4/24/1980
M.L. Carr's pass into the lane was swatted away with five seconds left, and Philadelphia dribbled out the clock as the 76ers turned away the Celtics, 99-97, last night at the Spectrum.
The 76ers took a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference final series.
Larry Bird's second three-pointer of the second quarter, coming with 17 seconds left, sent the Celtics into the locker room clinging to a shaky 47-45 lead.
The Boston effort was plagued by an ungodly number of turnovers. The Celtics were playing acceptable defense and shooting decently. They were certainly rebounding well - Bird had 16 himself by the half. But they weren't getting off enough shots to build up the lead that should have been theirs.
Bird began the game staring at a new face, that of Caldwell Jones. The Sixers had hinted they might try their nonpareil defensive ace against Boston's leading scorer, and so they did. The dogged 6-foot-11 frontcourt swingman had an obvious effect, too. Bird was only shooting 2 for 8 in the half when he bombed in his last three baskets, a three-pointer from straightaway that tied the score at 35; a long jumper not too far out of three-point range, and that last step-back three-pointer (such as he made with regularity during February and March) from the right corner on the final Boston possession.
The man who carried Boston offensively during the first quarter was Cedric Maxwell. He unveiled his full repertoire en route to a 15-point first quarter that propelled the Celtics into a 28-26 one-quarter advantage. He shot 5 for 5, and he even included a 20-foot set shot (on an inbounds play) among his baskets. Max scored two driving three-point plays, the first coming off the tap and the second coming on a touchdown pass from the invaluable Dave Cowens, that basket giving the Celtics a 26-22 lead with 56 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.
This was a game of shifting momentum, and this fact was clearly illustrated by the events of the second quarter. Despite winding up in the bonus foul situation in the first 1:41, the Celtics found themselves sitting on a 32-27 lead early in the quarter.
Philly, which tried hard to run on every possession, than ren off a string of eight uninterrupted points, moving into a 35-32 lead on an upfake jumper by Henry Bibby, the Human Pest. Here (at 7:17) Bill Fitch called time out, and when play resumed Bird struck for his initial three-pointer to ignite a Boston run of seven straight. That forced Billy Cunningham into a time out of his own, just 1:18 later.
Now it was the 76ers turn to score seven straight and build up a 49-39 lead with 3:10 left. Bird answered with the long jumper, and after Julius Erving dropped in two free throws, Pete Maravich took a long pass for a driving fast break three-point play. Bobby Jones was only able to hit one of three foul shots at the 35-second mark, and eight seconds later Bird regained the lead for the Celtics with his swisher from the right corner. The 76ers blew an excellent opportunity to gain a half time tie, when Steve Mix missed an open follow-up shot with a second to go, and Cowens batted away the rebound.
Philly forced things from the outset, and the key man was Lionel Hollins, who really pushed it up and who also came out firing, scoring eight first- quarter points. But the Sixers couldn't shake the Celtics, despite the Boston turnovers (Philly wasn't shooting well and Bird was gobbling up every rebound, with Cowens blocking out well), and Boston was able to generate enough offense to keep Philly within range. The biggest Sixer lead of the half was four (the last at 20-16) while Boston's biggest lead was the 32-27 margin.
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