1986 C's Get Revenge at Portland (but only barely)

Celtics fans should take comfort in the knowledge that Larry Bird is all the way back to his MVP form of the past two seasons. He's been the scourge of the West thus far on this trip and last night hit a 14- footer with three seconds left in overtime to give the Celtics a pulsating 120-119 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

How Did the '86 C's Lose that One Home Game?

Portland Trail Blazers 121 13-10 (Won 1) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒	Boston Celtics 103 17-3 (Lost 1) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒
December 6, 1985

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Portland Trail Blazers (13-10)

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	Basic Box Score Stats
Starters	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	FT	FTA	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
Jim Paxson	35:00	6	14	.429	0	0		4	5	.800	2	3	5	3	0	0	3	2	16
Clyde Drexler	32:00	8	19	.421	0	0		3	4	.750	0	3	3	6	5	2	2	3	19
Mychal Thompson	31:00	6	14	.429	0	0		1	2	.500	3	3	6	2	0	1	1	4	13
Sam Bowie	30:00	8	15	.533	0	0		2	4	.500	4	9	13	5	1	3	1	3	18
Darnell Valentine	21:00	1	6	.167	0	0		0	0		1	1	2	7	0	0	1	2	2
Reserves	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	FT	FTA	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
Steve Colter	27:00	5	9	.556	0	2	.000	12	14	.857	0	1	1	5	3	0	1	3	22
Jerome Kersey	22:00	11	15	.733	0	0		0	0		2	2	4	0	5	0	1	1	22
Caldwell Jones	22:00	3	5	.600	0	0		1	3	.333	1	2	3	1	1	1	0	3	7
Kenny Carr	9:00	1	2	.500	0	0		0	0		1	1	2	0	1	0	0	0	2
Terry Porter	9:00	0	3	.000	0	1	.000	0	0		0	2	2	2	0	0	3	3	0
Ken Johnson	2:00	0	0		0	0		0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Team Totals	240	49	102	.480	0	3	.000	23	32	.719	14	27	41	31	16	7	13	24	121

Boston Celtics (17-3)

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	Basic Box Score Stats
Starters	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	FT	FTA	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
Danny Ainge	41:00	5	12	.417	2	5	.400	2	3	.667	1	6	7	9	2	0	2	1	14
Larry Bird	39:00	9	26	.346	0	2	.000	2	2	1.000	4	7	11	7	1	3	3	1	20
Kevin McHale	39:00	7	12	.583	0	0		5	7	.714	0	10	10	0	1	1	4	3	19
Robert Parish	28:00	5	11	.455	0	0		2	6	.333	2	4	6	0	0	3	3	3	12
Dennis Johnson	23:00	4	6	.667	0	0		5	6	.833	2	2	4	3	4	0	3	6	13
Reserves	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	FT	FTA	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
Bill Walton	18:00	1	3	.333	0	0		0	0		0	3	3	1	0	1	5	2	2
Sam Vincent	13:00	3	6	.500	1	2	.500	2	2	1.000	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	4	9
Jerry Sichting	11:00	2	2	1.000	0	0		0	0		0	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	4
Greg Kite	9:00	0	1	.000	0	0		0	0		0	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	0
Rick Carlisle	7:00	2	3	.667	0	1	.000	0	0		0	1	1	0	1	0	1	0	4
Scott Wedman	7:00	1	3	.333	1	1	1.000	0	0		1	1	2	0	1	0	3	0	3
David Thirdkill	5:00	1	1	1.000	0	0		1	4	.250	2	1	3	0	0	0	1	0	3
Team Totals	240	40	86	.465	4	11	.364	19	30	.633	12	36	48	25	11	8	26	22	103

Some green loyalists will try to blame this one on Larry Bird's 9-for- 26 shooting, the buffoonery of referees Tommy Nunez and Bennett Salvatore, or maybe a farewell curse by the maniacal Sly Williams.

