment of that halftime score, since the Celtics arrived there by virtue of a three- point jumper with one second remaining by none other than Don Chaney, who took a bail-out pass from Tiny Archibald and drilled home a jumper from the right flank. The Blazers were packed down in a flagrant zone, so any time a lawbreaking club is beaten on a three-pointer by one of the most unreliable shooters in the league, somebody Up There is definitely watching out for you.
Still, the Celtics really didn't deserve to be that close at the half, as long as we're talking about justice. The Blazers looked very little like a team behind the Clippers in the standings, and very much like the efficient outfit which came in here last season and played perhaps the finest pure game of basketball anyone submitted all year long. They ran their offense to perfection, especially during a first-period stretch in which they assumed temporary control of the game with a run of 14 unanswered points which left them in posession of a 33-21 lead.
Pay attention, hoop freaks, for how could you not like a team which compiled 21 of its first 27 points as follows: inbounds play - 2; second- chance shots - 4; back-door plays (including dunked lob passes) - 6; fast break - 9? That's the way to play the game, folks.
Against this display, the Celtics had little to offer other than clock- beating jumpers and turnovers. Their recent handling of the fast break has been absolute Early Marx Bros., and when Bill Fitch suggested on Wednesday that they go back to basics, he wasn't kidding. They had become very sloppy on offense, and only the fact that they have been playing at home has saved them from some recent embarrassments in the loss column.
It was 33-22 at the period, and for the first five minutes of the second quarter the Celtics were unable to cut into the Trail Blazer lead. Their only sign of life was M.L. Carr, who would score eight points and who would ignite the crowd with steals and some fancy offense, but it was also a case of M.L. giveth and M.L. taketh away, for twice he cost them baskets on fast breaks with fancy but poorly executed passes. Still, without his spirit and hustle, they might have been down by a dozen or more points at the half.
The little surge which got the Celtics back into the game began at 38-29 with an 8-2 run which pulled them within five at 41-36. The Blazers responded with a beautiful lefthanded running hook by Bob Gross, and for the next six minutes they would keep Boston in that 5-7 range. But the Celtics hung in there - no matter how bad they play, they always play hard - and it was 49-44 when Carr connected on a running hook with 1:14 left. A Cowens turnaround at :34 made it 49-46, and Chaney's late bomb came in response to a pair of Kermit Washington free throws.
4.29.2011
4.25.2011
76ERS INTERESTED IN FREE AGENT MARAVICH
January 19, 1980
The waiver period on Pete Maravich ends today, after which any team can try to sign the flashy 31-year-old guard with the troublesome knees who has yet to play on an NBA championship team. One club which appears to have more than just a passing interest is the Philadelphia 76ers, whose coach, Billy Cunningham, said last night that he views the 6-foot-5 guard as a potential "insurance policy." There has been no word from the Celtics, but general manager Red Auerbach has expressed prior interest in acquiring Maravich . . . The Milwaukee Bucks, in an effort to compensate for the loss of hospitalized head coach Don Nelson, have signed Dave Wohl as an interim assistant coach.
The waiver period on Pete Maravich ends today, after which any team can try to sign the flashy 31-year-old guard with the troublesome knees who has yet to play on an NBA championship team. One club which appears to have more than just a passing interest is the Philadelphia 76ers, whose coach, Billy Cunningham, said last night that he views the 6-foot-5 guard as a potential "insurance policy." There has been no word from the Celtics, but general manager Red Auerbach has expressed prior interest in acquiring Maravich . . . The Milwaukee Bucks, in an effort to compensate for the loss of hospitalized head coach Don Nelson, have signed Dave Wohl as an interim assistant coach.
4.22.2011
Hubie Brown to Hawks' Players: Take Down Cowens
January 12, 1980
CELTICS ROLL WITH PUNCHES TO 108-93 WIN
The Celtics traded the Atlanta Hawks Dave Cowens for Tree Rollins following a first period brawl between the two centers and it made no difference to the home team at all, as Boston ground out a 108-93 triumph over the visitors before another capacity crowd of 15,320 at the Garden last night.
