About Me
DJ's Desperation 3 Helps Sonics Sink Celts on Super Bowl Sunday
January 21, 1980
It was the kind of game that made fans feel a sense of smugness for having shelled out the money to see it; that made winning players proud to have hung in there and losers proud to have participated; and that made CBS wonder how it came to be that in showing it prior to the Super Bowl the network had managed to serve the chateaubriand before the goose livers, as it were.
It was a basketball game played at the highest level, and if you don't understand how a game in which the two participants combined to shoot a collective 42 percent from the floor could be labeled "great," then it's obvious you're heading for a failing grade in Hoopology 101. For the 108-106 double-overtime Seattle conquest of the Celtics before an enraptured capacity Garden gathering of 15,320 yesterday afternoon was nothing less than an affirmation of two things - the first being that the NBA at its best is basketball at its best, the second being that nobody should accuse the SuperSonics of overstating the case if they choose to warm up to "We Are The Champions."
One golden moment in this game will never be forgotten. It came with one second left in regulation time when Dennis Johnson, the third option on a desperation play, drilled in game-tying three-point field goal from in front of the press table (into which he tumbled after releasing the shot). That miracle shot negated a Boston comeback that had begun with a stumbling Celtic team trailing, 76-70 (7:52 left), a resurgence that had been fueled by a pair of Chris Ford three-pointers (he had five in the game), and that had been culminated with a free throw by Larry Bird, the victim of a loose-ball foul with three seconds to play and the Celtics leading by an 86-84 score.
Dave Cowens (16 points, 12 rebounds and more of that great defense) had put Boston ahead for the first time since 56-54 with an 18-foot jumper with 13 seconds left, and on the subsequent Seattle possession it was Cowens who switched out to force Gus Williams (29 points) into a wild air ball from the lane. Lonnie Shelton fouled Bird in the ensuing struggle for the ball. But Bird missed the first shot and made the second, allowing the Sonics to stay alive by virtue of the three-point rule.
The Boston strategy was to foul the first available Seattle player as soon as the ball came in. On the first pass-in from midcourt, an aggressive Cowens came up to knock the ball out of bounds as one second ticked off the clock. "Isn't that something?" said Bill Fitch. "Cowens makes a hustle play and that beats us. If he lets the man catch the ball and then fouls him, we're home. But he tries to do things right all the time."
Given a reprieve, the Sonics again threw the ball in. There was momentary indecision involving Tiny Archibald and M.L. Carr on a switch, leaving Johnson open on the right flank. "The play was designed to go to one of the three guards," DJ explained. "Gus was being pressured. Freddy (Brown) wasn't open. We ran the play the way it was diagrammed on the board. M.L. and Tiny were closest to me, but not close enough. It felt good on the release."
Said Jack Sikma: "I was on the block on Dennis' side. I thought, It's got a chance.' The thing just dove into the basket."
Though the best play of the day, it was hardly the only significant one. In the first overtime, Williams made another shot the Sonics had to have. Ford's fourth three-pointer with 17 seconds remaining had given Boston a 97-95 edge, so Gus casually strolled downcourt and threw in a top-of-the-key turnaround to tie it up for the 17th time. Then there were Ford's two bombs and a long shot by Carr which got the Celtics, who only led for 7:36 of the 53 minutes, into the game once again.
Seattle had led at the quarter (22-20), half (42-39) and three-quarter (70-62) marks during this defensively oriented struggle. Though the Celtics were reluctant to admit it, they appeared to be worn down by the second OT, which began ominously when Father Time (aka Paul Silas, a devastating 13- rebound contributor) kept alive an offensive rebound and Williams got two free throws on a third effort. The Celtics would never tie or lead in the second OT, and their last real chance (unless you count a clock-beating three- point miss by Ford at 106-103 with 53 seconds left) to stay in it came when Bird threw away a fast-break pass at 101-99 and Williams converted on the Seattle transition.
The Sonics simply appeared to have more strength left to work on defense, run their offense and bang the boards (where they had a comfy 63-49 individual margin) during the second OT, and their 11-2 edge in second-chance points during the fourth period and the OTs confirms that view.
