Sixers Slam Celts

April 10, 1985

76ERS FLATTEN CELTICS

Playing as if the Polk County championship were at stake, the Celtics were beaten, 113-104, by the Philadelphia 76ers last night.

Two days after exhausting his frontcourt for a hollow victory against the hopeless Knicks, coach K.C. Jones finally decided it was garbage time. With everything virtually wrapped up and four games to play, Jones chose the Spectrum as the site of Boston's first stretch-drive snore.

It's a prudent tactic at this juncture, but one that goes against every fiber of Larry Bird's being.



"I think we should have just forfeited," Bird said after watching the injury-riddled Celtics fall behind by 23 in the third quarter. "Why not? We have nothing to play for. We need rest now more than anything. It's hard to go out there and have a dogfight when we're not at full strength. We just want to get the season over with."

"It's like going to a great lake full of nice fish and catching a bunch of one-pounders," said Kevin McHale, the man who carries a glossary of quotations from "Field and Stream."

The Celtics were in it for a quarter. Boston led for most of the first period and trailed by only two after one. Things got out of hand when the Celtics were outrebounded, 21-7, in the second quarter and trailed, 67-52, at halftime. Late in the third, Jones went with a quintet of Carlos Clark, Quinn Buckner, Greg Kite, M.L. Carr and Scott Wedman. Philly led, 97-75, after three and folks in the Spectrum were wondering why they weren't across the street shivering at the Phillies' home opener. Wedman's 17 fourth-quarter points enabled the Celtics to avert complete humiliation.

Boston's white flag effort in the Spectrum was not totally unexpected. The Celtics left Danny Ainge (thigh injury) and Cedric Maxwell (knee) home in Boston, Carr re-injured his ankle and Ray Williams (flu) didn't come out for the second half. Meanwhile, Bird, Robert Parish and McHale had logged an incredible 134 minutes (out of a possible 144) on Sunday against the pitiful Knicks and it was time to rest the big boys for the playoffs.

"I said before the ballgame that I was gonna play Dennis (Johnson), Larry, Kevin and Robert only 30 minutes and I stuck with that plan," said Jones (Bird played 37, Parish 37, McHale 29 and DJ 25).

Still, it was sad to see this ferocious rivalry reduced to a YMCA scrimmage. Remember the Bird-Julius Erving fistfight when both of these teams

were undefeated in November? Last night's debacle featured the sight of Clark smiling as he missed a pair of free throws late in the third quarter.

Sixer general manager Pat Williams wasn't upset with Boston's lack of commitment. Philadelphia still needs victories to gain a homecourt advantage against the Bucks, should they meet in the conference semifinals.

"(Boston) played the first half as hard as they could," said Williams. "But I think (Jones) decided this wasn't going to be their night."

McHale (14 points in the first quarter) took it to Charles Barkley as the Celtics bolted to a 20-12 lead. Williams was effective at both ends and Boston repeatedly beat the Sixers downcourt.

Erving (18 points) had success against Bird at the other end and the Sixers clawed back into it before the quarter ended.

A Sedale Threatt jumper gave Philadelphia a 32-30 lead at the end of one. There were hints of a Boston collapse, however. Kite, Buckner and Clark were on the floor at the end of the first quarter.

Jones started Buckner, Clark, Wedman, McHale and Parish in the second quarter and the Sixers started the period with a 9-2 rebounding edge and grabbed a 40-33 lead before K.C. called time.

Jones went back to his best available five after the pause, but that didn't stop the Sixer roll. Clemon Johnson, playing for the first time since March 15, came in for Moses Malone (22 points, 19 rebounds) and played well, and Barkley did whatever he wanted underneath.

Erving and the immortal Threatt led an 8-0 run (against Boston's best) to make it 52-39 and force another Boston timeout. Philadelphia owned a 32-16 rebounding margin at the intermission.

The Celts called it a night midway through the third. Boston was outrebounded, 13-8, and shot 37 percent (6-16) in the period.

Jones went back to his stars in the fourth quarter and Wedman shot the Celts back into a single-digit deficit. Philadelphia's 23-point lead was down to 105-96 with 4:02 left.