Celtics Inflict More Pain on Da Purple

1/17/1985

The battle scars were there, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hid them well. No one who approached him in the Lakers' dressing room had much success in cutting through his robot-like demeanor.

Abdul-Jabbar did not smile as he spoke. His mood seemed to reflect a career that has been filled with peaks and valleys, bumps and bruises, key hoops and missed shots. What happened to Abdul-Jabbar and the Lakers last night was just another pit stop on the long NBA trail.

Lakers Turn Victory into Defeat (again)

1/17/1985

It was starry and symmetrical; the kind of celebrity ball you expect when these rosters clash.

Relatively speaking, there was little at stake. When the Lakers and Celtics last met, it was 95 degrees outside and the teams were playing for rings, banners and an invite to President Reagan's Rose Garden.

Last night was different. On the coldest day in the dead of winter, the Celtics were playing to hold onto a share of first place, while the Lakers sought to avert their first three-game losing streak in two years.

Magic & Larry Bird were the Epicenter of a 1980s Earthquake

November 8, 1991

FINALS CHAPTERS CLIMAXED LEGENDARY RIVALRY


Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were the epicenter of the earthquake that shook the NBA in the 1980s.

Magic's Lakers and Bird's Celtics met three times in the NBA Finals, in 1984, '85 and '87. Magic's teams won the last two, but it was the first encounter, in 1984, that may have been the on-court shot of adrenaline the league needed to take the jump to "big time."

Lakers Water Down Celts

February 18, 1985

Section: SPORTS

LAKERS WATER DOWN THE CELTICS, 117-111

INGLEWOOD, Calif.

They threw sandbags onto the rising river banks for 22 minutes. Sandbags named Greg Kite, Carlos Clark, Scott Wedman and M.L. Carr held back the flood until the final two minutes . . . and then came the deluge. A rain dance by the Magic Man burst the barriers and washed the Celtics away.

Larry v. Magic: Bird Earns First Pro Win Over Purple

Game 3: Celtics 108, Lakers 103

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage

February 15, 1982

INGLEWOOD, Calif.

Where do you start on this one? With M. L. Carr's invaluable two-way second-half contribution? With Tiny Archibald's first-half keep-'em-floating offensive play? With Robert Parish's aggressive 22-point, 14-rebound triumph over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Or perhaps with Cedric Maxwell's most significant performance of the season, a 27-point, 11-rebound gem that evoked memories of his awesome Game 5 show in last year's championship series with Houston? Any of these items would provide a valid reference point, but Kevin McHale thought the key to victory was something less tangible.

"I realize this is your basic cliche explanation," McHale declared, "but the fact is that we wanted it worse. When we came back for the timeouts, people were saying, C'mon, we're not going to lose this game.' That's all there was to it." Whatever the motivational gap, this much is clear: The Celtics outplayed Los Angeles down the stretch yesterday afternoon, earning a 108-103 decision that served the dual purpose of keeping the Celtics in first place back East and keeping the Lakers from taking over first place out here.

What the sellout Forum crowd of 17,505 - plus the CBS television audience - witnessed was a high-level NBA confrontation featuring very physical team defense, solid board work and true offensive professionalism, regrettably marred by the game-long officiating improprieties of Hugh Evans and Bill Saar, who are both usually better than they were yesterday. In a very real sense, the game never got started until the midway point of the final period. But when it did, the Celtics' quintet of McHale, Larry Bird, Maxwell, Gerry Henderson and Carr assumed command.

LA, which had led for all but two minutes of periods two, three and the first half of four, was still ahead as late as 92-91 with 4:48 remaining. The Lakers' go-ahead basket had been provided by Jamaal Wilkes on an acrobatic rebound follow-up. But the Celtics answered with six straight points and would never again be headed. The sequence began when Bird (nine assists) fed Henderson in the lane for a jumper. Wilkes (25 points) almost dropped in a dexterious baseline drive, but the ball refused to drop and the Celtics took advantage when Maxwell hit a whirling jump hook on the transition for a three-point (95-92) lead. Abdul- Jabbar was then assessed a loose-ball foul on a Michael Cooper in-and- outer, leading to a pair of clutch free throws by McHale.

High on the list of reasons the Celtics were able to hang on in this game was luck. After Maxwell had taken a spectacular Carr penetra-tion feed for a patented hanging three-point play to make it 102-96 with 2:06 left, Wilkes responded with a corner jumper. But the Celtics got those two right back with 1:37 remaining when Kareem lost control of a defensive rebound and accidentally diverted the ball into Boston's basket.

The next break, and a very vital one, came with 19 seconds to play. LA had launched a final comeback, with a Magic Johnson free throw with 32 seconds left pulling the Lakers to within one at 104-103. Boston ran a play for Bird (again shackled by the willowy Cooper), who started in a left-to-right direction. There was contact with Cooper, after which Bird threw the ball up well after the whistle. The ball went in, and the LA crowd erupted when Saar signaled the basket good. This may have been carrying the concept of "continuation" to the extreme. Bird made the free throw, and when Carr stole the inbounds pass, the victory was insured.

The victory was a tribute to Boston's mental toughness, as well as a growing LA passivity that has now resulted in three straight losses overall, plus three straight Forum setbacks. LA had forced some Boston turnovers to overcome an early 18-9 deficit, assuming apparent control of the game for the next 2 1/2 periods. But the biggest LA margin was eight (43-35), and the largest LA second-half advantage was seven (59-52). Boston was always able to keep Showtime from getting started.

The X factor was Carr, who wound up contributing nine points, three rebounds, the aforementioned key assist to Maxwell and his usual overall brand of hustling defensive play. This augmented the vigorous Maxwell display (six offensive rebounds), a showing so forceful that Wilkes said, "Maxwell delivered today; he was the key." Maybe he was, and maybe he wasn't, but Maxwell's sudden revival (58 points, 18 rebounds, 22-for-31 shooting) in the past two games has picked up the team. His own enthusiasm seems to have been restored. "Max was even calling his own play in the huddle," said McHale.

Well, there it is, a revenge victory over LA, a 2-1 road start and another couple of days in first place. "Back on the bandwagon, everybody!" shouted Chris Ford as they entered the locker room. Whatever you say, men.

Larry v. Magic: NBA Still Struggling for a National Audience

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage

January 30, 1983

It's Super Sunday, Lakers-Celtics and the NBA on CBS . . . finally.

It's nice that the network will showcase two of the league's centerfold teams today, but it hurts to note that after today's telecast, the NBA on CBS will virtually vanish until playoff time. The network has determined that Sunday pro basketball is not what the public wants in these months between the end of football and the beginning of baseball.

