Moses, Sixers Top Celtics in Double OT

November 7, 1982

Moses, Sixers Top Celtics in Double OT

There will be a steady diet of Spam - Cleveland in October, Indiana in November, Kansas City in December and Utah in January. But the prospect of five more Boston-Philly regular season matches and seven more in the Eastern Conference finals should be enough to satiate the competitive appetite of any pro basketball fan.



In double overtime, it was Philadelphia, 119-115, over the Celtics at the Spectrum last night. It was more intense than Frank vs. Heckler and more evenly matched than Jim Thompson vs. Adlai Stevenson. Dodger and Giant fans might argue, but Boston-Philadelphia basketball has become professional sports' best rivalry and there was nothing last night to diminish the luster of the NBA's holiest of holy wars.

Pro basketball's Athens and Sparta each came into the game with 4-0 records. The Sixers were out to show that Moses Malone was going to make a difference this year, and Boston offered a new face in Quinn Buckner, a defensive force capable of shutting down the explosive Andrew Toney.

The Celtics trailed by one after one and two after two, but came out smoking in the third period, hitting 14 of 23 shots (many of them by Robert Parish, who had 25 before fouling out) and taking a 10-point lead (72-62) with 3:32 left in the quarter. Julius Erving, one of a host of noble players who performed nobly, brought the home team back and Philly trailed by five after three.

It was on to the final period - or so the crowd of 18,482 at the Spectrum thought. Parish opened the fourth with a couple of jumpers and the C's went up by 10 again. Then the Doc (28 points) took over, working the Celtics at both ends while the indefatigable Malone (28 points and 19 rebounds in a whopping 56 minutes) did his work underneath.

The Celtics hung tough and a Kevin McHale (18 points) follow with 3:43 left gave them a seemingly comfortable 91-85 lead. Maurice Cheeks hit two free throws and Toney (a mere 24) connected on a jumper over Buckner to cut it to 91-89 with 1:31 left. Parish (10 of 18 from the floor) canned a jumper to make it 93-91 with 0:56 left and Toney answered at the other end to keep the Sixers within two. After a Parish miss, Toney rebounded and the Doc sent the game into overtime with a foul-line jumper.

The Celtics never led in the first overtime, but after Parish fouled out with 2:40 left, Bird (21 points, 19 rebounds) hit a 15-footer to keep the C's within one. A Malone stuff gave Philly a 104-101 lead, and after each team missed an opportunity, the Celtics took a timeout with 18 seconds left and set up a play for Bird. Sir Larry came off a pick and nailed a three-point shot from the top, dramatically tying it with 14 seconds left. Toney and Bobby Jones missed shots to send the game into Overtime II.

Play improved in the second overtime. "Fatigue wasn't real-ly a factor this early in the year," Buckner noted. "This was pretty well-played for a double overtime game."

The Celtics led three times in the second overtime. Baskets were answered with baskets. Timeouts were answered with more times-out. And Moses, the 56- minute man, kept plodding up and down the court, grabbing rebounds.

A Buckner basket put Boston ahead for the last time, 115-114, with 47 seconds left. Doc answered with a 15-foot fadeaway over Bird and the Celtics called time. When play resumed, Rick Robey took a pass down low, put the ball to the floor and watched Toney steal it. Robey fouled Moses at the other end and the big new Sixer made both to give Philly a 118-115 lead with 7 seconds left. Hoping for another three-point play, Bill Fitch called timeout.

Buckner took the inbounds pass near the top of the key, slipped and went to the floor. That was it. Franklin Edwards scooped up the ball - and the game - making one of two with 2 seconds left.

"I hit a wet spot," said Buckner. "I had an option of three guys who could have got the shot and it looked like I had the best spot. But when I stopped to plant my foot, it went out from under me."