Cowens and Rollins were thrown out with the Celtics leading by a 15-12 score with 2:37 remaining in the first period, but Rick Robey came off the bench to score a season-high 22 points and grab 10 rebounds in a needed display of inside power. In contrast, Atlanta's other center was the usually reliable Steve Hawes, who scored two points and had three rebounds before fouling out with 4:02 left.
Boston only trailed once (8-6), and led by such checkpoint margins as 21-17, and 54-43 before putting the game away in the final 6 1/2 minutes.
The Celtics, who had only scored seven field goals in the first 16 1/2 minutes of the second half (surviving via free throws), were clinging to an 88-81 lead with 6:45 to play when Chris Ford ignited the key spurt with his only basket of the night - a three-pointer from the left flank. Two more conventional three-point plays, by Robey (a followup) and Nate Archibald (a one-on-one back-in flip over Charlie Criss) boosted the margin to a comfortable 97-85, and that was that.
The Celtics surrendered six tough points late in the half on successive three-point plays by John Drew and Armond Hill, but they still entered the locker room in possession of a 54-43 halftime lead.
The home team survived the early ejection of Cowens better than the visitors survived the loss of their center, Rollins, and with the boards under control, Boston was able to rip off 21 fast-break points in the first half to go with 17 on second shots. With all that going on, who needs a set offense?
The game had erupted with 2:37 remaining in a very rough first period when Cowens and Rollins threw several punches and wound up being ejected by lead referee Joe Gushue. Cowens was off to a sensational rebounding start (five in the first four minutes, including three on the offensive boards), and during a timeout at 6:10, Atlanta coach Hubie Brown delivered the following message to his troops:
"Don't tell me Cowens is going over your backs, 'cause we know he's going over your backs. Knock 'im down."
About three minutes later, trouble brewed between the monstrous Rollins and the ever-combative Cowens.
Boston came out of a weird first quarter leading, 21-17. The teams had running on their minds, but the clubs combined or a miserable 17-for-47 effort from the floor. So many misses led to the offensive rebound opportunities which eventually were the cause of the Cowens-Rollins battle, but that's life, especially in the NBA.
Atlanta led just once, at 8-6, but a fourth-chance jump hook by Cowens restored the lead at 10-8 and the Celtics led the rest of the period by margins ranging from one to five points, with the peak spread being at 15-10.
The absence of Cowens didn't seem to deter the Celtics during the first seven minutes of the second period as they expanded the lead to 13 at 44-31 before a Hawk timeout with 4:33 remaining in the half. At this point, about the only thing the Hawks had going for them was the offense of Drew, who had come off the bench to hit his first three shots and pour in 15 points in his first 10 1/2 minutes on the floor.
Robey was doing a good job on the boards for the Celtics, but the key man was Bird, who seemed to take Cowens' ejection as a personal affront, and who was a visibly more aggressive player when Cowens departed.
The game was no less intense, and emotions were high on both sides. Strangely, the first technical foul of the game was not on Brown, Fitch or one of the combatants, but on Atlanta assistant coach Mike Fratello, no rabble- ouser.
With the centers gone, the team getting the job done underneath was Boston. By the time Dan Roundfield laid in a followup to make it 46-35, Boston, the Celtics had amassed 17 points on second shots.
The biggest Boston lead came with three minutes left when a Gerald Henderson fast-break jumper gave the Celtics a 50-35 lead. But those three- pointers got Atlanta back in the game somewhat.
CELTICS ROLL WITH PUNCHES TO 108-93 WIN
The Celtics traded the Atlanta Hawks Dave Cowens for Tree Rollins following a first period brawl between the two centers and it made no difference to the home team at all, as Boston ground out a 108-93 triumph over the visitors before another capacity crowd of 15,320 at the Garden last night.
