Laimbeer's a Flopper

May 4, 1985

CELTICS KNOCK LAIMBEER, CRY FOUL ON 'CHEAP SHOTS'

DETROIT

Bill Laimbeer is the Pistons' only answer. Once again the Celtics have brought their physical and verbal arsenal to a playoff series, and Laimbeer is the single rival who can play Boston's bully game.

The Celtics have fingered Laimbeer as the man they love to hate in this series that resumes tomorrow (1 p.m., Channel 7) in Joe Louis Arena (Boston leads, 2-1).



After Detroit's Game 3 victory, which was highlighted by a short, heated confrontation between Laimbeer and Robert Parish, several Celtics took time to blast the Piston center.

Parish: "He always talks, but he can't back it up, so no one ever pays attention to him. He gets away with murder out there. Every time I see him he plays like that."

Larry Bird: "Laimbeer flops around like a fish out of water. The rest of their team plays basketball."

Cedric Maxwell: "He flops around like the fat lady at he circus, but he couldn't knock out my wife."

Laimbeer was composed after practice yesterday and had few fighting words for his tormentors.

"That doesn't bother me a bit," said the 6-foot-11 center. "They can say what they want about me. They can get into a war of words if they want to . . . but we have a chance to win the game and the series, and we're not afraid of 'em."

Laimbeer has had a strange series. In Game 1 he played what he termed "the worst game of my life. I was non-existent. I have no excuses."

He scored one point with three rebounds . . . but did have an excuse. His wife had given birth to a boy and was in intensive care with a blood clot in her lung (she has since been moved out of intensive care).

Laimbeer bounced back with 12 points and 9 rebounds in Game 2, but made only 3 of 11 shots. Late in the game, he drew blood from Bird's chin with an up-fake elbow.

Piston coach Chuck Daly noted, "We certainly need him to stay competitive in this thing. He's our only real size."

Laimbeer scored 27 with 13 rebounds in Detroit's 125-117 victory Thursday. His team got a big lift after he challenged Parish in the third quarter. Laimbeer received an open-hand slap from Parish, but the Pistons responded by outplaying the Celtics after the incident.

After the game, Parish said, "I feel he took some cheap shots at me. They just weren't calling anything. I guarantee something will break out if they let it go Sunday like they did tonight."

Predictably, Laimbeer and the Pistons think the cocky Celtics have instigated most of the trouble.

"They're very cocky and they try to intimidate, and if you let that happen you're going to be in trouble," said Laimbeer. "So I'm not going to let that happen. We have to stand up to them . . . I have to be out there setting the tempo because we are a small team.

"This series is far from over. If we go down, we'll go down fighting, but we have every intention of winning the series."

After shooting only 32 percent against the Cavaliers, Danny Ainge is shooting 56 percent (19-34) against the Pistons . . . Kevin McHale has scored 20 or more in each game of the Detroit series and has 16 blocks in seven playoff games . . . Unless there's an injury or foul trouble, the Celtics are an eight-man team the rest of the way. M.L. Carr's knee has knocked him out of action, Greg Kite is used only as a last resort, Carlos Clark has played only one playoff game (four garbage-time minutes in Sunday's blowout), and Quinn Buckner has not played in three of the last four games . . . Mike Mathis has officiated both of Boston's playoff defeats . . . There were 7000 empty seats for Game 3, but the Pistons are looking for a sellout tomorrow . . . Celtic GM Jan Volk said the suggestion that the Celtics might move Robert Parish to Dallas for Sam Perkins is "totally unfounded." A rival coach attending the Celtic-Piston game Thursday said he thought the Celtics and Mavericks might be contemplating such a deal.