Ouch. It's scary to think that the network might be right. This may be a classic case of not giving the people what they don't want. Cable and local outlets satisfy the needs of rabid fans in Boston, Seattle, Portland, LA and other NBA hotbeds. Meanwhile, here's what they'll get in Dubuque: Celtics-Lakers today; the All-Star game in LA on Feb. 13; Philadelphia at New Jersey, March 6; Seattle at LA, April 15, and Philadelphia at Boston, April 17. From there, the network is committed to televising 22 playoff games.

Also, it appears that the network still thinks the NBA is full of Not Ready For Prime Time Players. CBS expects to air the championship series live, but as many as seven Wednesday and Friday night playoff games are scheduled for 11:30 EST, which means either West Coast games or tape delays. This is the first year of a four-year, $22 million contract between the NBA and CBS. It should be pointed out, however, that the $5.5 million that will be paid in the 1985-86 season is the same dollar figure that was paid for the 1981-82 season. And we're all too familiar with what happens to a dollar over five years.

"We're not at all unhappy with the contract," insists David Stern, right- hand man to commissioner Larry O'Brien and the NBA's liaison with CBS. "We're satisfied with it." "By next year," Stern points out, "we expect 20 of 23 franchises to be tied into some kind of regional cable deal. I think it's fair to say that the NBA is the pro sport most intensely involved with cable."

Cable is nice for those who follow the league and can afford the product, but it won't do anything to promote the league nationally. Only network TV can reach masses of impressionable sports fans in non-NBA, noncable towns. A pro league needs a network to attract and maintain future generations of fans and remain in the national spotlight

Parish and Jabbar Renew Rivalry

Game 4; Celtics 110, Lakers 95

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage

January 30, 1983

When the smoke cleared, neither Robert Parish nor Kareem Abdul-Jabbar could claim a clear-cut victory after waging war in the trenches. But each had a direct bearing on the Celtics' 110-95 victory over the Lakers. When 7-foot-4 Jabbar was throwing in skyhooks in the first half, the Lakers seemed awesome even though their running game wasn't smooth. Jabbar scored 16 of his game- high 27 points in the half.

Fitch Goes with 9-Man Rotation to Defeat Great 8

Game 4; Celtics 110, Lakers 95

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage

January 30, 1983

Bill Fitch seems to think less is more. The Celtics have beaten two good teams (Phoenix Friday and LA yesterday) and the Boston coach used only nine players in each game. Granted, Rick Robey is returning from back problems and will need time to get ready, but Scott Wedman and Charles Bradley haven't played a minute since the Bullets left Boston last Wednesday.

The Lakers are a good example of this system at its best. LA came to town with a seven-game winning streak and a 34-8 record, and coach Pat Riley will tell you that the toughest decision he's had to make all year is his commitment to using only eight of his 12 players.

Playing time in Boston has been a big question mark since the acquisition of Wedman earlier this month, but the situation will resolve itself if certain people never rise fromthe pine. Wedman is making more money than anyone on the team, and it's unlikely Fitch will get any grief from the 30-year-old veteran. Bradley isn't in a very good position to argue, either.Fitch insists that all 12 can contribute, but it is clear that a few people are going to pile up some DNP's unless injuries hit the team.

When Parish walked toward his cubicle after yesterday's victory, Kevin McHale announced to the assembled masses: "Right there is the best center in all of basketball." . . . M. L. Carr ended the first half yesterday with a crowd-pleasing steal and dunk to push the Celtics to a 60-50 lead . . . The Celtics outrebounded the Lakers, 53-43, and took 106 shots to LA's 88 . . . Jabbar scored 16 in the first half, but was held to one rebound . . . Bird had five steals to go along with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists. Meanwhile, Magic had 14 points, 2 steals, 9 rebounds and 10 assists. Also, Bird caused only one turnover compared with Magic's eight. Parish blocked three shots . . . It was the 98th consecutive sellout at the Garden .

"I got 'em. I Finally Got Him"

That's what Larry Bird said to Quinn Buckner a few hours after the Boston Celtics took game 7 of the 1984 Finals. Of course, we all know now who Larry was talking about. I'm about half-way through the HBO documentary. It is outstanding. Perhaps even better. Bird has his game face on throughout the entire show as he reflects back on the rivalry. Stoic, in the moment, the moment having occurred 20-30 years earlier.

Pat Riley Appreciated the Bird-Magic Rivalry

1984 NBA Finals

GAME 1

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage

"HERE, look at this," the Los Angeles Lakers' coach, Pat Riley, said one recent afternoon as he sat in his bright and spacious office at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. He handed his visitor a large black-and-white photograph. "Isn't it something?" he asked.

Larry v. Magic: Postscript #3

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage

Game 4 in Los Angeles had been an epic - truly one of the great games in Celtics playoff history - and now the teams were arriving at Logan Airport late on a Thursday afternoon to find a very different Boston than the one they had left five days earlier.

For Boston was in the grip of a heat wave.

We're talking high 90s with accompanying East Coast humidity. Logan Airport was chaotic. There were cars and taxis everywhere. There were people sweating, babies crying, miserable, angry, and frustrated people all over. If you ever saw "The Year of Living Dangerously," you know what I'm talking about.

The traffic was such a mess that the state troopers would not allow the Laker bus to get near Terminal C. And that's when I saw Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson folding themselves into the same taxi, and never mind the idea of the presi dent and vice president flying on the same plane.

"This," I remember thinking, "is not exactly what those two had in mind."

It was the eve of Game 5 in that unforgettable 1984 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, and it was a pretty good prelude for the game that took place the following night.

It was to be a very important affair, Game 5, with the teams tied at two games apiece and feelings coming to a boil. The series could easily have been an LA sweep, but a lot had happened to change the tone of the series, most notably a vicious Kevin McHale takedown of Kurt Rambis in Game 4 that would have gotten him suspended for the duration today.

The weather snippet on the far right corner of the game-day Globe said, "Hazy, humid, low 90s," but that turned out to be an understatement. By mid-afternoon it was a record-setting 96, so everyone knew it was going to be a very interesting evening of basketball because the original Boston Garden did not have that newfangled thing known as air conditioning.

There were some hot nights in that old building over the years, but there was never one like the evening of June 8, 1984. The male fans wore shorts and short-sleeved shirts. The women wore, well, as little as possible. Halter tops proliferated. There was never a day or evening in the long history of that building when there was so much exposed skin.

CBS announced a game-time temperature of 97 degrees.

The Lakers did not like it, and Kareem disliked it most of all. He was 37, and fairly cranky to begin with, and playing a Finals game in 97-degree heat was not his idea of fun. He would shoot 7 for 25 and wind up sucking on oxygen (honest).

"I suggest you go to the local steam bath with all your clothes on," he said afterward. "First, try to do 100 push-ups. Then run back and forth for 48 minutes."

