9.02.2019

Back-to-Back?

April 14, 1985

A STRONG CASE FOR THE DEFENSE BUT FOR BACK-TO-BACK TITLES, CELTICS MUST BATTLE NBA TRADITION

It's been a long time. The NBA's last back-to-back champion turned the trick before man walked on the moon, before Watergate became a household word and before some kids gathered at Max Yasgur's farm in upstate New York for a rockfest.



The year was 1969, and an entire generation of hoop fans has grown up without witnessing a successful NBA title defense. Super Bowl, Stanley Cup and World Series rings have been won back-to-back, but injuries, retirements, psychological letdowns and hard luck have toppled 15 consecutive NBA champions. Only three of the last 15 titlists have made it back to the finals.

The 1984-85 Celtics are the latest in a long line of defenders. They displayed extraordinary consistency throughout the regular season and believe they can do what no team has done since their Celtic forefathers won the championship in 1967-68 and again in 1968-69.

Going into today's regular-season finale (vs. New Jersey), the Celtics are 63-18 and have endured only one two-game losing streak all season (when Larry Bird missed a pair of road games). At home and on the road, versus the East and West, they've exhibited unusual consistency for a defending NBA champ. They've displayed none of the mental lethargy that savaged the 1983-84 Sixers and have overcome small injuries while averting major breakdowns of the three players they can't win without - Bird, Robert Parish and Dennis Johnson.

The 1984-85 Celtics are similar to last year's champs. The only roster change is Ray Williams in place of Gerald Henderson.

Boston's backcourt is stronger than it was last spring. DJ is one of the league's top six guards, and there isn't a better money player in the NBA. He feels no pain and no pressure. He should be remembered as the man who took Magic Johnson out of the '84 finals and played the second half of the seventh game with a broken wrist.

Danny Ainge has replaced Henderson as a starting guard, and his numbers are better than Henderson's. (The Celtics and Ainge are a bit concerned about calcium deposits in his right thigh.) Meanwhile, the addition of Williams gives Boston a three-guard rotation that can compete with Philadelphia's and LA's. Williams has great talent and will help the Celtics if he stays within his game. The addition of Williams has also taken the pressure off Quinn Buckner, making him a serviceable and experienced fourth guard.

Up front, the Celtics still boast the NBA's most fearsome, versatile and experienced unit. This is the fifth playoff for the Bird-Parish-Maxwell-McHale frontcourt. The Celtics won last year when they destroyed the Lakers on the boards as the temperature went up.

Parish has had another strong season (quietly climbing to seventh in rebounding), but one always wonders about the fatigue factor with the 31-year- old pivotman (36.2 minutes per game this year). His playoff scoring has dropped dramatically in three of his four Celtic postseasons, and folks will be watching him closely when the playoffs get under way.

McHale, Maxwell and Scott Wedman are working in new roles this spring. McHale is a starter, and his scoring and rebound totals reflect the additional minutes. He will always create matchup problems for most teams. He did not have a good playoff last year, scoring 14.8 compared with 18.4 during the regular season.

Maxwell's contribution is difficult to project. He appears recovered from his knee woes but hasn't played full-time since mid-February. If his game returns to playoff form, he could be a Celtic version of Bobby Jones for the playoffs.

The emergence of Wedman has been the biggest surprise of the last month. After three seasons of inactivity, Wedman has shown the Celtics how he scored the first 10,000 points of his career.

Maxwell's injury and the acquisition of Williams transformed the Celtics from a six-man team into a nine-man team. Williams became the third guard, Buckner the fourth guard, Wedman emerged as instant offense and Maxwell is working for a return to prime time.

Bird remains the bottom-line answer to a lot of questions and doubts about Boston's ability to repeat. He did the impossible this season by playing much better than he did in his 1983-84 MVP campaign. He made all the big baskets and expanded his other duties. Like Magic, he is a five-position player who defies traditional roles.

The Celtics open their title defense Thursday vs. Cleveland. It's a best- of-five series against a team the Celtics have beaten six times this season and 15 consecutive times since January 1983. Cleveland hasn't won at the Garden since 1978.

After Cleveland (four games, tops), the Celtics play a second-round, seven- game set vs. Detroit or New Jersey. The Pistons play well against Boston but have no answer for McHale. Jersey is 0-5 against the Celtics, 5-30 since Bird came into the league.

If all goes according to plan, Boston will play the Milwaukee-Philly winner in the Eastern finals. The Bucks went 4-1 vs. the Celtics this year, but Philadelphia still stands a better chance of beating Boston in a playoff. Boston's homecourt advantage will be of great help.

Bird qualifies his postseason anaylsis, saying, "If this injury thing keeps up, we're going to struggle. If not, I feel we have the best team in the league. But there's a big difference between having the best team and winning. If we do get to the finals, LA is going to be waiting on us, and they're definitely going to be hungry this year. It'll be a better series than last year."

Asked if he believes the Celtics were a better team than LA last spring, Bird admits, "I really don't think we were. I think they were a little better, but we kept improving after the fourth game. This year, I think we're better."

But being the best doesn't always matter at playoff time.

LAST WEEK IN THE NBA BYE, BYE, MIDDLE AMERICAN PIE

The Lakers play the Kings in the final NBA game of the season at Kansas City's Kemper Arena today. The Kings will be in Sacramento next fall. Meanwhile, the SuperSonics said goodby to the Kingdome last Sunday. The Sonics will play at the Seattle Center Coliseum next season.

The last shall be first

When Bernard King officially wins the NBA scoring championship today, he will become the third player from a last-place team to do so. King joins Tiny Archibald (1972-73 Kansas City Kings) and Neil Johnston (1952-53 and '54-55 Philadelphia Warriors).

Take a good look around

Patrick Ewing will be singing, "My Hometown," in one of these places next year - Los Angeles, Oakland, Indianapolis, Atlanta, New York, Seattle or Sacramento. If there's any justice, he'll wind up with the Clippers or Warriors. The Clippers have not made the playoffs since 1976 when they were the Buffalo Braves. The Warriors haven't made it since 1977. The Pacers last made the tourney in 1981. The other four Wingo contestants were in the playoffs last year.

Hubie Brown probably has a plan for each

According to MIT professor Richard Dudley, there are 5040 possible combinations for the seven-team draft lottery.

You would think they

worked at the State House

Before Friday's loss to the Bucks at the Garden, the Celtics were the NBA's only team to avert overtime.

The week that was

- Sugar - Micheal Ray Richardson had 33 points and 11 assists against Cleveland Tuesday, then added 27 points and 14 assists against the Sixers the next night.

- Bowie Knife - Portland rookie Sam Bowie had 21 points and 20 rebounds against the Lakers last Sunday.

- Parity and Disparity - Take a good look at the box score from Utah's 145-107 bombing of the Blazers Thursday. It was the biggest victory margin in Jazz history. Portland coach Jack Ramsay used 12 players - all played between 8 and 28 minutes.

- Magic - Earvin Johnson had 39 points and 11 assists against Portland last Sunday. Magic added 28 points and 17 assists against the Warriors Thursday.

- Pocket Magic - Isiah Thomas, who set the single-season record for assists Friday night, had 19 against the Knicks Tuesday in addition to his 21 against the Bullets Friday.

- Best To You Each Evening - Clark Kellogg scored 31 points with 18 rebounds against the Pistons Wednesday.

- Clang - Gus Williams was 4 for 17 against the Bucks Wednesday. Portland rookie Steve Colter was 1 for 12 against the Lakers Sunday. Ray Williams was 1 for 9 and Scott Wedman 2 for 14 against the Bucks Friday.

No comments: