Celts Stop Skid

2/27/01

The Celtics returned to the FleetCenter last night with none of the artistry supplied by the temporary tenants in "Disney on Ice," but they skated by without it. While the traveling ice show forced the Celtics to endure a seven-game, 11-day road trip, it did not interrupt the team's string of success on the parquet. The Celtics pushed aside the Seattle SuperSonics, 85-82, snapping the four-game losing streak they brought back from Western Conference outposts.

The victory extended the Celtics' home winning streak to six and helped them gain a game on the Pacers (who lost to Charlotte) in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Boston now trails eighth-place Indiana by 1 1/2 games.

More than three years have passed since Boston strung together six wins on its home court. Six years have passed since the Celtics made the playoffs. (As if anyone needed a reminder about that.) And it has been nine years since the Green swept Seattle in a season series.

So last night was satisfying, despite all the turnovers they committed (21), the foul trouble that included four technicals, and their 42.9 percent shooting from the floor.

"This is strictly business for us now," said Paul Pierce, who scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter but was in foul trouble much of the night (five personals, including a tech). "This last month and a half, we're taking each and every game seriously, as a playoff game. It's going to come down to the last couple of weeks.

"This is a must win for us coming off the road. We had to make sure we got this, no matter how we did it. It wasn't a pretty win, but we got the win."

The Celtics kept the crowd of 15,460 in suspense almost until the very end. With 1 minute 55 seconds left, Shammond Williams hit a layup in transition to draw the Sonics within a basket (77-75). Williams provided a major spark for Seattle in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 of his team-high 21 points. He was a can't-miss option when Gary Payton (20 points) found himself trapped.

With little more than a minute remaining, a pair of 19-foot jump shots - one by Antoine Walker (team-high 25 points) and one by Pierce - seemed to put Boston at a relatively safe distance at 81-75. But on the other end, Williams and Payton teamed up for quick baskets. (Payton got credit in the scoring column, Williams the assists.)

When Payton hit his first and only 3-pointer with 17.9 seconds left, the Celtics were again down to a 2-point advantage (82-80).

Although the Celtics struggled from the line all night (13 of 22), a pair of free throws by Randy Brown and one from Walker were all the Celtics needed from there. A late jumper by Payton (again assisted by Williams) came too late to make a difference.

"I knew they were coming out for war tonight, and they did," said Walker, who also led the team with 13 rebounds, 7 assists, and 8 turnovers. "It was a great game and they battled us to the end.

"With the situation we were in, on a four-game losing streak, the game was even much more important for us to get off the skid and get back on the right track."

Boston's 3-point shooting and rebounding also got going back in the right direction. The Celtics outrebounded the Sonics, 42-40 - only the second time in 11 games they have been more productive than an opponent on the glass. The last time? When the Green visited Key Arena in Seattle. Patrick Ewing did his part, though, with 11 points and 11 rebounds last night.

While the Celtics struggled with their 3-point shooting Friday in San Antonio, they regained their touch last night. They went 12 of 24 from long range, sinking 3-pointers at key moments.

Eric Williams (13 points), Bryant Stith (13 points, sprained right wrist and all), Pierce, and Walker had three treys apiece. Seven 3-pointers in the first two quarters helped the Celtics take a 44-36 lead at halftime.

"We talked about their shooting threes and we didn't want to give them the 3-point ball," said Seattle coach Nate McMillan. "We wanted to crowd them as much as possible and make them put it on the floor.

"They made some tough shots, but if we make our free throws and we finish around the basket and if we take care of the basketball, we win the ballgame."