Referee Hugh Evans had to leave at halftime, a victim of dehydration. Robert Parish sat out a stretch of the second half with leg cramps. But there was one player who applied mind over matter better than everyone else, one player who not only overcame the circumstances to play a good game of basketball, but who so took to the conditions that he played one of the great games of his life.

As my mother used to say, I'll give you three guesses, and the first two don't count

"I play in this stuff all the time back home, " sneered Larry Bird. "It's like this all summer."

He had just played 42 minutes in Kareem's sauna. He had scored 34 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and shot 15 for 20. He even blocked a James Worthy shot. The Celtics had won, 121-103, to take charge of a series they would win in seven, and the man deserving the first, second, and third stars was No. 33.

"The man who made the difference was Bird," acknowledged Lakers coach Pat Riley. "He was just awesome. He made everything work. He was the catalyst, and that's what happens when great players come to the front."

"I've never seen him as intense as he was tonight," said Kevin McHale. "Never."
The other great force that night was the crowd, which turned what could have been a negative into a complete positive by celebrating the absurd conditions. Rather than bemoaning the heat, those savvy people celebrated it, realizing that the Lakers were feeling sorry for themselves because they were used to the creature comforts of the palatial Forum.

Here was the message: Watching a game in an old, cramped, steamy building and sitting on those hard seats, why, that's what we do here in New England. We don't need your cushioned seats and we don't need no stinkin' air conditioning. We leave that stuff to you West Coast wusses. And, by the way, your team is soft.

"It was extremely hot; both teams were affected," said Riley. "But Boston showed up better than we did. I think the home crowd had something to do with that. It gave them some adrenaline."

Those great people just did what used to come so naturally. Wyc and Pags, get this: No over-the-top PA man. No ridiculously loud and unnecessary music. No Jumbotron to tell you when to cheer and how to react. No dancing girls. The fans created an atmosphere to remember all by themselves. People in those days actually knew how to cheer. They went to the game to see the game, not for a mini-concert, and not, Lord knows, to see themselves on a big screen.

On the night of June 8, 1984, 25 years ago tomorrow, we had an unscripted evening of serendipitous athletic joy. The Clippers will win a championship before we'll ever have the remotest chance of anything like it ever happening again.

Larry v. Magic: Postscript #2

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage

November 8, 1991

Section: SPORTS

FINALS CHAPTERS CLIMAXED LEGENDARY RIVALRY

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were the epicenter of the earthquake that shook the NBA in the 1980s.

Magic's Lakers and Bird's Celtics met three times in the NBA Finals, in 1984, '85 and '87. Magic's teams won the last two, but it was the first encounter, in 1984, that may have been the on-court shot of adrenaline the league needed to make the jump to "big time."

The series shattered previous TV ratings and, because of Bird and Johnson, rekindled the LA-Boston rivalry, which dominated the league for much of the decade.

Last year Magic had pined for one more Boston-LA matchup, a Glory Days revisited, if you will. Both teams were playing well and the Lakers made it. The Celtics did not. If it happens again, Magic won't be a part of it. The Lakers guard retired yesterday.

Two Celtics guards who battled Magic in those memorable playoff series reflected on the player and the individual. Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge both went head-to-head with Johnson and both felt the better for it. Ainge said he still got a kick out of playing against Magic.

"It's the ultimate challenge for me. I love playing against him. I've said it before, but I think he's the best player of all time," Ainge said. "Maybe Michael Jordan will be, but Magic has been doing it for 12 years."

Dennis Johnson said, "I've probably guarded Magic more than anyone in the league. And when you played against a guy like him, you came away with a lot more than just basketball. The happiness. The adulation. And he never said a negative word about anyone."

Magic already had two rings, and Bird one, when the Celtics and Lakers met in the 1984 NBA Finals. It was a hugely anticipated matchup in that it had been five years in the making.

Although both players entered the league in 1979, months after their memorable meeting in the NCAA final in Salt Lake City, the Lakers and Celtics somehow managed to avoid each other come playoff time until 1984. Bird had taken Rookie of the Year honors. Johnson had finished that season with his memorable 42-point, 15-rebound, 7-assist performance while playing all five positions in the Game 6 closer against the Sixers in the Spectrum.

The Celtics won the '84 series in seven games, and Magic spent a disconsolate summer trying to shed his unfamiliar image as series goat. There were three events in that series that led to the demythologizing of Magic, something that was as short-lived as it was utterly absurd.

In Game 2, the Lakers were in position to win, but Gerald Henderson stole a James Worthy pass and tied the game. The Lakers still had time for one last possession, but Magic dribbled out the clock before LA could get off a shot. Boston went on to win in overtime.

His second gaffe came in Game 4. He had two free throws that would have put the game away but missed both. The Celtics again went on to win in overtime. In Game 7, as the Lakers were making a comeback, Magic had the ball stolen at a critical time.

Revenge came a year later, but it was a series remembered mostly for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's performance. The Lakers won in six, and for the first time, Magic was on a world champion without being the playoff MVP.

Johnson always was able to add weapons to his game. He became a 3-point threat. And because of his height, he developed an affinity for posting up smaller guards and learned the baby sky hook from Abdul-Jabbar.

That move came in handy in Game 4. The Lakers had crushed the ailing Celtics in the first two games and, save for Greg Kite, might have won Game 3. Boston built a double-digit lead into the third quarter in Game 4 and seemed destined to tie the series.

But Magic stepped forward. With the Celtics leading, 106-105, Johnson posted up and tossed in a baby hook from the lane. LA took a 3-1 lead and closed out the Celtics at home in Game 6.

Johnson also had one dramatic game-winner against Boston in the regular season. The two teams met early in the 1987-88 season, and both were struggling. The Celtics had lost three of four, and LA was on an Eastern swing, having lost to Cleveland.

Magic won the game for the Lakers at the buzzer with a banker off an inbounds pass. The Lakers then went on a 15-game winning binge and eventually won their second straight NBA title.

Ainge was on all three Boston teams, as was DJ. Ainge ran into Johnson again last year in the Western Conference finals.

"I felt we had a great team last year in Portland," Ainge said. "We won 63 games and we might have won a championship. But Magic Johnson beat us. Magic Johnson has been the roadblock to a few championship rings for me.

Larry v. Magic: Postscript #1

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage

February 16, 1991

Section: SPORTS

HE STILL HAS MAGIC TOUCH

He remembers being shocked by the criticism leveled at Larry Bird his first few months back from heel surgery. Magic Johnson was both angry and dumbfounded.

How much can people expect? Don't they understand we are human?

The answer, he knows firsthand, is no. The curse of the

superstar is the day when he loses a step, lets down his guard for the moment.

"The price of fame is tremendous," said Johnson. "The trick is to remain constant, to do it again and again and again. But you must also remember that as fast as you can get up there, you can go the other way just as quickly."