No. The Portland Trail Blazers trashed the Celtics , 121-103, at Boston Garden last night because Dr. Jack Ramsay's Flying Burrito Brothers could do no wrong. Steve Colter was Norm Van Lier, Jerome Kersey was Elgin Baylor, and Sam Bowie was Nate Thurmond. How else does a team which had lost eight of 12, and came to town without its high scorer (Kiki Vandeweghe) humiliate the 17-3 Celtics at home?

So much for boredom. After toying with opponents for several weeks, the Celts had their lunch handed to them. Boston's nine-game winning streak is history. The Celts led only once (75-74) and the rest of the night was spent watching the Burritos simulate the 1984 Track & Field Olympic trials in LA. It was the Celts' worst home beating since March 28, 1982 (116-98 vs. Philly, snapping an 18-game winning streak).

"I think there comes a time when you just tire of being embarrassed," said Bowie (18 points, 13 rebounds).

"Every team gets extra-psyched to play Boston," added Colter (22 points). "Everyone wants to get ya. We're one of the teams that wants to get ya and tonight we got ya."

The Celts helped out with 26 turnovers (second highest of the season) and 63 percent free throw shooting. Robert Parish stood still for the fourth straight game, Bill Walton (2 points, 3 rebounds, 5 turnovers) was worse, and Bird's brick-tossing turned the area under the hoop into a hard-hat zone. Dennis Johnson fouled out in 23 minutes, and the Celts capped the awful night with four technicals and K.C. Jones' first ejection of the season.

You sensed it might be a strange evening when you saw the sneakers. The Celts are generally considered to be owners of the ugliest footwear in the NBA, but Portland's red runners look worse then Boston's black beauties.

The men in the red shoes ran the Celtics off the floor in the first five minutes. Bowie, Mychal Thompson, Clyde Drexler (19) and Jim Paxson forced a flurry of Boston turnovers and beat the green team down the floor for layups and dunks as the visitors bolted to an 18-7 lead.

The Celts were able to close the gap to 34-29 at the end of one, but Boston went 3:20 without scoring at the start of the second and Colter (22) led Portland's super subs to a fluid 14-2 run and 48-31 lead. The Trail Blazers had 15 fastbreak points, Boston none.

Boston trailed, 53-35, when Jones tried Sam Vincent in the backcourt. Sudden Sam (nine points) led Boston on a 17-3 drive in the final five minutes of the half. Portland's margin was only 56-52 at intermission.

Unfortunately for Boston, Mr. Kersey had not yet begun to fly. He scored only two of his 22 points in the first half.

"He looked like a guy with a 48-inch vertical jump tonight," said Danny Ainge.

The Celts tightened their defense and turned it around briefly in the third. Kevin McHale blocked a Thompson shot and Walton fed Bird for a fastbreak layup (as he was fouled by Colter). Bird made the free throw to give the Celts their only lead, 75-74.

Enter Kersey. En route to a 10-13 second half, this man who averages 11 minutes and 5.7 points destroyed the Celtics. While Bird looked at the bottoms of Kersey's red shoes, the second-year sub led the Blazers to a quarter- closing 11-2 run. Portland led, 85-77, at the end of three.

DJ picked up his sixth foul at the start of the fourth and the Celts trailed by 10 when Johnson departed.

It got worse. Kersey kept connecting and a fastbreak follow-up slam by Bowie gave Portland a 97-83 lead with 8:36 left. Then Bowie dunked on an alley-oop from Colter and it was 99-83. The Celts had made one of six shots, and Bird was on his way to seven straight misses.

"They had 14 offensive rebounds and I think all of them must have been dunks," sighed Ainge.

The lead peaked at 23 (119-96), but Portland never stopped running. The Blazers flew out of the Garden to catch a 10:45 flight to Jersey.

"Tonight they played great basketball and we did not play well at all," admitted Jones. "They just outplayed us in every department. They did a royal job on us."