None of this demeans Boston, which now trails the 76ers by one game in the Atlantic Division and stands 1-5 in matches against Philly, LA and Seattle. The Celtics played hard and they made honest mistakes against a great team. But two Sunday toughies in a row is rough on the coach. "It's like analyzing a funeral," Fitch lamented. "It's like saying to someone in the family, Are you crying big tears or little tears today?' "
"A game of ifs," said Ford. "Yes," agreed Silas, "if DJ doesn't make that shot, it's history."
It was the kind of game that made fans feel a sense of smugness for having shelled out the money to see it; that made winning players proud to have hung in there and losers proud to have participated; and that made CBS wonder how it came to be that in showing it prior to the Super Bowl the network had managed to serve the chateaubriand before the goose livers, as it were.
It was a basketball game played at the highest level, and if you don't understand how a game in which the two participants combined to shoot a collective 42 percent from the floor could be labeled "great," then it's obvious you're heading for a failing grade in Hoopology 101. For the 108-106 double-overtime Seattle conquest of the Celtics before an enraptured capacity Garden gathering of 15,320 yesterday afternoon was nothing less than an affirmation of two things - the first being that the NBA at its best is basketball at its best, the second being that nobody should accuse the SuperSonics of overstating the case if they choose to warm up to "We Are The Champions."
One golden moment in this game will never be forgotten. It came with one second left in regulation time when Dennis Johnson, the third option on a desperation play, drilled in game-tying three-point field goal from in front of the press table (into which he tumbled after releasing the shot). That miracle shot negated a Boston comeback that had begun with a stumbling Celtic team trailing, 76-70 (7:52 left), a resurgence that had been fueled by a pair of Chris Ford three-pointers (he had five in the game), and that had been culminated with a free throw by Larry Bird, the victim of a loose-ball foul with three seconds to play and the Celtics leading by an 86-84 score.
Dave Cowens (16 points, 12 rebounds and more of that great defense) had put Boston ahead for the first time since 56-54 with an 18-foot jumper with 13 seconds left, and on the subsequent Seattle possession it was Cowens who switched out to force Gus Williams (29 points) into a wild air ball from the lane. Lonnie Shelton fouled Bird in the ensuing struggle for the ball. But Bird missed the first shot and made the second, allowing the Sonics to stay alive by virtue of the three-point rule.
The Boston strategy was to foul the first available Seattle player as soon as the ball came in. On the first pass-in from midcourt, an aggressive Cowens came up to knock the ball out of bounds as one second ticked off the clock. "Isn't that something?" said Bill Fitch. "Cowens makes a hustle play and that beats us. If he lets the man catch the ball and then fouls him, we're home. But he tries to do things right all the time."
Given a reprieve, the Sonics again threw the ball in. There was momentary indecision involving Tiny Archibald and M.L. Carr on a switch, leaving Johnson open on the right flank. "The play was designed to go to one of the three guards," DJ explained. "Gus was being pressured. Freddy (Brown) wasn't open. We ran the play the way it was diagrammed on the board. M.L. and Tiny were closest to me, but not close enough. It felt good on the release."
Said Jack Sikma: "I was on the block on Dennis' side. I thought, It's got a chance.' The thing just dove into the basket."
Though the best play of the day, it was hardly the only significant one. In the first overtime, Williams made another shot the Sonics had to have. Ford's fourth three-pointer with 17 seconds remaining had given Boston a 97-95 edge, so Gus casually strolled downcourt and threw in a top-of-the-key turnaround to tie it up for the 17th time. Then there were Ford's two bombs and a long shot by Carr which got the Celtics, who only led for 7:36 of the 53 minutes, into the game once again.
Seattle had led at the quarter (22-20), half (42-39) and three-quarter (70-62) marks during this defensively oriented struggle. Though the Celtics were reluctant to admit it, they appeared to be worn down by the second OT, which began ominously when Father Time (aka Paul Silas, a devastating 13- rebound contributor) kept alive an offensive rebound and Williams got two free throws on a third effort. The Celtics would never tie or lead in the second OT, and their last real chance (unless you count a clock-beating three- point miss by Ford at 106-103 with 53 seconds left) to stay in it came when Bird threw away a fast-break pass at 101-99 and Williams converted on the Seattle transition.
