Bird, Cowens Cleared by Jury

A state jury today unanimously cleared Celtics Larry Bird and Dave Cowens of any wrongdoing or damages in connection with a Jan. 5, 1980, postgame incident outside HemisFair Arena.

The jurors, who deliberated more than three hours over two days, found that Johnny Merla, a member of the San Antonio Spurs' Baseline Bums organization, should receive zero damages for physical pain and humilitition he claimed he suffered in a confrontation with the two players.

The jurors in 37th State District Court found no merit in Merla's $825,000 lawsuit which charged that Cowens and Bird spat on him and that Bird knocked him to the ground with a duffle bag.

Cowens did not spit on Merla and Bird was acting in self defense when he swung the tote bag, the jurors ruled.

Three policemen, a paramedic, a bus driver, two San Antonio fans and the two players all testified that Merla provoked the incident by spitting in Bird's face while a drunken group of fans shouted obscenties at Boston players as they boarded a bus.

Bird left yesterday for Indiana to prepare for the upcoming season and was not on hand for the verdict.

Cowens, now athletic director at Regis Women's College, said he was "gratified and pleased that they came up with the right answer" and that his and Bird's names were cleared.

Red on Russell v. Bird

People are always asking me, "Who's the best player you ever saw?"

I tell them that's not a fair question. There are so many factors you have to consider: The era a man played in, the caliber of his teammates, the types of systems his coaches installed, and how well those systems were tailored to his particular skills. These are all important considerations.

A John Havlicek for instance would have been outstanding wherever he played. But a Bob Cousy? No way. He would not have been an outstanding player if he ended up someplace like Chicago in the kind of slowed-down game played when Dick Motta was there. Cousy would have been stifled; he needed a running game.

Quite often, the team makes the player - more often, in fact, than the player making the team, though it can work both ways. There's an old line about how the strength of the wolf is in the pack, and the strength of the pack is in the wolf; there's some truth on both sides. But though it's nice to have a guy who'll get you 35 points a game, that's not enough to win. Bernard King can score 55 points and the Knicks might still lose. It's happened. It used to happen all the time with Wilt Chamberlain. That year he averaged 50.4 with the old Philadelphia Warriors, we finished 11 games ahead of them.

But all factors being considered, if I had to pick the best of all, the answer would be easy.

Bill Russell and Larry Bird.

And I'm not picking them just because they're my guys; I'm calling them the best of all time because they are the best of all time.

Okay, you say, but there's a draft tomorrow - the hypothetical all-time draft - and I've got the first pick. Whose name do I call? That would be the hardest thing in the world for me to decide. I'll tell you why - and then I'll tell you whom I'd pick.

A one of a kind

When Russell quit in 1969 I knew in my heart that we'd never see anything like him again, and no one's ever come along to change that opinion.

I'll be the first to admit I didn't know what we were getting when we drafted Bird. But people forget that it was the same thing when we drafted Bill. I knew we were acquiring someone who'd get us the ball. That was our big need back in '56, the one missing element that could make us a great, great team.

I'd heard about Russell when he was a sophomore at San Francisco. My old college coach, Bill Reinhart had seen him play. He came back and told me, "Red, you've got two years. Start planning now. This kid can be outstanding." Reinhart was the first to spot it.

So, yes, getting him was premeditated. It was no accident. We wanted Russell. And we went after him, working out a deal with St. Louis in which we gave them Ed Macauley, who was our all-star center, and Cliff Hagan, who was just coming out of the Army and was certain to be a top-notch forward. In return we got their first pick, which was the number two pick in the draft that year. Rochester had the first pick overall, but we already knew that they were taking Sihugo Green of Duquesne. We took Russell.

Did I know what I was getting? Not really. A great rebounder? Sure. But I knew nothing about his character, his smarts, his heart; things like that. You never know those things until you actually have the guy. No one in the league really thought much about it at the time. They certainly didn't know what was about to happen: 11 Boston championships in the next 13 years.

Most of your centers in those days - Mikan, Pettit, Johnston - were also your predominant scorers, and here was a guy who, word had it, couldn't hit the backboard; that wasn't really true, but that was the rap against him.

After we made the deal to get him, Walter Brown, our owner at the time, went with me to watch him perform in an exhibition game the Olympic team was play at the University of Maryland. He was terrible. Just awful! Walter and I sat there looking at each other all night. What in the world had we done?

But later that night, after the game, Russell came over to see us. "I want to apologize," he said. "I am really embarrassed. That was the worst game I ever played."

So we talked about it, then got onto other things and it was never mentioned again. At the end of the night, after Russell left, Walter turned to me and asked, "Well, what do you think?"

"I was worried for a while," I told him. "But after looking into his eyes and hearing him talk like that, I'm not worried anymore."

From gold to goofing off

Russ joined us in December 1956, after leading the Olympic team to a gold medal in Melbourne. I brought him into my office and we had a little talk.

"You're probably worried about scoring," I suggested, "because everyone says you don't shoot well enough to play ball."

"Well, yes," he smiled, "I am a little concerned about that."

"Okay," I told him. "I'll make a deal with you today, right here and now. I promise that as long as you play here, whenever we talk about contracts we will never discuss statistics."

We never did. There was only one statistic that mattered to Russell, and it was the same one that mattered to me: Wins.

"Russ," I said, "we have a pretty good organization here. No cliques. Everyone gets along real well. All we want you to do is something no one's ever been able to do for this team: Get us the ball. Forget everything else. Just get the ball."

He nodded and smiled again. "I can do that," he said.

A lot of great basketball minds didn't think he would make it, and if you analyzed their thinking, you could see their point. Take a guy like Walter Dukes. He was bigger than Russell, and he could shoot better. Why, then, was Russell so great while Dukes was just another player?

It was his ability to perform in the clutch. It was his brilliant mind. It was his great defensive anticipation, which led to his great ability to intimidate. And in addition to all of his innate abilities, Russell was a student of the game. Sure, he had quickness, reaction, all the tools he needed. But most of all, he was a thinker. If you faked him a certain way and wound up making a basket or grabbing a rebound, he'd file it away in his mind, and you'd never fool him the same way again.

We played the Knicks in one of his early games with us and Harry Gallatin ate him up. Harry knew his way around. He was cute. So the next time we played New York I started telling Russ: "You take so-and-so and I'll have Heinsohn take Gallatin."

He didn't say anything at first, but then he pulled me aside just before the game started.

"I'd like to play Gallatin," he said. "It won't happen again."

I said okay, and as I watched him walking onto the court I knew that this was a momentous occasion. He killed Gallatin. See, his pride had been wounded, and that made Russell a dangerous man to deal with. It's like they say in the jungle: Don't ever wound a lion, or he'll be twice as deadly. When Russell's pride was hurt he became like that wounded lion, and God help anybody who got in his way.

I remember one day when I really got angry at him in practice. Russell hated practice. Everyone knew it, but none of us made a big deal about it because we knew the guy would give us 48 tough minutes every game. So I'd shut my eyes to the false hustle he was giving. Still, practice had its purpose, even for him, especially when we were working on plays. And sometimes I'd want him to put out just so he wouldn't upset the other players' timing. Those were the only times when I'd really get on him; otherwise, I'd allow him to set his own pace, figuring I didn't want him leaving all of his energy in a workout.

But one particular morning he was loafing more than usual, and pretty soon everyone else started goofing off, too. So I blew my whistle. "Okay," I said, "are we all done resting now? Good. Let's go! Let's have a twenty-minute scrimmage, real strong, and then we can all get out of here."

So they start in, but pretty soon they're loafing again. Now I blow my whistle and I'm steamed. "Out! Everybody out. Right now. Don't let me hear another ball bounce. Just get out."

They all scrammed, wondering what I was going to do next. But I wasn't going to do anything. The feeling just wasn't there that day, that's all. It happens sometimes. You have to know when to push and when to back off.

Now comes our next practice. "Listen up," I tell them. "We will not discuss what happened before. All I want is a good, hard practice today. Let's go."

Sure enough, Russell starts in loafing again. All he's giving me is more false hustle. I stop the practice.

"Damn it, Russell," I yelled. "You destroyed practice the other day, but you're not going to destroy this one. I'm going to go up into those stands, light a cigar, and I'm going to sit there two hours, three hours, four hours - whatever it takes - until I see a good 20-minute scrimmage. I don't care if you're here all day long. I'm going to see a workout, so make up your mind to that now."

I grabbed some cigars, went into the stands and blew the whistle for them to start.

They began to play, and after five minutes I started to laugh. I couldn't help it. Russell must have blocked 9,000 shots. He'd grab a rebound, throw the outlet pass, race down court to stuff in a shot, then beat everybody back on defense, where he wouldn't allow anyone to get within 18 feet of the basket. I watched this incredible display and thought to myself, "If I don't stop this right now, he's going to leave his next game right here in the Cambridge Y."

I decided the only way to handle it was to make a joke of it, so I blew my whistle and walked back onto the court.

"Russell," I said, "what the hell am I going to do with you? I didn't mean for you to play that good. Can't you give me a happy medium!"