Cowens and Rollins were thrown out with the Celtics leading by a 15-12 score with 2:37 remaining in the first period, but Rick Robey came off the bench to score a season-high 22 points and grab 10 rebounds in a needed display of inside power. In contrast, Atlanta's other center was the usually reliable Steve Hawes, who scored two points and had three rebounds before fouling out with 4:02 left.
Boston only trailed once (8-6), and led by such checkpoint margins as 21-17, and 54-43 before putting the game away in the final 6 1/2 minutes.
The Celtics, who had only scored seven field goals in the first 16 1/2 minutes of the second half (surviving via free throws), were clinging to an 88-81 lead with 6:45 to play when Chris Ford ignited the key spurt with his only basket of the night - a three-pointer from the left flank. Two more conventional three-point plays, by Robey (a followup) and Nate Archibald (a one-on-one back-in flip over Charlie Criss) boosted the margin to a comfortable 97-85, and that was that.
The Celtics surrendered six tough points late in the half on successive three-point plays by John Drew and Armond Hill, but they still entered the locker room in possession of a 54-43 halftime lead.
The home team survived the early ejection of Cowens better than the visitors survived the loss of their center, Rollins, and with the boards under control, Boston was able to rip off 21 fast-break points in the first half to go with 17 on second shots. With all that going on, who needs a set offense?
The game had erupted with 2:37 remaining in a very rough first period when Cowens and Rollins threw several punches and wound up being ejected by lead referee Joe Gushue. Cowens was off to a sensational rebounding start (five in the first four minutes, including three on the offensive boards), and during a timeout at 6:10, Atlanta coach Hubie Brown delivered the following message to his troops:
"Don't tell me Cowens is going over your backs, 'cause we know he's going over your backs. Knock 'im down."
About three minutes later, trouble brewed between the monstrous Rollins and the ever-combative Cowens.
Boston came out of a weird first quarter leading, 21-17. The teams had running on their minds, but the clubs combined or a miserable 17-for-47 effort from the floor. So many misses led to the offensive rebound opportunities which eventually were the cause of the Cowens-Rollins battle, but that's life, especially in the NBA.
Atlanta led just once, at 8-6, but a fourth-chance jump hook by Cowens restored the lead at 10-8 and the Celtics led the rest of the period by margins ranging from one to five points, with the peak spread being at 15-10.
The absence of Cowens didn't seem to deter the Celtics during the first seven minutes of the second period as they expanded the lead to 13 at 44-31 before a Hawk timeout with 4:33 remaining in the half. At this point, about the only thing the Hawks had going for them was the offense of Drew, who had come off the bench to hit his first three shots and pour in 15 points in his first 10 1/2 minutes on the floor.
Robey was doing a good job on the boards for the Celtics, but the key man was Bird, who seemed to take Cowens' ejection as a personal affront, and who was a visibly more aggressive player when Cowens departed.
The game was no less intense, and emotions were high on both sides. Strangely, the first technical foul of the game was not on Brown, Fitch or one of the combatants, but on Atlanta assistant coach Mike Fratello, no rabble- ouser.
With the centers gone, the team getting the job done underneath was Boston. By the time Dan Roundfield laid in a followup to make it 46-35, Boston, the Celtics had amassed 17 points on second shots.
The biggest Boston lead came with three minutes left when a Gerald Henderson fast-break jumper gave the Celtics a 50-35 lead. But those three- pointers got Atlanta back in the game somewhat.