The Sonics simply appeared to have more strength left to work on defense, run their offense and bang the boards (where they had a comfy 63-49 individual margin) during the second OT, and their 11-2 edge in second-chance points during the fourth period and the OTs confirms that view.
None of this demeans Boston, which now trails the 76ers by one game in the Atlantic Division and stands 1-5 in matches against Philly, LA and Seattle. The Celtics played hard and they made honest mistakes against a great team. But two Sunday toughies in a row is rough on the coach. "It's like analyzing a funeral," Fitch lamented. "It's like saying to someone in the family, Are you crying big tears or little tears today?' "
"A game of ifs," said Ford. "Yes," agreed Silas, "if DJ doesn't make that shot, it's history."
Fitch Proud of Team Despite Double OT Loss
January 21, 1980
The LA loss of a week ago had hit Bill Fitch hard. He hadn't come down 24 hours after the fact. He wasn't even sure he had gotten over it by Wednesday's game.
But yesterday's 108-106 double-overtime loss to the Seattle SuperSonics was a different matter. The locker-room tone was far more upbeat, and the man setting that tone was Bill Fitch. "I was as happy and proud of of my team today as I've been after most of our victories," he said. "I think we were a better team today than we were a week ago, and maybe we'll be even better next week if they put the cameras on us again.
"It was a tough loss, but the key now is to get over it by Tuesday and Wednesday (when the team plays Houston and Chicago, respectively) so that what happens on Sunday won't affect us. This will be a gut check for the players."
Asked if he thought the game reminded him of a playoff game, Fitch replied, "It was more than that. These games take a bite out of you more than just the effect of one game, because if you don't know how to recover, you can be in trouble for 10 games. But this should be a confidence builder once the heartbreak is over."
Larry Bird on his missed free throw with three seconds to play in regulation, a shot which could have put the game beyond even Dennis Johnson's reach: "I haven't been bothering myself about it, because I knew we couldn't lose if I just made one. I went to the line earlier in the game and I didn't feel right, and I missed both, but this time I was sure I'd walk up there and make them." . . . Jack Sikma was 0 for 7 in the first half, but he shot 6 for 7 in the third quarter, the last four baskets coming after Dave Cowens sat down with his (undeserved) fourth foul . . . The Celtics had difficulty generating a first-half set offense, accumulating 27 of their 39 halftime points via second-chance shots and fast breaks . . . Fitch lauded Seattle's team defense rather than its individual defense . . . John Johnson submitted a quiet, but vital, 10-point, 9-rebound, 5-assist contribution augmented by good defense on Bird . . . The only negative concerned with the game was the officiating of Earl Strom (who tried to take over from the start) and the confused Billy Oakes . . . Ford's five three-pointers (the last one a buzzer- beater to create the final score) matched a season high and ended a two- game drought . . . That's three straight to kick off a six-game road trip for Seattle, which is now 33-8 since Nov. 1. The Celtics have a rare home Tuesday game with Houston tomorrow, capping the seven-game homestand, which now stands at 4-2.
The LA loss of a week ago had hit Bill Fitch hard. He hadn't come down 24 hours after the fact. He wasn't even sure he had gotten over it by Wednesday's game.
But yesterday's 108-106 double-overtime loss to the Seattle SuperSonics was a different matter. The locker-room tone was far more upbeat, and the man setting that tone was Bill Fitch. "I was as happy and proud of of my team today as I've been after most of our victories," he said. "I think we were a better team today than we were a week ago, and maybe we'll be even better next week if they put the cameras on us again.
"It was a tough loss, but the key now is to get over it by Tuesday and Wednesday (when the team plays Houston and Chicago, respectively) so that what happens on Sunday won't affect us. This will be a gut check for the players."
Asked if he thought the game reminded him of a playoff game, Fitch replied, "It was more than that. These games take a bite out of you more than just the effect of one game, because if you don't know how to recover, you can be in trouble for 10 games. But this should be a confidence builder once the heartbreak is over."