The Russell magic

Bill's calling card, his speciality, was the blocked shot. I began to notice that he didn't block shots the way all the other big guys blocked them. Chamberlain and all those other guys were what I called shot-swatters - 7-foot fly-swatters - who'd knock the ball out of bounds, or else belt it into the open court where anybody could retrieve it.

Russell didn't do that. With his great timing and body control, he'd hit the bottom of the ball, forcing it to pop up into the air like a rebound, which he'd then grab. Or else he'd redirect it into the hands of one of his teammates. Either way, we ended up with possession. He turned shot-blocking into an art, and he's the only man I've ever seen on a court who could do that on a consistent basis. No one's ever been able to duplicate, his style, although Bill Walton came the closest when he was healthy.

Russell, took that one great skill and revolutionized the game by terrorizing the league. As word spread and his reputation grew, he began instilling fear into the hearts of all the great shooters. He didn't react the way other centers reacted, so these shooters never knew how to react to him. Most shot-blockers, anticipating a shot, would go into the air with the shooters. Not Russell. He was so quick, so fast, that he wouldn't make his move until after the ball had left the shooter's hand. Against other centers, they'd just go behind a screen, or fake, or maybe double pump. That didn't work with Russell. He'd just stand there, watching you, waiting for you to commit yourself. The moment you released the ball, he'd be on it like a cat.

S hooters would come racing down the court, stop, and go up for a jumper - but hesitate just long enough to ask themselves, "Where is he?" And that split-second was all it took for one of our other guys to catch up to them. In situations like those, which we saw all the time Russell didn't have to move an inch to break up a play. His presence alone was so unnerving that opposing players would blow their shots just worrying about what he might do.

I used to lead teams of NBA stars on State Department tours all over the world. One summer our tour took us to Yugoslavia. When we offered to put on clinics, as we did wherever we went, the officials there told us they weren't interested. Apparently some AAU team had been there, before us and was beaten easily by the Yugoslavian national team.

We tried to explain that there was a big difference in our country between pros and amateurs, but they didn't want to hear anything about it. All they knew was that the guys they had whipped had worn USA on their jerseys. There was nothing they wanted to learn from us, they said, and they were pretty arrogant about it.

That irritated me. I wanted to set the record straight, to show the fans over there that they hadn't seen the best America could offer, because of course that's never explained to them whenever poorly-trained pickup teams of American kids get their asses handed to them by pros behind the Iron Curtain.

Yugoslavia had this redheaded center who was the leading scorer in all of Europe. So I pulled Russell aside just before the game got under way. "Look," I told him, "don't worry about the ball tonight. Don't worry about rebounds. Let Pettit and Heinsohn worry about that stuff. All I want you to do is guard that big kid over there. If he scores one basket, I'm going to break your neck. Understand?"

We start the game and the kid gets the ball. He fakes right, bounces once to his left, then goes up into the air - and you can see this big smile on his face. All of a sudden, Russell uncoils his arm. Blocked shot. We take the ball to the other end of the court and score.

This happened again. And again. And again. Russell blocked about six shots in a row, and now the kid's going bananas. He comes down the court a seventh time, takes two steps backward and throws the ball like a baseball.

"Damn it, Russell," I yell, "you let him hit the backboard!"

Russ looks at me. Now he's figuring he's got to find a way to get both the kid and me off his back. So the next time the guy takes a shot, instead of blocking it again he smacked it as hard as he could and it hit the kid in the face. He began screaming, going into a tantrum like a three-year-old, and he winds up kicking the ball into the crowd.

That was it for him. Technical foul. They threw him out of the game - the hero of the country, mind you. He had seen all he wanted to see.

That's what Russell could do when he put his mind to it.

From player to coach

Would we have had the success we enjoyed without Bill Russell? No way. But would he have had the same success if he played for another coach? I don't know.

I do know this. When I let it be known at the start of the 1965-66 season that I was beginning my final year of coaching, he came to me, more than once, and urged me not to quit. He called my wife and urged her not to let me quit.

Then one day late in that season, when he realized my mind was made up, he came to me and said he'd like to take over as coach when I retired. His reason was that he didn't want to play for anyone else. Suppose he didn't like the new guy? Or suppose the new guy brought in a different system after all these years?

Well, my mind started moving pretty fast. Suppose the new guy didn't understand Russell? Suppose they weren't able to develop a productive chemistry? I started thinking the same way Russell was thinking.

"I don't want to play for anybody else," he told me. "If I can't play for you, I'd rather play for myself, if you'll let me have the job."

I jumped at the idea. What better way to motivate Russell, I thought to myself, than to make him accountable for the whole team's performance? Remember, the year I left the bench we won our eighth championship in a row. Every season it became more difficult to sustain the intensity. But I knew Russell's pride, and if anybody could get the most out of Russell the player, it would be Russell the coach. Now there would be two reasons he had to win! Talk about a great self-motivating situation.

At our breakup banquet that spring, after all of the other speakers had been to the mike, Russ got up and talked about replacing me. He was leading up to a point, and when he got there he turned and looked directly at me.

"People say Red was lucky to have me," he said. "And he was. But I was lucky to have him, too. Red, you and I are going to be friends until one of us dies."

My throat got tight and my eyes filled and I had to look away. Lucky to have him? You bet I was.

I'm not much for showing my emotions in public, but I did that night.

I almost did it again when they had that big weekend for me in Boston. After all of my old players, from the '50s, '60s, '70s, right down to the present club, had assembled on the Garden court, they announced my name, and I walked out into the middle of a tremendous ovation. It was very emotional, but I was in full control as I started shaking hands with each old Celtic.

Then as I started moving toward Russell he held his arms out, and I stretched my arms, and the next thing I knew he was lifting me off the floor and holding me in a bear hug. Everyone was cheering, but all I was thinking was that I didn't want to cry because I was afraid I might not be able to stop. I almost cracked, but I got through it.

You see, what Russell and I share will always be special. My wife loves the guy. I love the guy. I understand him, just like he understands me. As he once said, we have the most essential ingredient for friendship, and that's mutual respect. He made no demands of me, and I made no demands of him. As he likes to say, we "exchanged favors."

One year, the night before training camp opened, I called him to my room. "Russ," I told him, "I'm going to yell at you all day long tomorrow. I may yell at you all week long. Don't pay any attention to it, okay? You see, if I can't yell at you, then I can't yell at anybody." He said that would be okay, so for the next couple of days I really climbed all over him, and he didn't react. I figured that was because of the little agreement we'd made. It wasn't until later that he told me I'd gotten him so mad he wanted to kill me. I was such a good actor that I guess I forgot I was acting.

Other times he'd come to me and ask if he could skip a practice, or maybe travel ahead by himself and meet the team on the road. It didn't happen often, but if I thought it really meant a lot to him I'd sometimes go along with his request. And I'd always add one condition: "You owe me one."

He'd laugh and say okay. Some night, maybe a month or two later, We'd be getting ready for a tough one and. I'd go over to him.

"You owe me one, right?"

"Right."

"Well, I want it tonight."

Then he'd play his heart out.

Today, when I look back in private thoughts, I enjoy reflecting on some of the things I did which helped win games. And I'm sure Bill, in his private thoughts, enjoys the same type of reflections. Many of those thoughts - his and mine - go hand in hand. We were a lot alike: Two strong personalities, both having the same goals, the same philosophies, both doing anything and everything we could to achieve the triumphs that meant so much to both of us.

I think it's safe to say there's a bond between us that very few men will ever be privileged to share.

The private side

I've always wished the public could know the Russell I know, but he's a very private man who's hard to get to know. He just wants to be left alone.

There have been things he's said and done - like refusing to let us formally retire his number, which we did without him, or refusing to attend his own enshrinement in the Hall of Fame - that I have not agreed with, and I've told him so.

Yet throughout his playing days I didn't want to go into his personality or eccentricities unless I felt I had to. That was Russell. That was his thing, so to speak. Other than giving advice where I felt it was welcome or needed, I made no attempt to change him. Who knows? If I had tried to change his personality it might have affected the way he played.

I'll always remember the time I heard him speaking off the cuff to some students at Notre Dame. We were there for an exhibition, as I recall, and it was during the period of great campus upheaval: Civil rights, Vietnam, protests. It seemed students were mad at everyone and raising hell every chance they got.

I watched Bill sit on the edge of a stage and rap with those kids, and all the respect I had for him doubled. He was so articulate, so down-to-earth, so open and honest - and all these kids, including the long hair types, sat with their eyes wide open, fascinated by what they were hearing. I don't know of anybody else in the country who could have held that particular audience under that kind of control. Even today, if he'd go around talking to kids the way he did back then, he'd do a better job of communicating with them than just about anybody else in the nation.

That's the Bill Russell too few people ever get to know.

Heirs to greatness

Will there ever be another Russell?

I don't know. I think the next Dr.J is already here; his name is Michael Jordan. And we might be seeing the next Bob Cousy in Isiah Thomas.

