Fitch Proud of Team Despite Double OT Loss

January 21, 1980

The LA loss of a week ago had hit Bill Fitch hard. He hadn't come down 24 hours after the fact. He wasn't even sure he had gotten over it by Wednesday's game.

But yesterday's 108-106 double-overtime loss to the Seattle SuperSonics was a different matter. The locker-room tone was far more upbeat, and the man setting that tone was Bill Fitch. "I was as happy and proud of of my team today as I've been after most of our victories," he said. "I think we were a better team today than we were a week ago, and maybe we'll be even better next week if they put the cameras on us again.

"It was a tough loss, but the key now is to get over it by Tuesday and Wednesday (when the team plays Houston and Chicago, respectively) so that what happens on Sunday won't affect us. This will be a gut check for the players."

Asked if he thought the game reminded him of a playoff game, Fitch replied, "It was more than that. These games take a bite out of you more than just the effect of one game, because if you don't know how to recover, you can be in trouble for 10 games. But this should be a confidence builder once the heartbreak is over."

Larry Bird on his missed free throw with three seconds to play in regulation, a shot which could have put the game beyond even Dennis Johnson's reach: "I haven't been bothering myself about it, because I knew we couldn't lose if I just made one. I went to the line earlier in the game and I didn't feel right, and I missed both, but this time I was sure I'd walk up there and make them." . . . Jack Sikma was 0 for 7 in the first half, but he shot 6 for 7 in the third quarter, the last four baskets coming after Dave Cowens sat down with his (undeserved) fourth foul . . . The Celtics had difficulty generating a first-half set offense, accumulating 27 of their 39 halftime points via second-chance shots and fast breaks . . . Fitch lauded Seattle's team defense rather than its individual defense . . . John Johnson submitted a quiet, but vital, 10-point, 9-rebound, 5-assist contribution augmented by good defense on Bird . . . The only negative concerned with the game was the officiating of Earl Strom (who tried to take over from the start) and the confused Billy Oakes . . . Ford's five three-pointers (the last one a buzzer- beater to create the final score) matched a season high and ended a two- game drought . . . That's three straight to kick off a six-game road trip for Seattle, which is now 33-8 since Nov. 1. The Celtics have a rare home Tuesday game with Houston tomorrow, capping the seven-game homestand, which now stands at 4-2.