Larry Bird on his missed free throw with three seconds to play in regulation, a shot which could have put the game beyond even Dennis Johnson's reach: "I haven't been bothering myself about it, because I knew we couldn't lose if I just made one. I went to the line earlier in the game and I didn't feel right, and I missed both, but this time I was sure I'd walk up there and make them." . . . Jack Sikma was 0 for 7 in the first half, but he shot 6 for 7 in the third quarter, the last four baskets coming after Dave Cowens sat down with his (undeserved) fourth foul . . . The Celtics had difficulty generating a first-half set offense, accumulating 27 of their 39 halftime points via second-chance shots and fast breaks . . . Fitch lauded Seattle's team defense rather than its individual defense . . . John Johnson submitted a quiet, but vital, 10-point, 9-rebound, 5-assist contribution augmented by good defense on Bird . . . The only negative concerned with the game was the officiating of Earl Strom (who tried to take over from the start) and the confused Billy Oakes . . . Ford's five three-pointers (the last one a buzzer- beater to create the final score) matched a season high and ended a two- game drought . . . That's three straight to kick off a six-game road trip for Seattle, which is now 33-8 since Nov. 1. The Celtics have a rare home Tuesday game with Houston tomorrow, capping the seven-game homestand, which now stands at 4-2.
CELTICS TAKE ON SONICS, DJ
January 20, 1980
What exactly is at stake today (Ch. 7, noon) when the Celtics, with their gaudy 34-11 record, tangle with the NBA champion Seattle SuperSonics, with their impressive 35-13 calling card?
Well, there could be a little East-West macho business. The Pacific Division is clearly the league's best, according to records, but many Pacific people say that Seattle, Los Angeles and Phoenix could all have better marks if they played an Atlantic Division schedule. With the new imbalanced schedule, there have been few East-West confrontations among the teams with the four best records.
The 76ers, who went into a game with Cleveland last night with a 34-11 record of their own, have yet to play either Los Angeles or Seattle. And this will be the first Boston-Seattle meeting.
Meanwhile, LA is smirking over its two-game season's sweep of Boston, which included last Sunday's closely watched 100-98 triumph in the Garden. The 76ers are 2-1 with Boston, which means that in direct competition with the league's elite, the Celtics are 1-4.
Fact is, the Celtics have been struggling since when they began a six-game road odyssey by losing a game in Philadelphia on Dec. 22. Their most recent accomplishment has been to demonstrate that they are now good enough to win while not playing well - at least at home - which is generally viewed as the mark of a superior team.
The most recent example of that came on Friday night, when they reawakened in the third period to run Portland out of town with a 37-15 blast that led to an easy 111-93 victory. The collective confidence of October and November may have been restored with that burst, and it obviously couldn't have come at a better time.
"At least we got our offense going," said Chris Ford. "We've been so stagnant lately. It was very nice to have our offense back."
Coach Bill Fitch agreed: "We probably played as well in that (third- quarter) stretch as we have in ten days."
The Seattle club, which arrives here fresh from a 124-117 conquest of New York (a game in which they once trailed by 20-0), is a smooth, deep, confident team that has casually gone 32-8 following a 3-5 start. It is in the midst of a six-game jaunt that has already taken them to Landover (for an easy 120-100 triumph over Washington) and which will also land them in Atlanta, San Antonio and Houston.
Most fans know the names: Sikma, Williams, Shelton, Downtown Freddy, Silas and, of course, the estimable firm of Johnson & Johnson.
Speaking of which, Dennis Johnson has lately been acting like what he often is, namely the league's best guard. He comes here seeking his third straight 30-point game, having already lit up the Bullets (34) and the Knicks (30) on this trip.
Dennis got off to a poor offensive start, and insiders say his backcourt partner, Gus Williams, had been having a better year - until recently. DJ seems to be in gear now.
So what's at stake? Nothing much, really. Just Boston prestige, TV ratings (hello there, Bill Russell) and the image of the NBA.
Of course, all involved will simply say that it's merely one of 82. It's in the manual.
