Catching up with #8

February 14, 2004 Saturday

KANSAS CITY - He was the long-range assassin earning two championship rings with the BostonCeltics during their 1983-84 and 1985-86 championship seasons.

These days, Scott Wedman is still trying to earn championship rings, but now it is for the Kansas City Knights of the American Basketball Association. 

A first-year coach for the Knights, Wedman currently has Kansas City in second place with a 18-9 record.

Wedman was a Driveway Guy

May 29, 1985

Section: SPORTS

WEDMAN'S WAY WAS PAVED

He is a basketball player in silhouette. The sun is setting at an angle behind the backboard, making you wonder how long he has been working and how much longer he is going to stay. There are ovations and excitement in his head, perhaps, but he is alone with the sound and the feel of the ball.

He is a driveway guy. A picture.

"You spent a lot of time like that?" Scott Wedman is asked.

"Oh, yes," he replies.

AINGE SHOOTS SELF INTO CELTICS' PLANS

1984 NBA Finals

GAME 2

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary

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

Over? Hardly.

Boston guard Danny Ainge says the NBA Championship Series has only just begun as it heads into tomorrow afternoon's nationally televised Game 3 (Channel 10, 3:30) at the Forum.

Ainge certainly showed signs of coming back to life Thursday night, scoring 12 points and contributing five assists as the Celtics tied the best-of-seven series at one game apiece with a 124-121 overtime victory at the Boston Garden.

Ainge became an important factor in Boston's most recent success story, shooting 6-for-10 from the field and giving the Celtics perimeter firepower against a team that was whistled down for three zone violations in the first half.

''I kind of felt this was going to be a good night for me,'' Ainge said after the game. ''But you have that kind of feeling lots of nights and nothing happens.

''The Lakers have been giving us the outside shot in this series and I don't think they're going to change their game plan at this point. I guess that's why Scott Wedman and I got more time than usual.''

Ainge played 25 minutes. Wedman, a 6-7 shooting forward, played 18 minutes and was on the floor long enough to sink the Lakers with a 15-foot baseline jumper that was the deciding field goal in overtime.

Both players basked under an unfamiliar spotlight. Wedman, a one-time all-star with the Kansas City Kings, was acquired by the Celtics from Cleveland last January. He is making more than $800,000, but had not been worth anything close to that amount this season, playing in just one of three previous playoff games. Ainge is a highly publicized All-America guard from Brigham Young University who played a year of baseball with the Toronto Blue Jays before switching pro sports in 1982. He had been mediocre at best with Boston, losing his starting job this year after the Celtics acquired defensive whiz Dennis Johnson from the Phoenix Suns.

Ainge's biggest contribution to the Celtics' success before Game 2 against LA was the forearm blow he delivered to Darrell Walker in the Knicks' series.

Ainge was trying to stop Walker, a 6-4 rookie guard, from driving to the basket. Instead, he nearly started World War III, setting off a bench-clearing brawl at the Boston Garden. For that blow, Ainge was tagged with the unglamorous nickname, ''Danny Mainge,'' by the New York media.

''In the last few games I was just going to give DJ (Johnson) a rest,'' Ainge said. ''I didn't take any shots. I wasn't really in long enough to take any shots. I think what hapened to us in our previous few series was not good for us.

''Sunday's game woke us up to the fact that we should be running. And, of course, when we are running, it's to my advantage. When we're playing a halfcourt game, the ball is designed to go to our inside guys. I'm allowed to shoot off the break. If the shot is there, I'm going to take it.''

On the surface, Ainge looks too slow to play effectively in this series. But all six of his field goals came off fastbreaks, a good sign for ardent Celtics' fans. Ainge had four field goals when Boston built a 24-20 lead to 35-22 late in the first quarter. He had two more in the third period before retiring to the bench for the night when Jones started searching to find players with more size and quickness to cover Lakers guards Magic Johnson, Michael Cooper and Byron Scott.

