10.04.2019

Celtics Get Kareemed

June 11, 1985

CELTICS KAREEMED

Touche.

Even as eulogies were being composed for the lordly Lakers in general - and for their elongated elder statesman, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in particular - Los Angeles tossed them into the wastebasket, along with the Celtics. Shrugging off their 34-point opening-game slaughter, the Lakers showed that one good burn deserves another as they defused the Celtics, 109-102, in Game 2. Technically, the Lakers merely tied the title match, 1-1, but for all intents and purposes, they seized the advantage as they headed home to taco heaven for three games.



"The second game (of the series) is the most pivotal," said LA coach Pat Riley. "The team with the home court is holding serve, and it's crucial for the team that needs the split."

And in spite of the Game 1 disaster, LA accomplished its objective, handing the Celtics their second home play-off loss in 23 games and first in 13 postseason Garden games since the opener of last year's LA-Boston final. "We got what we came for," said Laker swingman Michael Cooper (22 points on 8- for-9 shooting) after his team evened the score, if not the scoring.

There was no minimizing the crisis for the Celtics, who felt a Garden sweep was imperative. "I'd be glad to trade places with them," said Larry Bird (30 points, 12 rebounds, but only 9 for 21 from the floor). "Now they can clinch it out there, so there's no question our backs are to the wall."

The man mainly responsible for shoving the Celtics into this discomfiting position was 7-foot-2-inch Jabbar, whose gargantuan performance (30 points, 17 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocked shots) served as dramatic atonement for his puny Game 1 output (12 points, 3 rebounds). After that Memorial Day debacle, memoriams were being prepared for the 38-year-old Jabbar's 16-year career.

But the NBA's leading all-time scorer proved emphatically that he's still ready for prime time as he left the Celtics goggle-eyed and almost single- handedly carried the Lakers.

"I know I looked fatigued (in Game 1), but I wasn't," said Jabbar after rehabilitating his reputation and team. "I played fatigued, that's for sure . . . For all of us collectively, it was very disappointing that the Celtics beat us in such embarrassing fashion. What happened to us was like walking through the door and getting sucker-punched by a big left hook. When that happens and you get back up and recover, you will definitely have the other fellow's attention."

Not to mention awe. "He was killing us on the boards," said Danny Ainge. "He was hitting the sky hook. He played great."

And he served as an inspiration to the Lakers. "He knew he let his team down (in the opener)," said Riley. "Tonight he showed just tremendous, well, passion. He was committed."

That commitment surfaced under trying circumstances. Jabbar's Boston counterpart, Robert Parish, was no slouch (18 points, 10 rebounds). And Jabbar succeeded despite minimal help from his customary accomplices. Sure, Magic Johnson was his typical well-rounded self (14 points, 13 assists). But sharpshooters Byron Scott (5-17), James Worthy (6-14) and Bob McAdoo (1-7) crumbled.

Instead, Jabbar's primary assistance came from an unlikely source - supposed defensive specialist Cooper. His virtually flawless night was highlighted by a pair of baskets in the final three minutes that twice stifled the Celtics after they'd shaved an 18-point halftime deficit (64-46) to four. Cooper said he owed it all to Jabbar. "He came around to us all before the game," said Cooper. "He had a little pep talk for each of us. He told me to shoot it if I got open."

On the court, Jabbar made sure Cooper got the necessary room. "They were doubling real hard on Kareem," Cooper said. "They were leaving me open from 15 feet."

But the Celtics deserved equal credit for this decision. Their extraterrestrial shooting of the first game was supplanted by subterranean marksmanship (45.1 percent). They allowed the Lakers 10 more shots (92), of which LA converted 47.8 percent. After dominating the boards in the opener, Boston got outrebounded, 49-37, including 14-3 on offense.

Other than Bird, whose nose was bloodied by a Jabbar elbow, and Parish, whose mobility was impeded by a contusion on his buttocks, no Celtic performed up to snuff. Dennis Johnson, Kevin McHale and Ainge (distracted while helping Parish cover Jabbar) each had 15 points, but they were a quiet 15 points. "Larry and Robert played well," said McHale, victim of Jabbar's double- teaming defense. "The rest of us should have stayed home."

It appeared the Celtics had in the first half. Epitomizing their stumbling effort, it was an improbable Bird mistake - rolling on the fast break, he tried to pass to Greg Kite instead of shooting, then watched the ball get stolen - that triggered a 7-0 LA burst before intermission which left Boston in shreds. "They came out storming, even diving for loose balls," said DJ. "Our offense was null and void at times."

That aptly encapsulated the ironic stylistic twists of the first two encounters. In the opener, the speedway Lakers got outrun; in Game 2, the bruising Celtics got outmuscled.

"That looked like us in reverse," said coach K.C. Jones.

In fact, LA was in overdrive as the teams headed cross-country. And the Celtics were in danger. Humbling, shmumbling: a seven-point win was more profitable than a 34-point runaway.

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