For most of his storied NBA career, Johnson -- like Bird -- avoided the sting of criticism. Both were champions, MVPs, elite players on elite teams.

But then Los Angeles began the 1990-91 season with a 2-5 mark, and all bets were off. The Lakers were under fire, and the snipers were aiming for Magic Johnson from all sides.

"They looked at the record," he said, "and it was a reflection of me. Everything the Lakers do is a reflection of me."

Perhaps that is why, then, the Lakers have been able to post the best record in the NBA since their inauspicious start. Perhaps that also explains the 16-game winning streak, which was finally snapped Tuesday night in the final seconds by Phoenix. It was LA's second-longest winning stretch in 19 years, and its point guard was the architect.

Magic Johnson may be shooting only 47.5 percent, but he is not ready to let down his guard. Nor, he adds hastily, is his team. First-year coach Mike Dunleavy has a plan, and the Lakers are learning to implement it.

"We have a great basketball team," Johnson said. "Everything is clicking now, both offensively and defensively.

"In preseason, we had no identity. People were still making us out to be a running team, and when we weren't doing that, they said, 'Oh-oh, what's wrong with the Lakers?'

"Nothing was wrong other than adjusting to a new coach and a new style. That takes time."

Johnson had questions in the early going about Dunleavy's style; questions that were made public, and subsequently caused a furor. Yet Magic now advertises himself as a Dunleavy backer.

"We know what he wants now," Johnson said. "He's got us believing that we can't just run, run, run. Detroit has proven there are other ways.

"Mike is a player's coach. He's a guy who has been through it, and he understands what players go through.

"But that's not to say he isn't tough. We hear from him when things don't go right."

To fully appreciate the difference in the Lakers' style, you must first realize they are relinquishing only 99.3 points a game. LA and Detroit are the only teams in the league holding clubs under 100 points. In comparison, the last season they won the title, 1987-88, the Lakers gave up an average of 107.0 points a game (11th in the league), while averaging 112.8 points a game (fifth in the league).

These days LA looks vaguely familiar to the team Dunleavy came from -- Milwaukee. Like the Bucks, the Lakers are stressing defense and a controlled, ball-movement offense.

"But the difference between us and Milwaukee is we have players who can post up," said Magic. "Sam Perkins can do it, and James Worthy makes a living of it, and I have good success with it. Vlade Divac is growing more comfortable with it, too."

The names Divac and Shaw and Gamble and Perkins do not belong to original members of the LA-Boston rivalry, a battle that has lost some of its luster in recent years.

Both the game and those who played it have undergone significant changes since Bird and Magic bounded onto the scene. In the old days, people adjusted to them. Now they must be willing to make the adjustments.

"As an old man, you know you have to change," said Johnson. "You have to keep yourself going, but you can only do that for so long.

"Me? I need new things. The way we are playing now is new for me. That's what's keeping me going.

"Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is retired now. Michael Cooper is gone. I would be retired, too, if there wasn't something here to keep me interested."

The goal is no different than in any other season -- to win the NBA championship. LA is nearly three seasons removed from that now; Boston is five. Detroit and Portland have stuck their noses in, and proven there is more to the NBA than the Celtics and the Lakers.

And yet the rivalry lives on, as long as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird can breathe and run and throw look-away passes.

"Sam told me after we beat the Celtics he had never won a game in Boston Garden before," Magic said. "That was a really big thing for him. To see him enjoy that, it brought out a lot of joy in me. There are some things you never get tired of."

For Magic, beating Boston is one of those things.

Larry v. Magic: Game 37

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage

CELTICS' DAZZLE FRAZZLES LAKERS

INGLEWOOD, Calif.

Something special is happening out here. The Celtics are three time zones away and doing some eerie things while most of New England sleeps.

Last night they went into the Forum and won for the first time in five years. They got a season-high 29 points from Robert Parish, 26 from Reggie Lewis and solid defense from everyone in a 98-85 stunner before Jack Nicholson, Dyan Cannon and 17,503 others.

To give you an idea of how convincing this one was, the Lakers led for all of 22 seconds -- at 6-4 -- in the building where they had won 14 straight. Not only that, but the Lakers managed a meager 13 points on 4-for-19 shooting in the fourth quarter.

Chris Ford's reenergized juggernaut has now won six straight, including all three on this trip. Last night was only their second regular-season victory over the Lakers in their last 10 meetings and more than atoned for a 104-87 defeat to Magic Johnson & Co. on Super Bowl Sunday.

"Give them credit. They played a great game," Magic said. "The whole night, I never really thought we got into a rhythm."

To add to the strange mix, the Celtics again were without Kevin McHale (ankle), who had to restrain himself in the locker room while the surprising triumph unfolded. They are 2-0 without McHale, who quite likely won't play tomorrow in Denver.

Larry Bird had an atrocious shooting game (4 for 16) and had only one basket in the final 33 minutes. But, typically, it was a big one. He drained a trey which gave Boston a 92-81 lead and all but ended any Laker hopes. Bird managed a triple-double, getting 11s across the board in 40 minutes.

"I was tired out there, so I tried to distribute the ball as best I could," Bird said. "We just went to the hot man and kept going to him."

The hot men? Start with the Chief. Parish delivered a first quarter right out of the Chamberlain handbook. He was 9 for 10 from the field after missing his first shot, scoring a staggering 21 points. Predictably, he tailed off, but he was an inside force all night (10 rebounds and 2 blocks).

Lewis took over after a scoreless first quarter, punctuating his output with two Forum-clearing jumpers in the fourth quarter.

It was Parish, however, who set the tone, and the Celtics rarely wavered from it all game. He had the first 5 points of an early 9-0 run which erased the only Laker lead of the game.

Los Angeles, meanwhile, was resigned to looking a lot like the old Celtics. Magic (21 points, 16 assists) would dump it in to James Worthy (23 points) and the rest of the Lakers would settle into their lawn chairs and watch.

The Celtics' faced two semi-serious Laker thrusts after bolting to a 35-27 one-period lead. They went cold early in the second and LA actually tied it, 39-39, on a jump hook by an injured and ineffective Sam Perkins (7 points in 24 minutes).

But Boston regrouped and Kevin Gamble (14) and Lewis took over. They scored the final 19 of Boston's 23 second-quarter points. At the half, the Boston lead was 11.

Everyone from Malibu to Thousand Oaks could have predicted a Lakers surge in the third. They hit their first five shots and pulled to 62-57. Ford called time and Boston responded with a Lewis-led 7-1 run. The lead was back to 11.

The Lakers' last real challenge came late in the third. An A.C. Green put-back made it 75-72.

But Ed Pinckney then came up with two big plays. He rebounded one of many Bird bricks, which led to a Lewis banker. At the other end, he swallowed a Perkins drive and that led to another Lewis hoop. Gamble then finished off the mini-run -- all this happened in the final 49 seconds -- with a steal and two free throws. The lead was 81-72 after three.