What exactly is at stake today (Ch. 7, noon) when the Celtics, with their gaudy 34-11 record, tangle with the NBA champion Seattle SuperSonics, with their impressive 35-13 calling card?
Well, there could be a little East-West macho business. The Pacific Division is clearly the league's best, according to records, but many Pacific people say that Seattle, Los Angeles and Phoenix could all have better marks if they played an Atlantic Division schedule. With the new imbalanced schedule, there have been few East-West confrontations among the teams with the four best records.
The 76ers, who went into a game with Cleveland last night with a 34-11 record of their own, have yet to play either Los Angeles or Seattle. And this will be the first Boston-Seattle meeting.
Meanwhile, LA is smirking over its two-game season's sweep of Boston, which included last Sunday's closely watched 100-98 triumph in the Garden. The 76ers are 2-1 with Boston, which means that in direct competition with the league's elite, the Celtics are 1-4.
Fact is, the Celtics have been struggling since when they began a six-game road odyssey by losing a game in Philadelphia on Dec. 22. Their most recent accomplishment has been to demonstrate that they are now good enough to win while not playing well - at least at home - which is generally viewed as the mark of a superior team.
The most recent example of that came on Friday night, when they reawakened in the third period to run Portland out of town with a 37-15 blast that led to an easy 111-93 victory. The collective confidence of October and November may have been restored with that burst, and it obviously couldn't have come at a better time.
"At least we got our offense going," said Chris Ford. "We've been so stagnant lately. It was very nice to have our offense back."
Coach Bill Fitch agreed: "We probably played as well in that (third- quarter) stretch as we have in ten days."
The Seattle club, which arrives here fresh from a 124-117 conquest of New York (a game in which they once trailed by 20-0), is a smooth, deep, confident team that has casually gone 32-8 following a 3-5 start. It is in the midst of a six-game jaunt that has already taken them to Landover (for an easy 120-100 triumph over Washington) and which will also land them in Atlanta, San Antonio and Houston.
Most fans know the names: Sikma, Williams, Shelton, Downtown Freddy, Silas and, of course, the estimable firm of Johnson & Johnson.
Speaking of which, Dennis Johnson has lately been acting like what he often is, namely the league's best guard. He comes here seeking his third straight 30-point game, having already lit up the Bullets (34) and the Knicks (30) on this trip.
Dennis got off to a poor offensive start, and insiders say his backcourt partner, Gus Williams, had been having a better year - until recently. DJ seems to be in gear now.
So what's at stake? Nothing much, really. Just Boston prestige, TV ratings (hello there, Bill Russell) and the image of the NBA.
Of course, all involved will simply say that it's merely one of 82. It's in the manual.
Poor Mitch
After they pick a successor for Jackson, the Lakers have a very big decision to make. Is Andrew Bynum their future? The 23-year-old is already one of the top centers in the game, but his balky knees make him a long-term risk for the Lakers ... and any would-be takers in a trade.
Bynum is their only player under 30 with any trade value.
Lakers executive Jeanie Buss, the daughter of team owner Jerry Buss, tried to sound hopeful on a Twitter dispatch after the game. "We will be back," she wrote before referring to her father in the third person. "Dr. Buss knows how to fix things." The Lakers, and Buss, have a reputation of retooling with remarkable quickness, but this would be a serious fix.
The Lakers have eight players over 30 under contract next season, just the beginning of their issues. Bryant, 32, will be back despite showing shades of mortality against Dallas, including consecutive 17-point efforts in the last two games. The remainder of his contract -- three years, $83.5 million -- is too weighty to trade, and it would be an unpopular public-relations move by the team to jettison him.
Another problem for the Lakers: There are other bulky and fully guaranteed contracts on their payroll. Pau Gasol, 30, has three more years and $57 million remaining on a deal that doesn't look as solid after he averaged a meager 13.1 points and 7.8 rebounds in the playoffs. Enigmatic forward Ron Artest, 31, has three more years and $21.5 million remaining. Backup players Steve Blake, 31, and Luke Walton, 31, will cost the team a combined $23.5 million before their contracts expire. Versatile forward Lamar Odom, 31, has two more years at a comparatively affordable total of $17 million, making him possible trade bait.
