December 9, 1982
CELTICS MAKE DO, 113-93
Don't ever accuse the Celtics of not giving a club such as the Cleveland Cavaliers a fair shake. Last night at the Garden, Boston went out and won what may have been the first handicap game in NBA history.
One of the reasons for the Celtics' 113-93 victory was that the Cavs are currently playing without center James Edwards, and thus are the league's weakest team at center. But that's all right, because Boston evened up the odds somewhat by not playing either Robert Parish or Rick Robey in the second half.
Parish was slowed by a foot injury and virtually disappeared after playing 12 minutes. Robey suffered back spasms while playing in the second quarter, and it is doubtful he will be at full strength when the 76ers and Moses Malone show up for their first visit of the season at the Garden tomorrow night.
"It's like I've been saying all along," said coach Bill Fitch. "A great team needs two good centers. But we're lucky that we've got a guy like Kevin McHale, who makes it three.
"We've got some bodies who are really hurting. It didn't matter who we were playing. Both centers were going to stay on the bench and now are really questionable. M. L. Carr picked up a charley horse in the second half and I had to sit him out, too. Everybody picked up the slack and we got a good game out of Kevin."
Most members of the 88th straight sellout crowd at the Garden thought they'd be seeing a blowout. Still, it was their first look at Cleveland rookie John Bagley, the former Boston College star, and that seemed worth the trip.
It wasn't. Bagley played only 12 minutes, scoring but 4 points. Twice he had the ball ripped away to start Celtic fast breaks. The talent is there, but Bagley is a lot closer to the playgrounds at Bridgeport, Conn., than he is to NBA stardom.
The injuries actually made it seem like an NBA contest and not a blowout. The Cavaliers outrebounded Boston, 44-37. Boston led early, 27-8, and 55-42 at halftime. But Cleveland, behind the outside shooting of Scott Wedman and Bobby Wilkerson, kept scrapping and stayed within striking distance, roughly 10 points, until the closing minutes.
Boston's salvation was its third-string center, McHale, who combined with Larry Bird for 21 of the 37 rebounds. McHale had 11 rebounds and 22 points. Bird threw up his usual assortment of dazzling shots and finished with 30 points. Cleveland helped matters by making 22 turnovers for 18 points, including nine turnovers in the first quarter.
But McHale said he isn't volunteering for such duty when the 76ers show up.
"Hell no," he said. "I'm glad I don't have to play 35 minutes or whatever it was. When you're playing center, you really get a chance to see what those guys go through every night. It's tough. You have to do so much stuff. It may seem like I'm rebounding better at center, but that's because you're playing around the basket. When you're chasing Scott Wedman around the corners, you don't get many chances to rebound.
"It was a good win, but the only thing you can say about it is that it is one that will add up to trying to get the best record. We went at them and played relatively well. But they hung in there and the final score isn't indicative of what kind of game it was. This was basically a 10-point game the whole way."
It didn't start like a 10-point game. Bird had 13 points in a torrid first period.to a 14-4 lead and then really cut loose. That surge was followed by six fast-break buckets, and before you knew it, Boston was leading, 27-8.
Former Michigan star Phil Hubbard led a second-quarter surge by Cleveland which cut a 37-20 lead to 37-26. But McHale came alive and went on a 12-point binge. Boston turnovers kept it close, but that was the best the Cavs could do the rest of the night.
Bird took over in the second half, scoring 17 points. The Celtics made the most of makeshift units, using both Carr and Charles Bradley at forward a couple of times, and once Cleveland had to go to its bench, it had no chance of catching up.
Cleveland coach Tom Nissalke faulted his team for not being aggressive early, and heaped praise on Bird for his ability to get the Celtics moving.
"Larry is a catalyst," said Nissalke. "You take him out of here and they don't win championships. As great as Magic Johnson is, if he and Bird switched teams the Lakers might not lose five games. He's the best. He would make any team a playoff team, and I mean any team."
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