Los Angeles never got closer than 6 in the fourth. It made only one basket in the final 7:32. Gamble launched a game-deciding 11-2 run with a lefty drive and the spurt included Bird's big trey and Lewis' two hoops, which gave the beautiful people the excuse they needed to leave early.

Larry v. Magic: Game 36

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage

February 19, 1990

Section: SPORTS

A RUNNING STORY: LA PREVAILS AGAIN

INGLEWOOD, Calif.

The game plan was being followed to a textbook T. Turnovers? A manageable seven at intermission, a nice complement to a half in which the Celtics shot 63 percent from the floor.

Did someone mention shooting? In the first eight minutes of the third quarter, Boston hit 90 percent of its jumpers.

And lost the lead.

The game, too.

And so it goes in the Fabulous Forum, where the Celtics acquitted themselves admirably yesterday, yet still fell, 116-110, to the league's best team, the Los Angeles Lakers.

The infuriating reality is this: Boston can shoot the lights out (61.5 percent for the game) and play near perfect basketball for 40 minutes, but the Lakers will take those eight minutes when your concentration wavers and stuff them down your throat.

Consider the aforementioned stretch of the third quarter, which began with the Boys in Green on top, 58-52.

With 9:02 on the clock, Magic Johnson knocked down his first 3-pointer of the day. That seemed harmless enough, especially since Reggie Lewis (24 points on 10-of-13 shooting) countered with a slashing jumper.

No problem, right? James Worthy (25 points), who terrorized the Celtics all afternoon, knocked a drive in underneath and when Lewis hit the deck scrambling for a loose ball, he and Magic were called for a jump, which the Lakers controlled.

That turned into a Mychal Thompson bucket, which Larry Bird (20 points) answered shortly thereafter. Still no need to panic.

But the next time down, Worthy pulled up short on his jumper, Robert Parish lost a handle on the rebound,

and it was LA's ball. Byron Scott made good on the second chance, and the Lakers were within 2 (70-68).

Now the Boston bench began shifting uncomfortably. Bird walked the next time down and Scott hit a single free throw. Parish swished a rainbow, Worthy scored on a drive, Dennis Johnson nailed a perimeter jumper, and Magic pulled up for another 3-pointer.

Tie game, 74-74.

Momentarily stunned, Boston regained its composure and struck on a Lewis lob to Kevin McHale. But here came Magic again, with another pull-up 3.

When Scott stole DJ's entry pass to Parish, LA was off and running, with Scott finishing off the 3-point play, the 21-10 run and the Lakers' 80-76 advantage.

At that moment, Boston was 9 for 10 from the floor, yet somehow had lost 11 points.

"We got beat on the hustle plays," said Parish, who scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. "That's what beat us. Jump balls, second and third attempts . . . they thrive on that."

"I think the 3s took a lot out of them," said Magic, whose MVP line included 30 points and 13 assists. "That kind of run really deflates you. You play as well as you can and you still lose the lead."

Boston did forge ahead again by the end of the third (94-92) on a Kevin Gamble 3-point bomb with one tick on the clock, but it was disheartening nonetheless to shoot 79 percent in a quarter and cling to a one-basket advantage.

That lead was still in place with 9:18 left -- when another brief spell of mistakes did the Celtics in.

An Orlando Woolridge slam off a Boston turnover knotted the score at 98 and kicked off a run that staked the Lakers to a 106-100 edge with 5:34 left.

Included in that stretch was Woolridge stripping McHale of the ball (that turned into a killer Scott trey from the corner), an ill-advised McHale 3-point attempt, a Parish turnover in the post and a forced, off-balance jumper by DJ with the shot clock running down. Those were Boston's worst two minutes of the day, and they came in crunch time.

"Give them some credit," said McHale, "but we didn't move the ball well. We weren't aggressive. We fell apart."

The Celtics were outdone on the offensive glass, 13-6. Thompson, Worthy and rookie Vlade Divac accounted for the majority of those second chances.

In fact, the Yugoslavian center was the embodiment of the hustle plays Parish referred to. He scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds, but was also a defensive presence, forcing Parish and McHale to alter shots.

So it didn't matter that LA shot 47.3 percent from the floor, or that Worthy's shoulder was so sore he iced it at every timeout. The Lakers live for opportunities, and the Celtics gave them just enough to clinch it.

Larry v. Magic: Game 35

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage

Lakers Win Battle of Good v. Great

December 16, 1989

Section: SPORTS

LA'S FOURTH GEAR STALLS CELTICS

Some rivalries never die, and the Celtics vs. the Lakers may well be one of them.

Let's just say the "Beat LA" chant is terminally ill.

The Garden crowd was reduced to a whisper last night by the Lakers, who blew open the game in the fourth quarter, then cruised off the parquet with a 119-110 win.

Leading the charge was Magic Johnson, who scored 16 points, handed out 21 assists and made 6 steals, and James Worthy, the fluid forward who torched Boston for 28 points. In spite of their gaudy numbers, those two were only part of the story.

The other half included a string of perimeter jumpers from A.C. Green (8 for 12, 25 points), who normally makes his living in and around the paint, and even more outside shooting from Byron Scott (9 for 15, 21 points). In all, LA shot 54.3 percent from the floor and simply outmatched the Celtics with smarts, ball movement and quickness. The Lakers did all that without a center in their starting lineup, since Mychal Thompson was sidelined with an inflamed Achilles' tendon.

"I didn't know what to expect coming in," said Larry Bird. "But this is the first time I can honestly say they are better."

"I don't know of anyone playing better than that," said Robert Parish.

These rare admissions of Laker supremacy were with good reason. There's an overused cliche in sports, and it's called the killer instinct. It separates good teams from great teams, which these days is the same as separating Boston from LA.

What the Lakers did to the Celtics on their own floor was rip their heart out. They did it quietly and swiftly in the opening minute of the final quarter.

What happened in those first 60 seconds? The Lakers dropped a neutron bomb on the Celtics, blowing them to pieces with a back-door lob from Magic Johnson to Orlando Woolridge for a 3-point play, a trifecta from Scott with the shot clock winding down and a Vlade Divac steal, which quickly (and we stress the quickly here) turned into a fast break bucket from Worthy.

A stunned Jimmy Rodgers called time, his team suddenly down, 93-82. The way LA was playing on the defensive end, it was nearly impossible to expect the slower, more deliberate Celtics to make up the difference in the final 11 minutes.

As for the Lakers' offense, it was close to flawless when they needed it most. The visitors scored on their first five possessions of the final quarter, culminated by a Divac bucket underneath that extended that opening run to a 10-0 streak and a 97-82 cushion with 10:04 to play. Down the stretch, Magic took the ball to the hole, drew a pile of defenders, then kicked it back to a teammate on the wing for an open jumper.

