Kings Down Slumping Celts

December 29, 1982

KINGS DOWN SLUMPING CELTICS, 129-124

On a night when officials Bob Rakel and Hugh Evans put on a performance that would have embarrassed Ray Charles and Jose Feliciano, the Celtics were beaten by the Kansas City Kings, 129-124.



Bill Fitch got the heave, six Celtics were hit with four or more personals and the Kings went to the line 49 times compared with 22 for Boston. Put it this way: NBA officials' chief of staff Darrell Garretson won't make the game film mandatory viewing for future referee hopefuls.

"Whatever action a coach can take officially, in the complaint department, I'll make," said a disgusted Fitch. "We really didn't have too many go our way when it mattered. We didn't get one call."

In fairness, it appeared to be more a display of ineptitude than bias. Rakel and Evans were missing them both ways all night long. Plus, Blind Man's Bluff or not, the Celtics have to face the fact that they've lost four of six and are in a legitimate slump as they prepare for five more whistle stops through the NBA's Midwest Division.

Robert Parish, who had 25 points and 10 rebounds in 33 quality minutes, said, "I don't think the ballgame was lost because of the refs. Even with the way the game was called, we should have won. We missed free throws (they hit 12 of 22, 54.5 percent) and layups. There's no sense crying. I don't feel like we're struggling. We're still playing well and this is history. We've got to get ready for the next ballgame."

Since the gruesome history must be documented, let the record show that the first-place Kings (hey, a first-place, 17-9 record doesn't exactly qualify them for the Ralph Sampson sweepstakes) got 49 percent of their offense from men named Johnson (Eddie 30 points, Steve 20, Reggie 13), plus a brilliant floor game from limping (strained left foot) point guard Larry Drew (22 points). Not surprisingly, winning coach Cotton Fitzsimmons - who was also hit with a techincal foul - said, "It was a good ballgame. I enjoyed it."

The Celtics led from the seventh to the 43d minute. Danny Ainge (11-18, career-high 24 points), Cedric Maxwell (23 points, nine rebounds) and Parish kept the Celtics on top. A hook shot by Max gave the Celtics their biggest lead, 84-74, with 4:25 left in the third quarter, and it seemed that Tiny Archibald (17 points, nine assists) kept things under control every time KC was ready to rally.

The Kings took their first lead since the opening quarter when eighth- round draft pick Ed Nealy scored his only basket with 4:27 left to make it 105-104. The best basektball of the night followed. The lead changed hands seven straight times down the floor. It was in-your-face, one-upmanship, something this sloppy game and the sellout (16,482) crowd badly needed.

Then, in a crucial and nightmarish 1 1/2 minutes, Kansas City outscored Boston, 8-0, to wipe out a 112-111 deficit and take a commanding lead with 0:52 showing.

The deciding surge started with Mike Woodson converting an off-balance 13- footer in the lane. At the other end, Bird (20 points, but only 8-for-22 shooting) missed a shot and was called for a loose-ball foul on Joe Meriweather when he tried to follow his own miss.

"The ball was loose, we both had it," said Bird. "I had the inside position and I heard the whistle. I thought I was going to the line."

Instead, Meriweather went to the line and hit both. After Bird missed again, Meriweather grabbed a rebound and Eddie Johnson hit a jumper from the left corner - 117-112. After errant shots by Archibald and Bird, Drew scored on a fast-break layup and it was 119-112 with 52 seconds to play.

The closing seconds were not without excitement. Archibald and Ainge each hit three-pointers, and with 26 seconds left, Fitch was heaved by Rakel. But the outcome was never again in doubt. It was time to think about snowshoeing to Denver for tomorrow night's meeting with the Nuggets.