4.16.2011
Cowens and Tree Rollins Ejected for First Period Fisticuffs
January 12, 1980
Hubie Brown shook up his starting lineup in the last Atlanta game, and the result was a 111-107 victory over Cleveland. He inserted center Wayne (Tree) Rollins, forward Tom McMillen and guard Charlie Criss at the expense of Steve Hawes, John Drew and Armond Hill, with the following explanation:
"Over the entire season, and especially over the last 20 games, both Drew and Hill had three fouls in the first quarter. It's always been the second unit which was bailing us out of deficits ranging from 6 to 12 points. We're always behind, it seems, especially on the road. As for Hawes and Rollins, we've changed that around before. That's no big thing. In our last game, we got off to a lead in the first quarter with this group, and as soon as we put the other people in, we fell down, which proves my point."
However, that strategy went by the boards last night when Rollins and Celtics' center Dave Cowens were ejected for their first-period fight.
Larry Bird had been undergoing treatment for his injured right hand and was expected to start. Bird jammed the knuckle at the base of the right index finger on Wednesday night against New York. He was trying to block a Knick shot late in the first half when the mishap occurred. Assuming that Bird answered the bell, it meant that the Celtics had employed the same starting lineup for 42 regular-season games, plus all eight exibitions. Many other teams wish they could make that statement . . . Hubie said that when the Hawks were last in town, he was contemplating a lineup change for his Atlanta team identical to the one he tried the other night ("We said we'd give them one more game"), but when his team blasted the Celtics by 28 (120-92), he left things alone.
Cowens' 12-rebound effort on Wednesday against New York represented his first double-figures board outing since Dec. 14, a span of 10 games. But no matter what his scoring, rebound or assist totals in any given game, he has gone out and played the best 41 games of defense submitted by any center in the league this season.
Brent Musberger arrived in town early to do some homework in preparation for tomorrow's televised game against the Los Angeles Lakers . . . The sellout crowd at the Garden last night gave the Celtics 13 capacity crowds in 19 home games. They are already sold out for tomorrow's LA game, and that will boost them over the 14,000 mark in average attendance for the first time in their history (past the month of October, anyway) . . . Remember that tomorrow's game (1 p.m.) will be on Channel 38 and not Channel 7. The latter is committed to the Cerebral Palsy telethon . . . Next Friday's game with Portland will be televeised by Channel 4, despite the fact that it's a home game.
The Hawks cut Rick Wilson and activated Boston's Ronnie Lee just prior to last night's game. Ronnie had been out for a few weeks with a broken hand . . . Chris Ford's amazing long-range shooting stats: 10 straight games and 22 of 23 making at least one three-pointer. It was the Hawks who launched him back on Nov. 24, when he went 3 for 3 in the Omni . . . Cedric Maxwell had shot at least 50 percent from the floor in every home game, and all but four road games. His .620 percentage trailed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's league- leading field-goal percentage by .004.
Hubie Brown shook up his starting lineup in the last Atlanta game, and the result was a 111-107 victory over Cleveland. He inserted center Wayne (Tree) Rollins, forward Tom McMillen and guard Charlie Criss at the expense of Steve Hawes, John Drew and Armond Hill, with the following explanation:
"Over the entire season, and especially over the last 20 games, both Drew and Hill had three fouls in the first quarter. It's always been the second unit which was bailing us out of deficits ranging from 6 to 12 points. We're always behind, it seems, especially on the road. As for Hawes and Rollins, we've changed that around before. That's no big thing. In our last game, we got off to a lead in the first quarter with this group, and as soon as we put the other people in, we fell down, which proves my point."
However, that strategy went by the boards last night when Rollins and Celtics' center Dave Cowens were ejected for their first-period fight.
Larry Bird had been undergoing treatment for his injured right hand and was expected to start. Bird jammed the knuckle at the base of the right index finger on Wednesday night against New York. He was trying to block a Knick shot late in the first half when the mishap occurred. Assuming that Bird answered the bell, it meant that the Celtics had employed the same starting lineup for 42 regular-season games, plus all eight exibitions. Many other teams wish they could make that statement . . . Hubie said that when the Hawks were last in town, he was contemplating a lineup change for his Atlanta team identical to the one he tried the other night ("We said we'd give them one more game"), but when his team blasted the Celtics by 28 (120-92), he left things alone.