The Lakers didn't do anything easy this season, enduring a ridiculous loss to Cleveland before the All-Star break and completing a five-game losing streak the week before the playoffs began. Still, nobody would have predicted that three Dallas backups (Jason Terry, Jose Barea and Peja Stojakovic) would outscore them in a playoff game, but it almost happened. The backups had 75 points, 11 fewer than the entire Lakers team.
LINK
I need an abbreviation for Smiling Out Loud.
Bynum is their only player under 30 with any trade value.
Lakers executive Jeanie Buss, the daughter of team owner Jerry Buss, tried to sound hopeful on a Twitter dispatch after the game. "We will be back," she wrote before referring to her father in the third person. "Dr. Buss knows how to fix things." The Lakers, and Buss, have a reputation of retooling with remarkable quickness, but this would be a serious fix.
The Lakers have eight players over 30 under contract next season, just the beginning of their issues. Bryant, 32, will be back despite showing shades of mortality against Dallas, including consecutive 17-point efforts in the last two games. The remainder of his contract -- three years, $83.5 million -- is too weighty to trade, and it would be an unpopular public-relations move by the team to jettison him.
Another problem for the Lakers: There are other bulky and fully guaranteed contracts on their payroll. Pau Gasol, 30, has three more years and $57 million remaining on a deal that doesn't look as solid after he averaged a meager 13.1 points and 7.8 rebounds in the playoffs. Enigmatic forward Ron Artest, 31, has three more years and $21.5 million remaining. Backup players Steve Blake, 31, and Luke Walton, 31, will cost the team a combined $23.5 million before their contracts expire. Versatile forward Lamar Odom, 31, has two more years at a comparatively affordable total of $17 million, making him possible trade bait.
The Lakers didn't do anything easy this season, enduring a ridiculous loss to Cleveland before the All-Star break and completing a five-game losing streak the week before the playoffs began. Still, nobody would have predicted that three Dallas backups (Jason Terry, Jose Barea and Peja Stojakovic) would outscore them in a playoff game, but it almost happened. The backups had 75 points, 11 fewer than the entire Lakers team.
LINK
I need an abbreviation for Smiling Out Loud.
Hey, Phil: Don't Let the Door Hit Ya in the Ass on Your Way Out
And Phil Jackson finally does the rest of us a favor and leaves the NBA in style--getting crushed in four games by the Mavs.
Just don't change your mind.
We've all had more than enough of Jackzen.
OK, Philly, boy?
The lasting images that stain the Lakers losing in horrific fashion point to forward Lamar Odom throwing a shoulder into Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki and center Andrew Bynum throwing a forearm at Dallas guard J.J. Barea in separate fourth-quarter incidents that earned them ejections.
--LA Times
Sad, pathetic losers, those Fakers.
Reminds me of this video.
You all heard what KG told Lamar just seconds before, right?
--LA Times
Sad, pathetic losers, those Fakers.
Reminds me of this video.
You all heard what KG told Lamar just seconds before, right?
Sure Beats Talking about Getting Rid of McAdoo
January 20, 1980
PLAYOFF TALK CELTICS HAVE TALENT, BUT INEXPERIENCE A DRAWBACK
Enmeshed as we NBA freaks are in the January blahs, what more pleasant topic of conversation could there be this morning than the playoffs? You remember the playoffs - that succession of basketball games in which millionaires occasionally dive on the floor and people in Hoboken get to watch, in their pajamas, Seattle play Washington.
Well, you see, that's the funny thing. This year, instead of people in Hoboken losing sleep on weeknights, people in Coos Bay could be watching Larry Bird over their Sunday morning sausage and eggs. Though we would never have dared dream of such a thing back in September, the distinct possibility exists that the Celtics could at least get to the NBA finals this season.