''I always feel I can shoot,'' Ainge said. ''I hit my first couple and I was able to stay in there a little longer. He (Jones) didn't feel he had to go to anybody else.'

1984 NBA Finals: Celtics Bit Players Stop Showtime

1984 NBA Finals

GAME 2

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary

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

The bit players emerged from the shadows at Boston Garden and stopped the National Basketball Association's premier show.

That's one of the things that will be remembered about Game 2 of the championship series - a drama-drenched overtime game in which the Boston Celtics, teetering on the precipice, fought back for a 124-121 victory over the error-prone Los Angeles Lakers, thereby gaining a 1-1 split going into tomorrow afternoon's game on L.A.'s home court.

Suddenly, the title series that was simplistically labeled as a contest between the Lakers' Magic Johnson and the Celtics' Larry Bird has taken on a new dimension.

Johnson, dribbling away almost all of the last 13 seconds of regulation time before setting up a shot by Bob McAdoo that failed to beat the buzzer, turns out to be a human being, after all.

Bird, shooting only 8 for 22 from the floor, turns out to be human, too.

The nature of this beast has changed drastically, not only because of the failings of Bird and Johnson, but because of the rise of guys like Scott Wedman. And Gerald Henderson. And Danny Ainge.

So going into Game 3, it might be well to forget Bird for a while if you can. And forget some of the other more prominent Celtics - Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson, Cedric Maxwell.

Instead, look to the shadows, from where the real heroes of Game 2 came, and consider the possibility that this entire best-of-seven show could come down to plays made by people like the rarely used Wedman, whose 14-foot jump shot with 14 seconds left in overtime gave Boston the game, or Henderson, whose steal and layup at the end of regulation and three-point play in overtime helped doom the Lakers.

Or it might come down to another defensive play by Robert Parish, whose relative invisibility in Game 1 had prompted one Boston newspaper to ask sarcastically: "Is Parish Burning?"

Apparently he is not, as he demonstrated in the final seconds of overtime Thursday, when he stripped McAdoo of the ball to preserve Boston's victory.

Or what about Ainge, who hit his shots in clusters and who almost single handedly kept the Celtics from folding in the face of the onrushing Lakers in the fourth period?

L.A. coach Pat Riley, for one, is convinced that that was no mirage out there on the parquet floor.

Before his team's flight here yesterday, he was asked about Wedman.

"I've always respected Scott," he said. "He's a smart, veteran player. He sat most of the year, but he had the presence of mind and the attitude to give his team help when called upon. A lot of guys can't do that.

"We doubled on Bird to make him give up the ball," said Riley, discussing the play on which Wedman hit his game-winning basket. "We made the next guy (Henderson) give it up. Finally, it went to Wedman, and he buried it."

And Ainge?

For the third-year guard out of Brigham Young, this has been a difficult season. He lost his starting job under the new regime of coach K. C. Jones, saw his shot disappear and saw his playing time vanish to next to nothing.

Yet he pumped in six field goals Thursday, the first four coming in a first half in which the Celts rocketed to a pair of 13-point leads. He hit his other two field goals - the second coming on a lean-in flyer off a fast break - in the waning moments of regulation, when Boston was on the edge of defeat.

"I always feel I can shoot," Ainge said before the Celtics' practice yesterday afternoon. "I hit my first couple, so I was able to stay in there a little longer. He (Jones) didn't feel he had to go to anybody else."

And Parish?

After his dismal Game 1, he not only made the game-clinching steal, he shot 9 for 14 from the floor.

1984 NBA Finals: Ainge Decides to Crash the Party

1984 NBA Finals

GAME 2

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary

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

A Wall Street type thinker might not consider either Danny Ainge or Scott Wedman prudent long-term investments, but for at least one playoff game the Celtics were able to forget about how much more they have always expected from either of these two oft-frustrated athletes.

The fact is that without their contributions last night the Celtics could not have defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, by any score. There has been perpetual yelping during the last several years over the Celtics' desperate need for some outside shooting to balance their famed inside game. In this vital 124-121 overtime triumph over LA, Messrs. Ainge and Wedman provided that marksmanship.