But another Russell? I don't know about that. Patrick Ewing's no Russell. He's a great player and a super kid, but he's a power center; Russell was a finesse center. A guy who'd have a shot at being a Russell-like center if he wasn't so offensive-minded is Ralph Sampson; he's got the quickness, the smarts and the reactions. Akeem Olajuwon? Keep your eyes on him. He might be the one.

I'll always remember what Russell said the first year of his retirement when Kareem Adbul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, came into the league with a great flourish. Someone asked Russell, "How would you have done against Alcindor?"

I think that bothered Bill. He was never one to use the word "I" a lot; he never had that kind of ego. But here was this kid, this great offensive machine, creating such a stir that already people were forgetting the way Russell had dominated every center he ever faced.

"The question," he told the interviewer, "is not how I would have done against Alcindor, but rather how Alcindor would have done against me."

It was a great line, and he was absolutely right to have said it.

When you think about it, maybe that's the only way to measure the next Bill Russell: How would he have done against the original Bill Russell? Personally, I don't think I'll live to see the man who might have beaten him.

Another flies in

You're always looking, always hoping, to find the next great one, and back in 1977 we started hearing rumors about this kid out at Indiana State. No one ever said he was great at that time, but the word was that he was good, very good. So I watched him on TV a couple of times, and then, during his junior season, I went to see him in person for the first time.

Like Russell, Larry Bird showed me what I wanted to see the first time I laid eyes on him. Here was a kid who could shoot and who knew how to handle the ball. He was going to be eligible for the draft that spring, 1978, even though he was a junior, because he started his collegiate career at Indiana and then sat out a year. But he made it known he intended to play his senior season. Anybody drafting him would have to wait a year. Most teams don't want to do that, but we looked at it differently. Back in 1953 I drafted three Kentucky players - Frank Ramsey, Cliff Haan and Lou Tsioropoulos - a year before they graduated. Like Bird, they were all junior-eligibles.

Why? Because you'd rather have potential great fresh-blood than potential good fresh blood coming into your organization. Any good player you draft probably won't make that big a difference, but a great player can make all the difference in the world. So what's one year? It goes by very quickly, and it's well worth the wait if the player you're talking about has the potential for making a major impact upon your team.

Larry, I felt, had that potential - yet I didn't even dream of the surprises which were to come. I didn't realize how quick he was. I had no knowledge of his rebounding abilities. I knew he had a court presence on offense, but I didn't realize he had one on defense, too. And I had no sense of his leadership qualities, or his ability to motivate other people as well as motivating himself.

I had no great insight into his character, or his personality, or his willingness to play in pain. I have never had an athlete in my 39 years in the league who liked to play more than Larry does and who would make every effort to play, whether he was hurt or not. He symbolizes that old line he can walk, he can play better than any athlete I've ever met.

Yet he was drafted solely on the premise that he was a damned good ballplayer who could put some points on the board and move the ball around. That's all I was expecting, just as I was only expecting Russell to get us the ball.

We had a terrible season in 1977-78- (32-50) but the one thing it gave us was the sixth pick in the first round. So we waited until the first five names were called: Mychal Thompson, Phil Ford, Rick Robey, Mike Richardson and Purvis Short. Then, it was my turn to speak: Boston takes Larry Bird of Indiana State.

The following spring, after his senior season, I opened negotiations with his agent, Bob Woolf. They lasted three months and at times were somewhat heated, though a lot of that was just newspaper talk.

I knew Larry was going to cost us some money, and I was prepared to pay a reasonable price, but the point I kept hammering home was that no forward ever made a franchise in our league. And historically, I was correct. The only guys who ever had the ability to turn around an entire franchise were centers: Mikan, Russell, Chamberlain, Reed, Jabbar, Walton, Malone. All of your other players, no matter how great they were, were contributors. Look at Dr.J - as great as he is, he didn't win it all until Malone joined him. No forward could do it by himself, because forwards are at the mercy of the guards; the guards control the ball.

That's why no forward ever made a franchise - until Larry Bird made ours. He was the first exception, and he may go down in history as the only exception.

The day he walked into our rookie camp was the day my eyes were opened: The way he shot the ball; the way he passed it around; the way he crashed the boards; the way he raced up and down the court; the way he controlled the tempo and action; the way he seemed to make no mistakes. As I sat there watching, all I could think of was the day Havlicek first showed up 17 years earlier. It was the only thing I could compare it to.

John had just been cut from the Cleveland Browns camp. He flew into town, someone picked him up, and the next thing I knew he was walking onto the court. Ben Carnevale, the Navy coach was with me at the time. We started watching John, and after about three minutes I turned to him and said, "Oh my God, what have I got here?" Ben looked at me and said, "I don't know, but I've got a hunch it's going to be something good."

That's how it was with Larry, though maybe not as dramatic - because, remember, I wasn't coaching now. My first thought was simply that this kid was worth every nickel we ended up giving him, which at that time amounted to the richest rookie contract ever signed in any sport.

Larry's very stoic, very unemotional in his expressions, so the more you watch him, the more you appreciate him. He's the consummate pro: He's got a job to do, and anything that might get in the way of doing that job is simply shrugged off, disregarded. Knock him down, he gets back up. He gives as much as he gets in that department. Very seldom does he blow up; diving onto the floor, getting hit with elbows, whatever it is, the look on his face never changes. He just keeps doing the job.

You know what he reminds me of? A street guy with class. That's the only description that keeps coming to my mind: A tough kid off the streets who exudes nothing but class.

I'll tell you something else about him: He's got more mental toughness than any player I've ever seen, including Russell. And I know that Russell has tremendous respect for Bird's ability and for Bird as a person.

There are very few players I would pay to see. I would have paid to see Calvin Murphy play at Niagara. He was spectacular. I'd have paid to see Russell, just to admire the art of his defense. But I wouldn't have paid to see Chamberlain or Jabbar; they don't excite me that way. Don't misunderstand; they're great. But I'd find them monotonous. I wouldn't have paid to see Mikan; he was like a robot. But I'd pay to watch Isiah Thomas, and I'd have paid to watch Dr.J in his prime. Years ago I'd have paid to watch an Elgin Baylor or a Bob Cousy.

As a rule, however, I very rarely jump out of my seat to applaud a player. I guess I've seen too many over the years to react that way anymore. Yet Larry has lifted me out of my seat more than any other player ever has.

It's those moves, that variety of shots, that way he has of improvising as he goes along so that you just don't know what he's going to do, what's coming next. He keeps coming up with the damndest plays I've ever seen. It's like watching Cousy in his prime - yet we're talking about a forward who rebounds like a center!

He is - and I say this unequivocally - the greatest all-around player who ever lived.

Larry's a student of the game in a different way than Russell. Russ might have thought to himself: "If a guy's standing next to me in the pivot here, and I put my hip into him this way, then he can't make the following moves ... "

Larry doesn't break it down like that. He just sees a shot go up and tells himself: "I'm gonna get it." Yet Bird, in my opinion, would be a better coach than Russell was. Russell hated the nitty-gritty stuff. Even though he loved to think about the game, he hated all the routines.

Bird sees what has to be done, feels what has to be done, knows what has to be done, and he can teach. I've heard him telling things to guys. I've even asked him, on occasion, to explain certain things to players, things I thought they should know which he might not volunteer unless he was asked. He's sensitive to the fact some people might resent it.

The Rook Goes for 36, 7 and 4

Larry Talks to Chick v.3

Larry Talks with Chick v.2

Larry Bird Talks with Chick Hearn

Larry Bird Talks with Bill Simmons

Birdy's Last Game at the Gahden

Bird Shows Bernard Who's King

Celtics 116, Knicks 102
Game 2 1984 Eastern Conference Semifinals
Celtics Lead Series 2-0

The Knicks won't leave Massachusetts with any George McGovernesque talk of moral victory. The Celtics thrashed New York again last night, and Boston's 116-102 conquest means that K.C.'s sunshine band will take a 2-0 lead and a bushelful of confidence to the Naked City for Game 3 tomorrow night.

Like Joe Namath and Muhammad Ali, the Celtics have been able to support words with actions thus far. Cedric Maxwell said the Celtics would contain Saint Bernard King, and they have. King was held to an unthinkable 13 last night (tying his second-lowest output of the season), and is currently averaging 23 points below his 42.6 first-round scoring average.

But the smothering of King (by Maxwell, Kevin McHale and just about everyone else) wasn't the only story. Ever-heroic Larry Bird scored 37 (16 of 22 from the floor) with 11 rebounds and four steals, while Dennis Johnson hit for 19 and annoyed the Knicks enough to force a whopping 27 turnovers.

Robert Parish chipped in with a respectable 18 points and 11 rebounds, but the Knicks again had no answer for Boston's Rich Gossage, a/k/a McHale. The Minnesota mauler scored 24 over a hapless assortment of would-be defenders named King, Louis (Gandhi) Orr and Truck Robinson.

"They're in the grave right now," said McHale. "We've got to keep pouring dirt on 'em. We've got the shovel in our hands. . . . They've tried a lot of things, and they just didn't work."

Curiously, the Knicks chose to run with the Celtics - a decision that obviously elated the green team.

"We're happy they're running as much as they are," added McHale. "But we've had 10- and 12-point leads the whole time, and when you get down like that you've got to run."

Hubie Brown had a spicier explanation for the New York running game: "It's hard not to run, because we're usually chasing 'em after a turnover."

Five Knicks had four or more giveaways, a remarkable statistic given the fact that turnover-prone Ray Williams was absent due to a death in his family. Guards Dennis Johnson (four) and Gerald Henderson (five) picked New York's pockets nine times.

DJ and Henderson also accounted for 33 points and buried 13 of 25 shots. "We're playing well together," summed Johnson. "I think we're playing a lot better than most people expect us to."

And then there was Bird. Only in Boston in 1984 could a player score 37 points on 73-percent shooting, grab 11 rebounds with four steals and fail to be named game MVP (Henderson was). Bird has been so good for so long that he's sometimes taken for granted.

Hubie noticed. The maniacal New York czar hardly mentioned Bird's deadly shooting, but said, "The entire Boston team played great defense, but the one man the purists noticed was Bird. He's the real key to their defense. Bird reminded us tonight of a middle line-backer the way he roamed around out there. His ability to clog the lane, double team and strip the ball were the keys to their defense."

Bird shot pretty well, too. Ignoring his sprained right ankle, he had 12 points and 5 rebounds in the first quarter, 21 points in the first 14 minutes and 23 at intermission.

The score was tied eight times in the first six minutes, but from 16-16, the Celtics ripped off eight in a row and never looked back.

Bird started the go-ahead streak with a followup of his own miss. After two free throws by Maxwell, Henderson got the Celtics four more points with a pair of steals. Henderson's second theft was a stripping of Trent Tucker at midcourt followed by a solo layup. Brown called time, the Garden erupted and the Celtics led, 24-16.

After the pause, Bill Cartwright (25 points, 11 rebounds) interrupted with a bucket, but by then, Brown had Orr trying to guard McHale. The Celtics immediately took the ball down low, and McHale wasted no time getting his first basket over Gandhi. McHale scored four more before the quarter ended with the Celtics on top, 34-27.

Bird started the second quarter with a three-pointer, a follow of a missed layup by Quinn Buckner, and a press-beating jumper that made it 41-29, forcing another timeout.

Tucker, Rory Sparrow and Cartwright brought the Knicks to within two late in the half, but DJ took over with two steals (embarrassing Sparrow) and five straight points (including a dazzling steal and layup as he was fouled) to boost the lead back to nine (66-57) by halftime. King had seven points and seven shots at intermission.

In the third quarter, the Celtics shot 52 percent, forced six turnovers, held King to two shots and no points, and added four points to their lead.

Bird and McHale (12 of 14 from the floor) turned it on in the fourth period, breaking the Knicks every time New York started any semblance of a comeback. Cartwright and Darrell Walker (18) tried to keep New York in it, but McHale and Bird scored Boston's first 18 points of the period and the Celtics led, 109-92, with 3:54 left.

The war of words erupted into a flurry of elbows between Maxwell and King at that juncture. No one was tossed, but Brown picked up a technical for his contribution.

In a final burst of futility, the Knicks managed only two field goals in the last eight minutes.

The King Scores a Mere 13

Celtics 116, Knicks 102
Game 2 1984 Eastern Conference Semifinals
Celtics Lead Series 2-0

He finally whacked the water cooler in the closing minutes of the fourth period.

The evening was classified as "nothing more than a bad day at the office, everyone has one" by Bernard King, so he only was doing what everyone does, venting a little frustration and steam at a piece of the office equipment. The difference here was that the equipment was Celtics forward Cedric Maxwell.

The water cooler could say, "Ouch."

"It really got kind of nasty there at the end," Cedric Maxwell said after the Celtics had dropped the New York Knicks, 116-102, to take a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven NBA playoff series. "It was a situation where Bernard got very frustrated."

Bernard. Bernard. Bernard. If the Knicks' playoff points machine was roped in the opening game of the series with 26 points, he was flat-out tied in this one. He was held to 13 well-spread, hard-earned points.

Thirteen.

"Has he been held that low all year?" Knicks assistant coach Rick Pitino was asked.

"I think he had an 11 one game," the coach answered. "But that was early in the year. This was the lowest in the second half."

Bernard. Bernard. Bernard. Here was a guy who averaged 42.6 points per game in five games against the Detroit Pistons, a guy who turned the scoreboard into his personal pinball machine, setting a five-game NBA record. Thirteen on this night. Thirteen.

The Celtics attacked him in a tag-team tandem, Maxwell and Kevin McHale alternating, pounding him, pushing him, tracking him around the floor as if he were going to lead them to a cache of hidden diamonds. Every time Bernard King received the ball, help also arrived for the defender. Guards slapped at Bernard's hands. Center Robert Parish leaped toward his face. Forward Larry Bird slid in from the side.

"Thirty-three," the Knicks guards would shout.

"Power right," the Knicks guards would shout.

"Forty-two," the Knicks guards would shout.

All the numbers for all the Bernard King plays were called. The Celtics would know the situations as well as the Knicks. Each call would be an alarm at the local firehouse that the smell of smoke had arrived in the neighborhood.

"It's nothing new," McHale said. "Everybody knows everybody else's plays. They know that we know that they know that we know. That they know. That we know."

"We're guarding Bernard almost as if he were a great hockey player," Maxwell said. "We're trying to cut down his shots on goal."

So well did the Celtics track their man, that he had only seven points at the end of the first half. He also had only seven at the end of the third period. No points in the period. Not one.

"The idea is that we're taking away the biggest part of their offensive game," McHale said. "They can switch and make Bernard a decoy and have other people take the shots, but they're not geared that way. A guy takes five shots on their team and right away he starts worrying that Bernard isn't shooting. He has to get the ball to Bernard.

"On our team, we're used to having decoys. Decoys? There've been games when I've felt as if I were a real mallard for an entire night."

To compound Bernard's problems, he also is guarding Bird in this series. (Not a decoy. The real Larry Bird.) Larry Bird was in one of those nights when he was just killing the ball, pumping 37 points through the basket, hitting 16 of 22 shots.

On one end, Bernard was being bounced and chopped by Maxwell and McHale. When the ball switched hands, he had to look for Bird somehwere in the open court - usually flying - and try to recover before Bird could blast home another jumper.

This was a long night for Bernard. Very long.

"Larry Bird says you're a good defensive player," a sportswriter said after the game. "He says that guarding him shouldn't tire you out any more than guarding anyone else."

"Oh, yes?" Bernard King replied with a nice smile. "Well, you tell him to try it some time. Be my guest."

Bernard seemed to take the night well. A bad night. That was all it was. Everyone has a bad night. This was his.

Maxwell and McHale? Well, they also guarded him during the season, didn't they? He had some good nights during the season, didn't he? Bad night. That's all. Bad night.

Frustrated? No. Not really, except by the game's result. Pounded by Maxwell and McHale? No. That's basketball. Basketball is a physical game, a rule you learn early on the no-foul playgrounds of Brooklyn and carry with you to college and then the pros. Any complaints, then? Any at all?

"I would like to shoot some foul shots some time," he said. "I think I shot two in the first game. Tonight, I didn't shoot any until late in the fourth period."

All this sounded very good, but his true feelings probably were shown by his body language in the fourth period rather than his words. His aggressive body language. He whacked Maxwell with an elbow after a Maxwell foul midway in the period. He leveled Maxwell with four minutes left, driving the Celtics forward to the ground with a succession of elbows as if knocking down a balky door to a phone booth.

That was the true frustration of Bernard King talking. That was his night, his bad day at the office, his attack on the water cooler. That was 13 points.

"You have to look at all this optimistically," assistant coach Pitino said, a statistics sheet in his hands. "Bernard's picture was on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. He's lucky he wasn't hit by a car trying to get here."

He's also lucky Maxwell and McHale weren't on the road at the same time.

Celtics Dazzle Jazz

1983-84 Boston Celtics
Celtics 117, Jazz 106
Record 46-15
3/8/1984

Tuesday night, he was Joe Fan. He sat home in his favorite chair, worked on a magic Megabucks system and watched the tube - listening to Gil and Cooz describe the proceedings from Landover, Md. Last night he was Larry Bird again. He buried preposterous shots from the outer limits, grabbed every available loose ball and rebound, and threw in a late-game clincher while seated on the parquet pine of the Garden.

Bird wasn't alone in leading the Celtics to a 117-106 victory over the Utah Jazz, but his contributions stood out more because he had trouble getting out of bed Tuesday morning (due to sub-scapula bursitis), and there was serious doubt about his ability to contribute against the Frank Layden A.C. last night. When it was over, Robert Parish had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Kevin McHale had 21 and seven and starting guards Gerald Henderson and Dennis Johnson had contributed 33 points on 50-percent shooting . . . but everybody knew that Larry Bird was The Man.