19 Minutes of Heaven from Walton Propels Celtics (16-2) to Another W

Boston Celtics 112 16-2 (Won 8) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒	Milwaukee Bucks 109 15-7 (Lost 1) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒
December 3, 1985

Celtics Tally 29 Assists in Road Win (85-86)

Boston Celtics 102 15-2 (Won 7) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒	Atlanta Hawks 97 8-11 (Lost 3) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒
November 30, 1985

Bird (31, 15, 4, 3, 3) Leads 14-2 C's to Win Over Knicks

New York Knicks 88 4-13 (Lost 1) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒	Boston Celtics 94 14-2 (Won 6) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒
November 29, 1985

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Moses, Barkley, and Dr. J No Match for 85-86 C's

Boston Celtics 98 12-2 (Won 4) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒	Philadelphia 76ers 91 6-8 (Lost 3) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒
November 26, 1985

DJ Out? No Problem, as Sichting, Carlisle and Vincent Step Up (85-86)

Boston Celtics 113 11-2 (Won 3) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒	New York Knicks 104 3-11 (Lost 3) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒
November 23, 1985

McHale Goes for 32 & 11, as C's Dump Moses and Sixers (85-86)

Philadelphia 76ers 103 6-6 (Lost 1) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒	Boston Celtics 110 10-2 (Won 2) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒
November 22, 1985

Celtics Rescue a W in OT at Da Gahden (85-86)

Utah Jazz 106 6-7 (Lost 1) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒	Boston Celtics 115 9-2 (Won 1) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒
November 20, 1985

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1	2	3	4	OT	T
UTA	28	21	27	24	6	106
BOS	29	29	19	23	15	115

Steve Stipanovich & Clark Kellogg Help Pacers Hang Second Loss on 85-86 C's

Boston Celtics 109 8-2 (Lost 1) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒	Indiana Pacers 111 3-6 (Won 1) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒
November 16, 1985

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1	2	3	4	T
BOS	33	28	28	20	109
IND	31	28	28	24	111

Mountain Man Comes Up Big for First Time in W (85-86)

Washington Bullets 114 2-7 (Lost 7) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒	Boston Celtics 118 8-1 (Won 8) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒
November 15, 1985

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Greatest Home Team Ever Wins Another Close One at Da Gahden (85-86)

Indiana Pacers 114 2-5 (Lost 1) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒	Boston Celtics 118 7-1 (Won 7) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒
November 13, 1985

Starters Plus Sichting Lead Way Again (85-86)

Boston Celtics 124 6-1 (Won 6) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒	Detroit Pistons 105 6-3 (Lost 1) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒
November 9, 1985

C's Roll Over Suns (85-86)

Phoenix Suns 101 0-6 (Lost 6) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒	Boston Celtics 125 5-1 (Won 5) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒
November 8, 1985

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	1	2	3	4	T
PHO	25	26	19	31	101
BOS	38	25	31	31	125

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C's on a Roll, Bench Still Struggling

Boston Celtics 88 4-1 (Won 4) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒	Washington Bullets 73 2-2 (Lost 2) ⇐ Prev Game / Next Game ⇒
November 2, 1985

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Scoring
	1	2	3	4	T
BOS	28	19	22	19	88
WSB	20	17	14	22	73

Wedman Chips In 10 Off the Bench, While Defense Holds Bullets to 73 Points (85-86)

	1	2	3	4	T
BOS	28	19	22	19	88
WSB	20	17	14	22	73

Wedman Chips In 10 Off the Bench, While Defense Holds Bullets to 73 Points (85-86)

	1	2	3	4	T
BOS	28	19	22	19	88
WSB	20	17	14	22	73

1985-86 C's Eke Out Win at Home?

	1	2	3	4	T
ATL	20	32	20	33	105
BOS	26	28	19	36	109

Celtics Big 4 Overcome 26-Point Outburst from Pierce (85-86)

1	2	3	4	T
MIL	25	26	27	28	106
BOS	30	32	25	30	117

How the 1985-86 C's Bounced Back from an Opening Night Disappointment

RICHFIELD, Ohio They knew what a second straight loss would have meant. Folks would have been baying at the moon in Melrose and leaping off the bridge in Bourne. Some wise guys would suggest that it's time to bring back Bill Fitch, while others would seriously wonder if maybe Cedric Maxwell placed a curse on the Celtics before leaving for the coast. (Box Score after the Jump)