Bird's 38 Leads Celtics

November 8, 1982

CELTICS, BIRD (38 POINTS) HOLD OFF NETS, 102-100

Celtic losing streaks are supposed to be stop at one, and as long as Boston has a blond-haired, lunchpail superstar who can play hard against everybody, it'll be tough for this Boston basketball entry to lose more than one in a row.

After facing Washington's Beef Brothers Friday night, then enduring an epic two-overtime loss in the Spectrum Saturday, the Celtics completed their three-day, 154-minute jamboree through the NBA's Atlantic Division with a 102-100 victory over the New Jersey Nets in the Meadowlands last night.

While everyone else was looking alternately tired and disinterested, Bird took charge with a 14-point second quarter and a 15-point third period en route to a whopping 38-point effort. Including a 3-point shot and a dazzling, running lefthanded banker from eight feet out, Mr. Work Ethic hit 15 of 20 from the floor, and seven of eight from the line.

"I was just shooting the ball well," summed Bird. "I just had a feeling it was going in every time I sot it. And when you get it going, you got to keep it going."

Bird's marksmenship almost went to waste when the Nets came back with a hail of 3-point baskets in the final minute. Believe it or not, it was 98-91 with 58 seconds left and some of the 15,550 were already counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike. The early exit brigade missed a fun finish.

Darwin Cook (20 points in 25 minutes) started things with a 3-pointer to make it 98-94 with 50 seconds showing. After Robert Parish and Quinn Buckner each hit a free throw (the Celtics aided Jersey's comeback by missing four of eight from the line in the final minute) heroic Albert King hit a 3-pointer to cut it to 100-97. Buckner was fouled, made one of two again and with 10 seconds left, Cook hit another 3-point shot to make it 101-100. Bird was fouled, hit one of two and with 4 seconds left, Net coach Larry Brown was designing a play for a game-tying basket.

Bill Fitch inserted Gerry (strained hip muscle) Henderson, keeping Henderson's ironman streak alive (193 games) and giving the Celtics a third guard. It turned out to be more than a sentimental gesture. Darryl Dawkins took the inbounds pass and tried to get the ball to rookie Sleepy Floyd. Henderson intervened, swatting the pass away as the clock struck 0:00.

"I had a quality four seconds," laughed Henderson. "I was determined not to let my guy get the ball. I was able to deny Sleepy Floyd the pass and deflect it away."

The Celtics were happy to get out with a victory on a night when they were outrebounded, 48-31. If not for Jersey's 29 turnovers or the Nets pitiful foul shooting (13-27, .481) Boston would have dropped two of three in the weekend wars.

"New Jersey has a talented team," said Fitch. "We have a lot of respect for them. I would like to have pulled away, but they wouldn't let us."

In the first half, the Nets outrebounded the Celtics, 29-15, and led the Celtics for all but 53 seconds. "We knew what was getting us beat in the fist half," said Bird, who also led the Celtics with 12 rebounds and dished off six assists for good measure.

Bird opened the second half with a 3-pointer to give Boston a 56-55 lead. The Celtics never trailed again. The lead got as high as 14 (87-73), but with Bird on the bench for most of the fourth period, King (career-high 29) Cook, and Buck Williams (17 rebounds) were able to bring the Nets back.

Taking two of three over the weekend, the Celtics are off to a 5-1 start and can go easy for a few days before entertaining the Bucks Wednesday night.

Sounding like a man with a brutal hangover, Fitch looked around his locker room and said: "It was a good experience to play three straight - once. It would have been more fun if we'd won three, of course, but do you know how physical this was? Friday we had Washington and (Jeff) Ruland and that bunch. Saturday it was Philadelphia and two overtimes and all the emotion. Then we come in here and get out socks knocked off by these young legs."