He was equal parts Audie Murphy and Ken Stabler. He curtailed his convalescence, wiped his hands on the dusty bottoms of his sneakers and produced a 26-point, 14-rebound, 9-assist masterpiece. Twenty of his points came in the second half, and the final six served to shake the Garden and shatter the Jazz. "I heard what he said when they asked him if he could play tonight," said Utah coach Layden. "He said, I got the uniform on.' That's a pro for you. When he puts the suit on, he's ready to play. That's why he's probably the greatest player in the game today. What a clutch performance he put on at the end of the game. The game was in doubt, but he put it away."

Bird scored only six in the first half, which ended with Boston leading by one, 59-58. The Celtics shot 54 percent in the first two periods but committed a whopping 15 turnovers and allowed John Drew, Rickey Green and Darrell Griffith to score 51 of Utah's 58 points. Bird (11 in the period) led a 13-4 surge at the start of the third period to put the Celtics ahead by 10. "I hadn't shot in two days and just wanted to get into the flow of the game at first," said Bird. "In the second half, I felt I could hit the shot. My game was under control. The more I played, the better I felt."

Still, the Jazz wouldn't fold. Crashing the offensive boards, Utah closed to within four points late in the third. Boston led, 86-81, at the start of the fourth. Utah cut it to three (92-89) when Hancock Tower Mark Eaton (7 feet 4) blocked a shot by Parish and Griffith went coast-to-coast for two. The Celtics were still leading by three when McHale converted a three- point play, and DJ got a layup after stealing from Griffith to make it 101-93 with 6:02 left. Utah called time. They traded baskets for a minute and a half, but Bird pushed Boston's lead to 10 (107-97) on a long fallaway with 4:23 left.

After another timeout, Bird did it again, canning one of his no-balance, no-conscience fallaways. McHale followed with a scoop shot underneath, and it was 113-100 with 2:15 left. A half-minute later, Bird threw one in as Rich Kelly knocked him to the floor. His free throw made it 116-102. The Jazz played without Adrian Dantley, who was attending the funeral of his 103-year-old great-grandmother. Without the league's leading scorer (30.4 ppg), Utah got 70 points from Drew (27), Griffith (23) and Green (20). The visitors missed Dantley, and the Celtics hadn't forgotton Utah's 122-109 November win in Salt Lake City, but Bird was the X-Factor.

"Larry called me at home this afternoon and said, I feel like going,' " said coach K.C. Jones. "I said, OK.' " "I don't get paid for sitting home," said Bird. "I don't like to miss games. On Tuesday, I was very stiff, my shoulder was sore and I had pain all around my body. Today, it loosened up, and I really fellt like playing. I wanted to find out today so I'd know if I could play Friday (in Milwaukee), because that's a big game for us."

Celtics Drop Blazers

1983-84 Boston Celtics
Celtics 107, Blazers 101
Record 42-12
February 20, 1984

PORTLAND, Ore.

If he was Walter Mondale, he'd have the nomination sewn up by now. Since the Celtics touched down on the West Coast last Wednesday, Larry Bird has taken California, Washington and Oregon in succession. Last night's 46-minute Renoir was painted for the benefit of the usual 12,666 in Portland's Glass Palace. Bird scored 34 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, handed out 9 assists and stole the ball three times, leading the Celtics to a 107-101 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. He got a lot of help from Dennis Johnson and Gerald Henderson, who contributed 20 and 13 points respectively, and came up with big steals in the final minute.

Portland coach Jack Ramsay was stunned, but hardlly speechless after watching Bird dismantle the Trail Blazers. "Tonight, you saw the greatest player in the game in Larry Bird," said Ramsay. "I don't know if he can play any better than he did tonight. He is just a magnificent pllayer. He may be the best that ever played the game." K. C. Jones echoed Ramsay with, "In all the years that I have watched and played in this league, I have never seen a player with so much involvement in the game as Larry Bird. He dominates all phases - shooting, passing, rebounding and smarts."

Bird chose a tough house to demonstrate his best. Beating Portland at home is only slightly tougher than beating the Russians in an Olympic hockey game. The loss dropped the Blazers to 24-5 in Memorial Coliseum. Conversely, the Celtics are a league-best 20-7 on the road. Boston trailed by two after one, but scored 40 in the second quarter (11 by Bird) and led, 64-58, at the half. Jim Paxson (24) and Calvin Natt (18) pulled the Blazers even early in the third.

Kenny Carr (19) led a 9-2 run midway through the period. Bird took his first breather of the night in the final minute of the quarter which ended with Portland leading, 81-80. The Celts scored only 16 in the period. Sir Larry was on the floor with four Celtic subs at the start of the fourth and hit a three bombs to put the Celts ahead, 88-85. With the Celtics leading by one, and three minutes left, Bird fired an outrageous three-pointer as the shot clock neared zero. "I've made that shot before," he said calmly. "I wasn't that far behind the line. I knew the clock was winding down and I figured if I made it we'd win the game."

Natt and Paxson brought Portland back one last time before Robert Parish (only 14 points and five rebounds) put the Celtics ahead for good (103-101), hitting two free throws with 0:46 showing. Portland set up a play, but Henderson stole a lazy Paxson pass and hit one of two from the line to make it 104-101 with 33 seconds left. "He (Paxson) couldn't see me," said Henderson. "I was coming from behind on the blind side. I knew it was gonna be there." After a timeout, DJ stole a Carr pass and was fouled as he went in alone. He made both to make it 106-101 and send Portland's 297th consecutive sellout toward the exits.

"We made what I call automatic' passes at the end and they got into the passing lanes," moaned Ramsay. The final seconds were indicative of a game which featured 10 lead changes an eight ties. Boston shot 54 percent to Portland's 48, but the Celtics were outrebounded, 40-39. "It wasn't the prettiest of wins, but we'll take it," said Parish. "This is by far the toughest game we've had yet on the trip," added Bird, who hit 14 of 20 from the floor (2-2 from three-point range) and four of four from the line. Bird said he was hoping for 6-0 before the sojourn started and the Celtics are a giddy 3-0 on the Coast as they prepare for San Diego Wednesday.

Bird Posts 17 Dimes in Win

1983-84 Boston Celtics
Celtics 125, Warriors 115
Record 40-12
February 17, 1984

OAKLAND, Calif.

The message was clear, and Boston's 125-115 victory over the Warriors last night had 13,335 hoop fans taking it to the streets of San Francisco and the Baghdad by the Bay that is Oakland: The 1983-84 Celtics will not be intimidated. On a night when Larry Bird had another of his memorable Coliseum deep freezes (5 for 12), Cedric Maxwell (24 points), Robert Parish (28 with 15 rebounds), Danny Ainge (12 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists) and Co. picked up the torch for the Celtics.

Call it just another win over a 23-31 ballclub if you want, but remember that the Celtics had lost three of four and hadn't won here in four years. Also remind yourself that the victory got the dreaded West Coast trip off to a good start and enabled the Boston increase its Atlantic Division lead (over the Knicks and the 76ers) to 7 1/2 games. A 31-21 Celtic fourth quarter provided the margin of victory. The first three quarters were sheer roller derby, but the Celtics dug in for the final 12 minutes, holding the Warriors to eight baskets in 25 attempts (32 percent).

"We had a chance to win, but I don't know what else we could have done," said beleaguered Warriors coach John Bach. "They're able to find a way to win, and that is the sign of a great team. They beat us in a fair fight." The Celtics made 17 of 23 first-quarter shots and led, 44-32, after one. Purvis Short (29 points) and Joe Barry Carroll (22) sparked a 24-6 Golden State surge at the start of the second. It was 67-67 at the half and 94-94 after three. It was tied four times early in the fourth quarter, but the Celtics took the lead for good (104-102) on a Dennis Johnson (15 points) drive with 8:11 left. DJ's basket was part of a 14-4 run which thrust the Celtics into a 116-106 lead with less than three minutes to play. That was it.

"We had the game sewn up, but kept letting them back in the ballgame," said Bird, who shoots here the way Mike Torrez pitches in Fenway Park. Bird made up for a slow offensive night by snatching nine rebounds and handing out a season-and career-high 17 assists. Bob Cousy and Tiny Archibald are the only Celtics who have managed more handouts in a single game. "Some of them," said Ainge, "were absolutely unbelievable. Bird, whose shooting difficulties in the Coliseum are legendary (he tossed an 0-for-9 shutout here a few years back), managed to dismantle the Warriors without scoring a basket in the first quarter.

He has six assists in 12 minutes and sparked the Celtics to a 44-30 lead with 20 seconds left in the period. Gerald Henderson (10 points in the quarter), Parish (9) and Maxwell (14) were the beneficiaries of Bird's floor show. Short was Golden State's only answer. He scored 17 in the first 12 minutes. The Warriors roared back with a 12-2 surge in the first four minutes of the second period. It was part of a 24-6 streak which moved the home team into a 56-50 lead. Then DJ picked up his fourth foul and had to sit down.

Boston's All-Star frontcourt trio led a 10-0 comeback, and the Celtics regained the lead on a vicious fastbreak slam by Parish. The half ended appropriately with a 35-foot buzzer-beating three-pointer by the ever-annoying Mickey Johnson (16 points). The game was tied five times early in the third period. Bird came alive with three baskets midway through the quarter, (he had only two in the first half), but his matador defense on Mickey was one of the reasons the Celtics couldn't pull away. When Boston went ahead by seven, Golden State closed the quarter with seven straight to make it 94-94 after three.