Assuming that the opposition in the finals will be Seattle, the Celtics would not arrive as favorites. Nobody would be favored over Seattle. Only the lack of a true playmaking guard keeps the Sonics of Lenny Wilkens - Lord, wouldn't the vintage Lenny Wilkens be great with that club? - from being viewed as a classically great team. The rest is all there, the team and individual reduce-the-hotshot-scorer-to-tears defense, the rebounding, the scoring, the depth, the experience and the confidence. "In a seven-game series," says Philadelphia general manager Pat Williams, "the smart money would be on Seattle." Few disagree.
But what about the Celtics, who, after all, would have been viewed as a substantially improved team had they gotten this far merely by winning half their games? Forget the won-loss record, for that is a product of such variables as a good training camp, the schedule and health. Forget about the regular season. The question of the day is: What kind of a playoff team will the Celtics be?
"In the East," says Williams, "they're as capable as anyone else of getting to the finals. I was talking with Doug Collins the other day and he said that Boston was so unselfish and moved the ball so well that he'd hate to be matched up against them in a seven-game series."
The Boston offensive potential does scare people. "Boston," points out Washington GM Bob Ferry, "is a hard team to defense, and that makes for a good playoff team. They can spread you out and open up the middle. Larry Bird makes Tiny (Archibald) do damn effective by bringing the forwards out. Then Tiny can break you down with that floor spread out."
Bill Fitch would really like to win his division, because that way he could avoid a two-out-of-three mini-series, a fate he considers considerably worse than losing his American Express card. "We'd be a helluva lot tougher in a seven-game series than in a three-game series," he claims. "A short series is more a question of physical talent. In a longer series, our intangibles would show up more. The immaturity of our bench, where players like (Rick) Robey and (Gerald) Henderson would be in their first playoffs, would be diminished in a longer series.
"The playoffs are different. Last year Phil Ford was the best rookie player and he disappeared in the playoffs. Who's to say that if we played a three-game series Larry Bird wouldn't show up well?" Indeed, Celtic afficionados will recall that it wasn't until the sixth and final game of his first playoff series against Atlanta in 1972 that Dave Cowens played anything resembling his normal game.
Continues Fitch, "I know this: Once you make the playoffs, anything can happen. Take a Washington. With all the problems they've had this year, if they do manage to make the playoffs they'd be favored over some teams that had better regular seasons. But we wouldn't be picked as overall favorites. That's one thing we wouldn't have to worry about."
There is one great playoff positive for the Celtics. Dave Cowens will never have to play two days in a row. As the Celtics compiled their 33-11 record through last Wednesday, seven of those 11 losses had come on the second half of a back-to-back game situation, and while the blame for the losses surely can't be laid strictly on Cowens, he has had some ineffective nights in this context. Without Cowens being Cowens, the Celtics are a very mortal team. "Obviously, we would gain from that," admits Fitch, "and we'd also gain from the spirit and enthusiasm of the fans, who haven't had the playoffs for a year or two."
A given for any playoff team, of course, is good health. The playoff history of the seventies was often simply a case of The Survival of The Fittest. Should a key Boston player go down, it would be sayonara, championship. "But I believe in destiny," says Ferry, "and with the way things are going for Red Auerbach right now, I don't think they will get an injury, and I honestly mean that."
Fitch maintains that among Seattle, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Kansas City, Atlanta and Boston, "you've got a champion in there somewhere." He rates Seattle as the present favorite, but he certainly likes his team.
"We're not as good as our record," he says, "but our character and enthusiasm is as good as you'd think. That doesn't mean we're donkeys ability- wise, either, but that such advantages as getting off to a fast start are no longer a factor. We aren't blowing people out anymore.
But," he concludes, "we've got a lot of games left, and I think we're going to get better, even though our second half record might not show it."
So there it is. Playoff talk. It sure beats thinking about how to get rid of McAdoo, doesn't it?
PLAYOFF TALK CELTICS HAVE TALENT, BUT INEXPERIENCE A DRAWBACK
Enmeshed as we NBA freaks are in the January blahs, what more pleasant topic of conversation could there be this morning than the playoffs? You remember the playoffs - that succession of basketball games in which millionaires occasionally dive on the floor and people in Hoboken get to watch, in their pajamas, Seattle play Washington.