In that final frame, the Lakers shot 57.1 percent from the floor. The Celtics? They checked out at 37.5 percent.

"That's how it's been going for us," said Green. "Earvin draws double-teams and we spot up. If we can hit those shots, it makes it tough to stop us."

It is particularly hard to stop a team when you turn the ball over 17 times, as Boston did. It becomes more complicated when your top gun, Bird, shoots 9 for 27 from the floor. Add a 32-13 disparity on trips to the line that favored LA, and it's clear why this game turned out the way it did.

The bad vibes were evident at halftime, when the Lakers ran off with a 60-55 edge even though the Celtics shot 62.8 percent from the floor. At that juncture, no Boston player could keep up with Worthy (16 at the break) long enough to stick a hand in his face. The goggled forward ignited an 8-0 spurt in the waning minutes of the second quarter to provide LA with its 5-point spread.

"The Lakers played tremendous," said Rodgers. "Defensively, we did everything we wanted. We got them to take the outside shot, and it seemed like they hit all of them."

That, of course, wasn't by accident. Magic moves the ball better than anyone else the league. The Lakers make better decisions than anyone else the league. They also back up their offense with active, bothersome, hands-up defense.

In short, they do everything the Celtics have been trying to do for the past two months.

"The Lakers swing the ball and get it to who they want to," said Jim Paxson. "If you take something away, they react. From a basketball perspective, that's how you want it to work.

"When we call a play, we don't switch sides often enough to make it work. We rush shots we don't have."

Good teams and great teams. There was one of each on the floor last night, and for the boys in green trim, it was a little hard to swallow.

Larry v. Magic: Game 34

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage

Celtics 36-12 Run Falls Short

February 15, 1988

Section: SPORTS

LAKERS BREAK AWAY FROM CELTICS

INGLEWOOD, Calif.

The moral of the story is: Hang around long enough, you'll see everything.

In this particular case, you'd see the Lakers impose a suffocating first-half defense that triggers a 20-point (64-44) halftime lead. Next you'd see the Celtics play a Michelangelo of a third period, wiping out the deficit with a 36-12 whomping that sends them into the final period leading by 4 (80-76). Finally, you'd see the Lakers demonstrate why they are defending champions (with the best chance to repeat in recent memory) by charging out of the fourth-quarter box with runs of 9-0 (in the first 1:44), 17-4, 20-7 and 31-11, all of which leads to a 115-106 victory in a game that will find its way high onto any list of "Oddities" in this historic rivalry.

"I have never had anything like that happen to a team of mine," said LA coach Pat Riley after yesterday's triumph. "You get 20-point leads where you might give up 12 or 16. But to have a 24-point swing in a game like this is incredible. It's a testimony to the Celtics, the fact that they never give up."

So what does it say about Riley's team, which responded to the challenge like, well, champs? "We never really panic anymore," explained Magic Johnson (22 points, 14 assists). That's from our years of being together. The key was to get a fast start in the fourth period. Once we did that, the whole momentum just changed. We got two big steals after our first basket, and that's what turned it around."

That's no lie. Mychal Thompson (12 points, team-high 11 rebounds) evaded a steal attempt and stuck in a short banker on the first LA possession of Period 4. Dirk Minniefield (3 turnovers, 1 assist) missed connections with Brad Lohaus, and Byron Scott (a first-half killer with 20 points) scored in transition. The next Boston possession was key, and it ended in disaster when Michael Cooper deflected a Larry Bird pass to Danny Ainge (Bird insisted he was fouled). Magic converted the turnover to give the Lakers a lead (82-80) they would never relinquish.

It was a bloodless coup. Without firing a shot, the Celtics handed over the parliamentary keys to the opposition.

The aforementioned momentum shift was irrevocable. The Lakers had regained their desire and ability to play stifling defense, and they were once again the free-and-easy offensive team they had been during the first half. But Boston kept battling, and with 6:17 left a Kevin McHale turnaround pulled the Celtics within 5 at 96-91. Here Scott, en route to a career-high 38 points, drilled an open three-pointer resulting from exemplary ball movement (99-91), and when Minniefield couldn't convert a drive over the long arm of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Scott converted two free throws in the subsequent transition. That made it 101-91 with 5:30 left, and the rest was for the stat man.

From a Boston viewpoint, the first half was strictly for the junk man. The Celtics led early (8-4), but that little advantage disappeared in the face of a 12-0 LA run that established the tone for the remainder of the half. Boston simply couldn't combat the superb LA team defense, which was particularly effective against Bird, whose every shot in the paint, or near it, was contested by more than one gold jersey.

"They were always there if I got the ball and spun in the middle," lauded Bird.

"The first half," agreed Riley, "was as well as we've played all year defensively. There was a hand in every face."

But what was this third-quarter thing all about? How was it that McHale outscored the Lakers in their own gym (14-12), while Bird was outrebounding them (7-6)? How was it that LA scored a season-low 12 points, at home, while shooting 24 percent (5 for 21)? How was it that the Celtics ended a sensational period's work by outscoring the champs, 16-3, in the final 3:38 while the frosty Bird (8 for 22) was enjoying the show from the bench? How was it that the Celtics accomplished all this without Robert Parish, who departed complaining of lower back pain after playing an ineffective eight minutes?

"We became very terminal," contended Riley, ever the wordsmith. "We had no motion at all."

Added general manager Jerry West, "That's what good teams do when they're on a roll. They get you standing around."

It certainly was a 12 minutes to remember, and it crested when an Ainge three-point bomb cut the lead to 1 (76-75), an illegal defense technical foul shot tied it for the first time since 8-8 and a lefty tap-in by the relentless (24 points, 11-for-14) McHale put the Celtics ahead.

But there were still 12 long minutes to play, and the Lakers excel at one-upmanship, even if the opponent is Boston.

"We had to beat them twice," said a relieved Riley. "It's hard enough to beat them once."

Larry v. Magic: Game 33

Another Last-Second Shot by Magic Secures Lakers' Victory

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage

December 12, 1987

Section: SPORTS

MAGIC STUNS CELTICS LAST-SECOND HOOP LIFTS LA, 115-114

Is there a longer second or second and a half in sports? Team A by a point. Man from Team B lets fly with the basketball, and by the time the ball either does or doesn't go in the basket, the buzzer will have sounded and the game will be over. All control of the game passes to a higher authority. And isn't the suspense heightened when the identity of the player from Team B is Earvin (Magic) Johnson and the identity of Team A is the Boston Celtics, and the game is being played in Boston Garden?

It was a long second or so, all right, and it was an even longer walk back to the locker room for the Celtics after Johnson's borderline three-pointer (officially, uh-uh, but it sure looked like it) banked in cleanly through the cords to give the Lakers a dramatic 115-114 triumph before 14,890 instant pallbearers last night.