Significantly, Ainge was on the floor for the crucial stretch drive. In fact, he played the entire second half. In what might have been his best floor game of the season, Boston's much-maligned guard contributed 34 minutes and meshed nicely with the breakneck pace. "I love that type of game," he said. "I think every player does. Unfortunately, it got us into trouble in the second quarter when we cooled off, but kept trying to keep up that pace."

MISC

Larry Bird went into the record books with his 17 assists in Boston's 125-115 victory over the Golden State Warriors Thursday night. In NBA history, only one forward has compiled more assists in a game. Warrior Rick Barry dished out 19 against the Chicago Bulls on Nov. 30, 1976. Bob Cousy and Tiny Archibald are the only Celtics who have topped Bird's total. Cousy holds the team record with 28 against Minneapolis in 1959. Cousy had four other games with more than 17. Tiny topped 17 three times with the Celtics, including a 23-assist game against the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 5, 1982.

Celtics Down Pistons to Win 9th in a Row

1983-84 Boston Celtics
Celtics 125, Pacers 106
Record 38-9
February 6, 1984

When the last of the hosannas have been handed out after Boston-Philly XII, or after Mayor Ray Flynn high-fives Carlos Clark at City Hall Plaza in June, few will recall a rainy day in February when the Celtics and Detroit Pistons celebrated the Dreary Season with a five-star masterpiece. It was neatly tucked away yesterday afternoon at the trainless North Station - on the eve of the Beanpot and the Sarajevo smorgasbords, hours before a Bruins-Red Wings ice dance, and a day before the Celtics embarked for that vacationland in East Rutherford, N.J.

The cold type says the Celtics defeated the Pistons, 137-134, in overtime, stretching Boston's winning streak to nine straight and lengthening its Atlantic Division lead to blowout proportions (7 1/2 games). But for those who were there, it was much more. If the Hoop God had a heart, he'd had intervened after regulation, let the opponents toast one another, and called it a draw. "I've never been in the playoffs," said Pistons center Bill Laimbeer "But from what I've seen on TV, this was playoff-type basketball." "It was a great game by both sides," added Robert Parish (a not-too-shabby 36 points and 18 rebounds). "It had the intensity of a playoff game."

The outcome wasn't decided until the closing seconds of extra innings, when Isiah Thomas' 15-footer from the left side rattled down into the basket and popped out into the hands of Kevin McHale, who was fouled at the buzzer. "I thought it was two," said Thomas. "But then (Red) Auerbach brought his ghost out to knock it back out of the basket." It was fitting that Thomas and McHale were involved in the deciding play. Detroit's Pocket Magic came through with another Cousyesque performance, scoring 36 points and adding 11 assists. Buoyed by his All-Star MVP performance last Sunday, Thomas has erased any remaining doubt that he is the league's premier point guard. In his last three games, he has scored 99 points and handed out 44 assists.

Meanwhile, McHale continues his monster role as the eggplant that ate Detroit. Yesterday, he had a career-high 33 points to go with 13 rebounds. In five games against the Pistons this year, he's shooting 64 percent (50 for 78) and averaging 28 points and 12.4 rebounds. Larry Bird overcame a 12-foor-30 shooting day to score 28 with a game-high 19 rebounds (eight offensive boards). Throw in McHale and Parish, and Boston's treetop trio accounted for 97 points and 50 rebounds. Let's see Alex English, Dan Issel and Kiki Vandeweghe try to match that.

Thomas got help from Vinnie Johnson (19 points) and Laimbeer, (16 points with 13 rebounds), while Kelly Tripucka struggled for his obligatory 20. The Celtics led, 67-64, at intermission, but fell behind, 98-94, after three. A 7-2 run by Laimbeer pushed the Pistons to a 120-114 lead with 3:42 left in regulation. Boston awoke with eight straight: a Bird lefthander in the lane, a McHale turnaround, a Parish drive, and a Bird drive past Tripucka. Thomas tied it with a pair of free throws, but McHale hit two from the line to give the Celtics a 124-122 lead with 1:09 left. Five seconds later, Isiah was scoring again off the transition.

Two free throws by M.L. Carr (a heroic 34 minutes and 11 points) made it 126-124 with 16 seconds left. Detroit called time and set up a clear-out for Thomas. He took Danny Ainge to the basket, went under the hoop and laid it in high off the glass from the other side as Bird crashed in to help out. No foul was called. Eight seconds remained. The Celtics called time. Bird's would-be game-winners were blocked by Ray Tolbert, then Laimbeer. After the buzzer, Bird buried one from 25 feet. The Celtics ripped off six straight points in the first 2 1/2 minutes of overtime. Detroit came back with four, but when Carr dunked off a give-and-go from Bird, the Celtics led, 134-130 with 1:27 left. Seven seconds later, Thomas canned another floater off a drive as he was fouled by Ainge. He made the free throw to cut Boston's lead to one.

Parish made one of two foul shots to make it 135-133. At 0:25, Thomas was fouled by Parish. He also missed one of two, but recovered by stealing the ball from Quinn Buckner. Down by one, the Pistons inbounded with 18 seconds left and wound up with Thomas taking the 15-footer from the left. McHale snatched the rebound. "I had to get it and get this think over with," said McHale. "I was getting tired out there." "Me too," added Carr. "It's not easy keeping up out there with my grandchildren."

Bird Goes for 21, 7, 8, and 3 in First Half of Win

1983-84 Boston Celtics
Celtics 125, Pacers 106
Record 37-9
February 4, 1984

The best thing about Larry Bird is that you've never seen it all. Each outing, he comes up with something new to spur the Celtics to heights even they don't dare hope for. Bird was at his very best in the second quarter when the Celtics' 21-7 spree demoralized the Indiana Pacers who had to come back for more of the same in second half, and eventually lost, 125-106, before a sellout crowd of 14,890 at the Garden. Indiana trailed by as many as 30 points in the second half. Bird scored 21 of his game-high 27 points in the first half. He had 12 in the first period when Boston held a modest five point lead, 30-25. He only had nine in the second period when Boston walked away with a 70-56 advantage. But a better barometer of his first-half activity is to point out that Bird also had 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals.

The Pacers had lost 12 previous times at the Garden dating back to 1978. But in none of those beatings was a there a performance like Bird put on with Boston leading, 49-43. It began with a feed to Kevin McHale and ended the same way. In between, Bird had either a steal, an assist or a basket in every point the Celtics scored in the last 5:03 of the second period. As if Bird's performance was enough of a humiliation, his Celtic teammates got in the spirit of things in the third quarter when Boston put on one of those unstoppable blitzes and went on a 30-8 binge to start the period. Six of the baskets were on layups, and with the Celtics leading by 30 points, 94-64, the only thing Garden fans had left was 20 minutes of garbage time, longest of the year for Boston. Bird finished the night with 6 steals, 9 assists and 12 rebounds. Kevin McHale and Robert Parish each had 17 points.

The Celtics began the night riding the crest of a seven-game winning streak. Indiana seemed a logical choice as number eight as it had lost 12 in a row at the Garden dating back to 1978. It didn't seem that way at first. After the first three minutes, Boston trailed, 8-6, and had trouble getting anything going. But that is when Larry Bird and Robert Parish came to life to lead the Celtics on a 14-4 run and a 20-12 lead. Parish scored six points as Boston moved ahead, 14-10. Bird came back and scored six, putting Boston ahead by eight points. The lead grew to 23-14 before the Pacers began to battle back. Led by Butch Carter and George Johnson, they ralied to cut the lead to three points at 27-24 on a layup by Carter, following a steal. The lead dropped to two points with 39 seconds left as Lowe hit one of two free throws. But a three- point shot by M. L. Carr moments later restored the Celts lead to five points and after one quarter, Boston led, 30-25. Bird, who hit five of his first seven shots, had 12 points in the period.

But his work in the first period was nothing compared to the vintage performance Bird turned in during the second period as Boston led by as many as 18 points (68-50) and went away at halftime leading, 70-56. The game was still close when Johnson hit a jumper with 5:53 left, 49-43. But then Bird started one of those amazing runs that only he can do. He fed McHale then came back with a runner to boost the lead to eight points, then it was Katie Bar The Door. Boston then outscored the Pacers, 19-9, in the next 5:23 and Bird had something to do with every point. First, he stole the ball and made a perfect touch feed to Gerald Henderson for an easy breakaway layup. That was followed by a three-point shot from the corner.

Bird got assists on the next two Celtic baskets, both by Henderson, and brought the Garden crowd to life with a scoop shot for a layup. He fed Henderson on another breakaway, which resulted in two free throws, and then scored on another layup. When he fed McHale for a short jumper, the Celtics had an 18-point lead, 70-52, and the Garden crowd was going crazy. Bird ended the first half with 21 points (9-16), 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals.