Cowens' 12-rebound effort on Wednesday against New York represented his first double-figures board outing since Dec. 14, a span of 10 games. But no matter what his scoring, rebound or assist totals in any given game, he has gone out and played the best 41 games of defense submitted by any center in the league this season.
Brent Musberger arrived in town early to do some homework in preparation for tomorrow's televised game against the Los Angeles Lakers . . . The sellout crowd at the Garden last night gave the Celtics 13 capacity crowds in 19 home games. They are already sold out for tomorrow's LA game, and that will boost them over the 14,000 mark in average attendance for the first time in their history (past the month of October, anyway) . . . Remember that tomorrow's game (1 p.m.) will be on Channel 38 and not Channel 7. The latter is committed to the Cerebral Palsy telethon . . . Next Friday's game with Portland will be televeised by Channel 4, despite the fact that it's a home game.
The Hawks cut Rick Wilson and activated Boston's Ronnie Lee just prior to last night's game. Ronnie had been out for a few weeks with a broken hand . . . Chris Ford's amazing long-range shooting stats: 10 straight games and 22 of 23 making at least one three-pointer. It was the Hawks who launched him back on Nov. 24, when he went 3 for 3 in the Omni . . . Cedric Maxwell had shot at least 50 percent from the floor in every home game, and all but four road games. His .620 percentage trailed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's league- leading field-goal percentage by .004.
4.11.2011
Auerbach Opposes NBA Expansion
January 11, 1980
The NBA is thinking about expanding again, and yes, the proposal will get stiff opposition from Red Auerbach of the Celtics.
An expansion committee decided yesterday in New York to recommend to the National Basketball Assn. Board of Governors that Dallas be invited to become the 23d franchise for the 1980-81 season. Celtic owner Harry Mangurian was a member of the committee, whose proposal will be voted upon Feb. 2, the day before the NBA All-Star game at Landover, Md.
But Auerbach, the Celtics' influential and volatile general manager, said yesterday that he doesn't think the NBA needs another expansion, if, for no other reason, than it will "dilute the product".
"We had the merger and it didn't do what it was supposed to do," said Auerbach. "The salaries didn't go down, did they? We got some money, but that didn't change anything. Instead of bringing in somebody new, I'd rather we take care of our own people who are in trouble."
The expansion committee selected Dallas, a franchise group headed by Norman Sonju, and said it was the only city ready for an NBA franchise at this time.
The expansion formula would be similiar to other years. Dallas would be allowed to select one player off the roster of the present 22 clubs, and would be given the No. 11 spot in the upcoming draft. Each exisiting club would be allowed to protect seven players. There had been rumors that Dallas would come in demanding a No. 1 draft choice in order to make their franchise competitive immediately. Obviously, the committee had ideas of its own.
Futhermore,the committee stressed that Dallas must meet some specific conditions if its application is to be approved, one of which is completion of a new arena, already under construction.
"This doesn't mean that Dallas has been voted a franchise," said Auerbach, who was waiting to confer with Manguarian late last night. "It is just a committee recommendation and they will still need 17 votes by the owners. I'll know more after I talk with Harry.
"Expansion is no good. Look what happened to the National Hockey League. The product is so diluted you don't know who is playing, anymore. You want to see New York, Boston, Toronto, Montreal and Chicago. Who wants to see Edmonton?"
Auerbach says a more serious objection to expansion than "diluting" is that the addition of another franchise could alter the so-called voting block of the powerful "Old Guard," currently a coalition of eastern clubs and their allies in Los Angeles and Chicago. A story in the New York Times last Sunday revealed an informal Dec. 7 meeting in New York attended by representatives of New York, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles clubs. The purpose was to discuss possible voting as a block on issues such as profit sharing on local and cable television, and gate receipts. With four new clubs in the last three years, all from the American Basketball Assn., and now a proposed fifth one (which would put three clubs in the league from the state of Texas) Auerbach is not sure the voting balance as it now stands can be maintained.
