January 19, 1985
CELTICS FALL OUT OF FIRST PACERS UPSET BOSTON, 91-86
It came to pass like a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Celtics don't like to play the Indiana Pacers, and now we understand why.
What was supposed to be just a tuneup for tomorrow afternoon's showdown with Philadelphia became a shocking upset last night as the Pacers pulled out a 91-86 victory before a sellout crowd of 16,920.
The Celtics had come to town with a seven-game winning streak and on a delicious roll that would have made them the talk of the NBA - had not Philly won 13 in a row. But you'd never have known it last night as Boston went into a trance at both ends of the floor and as a result dropped out of first place in the Atlantic Division for the first time since Dec. 30, 1983.
Somebody called it Bakers Night - Boston committed 25 turnovers. The Celtics also took a season-low 75 shots and had only six offensive rebounds against a team over which they enjoyed a considerable edge in size and depth.
Herb Williams (27 points) was only part of the reason for the Pacers' success. Generally, they outplayed the Celtics and, with a chance to win, they made the plays at the end. The game was tied 15 times and the lead changed hands 17 times. That simply shouldn't happen when these two teams meet.
"It was an ugly night," was the message of Boston's Robert Parish, who perhaps had the best summation of what had happened. "We didn't execute well. We didn't run the break well. We made too many turnovers. It had to be a coach's nightmare.
"We've been doing all those things right, but I guess it finally caught up with us. Give some credit to Indiana. They smelled it and went after it. But we knew going into this week this might be our toughest game."
It was a particularly tough loss for Larry Bird, who loves to perform well before his "hometown" fans. His early ice-cold start notwithstanding, the pride of French Lick gave perhaps the best effort of all the Celtics. But with 24 seconds left, and Boston down by three points, he was guilty of the turnover that gave the ball back to Indiana and that assured the Pacers of the victory.
Boston had called timeout with 31 seconds left to set up a play for Bird. And when play resumed, everything went according to plan as he flashed to the top of the key for a jumper. But while it appeared he was bumped going up for a shot, referee Paul Mihalak didn't quite see it that way. Bird never let fly with the shot, presuming he had been fouled, and came down with the ball. Instead of a foul call, Mihalak ruled Bird had traveled.
"He bumped me a little on the arm," said Bird, "and I guess if the shot had gone towards the basket, I'd have gotten the call. But it went straight up and he (Mihalak) was behind me. I guess he thought it just slipped out of my hand. I was fouled."
But, added Bird, the game was in jeopardy long before that.
"We had our chances," he said, "even though we were not playing well. But at the end we failed to execute. I don't think it was a letdown as such. We knew it would be a tough game and we should have been prepared to play. But we weren't, and they were able to take advantage of it."
The Celtics should have gotten the message in the first half when they fell behind by four points in the first period and never seemed to be able to catch up. Indiana led by as many as nine in the first quarter (at 25-16) and by eight in the second quarter - despite the fact that Bird had come to life, scoring 13 of Boston's last 15 points. Indiana even led at halftime, 50-46, as Boston made 12 turnovers in the half.
Usually this season it has been only a matter of time before Boston has settled down and taken command. It certainly seemed that way when Bird and Dennis Johnson hit the first two baskets of the third period to tie the game.
But Indiana held on with renewed enthusiasm. By the time the third period ended, the game had been tied six times and the Pacers still had the lead at 72-66 - largely because the Celtics went scoreless for the final four minutes, 30 seconds of the period.
In the fourth period, although the game had been tied eight more times, Boston's fast break had vanished and Indiana was playing some excellent half- court defense.
"One of the stronger parts of our game was our defense," said Pacers forward Clark Kellogg. "We're good at getting back. We've got good athletes and good quickness. It paid off for us tonight."
The final tie was at 86-86. Indiana called time with 1:18 to play and the result was a clear-out and a roll to the basket by Williams. Although he missed the shot, he was fouled by Parish, hitting the two free throws that gave Indiana a lead it would never relinquish. Guard Jerry Sichting scored Indiana's final three points, all on free throws.
It was just not the Celtics' night.
"It's not so bad when one or two guys have bad nights," said Kevin McHale. "But when a whole team goes bad, it's terrible."
Defense has not been one of the long suits for the Pacers this season. It is one reason they find themselves at the bottom of the NBA's Central Division.
But coach George Irvine still thinks one thing his team does very well is to get back on transition. Against the Celtics he thought it was the key to a stunning victory, only the second by Indiana over Boston in two years.
"We still lack that big man in the middle," said Irvine, savoring the 91-86 triumph. "I think we have the best team in the league when it comes to getting back on defense. I've been with a lot of good defensive players, including Bobby Jones. There is nobody better than Herb Williams."
Williams had 27 points and eight rebounds and provided the defensive help inside that enabled the Pacers to shut down the Celtics' inside game - and their usually lethal fast break. Boston had only five fast breaks for eight points. If it wasn't Williams, it was Clark Kellogg or surprise starter Granville Waiters clogging up the lanes.
"We started Granville to match up against Robert Parish," said Irvine. "We felt that we had enough scoring from our starting lineup with the improved offensive play of Jim Thomas (14 points) and Vern Fleming (10).
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