Magic's game-winner from the edge of the three-point line served as a fitting exclamation point to a sizzler that had far transcended the NBA norm from the opening tap-off. Each team came into the game as a loser in four of its last five outings, but this one had a Finals tinge, as befitted the build- up. In order to pull this one out, the Lakers had to come from 13 down (71-58) in the third, from 9 down (98-89) with 8:24 remaining and from 6 down (111-105) with 2:35 to go, not to mention from 3 down (113-110) with 55 seconds to go.

Pick it up right there, after Danny Ainge had rifled a pass underneath to Robert Parish for a layup. The Celtics needed one defensive stop to wrap up the game. Instead, they had a communications breakdown of some sort, because what they did was leave the menacing Michael Cooper (21) alone on the right wing for a game-tying three-pointer.

A steal by Byron Scott (21 points in perhaps his best Garden appearance ever) gave it back to Los Angeles, but the Celtics dug in and prevented the magisterial Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (23) from getting off a good shot. Stuck with the ball in the deep right corner, he missed a leaner, and Larry Bird (35 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals) rebounded. Eschewing a timeout, he initiated a fast break that culminated in an Ainge drive. Danny was fouled by Magic, stepping to the line with three seconds left and the scored tied at 113.

He made the first but missed the second, and Mychal Thompson rebounded. By the time he came down to the parquet, the ball had been jarred loose and Kevin McHale had it in his possession, but referee Mike Mathis ruled that a legitimate timeout had been called, to the anguish of the Celtics, their coaching staff and the patrons.

"Before Ainge took the free throws," Mathis said, "Michael Cooper asked me for a timeout, whether the shots were made or missed. Ainge then missed the second shot, Mychal Thompson grabbed the rebound and Cooper yelled for the timeout."

So the Lakers retained possession. The Celtics called for time after a look at the first LA setup and, when play resumed, LA had a different look, with everybody high.

"All you can ask for is to get the ball in bounds," said Lakers coach Pat Riley. "You just hope you can get some air space. Earvin made a miracle shot, granted, but he was able to get some rhythm going because he had air space."

This was an extremely painful loss for the Celtics, who blew a game in which they committed only 11 turnovers and surrendered but 6 offensive rebounds for 12 LA points. Among the wasted efforts were Bird's high-level game and a brilliant 17-point, 8-for-10 relief job turned in by Jerry Sichting, plus a gutsy big-time game by Dennis Johnson, who scored 19 points on his injured left ankle.

The ultimate reality of this game was that with 2:35 left, the Celtics were in control and they could not finish off the night's work. Riley called time after a Bird steal and coast-to-coast runner and informed his team it could win if it kept its poise on offense and dug in on defense. Accordingly, the World Champs (a salient point, is it not?) scored on five of their final six possessions while limiting the Celtics to the Parish layup and the Ainge transition free throw at the other end.

Included in the stretch run were successive inside-out foul line jumpers by Thompson (111-107, 111-109) and the Cooper crusher from Quincy Market. That, hoop fans, is clutch shooting. And throw in a prototypical second-half shooting display by the 40-year-old Kareem, a 10-for-14 shooter.

Suffice it to say that this game, while flawed, contained more graphic displays of one-upmanship and more sheer outbursts of athletic brilliance than all previous home games put together. "That," said Riley, "was a great game, hot game. Both teams were causing-and-effecting all over the place."

Last year (Game 5, remember?) Magic knifed the Celtics with a game-winning hook. This time he slit their throat with a banked runner.

"In April, all of this will be forgotten," said Abdul-Jabbar, the only person in the joint who looked bored when it was over, "but I will say they gave him the right nickname."

Larry v. Magic: Game 32

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage

1987 NBA Finals

Lakers End Celtics Season

INGLEWOOD, Calif.

The walk to the locker room was through the celebration. The tired faces had to cut through the sea of smiles.

Down a hallway. Past the line of mini-cams. Past the room where the champagne already was being opened. Through the celebrities -- look, there's Sammy Davis -- and around a corner. Past a television set.

"Hey, Celtics, take a look at this," a young guy shouted, pointing at the picture on the 21-inch screen yesterday afternoon, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar standing next to the National Basketball Association championship trophy.

"Shhhhhhh," a couple of Laker Girls, the cheerleaders for the Los Angeles Lakers, said. "That's not nice."

One by one the tired faces passed, single file, almost as if you were watching one of those World War II movies that shows all the characters in the gallant platoon one last time during the closing credits.

McHale . . . Parish . . . Bird . . . Ainge . . . Johnson . . . K.C. Jones. This was the end of the Boston Celtics' long-running story.

The dead end.

"This hurts," guard Dennis Johnson said, finally reaching the little visiting locker room at the Forum after the Celtics had been thumped, 106-93, by the Lakers in a sixth and closing game to determine the champions of the professional basketball world. "We can be proud of each other and proud of our accomplishments, but this hurts. No doubt about it."

There had been so much work -- the season extended by 23 playoff games, dragged all the way to the middle of June -- that there was an unreality to what had happened. Over? How can this be? These were the first dizzy steps after a long ride on the roller coaster. Over? What do you mean? Isn't there a seventh game Tuesday night for the entire NBA enchilada? What do you mean, "Over?"

"We shouldn't have been here," coach K.C. Jones said in his quiet voice. "That's the thing to remember. This rag-tag team with the broken feet. These guys fought, hustled, grabbed, sat on the floor, did everything they could do. That's the thing to remember."

The work had been so hard and so many people had done so many things that second prize did not seem to be enough. Oh, the Lakers deserved to be champions, running away to this clinching win in the second half, but the Celtics somehow did not deserve to be losers. They were, of course, losers, but the name seemed more harsh than it had to be. For this team.

Didn't these guys stay alive twice with wins in seventh games, situations where they either had to win or go home? Weren't two players playing with broken feet? How do you play basketball with broken feet? Wasn't there a new injury even on this final day, Danny Ainge's sprained ankle being taped and taped again so he could withstand the pain?

Losers?

"You think about how it could have been," forward Kevin McHale, the owner of the most prominent broken foot, said. "You don't take anything away from the Lakers. You just wonder. What would we have done with a healthy Bill Walton, a 7-foot-3 guy off the bench who claims he's 6-11? What would we have done with Scott Wedman off the bench? What would we have done if everyone were healthy?

"I know for me, it was like three-quarters of the year went through in a breeze and then God said, 'Oh, no, I don't think basketball's supposed to be as easy as that.' I haven't been able to practice in a month. Two months. Haven't practiced once. Just shot and played the games. How much does that hurt?"

The Lakers were better. That was the final story. The Lakers were a lot better. That was the story at the beginning. The Celtics somehow pulled and yanked and prolonged this thing to a sixth game, scared Jack Nicholson half to death, and still are one Magic Johnson hook shot away from being tied, three games to three in the series. That somehow was the best story.

