C's Stop Spurs

November 20, 1982

CELTICS STOP SPURS

They still tell the story around the Garden about Al McGuire. One night, while playing for the Knicks, McGuire came off the bench, held Bob Cousy to a single bucket and started screaming in the locker room afterward, "I own Cousy."



For 17 minutes last night, history seemed to be repeating itself as young Charles Bradley guarded San Antonio's George Gervin and made the same kind of impression.

While Gervin finished with 31 points, he got only nine in the final quarter as the Celtics roared from a 100-97 deficit and handed the Spurs a 119-111 loss before a crowd of 15,320, the 83d consecutive Garden sellout.

"I don't think anybody can stop Gervin," said Bradley almost apologetically. "He's still a great player. All I was trying to do most of the time was just contain him. You try different tactics, get him different looks on defense and show him a variety of things."

Maybe nobody can stop Gervin completely. But the way Bradley aggressively went after the NBA scoring champ, particularly during a 10-2 stretch in the final quarter, was one of the treats of the young season. Bradley used his sizeable body to bump and nudge Gervin and the rest of the Spurs' guards.

His feats actually started wth Boston trailing, 100-97. Bradley stole the ball from Mike Dunleavy and started a fast break that resulted in a dunk by Robert Parish (33 points, 15 rebounds).

Then Bradley turned his attention back to Gervin, who found himself virtually surrounded by Bradley and coughed up the ball at midcourt. Bradley took off on a kamikaze mission to the basket and brought the house to its feet with a resounding dunk. Suddenly, the whole complexion of the game had changed. The Spurs got only two baskets in the final 6:21 and were outscored, 19-11.

San Antonio coach Stan Albeck didn't like the job Bradley did on Gervin. But he wasn't surprised at that, or at the way Kevin McHale came in to shut down Mike Mitchell, or how Parish got the better of Artis Gilmore.

Celtics coach Bill Fitch said using Bradley was a hunch, and a good one.

"When we played them twice in the preseason," said Fitch, "Charles played very well. He came in tonight and played a dynamite ballgame - just terrific. I couldn't have asked anything more. He can be proud of himself tonight."

For the first 24 minutes, neither team seemed interested in putting the other away. Quinn Buckner, starting again in place of injured Tiny Archibald, lit up the Spurs for 12 of his Celtic-high 20 points in the first quarter. Boston led by as many as 12 before settling for a 60-55 lead at halftime.

After falling behind, 38-26, San Antonio got seven points on two plays, a four-pointer (a three-pointer by Dunleavy and a foul shot) and a three- pointer.

In the third period, it was the Ice and Mike show. Both men found a groove on the right side, each scoring 10 points, as Gervin punished Danny Ainge and Mitchell soared over Cedric Maxwell.

Almost before the Celtics knew it, the score was tied at 69. Two baskets by Mitchell pushed the Spurs' lead to 73-69. The Celtics were lucky to have a one-point lead, 89-88, after three quarters.