Bird Jousts with Kobe's Dad in Celtics' Win

Celtics Improve to 39-15
1981-82 Boston Celtics

"I didn't play much and I'm glad I didn't," said Boston's Cedric Maxwell after the Boston Celtics easily defeated Joe Bryant and the San Diego Clippers. "After a while the game got out of control; somebody could have gotten hurt out there. It was one of the most physical games we played all year."

The first half was played with a minimum of physical mayhem as the lowly Clippers (losers of 9 of their last 10) jumped out to an 8-2 lead before the Celtics' Robert Parish (12 points) in the first quarter and Maxwell (14 of his 15 points in the first half) pushed the Celtics around and over the defenseless San Diego front line. A three-point play by Max gave Boston a 9-8 lead, a lead the Celtics eventually would up to 24 points, but not before the Clippers stayed close for much of the first quarter.

Boston coach Bill Fitch ("I was happy with quite a bit of what I saw in the first half.") gave Danny Ainge his first first-quarter call of the season, and the rookie was smooth and productive in the first half. Ainge quickly fed Parish for a resounding jam and a 34-26 lead with 1:04 left in the quarter, and a second-chance hoop by Maxwell gave Boston a 38-30 lead at the quarter.

Bird (12 second-quarter points) got into a scuffle with Jellybean Joe Bryant early in the second quarter after catching a finger in the eye and an elbow in the chest.

Bird immediately came downcourt after his jam with Bryant and bulled through the lane for a lefthanded layup with a foul shot (foul on Bryant, of course) for a chaser, and the Celtics had a 44-32 lead with 11:02 left in the half. Maxwell then slipped around Michael Wiley for two, slipped in another leaner and then Ainge went backdoor for another easy basket.

And when Ainge and Bird (24 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists) hit perimeter jumpers (Boston shot 69 percent for the half) and Kevin McHale two free throws, the Celtics' lead was up to 58-36 and San Diego went to Defense Two - the clutch, grab and bang.

The Celtics led, 77-55, at the half, the third quarter passed as the NBA's tribute to the bakeries of America (every imaginable turnover was dished out) and only the Clippers' Michael Brooks (24 points) and the Celtics' Gerald Henderson (9 of his 21 points in the third quarter) made life respectable.

Fitch went with Ainge and Charles Bradley for much of the fourth quarter, and the Clippers clipped Boston's lead to 109-99 with 3:58 left on John Douglas' third consecutive basket. But Bird quickly found McHale with a TD pass for a breakaway and then Bird ended the game with a play typical of Bird - a blind, over-the-head pass from the right corner to McHale underneath for a two-handed stuff.

All that was left was for Fitch to shout out his best line of the night to Bradley when referee Hugh Evans called Bradley for a foul while defending the blindly-charging Douglas.

"The only way you could have avoided that foul," Fitch shouted to Bradley, "is if you evaporated."