10.04.2018

Moses to Philly: Is the Season Over Already?

9/17/82

Moses to Philly: Is the Season Over Already?

Unbelievable. Moses Malone is a Philadelphia 76er. There is no hope for the hometown basketball team.

"No, wait a minute," I object. "There is a hope. There is a lot of hope. This isn't the greatest trade ever made. Wait a minute."



He is climbing the backboard now. Taking down every rebound. He is the closest rebound worker to Bill Russell since Bill Russell played this game. Once, twice, three times, he is stuffing in those third-rebound shots, forcing them through the basket as if they were pesky pairs of shoes that wouldn't fit into a bag that is too small. Nobody can stop him.

"Sure," I say. "Somebody can stop him. The Celtics stopped him in the NBA finals two years ago, didn't they? Robert Parish did a nice job on him. Maybe Moses had his games, had his moments, but he wasn't so great he could take control. What happened this year? Where were the Rockets this year if he was good? How could that team fall apart the way it did if a behemoth like this was on its side?"

He has help this time. He has a lot of help. There is the Doctor, himself, just flying along, doing those Doctor things. Moses is throwing those outlet passes to Mo Cheeks and to Andrew Toney and to Bobby Jones and everybody is flying. Ain't been a fast-breaking, flying team like this. Ever. Big Moses is catching his breath while the easy baskets are scored.

"Wait a minute," I say. "Nobody ever has accused him of being the world's greatest defensive rebounder. He is an offensive rebounder. That's his specialty. He is an offensive rebounder and a scorer. Doesn't he just take the ball away from The Doctor and from Mad Andrew? Doesn't he just swallow it in the middle, never a return pass, always a shot? The Doctor and Mad Andrew will be hurt, not helped by this."

He's playing the entire game. All 48 minutes. He's young, strong, 27 years old. He doesn't need a rest. He's there for the route. This simply is a special 6-foot-10 basketball talent. Straight from old Petersburgh High to the pros. Plays the pro game. Knows how to pace himself. Youth, plus those four extra years of pro experience. How do you beat that?

"Beat it with a bench, maybe," I suggest. "What's been Philly's greatest asset in all of these playoff series with the Celts? The bench. Now Caldwell Jones is gone and that has to hurt. He was the one piece on the board that could move anywhere. He could play Parish. He could play Larry Bird. Remember how the Celtics left him free for those 20-footers in the first game of the playoffs this year? He could hit the 20-footer. That's for sure. He started the Celtics' slide.

"Now he's gone and Darryl Dawkins is gone and Steve Mix is finished and there isn't any solid replacement. Philly has to play iron-man ball. Like it or not."

The defense has to be gimmicked to stop the big man. There is no other way. The forwards have to help when he has the ball. The forwards have to be leaning. When Dawkins was the center, when Caldwell had the job, the attention could be focused toward The Doctor, toward Mad Andrew, if he was hot. The defense had better be focused toward Moses now. He is the No. 1 problem.

"Well, the Celtics should be better on defense, too," I say. "Quinn Buckner will help with those scoring guards. Help with Toney. Danny Ainge should be better, second time around. And bench? The Celtics will have the bench this time. If Moses is going crazy against Parish, Rick Robey can slide into the game to help. Options. A lot of options."

The big man responds to the cheers at the Spectrum. Mowwwwwwwwww-ses Malone! He walks off the court at the end of the game, right arm thrust into the air. Doing it! Turn to the Garden and he is the villain. He is the reincarnation of Wilt. A better villain even than Dawkins because he is a better player. A big man to be tackled by smaller men, an invading behemoth. A perfect 76er in Philadelphia. A perfect 76er in Boston.

"I would have waited," I say. "The smart move would have been to take the Cleveland draft choice and go for a big man next year. Ralph Sampson. Patrick Ewing, if possible. Patrick Ewing would be a foundation for a decade or more of success. Moses is the short-term choice. Nothing more. The Sixers are going for the whole thing. Going for it now. That's the choice. The wrong choice."

The winter has come and gone. The spring is here. The big man is playing against the Celtics and the Celtics are playing against the big man, best-of- seven, and not a ticket can be had. There is no hope for the local team . . . No, there is more hope than ever for the local team . . . No, nobody knows for sure.

The rivalry grows even bigger. That is why this trade is fun.

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