At least in Boston.

"I thought when you were retired, stuff like this wasn't supposed to hurt," M.L. Carr, the former Celtic, now on television, said as he sat at a locker stall. "Doesn't it just eat at you?"

This team somehow captured hearts and minds even better than last year's world championship team did. Underdogs. When have the Boston Celtics ever been underdogs? This was what they were here. There was a ragged look to this team. An endearing team. The Celtics of 1986 went exactly where they were supposed to go. The Celtics of 1987 went further than where they were supposed to go.

"I knew we'd be here in the finals against the Lakers," star forward Larry Bird said. "I somehow always knew that we'd be in the finals, even when we had those two seventh games."

"What did you think last year?" a reporter asked. "Did you think you'd be in the finals last year?"

"Last year I knew we'd win the world championship," Larry Bird said.

The final player left in the locker room, an hour after the game ended, was McHale. He somehow was the symbol of all this, wasn't he? The broken foot. The bruise under one eye. The man who decided to play when he didn't have to play. The man who will have his foot put in a cast in the next week and will hobble for the rest of the summer.

"What can we say?" he said as he stood to leave. "We gave it a good run. The run came up short."

A reporter pointed toward McHale's locker and told the player he had forgotten a sneaker. McHale looked and saw it was the sneaker for the left foot, his good foot.

"Maybe I should take it," he said. "That's the only shoe I'll probably be wearing for a while. Then again . . ."

He swung out the door, into the hallway still filled with noise and celebration and the smell of somebody else's champagne. End of story. Dead end. Kevin McHale's shoe still sat in his empty locker in the empty room.

Larry v. Magic: Game 31

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage

1987 NBA FINALS

Game 5

Celtics Force Game 6

June 12, 1987

Section: SPORTS

CELTICS CRASH LAKERS' PARTY

This one was for the guy in the "Big Bird" suit waving the sign that said "Certified Bird Sanctuary." This one was for the kid walking around as a Celtic ghost.

This one was for the people who remember Ed Sadowski and Hank Beenders and Dickie Hemric. This one was for the people who recall that Richie Niemann was once a Celtic. This one was for the people who lay awake with a transistor radio plugged into their ear listening to Johnny Most tell them about the night in Seattle when the game had three endings and the Celtics lost at the final-final-final buzzer. This one was for all the fans who lifted the team in the last-day Atlanta game and who pulled the team through Milwaukee 7, Detroit 5 and 7 and LA 3.

Most of all, this one was for themselves. It was Boston 123, Los Angeles 108 last night at the Garden. The Lakers will drink no champagne, make no speeches or dance no victory dances in this town. There will be a Game 6. It's a 3-2 series now, and if the Lakers are to win it, they'll have to celebrate with Dancing Barry, either Sunday or Tuesday.

"We had to win this one," said Danny Ainge, whose downtown marksmanship tilted the game in Boston's favor during the third quarter. "We let it all out on this one. If you think of winning three games now against LA, it's pretty mind-boggling. But if you think of winning one game at a time, then it's not too bad."

Mark it down: This one was a registered stomping. And get this. It was Boston's biggest rout of this endless postseason. Oh, the Lakers were close on the scoreboard in the final period at 103-95, Boston, with 5:59 left, but that's as close as it came because The World's Greatest Starting Five wasn't going to let this one get away. The Lakers had started off Period 4 trailing by 19 (96-77), but by connecting on 9 of their first 11 fourth-quarter shots, they made the crowd very nervous. But their heroes didn't disappoint them this time.

When Ainge (whose four third-quarter three-pointers had cracked open this game) missed a drive, the resourceful Dennis Johnson (25 points, 11 assists) was there for a lefty tap-in (106-95). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came back with a short sneakaway hook, but Robert Parish (21) took a pass from a trapped Kevin McHale and dunked one to restore the 11-point lead. By this time, the Celtics, who had suffered through a 2-for-8 fourth-quarter start, had restarted the engine.

The decisive sequence came at 112-99. Larry Bird (23 points, 12 rebounds) pulled down a James Worthy brick, starting a fast break culminating in a fast break jumper by the irreplaceable DJ. Bird retreated and tipped away Michael Cooper's long outlet pass. Johnson came back and stuck in another transition jumper. That made it 116-99, and at that moment, Pat Riley knew he'd be playing in the Forum Sunday.

The Celtics originally broke the game open in the second quarter, taking the lead at 32-31 (there had been 10 ties before Period 1 concluded at 25-25) and expanding it to a crowd-pleasing 15 at 63-48 by the halftime buzzer when Ainge threw in a 33-foot runner.

The closing sequence was revealing, because it may have indicated exactly whose night it was or wasn't going to be. For the Lakers had come upcourt with 28 seconds left hoping to get a 12-point deficit down to 10 when Worthy (6 for 19) missed a jumper. Greg Kite hauled in the rebound, pitched out to Ainge and then watched along with 14,890 delighted patrons and 10 teammates as young Daniel launched an old-fashioned Cousyesque runner that sailed cleanly through the hoop.

But that bit of show biz was naught but the warmup act for the Ainge headliner, which turned out to be a 14-point third quarter during which he sank four more three-pointers. The first two were back-to-back jobs (72-60, 75-62). The third made it 82-71, and may have been the biggest, because LA was showing definite signs of life at the time. The fourth, with 36 seconds left, made it 94-77 and was the prelude to a delicious Celtic ending when Bird sent -- are you ready? -- Bill Walton in for a gorgeous pick-and-roll layup that capped a dazzling Boston third quarter and made it 96-77 heading into the fourth.

For the third time in as many games, the Celtics demonstrated that in the Friendly Confines of the Gah-den, they not only know how to play the Lakers, but actually are the better team. They unveiled a beautifully balanced offense that resulted in all five starters cracking the 20-point barrier, headed by Johnson, and followed by Bird (23), McHale (22), Parish and Ainge (21). They did the job on the boards (a 46-40 edge). And they even got helpful little contributions from the bench, as the likes of Darren Daye, Jerry Sichting, Walton and Folk Hero Supreme Greg Kite (whose banked free throw only added to his personal mystique) did their parts to send this series back to LA.

And all you folks wearing the "Beat LA" or "I Hate LA" T-shirts, you did indeed see what you think you saw. The Celtics not only beat the boys in purple, but they also ran them out of town. By any reasonable count (underline the word "reasonable"), the Celtics had more fast break points than the Lakers (CBS said 39-30; the Globe says 28-24).

The Lakers were left in the din and the sweat of the Garden like so many Nuggets, Nets or Washington Generals. The trick now is to get your mind off the last minute and a half of Tuesday's game and reflect on the satisfaction the team brought its fans last night.