"It's the votes that count," said Auerbach, "and right now, you need only six. If you vote in an additional team or two, that changes everything around. It is like pushing a school committee up from seven to nine members to get more votes. Naturally, the new members would be expected to vote with the people who supported them.
"The cable television is a complicated issue involving a lot of clubs, not just on the east coast. Some cities have more television than others. I've never been in favor of sharing gate receipts. The cost of doing business in each city is different. In some cities, the ballclub is the only game in town. Their advertisting is less, even the cost of opening the building. I've never been in favor of shared gate receipts and I don't like more expansion. Let's help Utah, where they've lost a ton of money. Let's help Golden State. Not somebody outside."
The NBA is thinking about expanding again, and yes, the proposal will get stiff opposition from Red Auerbach of the Celtics.
An expansion committee decided yesterday in New York to recommend to the National Basketball Assn. Board of Governors that Dallas be invited to become the 23d franchise for the 1980-81 season. Celtic owner Harry Mangurian was a member of the committee, whose proposal will be voted upon Feb. 2, the day before the NBA All-Star game at Landover, Md.
But Auerbach, the Celtics' influential and volatile general manager, said yesterday that he doesn't think the NBA needs another expansion, if, for no other reason, than it will "dilute the product".
"We had the merger and it didn't do what it was supposed to do," said Auerbach. "The salaries didn't go down, did they? We got some money, but that didn't change anything. Instead of bringing in somebody new, I'd rather we take care of our own people who are in trouble."
The expansion committee selected Dallas, a franchise group headed by Norman Sonju, and said it was the only city ready for an NBA franchise at this time.
The expansion formula would be similiar to other years. Dallas would be allowed to select one player off the roster of the present 22 clubs, and would be given the No. 11 spot in the upcoming draft. Each exisiting club would be allowed to protect seven players. There had been rumors that Dallas would come in demanding a No. 1 draft choice in order to make their franchise competitive immediately. Obviously, the committee had ideas of its own.
Futhermore,the committee stressed that Dallas must meet some specific conditions if its application is to be approved, one of which is completion of a new arena, already under construction.
"This doesn't mean that Dallas has been voted a franchise," said Auerbach, who was waiting to confer with Manguarian late last night. "It is just a committee recommendation and they will still need 17 votes by the owners. I'll know more after I talk with Harry.
"Expansion is no good. Look what happened to the National Hockey League. The product is so diluted you don't know who is playing, anymore. You want to see New York, Boston, Toronto, Montreal and Chicago. Who wants to see Edmonton?"
Auerbach says a more serious objection to expansion than "diluting" is that the addition of another franchise could alter the so-called voting block of the powerful "Old Guard," currently a coalition of eastern clubs and their allies in Los Angeles and Chicago. A story in the New York Times last Sunday revealed an informal Dec. 7 meeting in New York attended by representatives of New York, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles clubs. The purpose was to discuss possible voting as a block on issues such as profit sharing on local and cable television, and gate receipts. With four new clubs in the last three years, all from the American Basketball Assn., and now a proposed fifth one (which would put three clubs in the league from the state of Texas) Auerbach is not sure the voting balance as it now stands can be maintained.
"It's the votes that count," said Auerbach, "and right now, you need only six. If you vote in an additional team or two, that changes everything around. It is like pushing a school committee up from seven to nine members to get more votes. Naturally, the new members would be expected to vote with the people who supported them.
"The cable television is a complicated issue involving a lot of clubs, not just on the east coast. Some cities have more television than others. I've never been in favor of sharing gate receipts. The cost of doing business in each city is different. In some cities, the ballclub is the only game in town. Their advertisting is less, even the cost of opening the building. I've never been in favor of shared gate receipts and I don't like more expansion. Let's help Utah, where they've lost a ton of money. Let's help Golden State. Not somebody outside."
