4.02.2019

Judkins Leads Celts Past Jazz

February 21, 1980

JUDKINS, CELTICS SAVOR ONE, 105-98

Yes, Virginia, you were onto something. Crime absolutely, positively, does not pay. And it can be stated with certainty that if you stick a tooth under your pillow this evening the Good Fairy will leave a shiny, new quarter underneath by the morning. Somebody Up There was watching over this basketball game last night. In other words, what everyone connected with the Celtics wanted to happen, did happen. Right here in the land of Joseph Smith, not three miles from his home and his school, Jeff



Judkins came home and lifted the Celtics to a 105-98 victory over the Utah Jazz before a capacity Salt Palace gathering of 12,327. Judkins came off the bench to throw in 14 points in the second quarter as the Celtics changed a shaky 32-24 lead into a comfortable 66-46 halftime advantage. He did it by connecting on his first six shots from the floor, the first a patented 20-footer off a pick just 20 seconds after entering the game. The most spectacular of these six was a fearless running, flying tap-in ("I never even saw it go in"), after which he landed squarely on his kisser.

He completed his night's work by scoring five more points down the stretch, the last three of which officially signaled put-on-your-coats time for the crowd, which had cheered the Jazz earlier in the half when they had scored 16 unanswered points to reduce a big Boston margin to a scary six-point situation on two fourth-quarter occasions.

The coffin-nailer was a twisting three-point play off the glass with 1:02 remaining that gave the Celtics a 104-9l margin and put the game out of three- point comeback reach. The Celtics had hit the Jazz with just about every conceivable offensive weapon during that first half. They racked up 24 fast-break points, and on six occasions got right-backers - fast breaks off a Utah basket.

"There were two things up on our blackboard before the game," said Utah coach Tom Nissalke. "One was to control the tempo in general, and the second was to get back on defense. We knew what we had to do in order to win this game, and we didn't do it."

It would have aided the Utah cause had someone brought along a shotgun to dispose of both Larry Bird (yawn - 33 more casual points) and Rick Robey. The failure to contain Robey, who looked like Mitch Kupchak (the old Mitch Kupchak), with 20 points and a career-high 21 rebounds, was crucial for the Jazz, who got even less out of centers Ben Poquette (6 points, 7 rebounds), James Hardy (2 and 2) and Jerome Whithead (2 and 1, on the same tap-in) than the stats indicate.

Bird and Robey scored 13 points apiece as Boston took that 32-24 lead in the first quarter. Seven of Robey's points came on fast breaks (four on right- backers) and four more came on second shots. Bird was just, well, Bird, throwing in a three-pointer, sneaking around on the offensive boards and tossing in jumpers en route to a 21-point half. When things got sticky in the fourth quarter after the aroused Jazz had scored the final eight points of the third quarter and the first eight points of the fourth period (as Boston turned the ball over on each of its first four final-quarter possessions), it was Bird who did what great players are supposed to do: he took over.

With the score 89-81, Bird scored the next Celtic points in typical Bird fashion. First he hit an open 22-footer after rebounding a Jazz miss. Then he hit a baseline turnaround while wearing half the state of Utah. Following two Mack Calvin free throws, he squeezed up a dazzling left-hand scoop shot - that rolled off the rim. But Bird flashed to the ball and tapped it in left-handed to make it 95-83 with 6:52 left, and the Jazz were finished.

Coach Bill Fitch wasn't even that upset about blowing the lead, not after watching the way his team had come back. Like everyone else he was excitied over Judkins' big moment before the 60 friends and family he had brought in, not to mention the other 12,167 who had joined in a tumultuous standing ovation upon the introductions for the kid. "He really picked us up,"

Fitch said. "I couldn't be happier."

Nor could Judkins' teammates have found a nicer way to climax their pleasant three-day stay in Salt Lake. "With about two minutes to play, when we had it wrapped up," said Robey, "I walked over to Jeff and said, It couldn't happen at a better time to a better person.' "

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