Celts Defeat Fred Roberts & the Spurs

1983-84 Boston Celtics
Boston 115, Spurs 100
Record: 23-7
12/27/1983

SAN ANTONIO

Bring on the Sixers. Bring on the Russians. Bring on (gulp) Bill Fitch and the Houston Rockets. The Celtics are playing their best basketball of the season. In an impressive display of two-way basketball, Boston beat the still tough-at-home San Antonio Spurs, 115-100, at the HemisFair last night. It was the Celtics' fourth straight victory, their 14th in the last 16 outings and improved their league-best road record to 11-4. This was one of those nights when agent Bob Woolf must wonder if he ought to think about renegotiating Larry Bird's seven-year, $12-million contract. The Hoosier Hoop Highness hit 16 of 24 floor shots, scored 38 points, added eight rebounds and eight assists and buried the Spurs every time they threatened. "The scouting report we had on him was to let him take the outside shot," said beleaguered Spurs coach Mo McHone. "He was sensational. He shot like a man who made $2 million a year. He might be a bargain."

Meanwhile, Dennis Johnson, Quinn Buckner, Gerald Henderson and Danny Ainge gang-tackled the Iceman. Boston's killer bees held George Gervin to three field goals in 18 attempts, which explains why the pinball Spurs struggled to get 100 points. "Ice never got the ball with less than two men on him," noted McHone. "I think Boston's defense had a lot to do with his off night." The Celtics led by two after one period, but put on a second-quarter clinic, outscoring San Antonio, 36-20, including a nifty 20-4 run. With 7:26 left in the third period, Spurs forward Mike Mitchell (17 points) sparked a 10-0 spurt to pull the home team to within 10. Then McHale (20 in 25 minutes) went to work inside, Bird continued his torch job, and the Celts led, 88-74, after three.

When the Spurs closed to within 10 again early in the fourth, Bird came off the bench and led a seven-minute, 20-9 surge, capped by his implausible fadeaway from the right corner to give the Celtics their biggest lead, 108-87. It was actually over by intermission. In a near perfect display of basketball, the Celtics ballooned a 39-35 lead to 59-39. Boston shot 64 percent in the period (16 of 25) and outrebounded the home team, 19-10. Bird had 12 points and four assists in the quarter. The Celts led, 27-25, after one, before Bird (23 points on 10-of-14 shooting in the half) came in for McHale two minutes into the second period and immediatly hit a couple of floaters to push the Celts to a nine-point lead. Forward Fred Roberts, who played with Ainge and Greg Kite at Brigham Young, momentarily helped keep the Spurs alive. A Roberts followup pulled them to withing four (39-35) with 7:21 left in the half. Then Bird and Co. went crazy.

The first run of 6-0 was capped by a Parish hook that made it 45-35 with 5:46 left.The best was still ahead. McHale came out after taking a Gilmore shot to the chest, but with San Antonio's Mark (Tank) McNamara on the floor, the Celts went to town. Bird fed Robert Parish (21 points, 12 rebounds) for a fastbreak jam and Parish was fouled by Roberts. Parish (13 in the half) made the free throw. Then Roberts tossed an air ball and Bird fed M.L. Carr for a sneakaway. The second quarter was about as good as we can get it done," said coach K. C. Jones. The loss was San Antonio's fifth straight and dropped them nine games under .500 for the first time in franchise history.

Parish and Bird Lead C's to Victory over Blazers

1983-84 Boston Celtics
Celtics 115, Blazers 106
Record: 13-5
12/3/1983

There are nights when they sound like a mutual admiration society. Larry Bird talking about Robert Parish can only be embellished by Robert Parish talking about Larry Bird. But the truth is that when both men are working in concert, the Celtics are capable of playing their finest brand of basketball, and that was clearly the case in last night's 115-106 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at Boston Garden. It was the Celtics' fourth straight victory, all at home, and set the stage for tomorrow's showdown with the Philadephia 76ers.

When you speak of this victory, it must begin with Bird, who put on one of those highlight film performances that resulted in a season high of 41 points and the most noise you'll hear from a sellout crowd of 14,890. Bird got 23 of his points in the second half to spark Boston from a 10- point deficit in the third quarter. He left no stone unturned, sinking a variety of shots (15 of 27), including a three pointer, adding 14 rebounds, a steal here and there, and enough floor burns to merit a new wax job for the ancient Garden floor.

But as great as Bird was, he is the first to tell you that he was only a tad better than Parish, who collected 34 points for the second time this year, hitting 14 of 16 shots. It was Parish who would set bone-jarring picks that allowed Bird to roam the court freely. In fact, it was Parish who carried the Celtics in the first half to 48-43 lead, scoring 21 points. But he was on the bench with five fouls when the Celtics fell behind, 69-59, and Bird made his run.

Bird led Boston on a spurt that pared the deficit to 83-82 and then the fun began.
Parish came in to give Bird a one-minute rest early in the final period. Then, when Parish returned with 6:48 left, Bird immediately used two picks to hit a pair of jump shots that enabled Boston to push a one-point lead to 99-94, and Portland never got any closer than five points after that. "They were running plays for me," said Bird, eagerly willing to share the credit with his teammates, "and I knew I had Robert picking for me. I knew if I didn't have the open shot, I could drop it down to him. Things started going my way, and I kept shooting.

"A lot of people think you can come off a pick, get yourself together and make the basket. But it is the pick that makes the shot." Purists could revel in this two-man show. Sometimes it was a simple pick and roll. Other times, Parish found a wide-open Bird, who has learned never to stop looking for the ball when it goes inside to the big Celtic center. "Once you have a big man who can move like Robert," says Bird, "you've got to go to him and you also have got to use him to take the pressure off yourself. "He's the guy you have to get the ball to if you want to have success, because he's our big scorer down low. But once you give it to him, you've got to move, because you might get it back. One way I can repay him is to give him some easy baskets."

The Blazers got their big third-quarter lead with a 1-3-1 trap, principally because Gerald Henderson was in foul trouble. But as Parish pointed out, it is dangerous to depend on it too long with a Bird on the floor. "He can beat you in a lot of ways," said Parish, "not just scoring. He sets up teammates with his passing and rebounding, things like that. We wanted to make them pay the price inside. But Larry had the hot hand, so all we wanted to do was score, and he was doing a good job of that. "Our guards have geen shooting very well," Parish continued, "and teams can't double-team inside. Larry becomes a plus and, when he has his outside going, teams really have trouble."

The Trail Blazers played for three quarters like a team that will be heard from around playoff time. But most of them had to admit that they don't see many players like a Larry Bird, who can ignite a team. "We could pressure them and force turnovers and run the floor while the Celtics were missing," said Mychal Thompson. "But when a guy like Bird gets on one of those rolls, there is not much you can do." Blazer coach Jack Ramsay echoed the thoughts. His club had overcome a first half of defensive lapses, allowing the Celtics several times to sneak away for easy baskets. But he said there is little defense for a man who takes the game into his own hands.

"If you want to give the game ball to anyone," said Ramsay, "give it to Larry Bird. He makes everyone else better. He was almost a whole team tonight. He made everything happen. You get so concerned with him that other people get open, and he finds them." Bird said he appreciated the praise but didn't think his club played all that well. "We should have had them down by more at halftime," he said. "We had two opportunites to blow it open and never did get the momentum. "In the second half, we just fell apart for a time. It takes a total team effort when you get get down by 10, not just one or two individuals. We had a whole team pointed in one direction, and the defense was tougher down the stretch."

Parish and Bird Lead C's to Victory over Blazers

1983-84 Boston Celtics
Celtics 115, Blazers 106
Record: 13-5
12/3/1983

There are nights when they sound like a mutual admiration society. Larry Bird talking about Robert Parish can only be embellished by Robert Parish talking about Larry Bird. But the truth is that when both men are working in concert, the Celtics are capable of playing their finest brand of basketball, and that was clearly the case in last night's 115-106 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at Boston Garden. It was the Celtics' fourth straight victory, all at home, and set the stage for tomorrow's showdown with the Philadephia 76ers.

When you speak of this victory, it must begin with Bird, who put on one of those highlight film performances that resulted in a season high of 41 points and the most noise you'll hear from a sellout crowd of 14,890. Bird got 23 of his points in the second half to spark Boston from a 10- point deficit in the third quarter. He left no stone unturned, sinking a variety of shots (15 of 27), including a three pointer, adding 14 rebounds, a steal here and there, and enough floor burns to merit a new wax job for the ancient Garden floor.

But as great as Bird was, he is the first to tell you that he was only a tad better than Parish, who collected 34 points for the second time this year, hitting 14 of 16 shots. It was Parish who would set bone-jarring picks that allowed Bird to roam the court freely. In fact, it was Parish who carried the Celtics in the first half to 48-43 lead, scoring 21 points. But he was on the bench with five fouls when the Celtics fell behind, 69-59, and Bird made his run.

Bird led Boston on a spurt that pared the deficit to 83-82 and then the fun began. Parish came in to give Bird a one-minute rest early in the final period. Then, when Parish returned with 6:48 left, Bird immediately used two picks to hit a pair of jump shots that enabled Boston to push a one-point lead to 99-94, and Portland never got any closer than five points after that. "They were running plays for me," said Bird, eagerly willing to share the credit with his teammates, "and I knew I had Robert picking for me. I knew if I didn't have the open shot, I could drop it down to him. Things started going my way, and I kept shooting.