4.02.2011
CELTICS CRUISE, BUT BIRD HURT
January 10, 1980
It simply might have gone down (and still may) in Celtic annals as just Another Night In The Life of a First-Place Team. The Celtics survived a third- period scare (during which a 16-point halftime lead shrank to one) to wind up blowing out the undermanned Knicks, 112-95. But that wasn't the major story at the Garden last night.
The problem is Larry Bird, who entered the game with a sprained ankle and who left it with an injury to his right hand. Bird somehow managed to jam the knuckle at the base of his right index finger during the second-half warmups, and it rendered him quite ineffective (by his standards, since "ineffective" is hardly a synonym for "useless") during the second half. Bird was taken to University Hospital for X-rays, which means that Bill Fitch, Red Auerbach and the rest of the Celtic family can stage a breath-holding contest.
"I don't think I'll sleep much tonight," said Fitch. "I'll want to know what those pictures show. I might be looking through the want ads by 2 a.m." However, team physician Dr. Thomas Silva, though concerned, was not alarmed. "I really don't think it's that serious," he said. Surely, there are hundreds of thousands in New England (and elsewhere) who hope he's right.
Even with Bird limited to 27 minutes - good for eight points, eight rebounds and four assists, including a very big pass to Rick Robey when the Celtics were answering that Knick surge - the Celtics had enough to hold off the visitors, who had severe manpower problems. Neither Knick starting forward even made the trip to Boston. Joe Meriweather has the flu, and Toby Knight chose to be with his wife, who was in labor with their first child. And before the night was finished, Knick coach Red Holzman also had lost one of his guards - Earl Monroe sustained a shoulder injury in the third period and was en route to New York before the game even was completed. So don't bother to sing any of your sad songs to Holzman, because he doesn't want to hear them.
He probably doesn't want to think about the way his team disintegrated in the stretch of 8:19 after reducing a 61-45 halftime deficit to a 73-72 Boston edge with 1:39 remaining in the third period. In that relatively short period of time, the Celtics outscored the visitors, 28-7, to assume a 101-79 lead and assure themselves of their 17th home triumph in 18 decisions and, more important in this context, the first in a series of seven consecutive home games.
There certainly was no advance notice that the Celtics, whose third-period effort was described by Fitch as "sad," were about to blow away the Knicks. An aroused New York defense, keyed by the quick hands of guard Michael Ray Richardson, was disrupting the Celtic offense, forcing it farther and farther outside and raising the posssibility that Boston was considering employment of a set play which began in Charlestown. The Knicks are well-known for their yoyoing during a game, and they appeared to be in peak form when a fast-break layup by Hollis Copeland made it 73-72.
But the Celtics scored the final six points of the period, as Chris Ford sank two foul shots, Robey took that gorgeous right-to-left fast-break feed from the ever-dangerous Mr. Bird and, following an air-balled three-point attempt by Richardson, Robey capped the little spurt with a followup dunk.
Nobody knew it, but New York's offense essentially was finished for the evening. The Celtics expanded that seven-point (79-72) three-quarter lead to 14 (88-74) in the first 3:39 of the final period, with captain Dave Cowens (14 points, 12 rebounds and 173 grunts) the prime mover. This was a very conspicuos game for Cowens, who numbered seven offensive rebounds among his 12 retrieves and who provided the team with the type of inside presence a good team needs at both ends.
The other key offensive men for Boston were Tiny Archibald (20 points on 9-for-14 shooting), who ran away from the sulking Ray Williams for 10 first- quarter points, and M.L. Carr, who gave the club a needed lift with 18 points and seven rebounds. Gerald Henderson's 12 bench points didn't hurt the cause, either.
And so there is nothing for the Celtics to do but sit and wait for Bird's X-ray results. "If they come out all right," said Fitch, "then this will have been a pretty good evening." Otherwise . . . well, looks like a Bloody Mary breakfast.
