November 19, 1980
The Celtics continue to show a balanced front with Larry Bird ranking no better than 19th among the scoring leaders (20.4). But Boston is second in the league in defense and eighth in offense. Over the last nine games, the Celtics have held opponents to an average of 97.9 points a game. The last five opponents have shot a collective .432 (185-428). The biggest difference in the club over a year ago can be shown in one statistic - blocked shots. The club has 118, compared to 57 at similar point in the season a year ago.
The Celtics came to Chicago just at the right moment. After losing four straight, the Bulls ended a four-game losing streak with a 114-108 road victory over Milwaukee. It was their first win there after nine straight losses. Boston's winning streak is now four.
Chicago has worried about its guard situation ever since rookie Ron Lester went down with a knee problem. Ricky Sobers, who has been in seven games since signing on Nov. 3, has done his best work on defense thus far. Coach Jerry Sloan had a hunch in the Milwaukee contest, starting former Marquette star Sam Worthen, who then turned in 18 strong minutes.
The Celtics still don't appear to be too concerned about replacing M.L. Carr on their roster, but one of the men they discussed a few weeks ago is now apparently available. A source in Portland indicated that the Trail Blazers might now want to get rid of veteran guard Ron Brewer. The asking price a few weeks ago was Rick Robey, and the Celtics said no. Now Portland might be willing to accept something less.
2 comments:
Team play over individuals was the mark of just about every single Celtics team. Their defense was pretty good too :)
indeed!
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