"A lot of people think you can come off a pick, get yourself together and make the basket. But it is the pick that makes the shot." Purists could revel in this two-man show. Sometimes it was a simple pick and roll. Other times, Parish found a wide-open Bird, who has learned never to stop looking for the ball when it goes inside to the big Celtic center. "Once you have a big man who can move like Robert," says Bird, "you've got to go to him and you also have got to use him to take the pressure off yourself. "He's the guy you have to get the ball to if you want to have success, because he's our big scorer down low. But once you give it to him, you've got to move, because you might get it back. One way I can repay him is to give him some easy baskets."

The Blazers got their big third-quarter lead with a 1-3-1 trap, principally because Gerald Henderson was in foul trouble. But as Parish pointed out, it is dangerous to depend on it too long with a Bird on the floor. "He can beat you in a lot of ways," said Parish, "not just scoring. He sets up teammates with his passing and rebounding, things like that. We wanted to make them pay the price inside. But Larry had the hot hand, so all we wanted to do was score, and he was doing a good job of that. "Our guards have geen shooting very well," Parish continued, "and teams can't double-team inside. Larry becomes a plus and, when he has his outside going, teams really have trouble."

The Trail Blazers played for three quarters like a team that will be heard from around playoff time. But most of them had to admit that they don't see many players like a Larry Bird, who can ignite a team. "We could pressure them and force turnovers and run the floor while the Celtics were missing," said Mychal Thompson. "But when a guy like Bird gets on one of those rolls, there is not much you can do." Blazer coach Jack Ramsay echoed the thoughts. His club had overcome a first half of defensive lapses, allowing the Celtics several times to sneak away for easy baskets. But he said there is little defense for a man who takes the game into his own hands.

"If you want to give the game ball to anyone," said Ramsay, "give it to Larry Bird. He makes everyone else better. He was almost a whole team tonight. He made everything happen. You get so concerned with him that other people get open, and he finds them." Bird said he appreciated the praise but didn't think his club played all that well. "We should have had them down by more at halftime," he said. "We had two opportunites to blow it open and never did get the momentum. "In the second half, we just fell apart for a time. It takes a total team effort when you get get down by 10, not just one or two individuals. We had a whole team pointed in one direction, and the defense was tougher down the stretch."

Bird's Triple-Double Leads C's over Spurs

1983-84 Boston Celtics
Celtics 130, Spurs 106
Record: 12-5
12/1/1983

The Celtics may never find perfection in their total team concept, but few could argue they came pretty close with a dazzling outing that bewildered San Antonio last night at Boston Garden.Larry Bird had his third triple double of the year in leading Boston to a 130-106 rout of the Spurs. But his 23 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists only began to tell the story of Boston's domination. Kevin McHale chipped in 22 points (15 in the second period) as did Robert Parish. Danny Ainge came off the bench for a season high of 16 of which 12 were in the second half.

The Celtics, winning their third straight, handed San Antonio its ninth road loss in a row. The Spurs did make a game of it for one half, thanks chiefly to the shooting of George Gervin, who finished with 33 points. Boston, which had a 64-60 lead at halftime, went on a 13-3 blitz midway through the third period to take a 16-point lead after three quarters. The one predictable thing about K. C. Jones is that he changes his mind in an instant. Thus one day after saying his club would not be pressing and that Quinn Buckner would be his first guard off the bench, he started the Celtics off with full court pressure and Ainge, not Buckner, was the first sub.

The reason became obvious in the first few moments. San Antonio came out running, and the Celtics responded with a fast break of their own, jumping to a 12-6 lead. San Antonio drew to within one at 14-13, only to fall behind again, 21-17. The Celtics were able to get the ball inside to Parish, who scored 10 points in the first quarter. But Gervin, the Iceman, began to do his thing and the Spurs were on the move again, tying it, 28-28, on a three-point play by Gervin. Two free throws by Gervin put San Antonio ahead, 30-28, and he followed that with a fastball scoop shot that put the Spurs up, 32-28. McHale scored with three seconds left and after one period, San Antonio led, 32-30.

In the second period, it was Boston's turn to take off with an 11-4 run led by McHale, who scored 15 points in the period, including three baskets that helped the Celtics to a 41-34 lead. The Spurs went to their bench and closed the margin to 43-40 on a layup by big Mark McNamara. But Boston came back for four points. Boston still led, 51-48, when San Antonio tied it on three Gervin free throws. Gervin was fouled and also sank a technical foul on Bird. Instead of panicking, however, the Celtics went back to basics, finding either McHale, Cedric Maxwell or Parish inside. After Maxwell gave Boston a 54-53 lead, McHale scored eight straight points and Boston led, 62-56. Parish hit a jumper with 47 seconds left, and at halftime the Celtics led, 64-60. McHale wound up with 19 for the half. Gervin had 25 for San Antonio.

San Antonio came out with the intent on shutting off the Celtics' inside game in the third period. Instinctively, Boston went back to its outside shooting, led by Gerry Henderson, who sank three straight baskets, including one for a three-pointer that broke a tie at 68-68. Parish provided the next six points and Boston's lead grew to seven at 79-72. Bird began to warm up and suddenly the Celtics' superior depth began to wear the Spurs down. Leading, 87-81, the Celtics took off and closed out the period with their 13-3 spurt.

McHale returned to chip in two baskets. Ainge hit a sensational runner at the buzzer at the end of a fast break and after three quarters Boston lead, 100-84. With only three minutes elapsed in the fourth period, the Celtics had put the game practically on ice. Bird and Parish led an 8-0 run and Boston was ahead by 24 points, 108-84. The only sad part of this run was that McHale suffered a sprained ankle and was finished for the game.

Larry v. Magic: Game 5

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

Celtics 113, Lakers 104

February 24, 1983

INGLEWOOD, Calif.

For 48 minutes they made everyone forget about strike threats, losing streaks, West Coast weariness and other assorted discord and disappointment. On this night, near the City of Angels, the Celtics sucked in their guts and reminded you why you care.

Playing like the hungry Celtics of yesteryear (circa 1979-82) the Celtics bounced the World Champion Lakers, 113-104, last night. Jack Nicholson, Michael Douglas, Stephen Stills and other hardcore Laker fans came to see their world champs bury Boston, but filed out of the Fabulous Forum crying in their Perrier and mumbling about guys in green named Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell (30 points) and Robert Parish.

You're going to be hearing a lot about the game Bird played. He scored 32 points, made 13 of 23 shots (including a couple of killer three-pointers in the third quarter), gathered a game-high 17 rebounds and served 9 assists for dessert. "You can use any superlative you want," admitted Laker coach Pat Riley, "but I would have to say tonight he was pretty damn good."

Since the fabricated Magic Johnson vs. Bird duel is always paramount out here, Bird's performance will undoubtedly result in his sneakers being immediately cast in the cement at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. But let the record show that Maxwell played his best game of the year (30 points, 8 assists). It was Maxwell who kept the Celts glued together (12 in the first quarter) before Bird took over, and again in the final moments. Meanwhile, Parish (16 points, 11 rebounds) chipped in with a couple of crucial baskets, blocked two of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's shots and held the big fella to a pitiful three rebounds.

It was fitting and typical that the Boston veterans would take over a game in which the Celtics were favored to lose their third straight for only the second time in four years. The Celtics led by one after one, it was tied at intermission and after a third quarter which featured seven lead changes, Boston was ahead, 90-87.

The final period, like the rest of this game, was nothing less than magnificent. While rookie James Worthy (20 points, 11 rebounds) conjured memories of the job he did on Georgetown last spring, Magic Johnson (20 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists) kept the Lakers running. Meanwhile, the Celtics weren't shooting particularly well, but they were coming up with loose balls . . . just like in the good old days.

The Celtics led by three (99-96) with six minutes left, but with Parish and Bird, who played 46 minutes, resting on the pine, LA ripped off six in a row and took a 102-99 lead on Jabbar's follow-up slam with 4:10 left. Bill Fitch called time and put Bird and Parish back on the floor. Boston outscored LA, 14-2, the rest of the way.

Gerald Henderson started it, scoring off a drive to cut it to 102-101. A minute later, Maxwell fed Parish for a stuff which put the Celtics up, 103-102, with 2:22 left. After Parish rebounded a Michael Cooper miss, the Chief hit a foul-line jumper to make it 105-102 with 1:52 showing. LA called time. Jamaal Wilkes scored underneath (LA's only points in the final 4:10), but Bird answered from the top of the key. Coming up with more key plays, Maxwell rebounded an errant lob pass by Magic Johnson, then scored underneath to put the Celtics ahead, 109-104 with 45 seconds left. LA called time again. When play resumed, Abdul-Jabbar was called for charging into M. L. Carr and everybody knew it was over.

It was also a big loss for the Lakers, who are now condemned to finish the regular season with an 0-4 record vs. Boston and Philadelphia.