It simply might have gone down (and still may) in Celtic annals as just Another Night In The Life of a First-Place Team. The Celtics survived a third- period scare (during which a 16-point halftime lead shrank to one) to wind up blowing out the undermanned Knicks, 112-95. But that wasn't the major story at the Garden last night.
The problem is Larry Bird, who entered the game with a sprained ankle and who left it with an injury to his right hand. Bird somehow managed to jam the knuckle at the base of his right index finger during the second-half warmups, and it rendered him quite ineffective (by his standards, since "ineffective" is hardly a synonym for "useless") during the second half. Bird was taken to University Hospital for X-rays, which means that Bill Fitch, Red Auerbach and the rest of the Celtic family can stage a breath-holding contest.
"I don't think I'll sleep much tonight," said Fitch. "I'll want to know what those pictures show. I might be looking through the want ads by 2 a.m." However, team physician Dr. Thomas Silva, though concerned, was not alarmed. "I really don't think it's that serious," he said. Surely, there are hundreds of thousands in New England (and elsewhere) who hope he's right.
Even with Bird limited to 27 minutes - good for eight points, eight rebounds and four assists, including a very big pass to Rick Robey when the Celtics were answering that Knick surge - the Celtics had enough to hold off the visitors, who had severe manpower problems. Neither Knick starting forward even made the trip to Boston. Joe Meriweather has the flu, and Toby Knight chose to be with his wife, who was in labor with their first child. And before the night was finished, Knick coach Red Holzman also had lost one of his guards - Earl Monroe sustained a shoulder injury in the third period and was en route to New York before the game even was completed. So don't bother to sing any of your sad songs to Holzman, because he doesn't want to hear them.
He probably doesn't want to think about the way his team disintegrated in the stretch of 8:19 after reducing a 61-45 halftime deficit to a 73-72 Boston edge with 1:39 remaining in the third period. In that relatively short period of time, the Celtics outscored the visitors, 28-7, to assume a 101-79 lead and assure themselves of their 17th home triumph in 18 decisions and, more important in this context, the first in a series of seven consecutive home games.
There certainly was no advance notice that the Celtics, whose third-period effort was described by Fitch as "sad," were about to blow away the Knicks. An aroused New York defense, keyed by the quick hands of guard Michael Ray Richardson, was disrupting the Celtic offense, forcing it farther and farther outside and raising the posssibility that Boston was considering employment of a set play which began in Charlestown. The Knicks are well-known for their yoyoing during a game, and they appeared to be in peak form when a fast-break layup by Hollis Copeland made it 73-72.
But the Celtics scored the final six points of the period, as Chris Ford sank two foul shots, Robey took that gorgeous right-to-left fast-break feed from the ever-dangerous Mr. Bird and, following an air-balled three-point attempt by Richardson, Robey capped the little spurt with a followup dunk.
Nobody knew it, but New York's offense essentially was finished for the evening. The Celtics expanded that seven-point (79-72) three-quarter lead to 14 (88-74) in the first 3:39 of the final period, with captain Dave Cowens (14 points, 12 rebounds and 173 grunts) the prime mover. This was a very conspicuos game for Cowens, who numbered seven offensive rebounds among his 12 retrieves and who provided the team with the type of inside presence a good team needs at both ends.
The other key offensive men for Boston were Tiny Archibald (20 points on 9-for-14 shooting), who ran away from the sulking Ray Williams for 10 first- quarter points, and M.L. Carr, who gave the club a needed lift with 18 points and seven rebounds. Gerald Henderson's 12 bench points didn't hurt the cause, either.
And so there is nothing for the Celtics to do but sit and wait for Bird's X-ray results. "If they come out all right," said Fitch, "then this will have been a pretty good evening." Otherwise . . . well, looks like a Bloody Mary breakfast.
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