Well, you see, that's the funny thing. This year, instead of people in Hoboken losing sleep on weeknights, people in Coos Bay could be watching Larry Bird over their Sunday morning sausage and eggs. Though we would never have dared dream of such a thing back in September, the distinct possibility exists that the Celtics could at least get to the NBA finals this season.
Assuming that the opposition in the finals will be Seattle, the Celtics would not arrive as favorites. Nobody would be favored over Seattle. Only the lack of a true playmaking guard keeps the Sonics of Lenny Wilkens - Lord, wouldn't the vintage Lenny Wilkens be great with that club? - from being viewed as a classically great team. The rest is all there, the team and individual reduce-the-hotshot-scorer-to-tears defense, the rebounding, the scoring, the depth, the experience and the confidence. "In a seven-game series," says Philadelphia general manager Pat Williams, "the smart money would be on Seattle." Few disagree.
But what about the Celtics, who, after all, would have been viewed as a substantially improved team had they gotten this far merely by winning half their games? Forget the won-loss record, for that is a product of such variables as a good training camp, the schedule and health. Forget about the regular season. The question of the day is: What kind of a playoff team will the Celtics be?
"In the East," says Williams, "they're as capable as anyone else of getting to the finals. I was talking with Doug Collins the other day and he said that Boston was so unselfish and moved the ball so well that he'd hate to be matched up against them in a seven-game series."
The Boston offensive potential does scare people. "Boston," points out Washington GM Bob Ferry, "is a hard team to defense, and that makes for a good playoff team. They can spread you out and open up the middle. Larry Bird makes Tiny (Archibald) do damn effective by bringing the forwards out. Then Tiny can break you down with that floor spread out."
Bill Fitch would really like to win his division, because that way he could avoid a two-out-of-three mini-series, a fate he considers considerably worse than losing his American Express card. "We'd be a helluva lot tougher in a seven-game series than in a three-game series," he claims. "A short series is more a question of physical talent. In a longer series, our intangibles would show up more. The immaturity of our bench, where players like (Rick) Robey and (Gerald) Henderson would be in their first playoffs, would be diminished in a longer series.
"The playoffs are different. Last year Phil Ford was the best rookie player and he disappeared in the playoffs. Who's to say that if we played a three-game series Larry Bird wouldn't show up well?" Indeed, Celtic afficionados will recall that it wasn't until the sixth and final game of his first playoff series against Atlanta in 1972 that Dave Cowens played anything resembling his normal game.
Continues Fitch, "I know this: Once you make the playoffs, anything can happen. Take a Washington. With all the problems they've had this year, if they do manage to make the playoffs they'd be favored over some teams that had better regular seasons. But we wouldn't be picked as overall favorites. That's one thing we wouldn't have to worry about."
There is one great playoff positive for the Celtics. Dave Cowens will never have to play two days in a row. As the Celtics compiled their 33-11 record through last Wednesday, seven of those 11 losses had come on the second half of a back-to-back game situation, and while the blame for the losses surely can't be laid strictly on Cowens, he has had some ineffective nights in this context. Without Cowens being Cowens, the Celtics are a very mortal team. "Obviously, we would gain from that," admits Fitch, "and we'd also gain from the spirit and enthusiasm of the fans, who haven't had the playoffs for a year or two."
A given for any playoff team, of course, is good health. The playoff history of the seventies was often simply a case of The Survival of The Fittest. Should a key Boston player go down, it would be sayonara, championship. "But I believe in destiny," says Ferry, "and with the way things are going for Red Auerbach right now, I don't think they will get an injury, and I honestly mean that."
Fitch maintains that among Seattle, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Kansas City, Atlanta and Boston, "you've got a champion in there somewhere." He rates Seattle as the present favorite, but he certainly likes his team.
"We're not as good as our record," he says, "but our character and enthusiasm is as good as you'd think. That doesn't mean we're donkeys ability- wise, either, but that such advantages as getting off to a fast start are no longer a factor. We aren't blowing people out anymore.
But," he concludes, "we've got a lot of games left, and I think we're going to get better, even though our second half record might not show it."
So there it is. Playoff talk. It sure beats thinking about how to get rid of McAdoo, doesn't it?
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