HAWKS DEVOUR CELTS
If the Atlanta Hawks can bring eight players to Boston Garden and emerge with a 114-105 victory, anything can happen. Next thing you know they'll be putting artificial hearts in people and vice presidential candidates will be shilling for soft drink corperations.
File this in the Against All Odds folder. The Hawks were 8-21 on the road, had lost three straight, and dressed the legal limit of eight players. Meanwhile, the Celts were 25-2 at home and 18-2 against the Hawks in the last four years. The Celts were also 39-0 in games in which they led after three quarters and they led, 80-79, after three last night.
It didn't matter. Atlanta showed great heart, Dominique Wilkins (38) and Eddie Johnson (34) burned the Celts, and officials Mike Mathis and Bill Oakes were less than intimidated by the partisan Garden throng.
The Celts are entitled to one or two of these per season, but if they lose the Atlantic Division race by one game (the lead is down to a half game), the memory of this giveaway will sting more than any other.
Boston's players, coaches and fans will probably remember it as a butcher job by officials Mathis and Oakes, because the C's were socked with four technical fouls in the final quarter (assistant coach Jimmy Rodgers was ejected), but deep down, the Celts know they should have put the Hawks away early.
The floundering Hawks were stripped to bare bones. Cliff Levingston (shoulder) and Sly Williams (virus) were in Atlanta, and Mike Glenn and Doc Rivers rode the pine in civies due to sprained ankles. One more injury and Hawk coach Mike Fratello would have yanked Charlie Criss from the courtside broadcast table.
Oblivious to the seemingly insurmountable odds, Eddie Johnson hit nine of 10 shots (burning Danny Ainge, Quinn Buckner and not-ready-for-prime-time Ray Williams) and ran the Hawks to an 11-point first half lead. It was 57-48 at intermission and the usual Garden sellout sat back waiting for Boston's inevitable comeback.
Bird (34 points after a slow start) was hot after intermission and the Celts crept back into the game. With four minutes left in the third, Kevin McHale blocked an EJ drive, and Robert Parish scored off a break to tie it, 71-71. Three minutes later, Bird faked Scott Hastings into the 1969 championship banner and hit a set shot to give the Celts their first lead (78-77) since the first quarter.
Boston's one-point lead after three was wiped out in a hail of technical fouls. Bird was tagged by Mathis, then Rodgers was heaved by Oakes and K.C. Jones picked up a tech for good measure. When Dominique got through making free throws, the Hawks led, 92-84, with 8:59 left.
Mathis and Oakes weren't through. After the tech trauma, McHale and Bird were tagged with offensive fouls on successive trips down the floor. Atlanta led, 95-86, with 7:19 to play and called time as the Garden masses grumbled.
Then Wilkins buried a stake-driving fallaway and EJ rebounded a miss by Bird. DJ stripped EJ, but McHale's shot was blocked by Rollins. The Hawks looked fairly safe when Wilkins buried another jumper to make it 99-86 with six minutes left.
Atlanta led by 13 with 5:20 left when Boston started its final comeback. First Ainge canned a fourth-shot jumper, then Parish rebounded a Hawk miss and Scott Wedman buried a three-pointer to cut it to 101-95 with 4:10. The Hawks called time and Bird came back in.
Wilkins and Bird traded buckets after the pause, but EJ hit another bomb and it was 105-97 with 3:19 left. Parish was called for an offensive foul but rebounded a Wilkins miss. Bird scored on a lefty shot underneath and Parish stole from EJ for a sneakaway jam to cut it to 105-101 with 2:25 left. Atlanta called time.
The crowd went wild when Hastings was called for carrying the ball, but EJ stole a pass and was fouled by Ainge. EJ made both and it was 107-101. Then McHale was intimidated by Tree Rollins, lost the ball, and Wilkins scored on a break to make it 109-101 with 1:37 left. DJ cut it to six wth a pair of free throws, but it was too late. The Celts were forced to foul and Atlanta made its free throws.
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