CELTICS, DOUGLAS GIVE SPURS BOOT

March 4, 1993

CELTICS, DOUGLAS GIVE SPURS BOOT POINT GUARD DIRECTS SHOW, PACES RUNAWAY

A new and intriguing twist has developed on this ever-unpredictable Boston Celtics basketball team: the most consistent (and most valuable?) player in the past couple of weeks has been Sherman Douglas. Can you believe it? The diminutive 5-foot-11-inch veteran, who briefly left the team in December after removing his shoes during a game in Minnesota, has breathed life back into a club that was headed for the scrap heap again after a dismal 1-3 road swing.

The latest act in the Douglas revival came last night, when he led the Celtics on a 132-91 rampage over the San Antonio Spurs. Douglas submitted a season high in points (23) on 10-for-13 shooting, came up one assist shy of his season's best (12) and totally dictated the tempo.You want ball distribution? The Celtics had seven players in double figures and 33 assists as a club. Conversely, the suddenly downtrodden Spurs had three players in doubles and just 18 assists as a team. Good shot selection? Boston 58.9 percent shooting, San Antonio 47.4.

Douglas was more than just a catalyst. He attacked San Antonio offensively with juking, twisting drives into the teeth of the defense. He pulled up off the dribble and knocked down 18-footers. He fired no-look passes. He stood in the paint and took charges against players 7 inches and 50 pounds bigger. In short, he made the crowd forget Reggie Lewis was at home, fighting back troubles. He overshadowed the return of Kevin McHale, who played limited minutes in his first outing back from an ankle injury.

And he totally negated San Antonio point guard Avery Johnson (9 points, 7 assists), who, like his team, is coming back to earth after an almost surreal start under coach John Lucas. "Everyone kicked Sherm Douglas when he was down, and justifiably so," said Robert Parish. "But even though the team hasn't played well the last couple months, Sherman has. I'm glad the people finally noticed." "This is the Sherm Douglas I remember from Miami," added McHale. "And this is the Sherm Douglas everyone here wanted to get."

With Lewis a late scratch because of his sore back, Douglas and Dee Brown were paired as starters in the backcourt. Together, they carved out a 31-26 lead after one. Yet the game was broken open at 5:54 of the second quarter -- when Douglas checked in for Brown. Immediately thereafter, the Celtics ripped off an 11-2 run. That streak was extended to 17-6 and a staggering 60-44 Boston lead. Douglas' accomplices were Xavier McDaniel (19 points), Parish (19 points, 11 boards) and Rick Fox (14 points), who thrive when transition basketball is played.

The Celtics were not only superior in that category, they also held a 14-2 margin in second-chance points at that juncture. San Antonio's last gasp at recovery was less than two minutes into the third quarter, when a J.R. Reid jumper and a Dale Ellis trey sliced Boston's lead to 13. The Celtics took a 20-second timeout. On the ensuing inbounds, they appeared poised to fritter away their opportunity with another one of those stagnant possessions, but instead, Kevin Gamble bailed them out with a big 3-point bomb. That pushed his club in front by 16 (67-51), and the Spurs folded the tents.

"It seemed to snowball from there," conceded San Antonio center David Robinson, who shot 4 for 11 from the floor and finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds and a very sore thumb. "I don't know what the answers are. "We have a lot of young and unproven guys on this team. You don't know if they go into a slump if it could last the rest of the year." In the duration, the Spurs continue their vigil for small forward Sean Elliott, a vital player who stayed home with back spasms.

Boston suddenly waits (or longs) for no one. The Celtics have Sherman Douglas, and somewhere along the way, that became very good news.