Ainge bunched his six field goals in two key Celtic runs, the first four coming in the first half and the other two at the end of the third period, after the Lakers had taken their first lead of the night. Most were in transitions, beautiful stop-and-poppers that passed softly through the net. It was the Danny Ainge of the UCLA massacre, as well as the Danny Ainge for whom the Celtics went to trial with the Toronto Blue Jays, the Danny Ainge in whom they have invested a lot of money.

Wedman, whose year-and-a-half Celtic tenure has been extremely unsatisfying for all parties, added five field goals, including the biggest of the game, a 13-footer from the left baseline with 14 seconds remaining in OT that merely gave Boston the victory.

Wedman was one half of an offense-defense shuttle with Cedric Maxwell at the time, and when he received the ball he didn't hesitate. "We had played great defense," said LA coach Pat Riley. "We had doubled on (Larry) Bird to make him give up the ball. We made the next guy (Gerald Henderson) give it up. Finally it went to Wedman, and he buried it.

"I've always respected Scott," Riley continued. "He's a smart veteran player. He sat most of the year, but he had the presence of mind and the attitude to give his team help when caled upon. A lot of guys can't do that."

It was the precise sort of contribution envisioned when the Celtics acquired Wedman from the Cavaliers a year ago January. It's not as if Wedman, a one-time All-Star, was some sort of NBA secret weapon.

"We wondered what the Celtics were doing at the time," said Jamaal Wilkes. "Bird hadn't yet signed his new deal, so possibly they wanted Scott as some kind of insurance. That's pretty heavy insurance."

This is true. Wedman was making over $800,000 when he came here, and that's serious money (even if a lot of it is being paid by the other team) for a man who can't scare up too many minutes of playing time on a team with Bird, Maxwell and Kevin McHale at the forward slot.

As for Ainge, this has not exactly been the Year of the (Ex)-Cougar, either. It was assumed in some circles that Ainge would benefit greatly by the Celtics' coaching change, but instead he lost his starting job - however ceremonial it was - and played no larger role under K.C. Jones than he had under Bill Fitch. His playoff function has been that of a subordinate who gives regulars a quick blow.

But when he entered the game last night he was ready. He connected on his first three shots as the Celtics were expanding their lead to as many as 13 (33-20, 35-22), as he stayed on the floor long enough to stick in another second-period jumper. It was a scene reminiscent of the famous Milwaukee Game 2 of a year ago when he went insane during the first half.

It's obvious Ainge feels his big problem is simply playing time. "I always feel I can shoot," he said with a shrug. "Tonight I hit my first couple so I was able to stay in there a little longer. He (K.C.) didn't feel he had to go to anybody else."

Of course, every player who has ever lived feels his only need is some more "PT." And there are always people moaning about Wedman's lack of playing time.

"Yes," said Riley, "they found something to do with him at a very appropriate time, didn't they?"

1984 NBA Finals: Wedman Saves Celtics from Date with Finals Futility

1984 NBA Finals

GAME 2

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary

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

Just when the Boston Celtics were on the verge of making NBA history -- for futility -- reserve forward Scott Wedman came to the rescue Thursday night.

Wedman hit a 12-foot baseline jumper with 14 seconds left in overtime to lift the Celtics to a 124-121 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, tying the NBA championship series at 1-1.

Boston narrowly avoided becoming the first team in the 37-year history of the NBA finals to lose the first two games at home. Games 3 and 4 of the best-of-seven series will be played Sunday and Wednesday at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

Wedman, who doubled his regular-season average with 10 points, gave the Celtics a 122-121 lead with his clutch basket.

"It was a double-pick with Larry Bird on one side and myself on the other," Wedman said. "I was open for the shot and it felt good when I let it go."

The Lakers were unable to get off a final shot, turning the ball over twice in the closing seconds, the last time when Boston center Robert Parish slapped the ball away from Bob McAdoo with six seconds left.

Bird, who finished with 27 points, added two free throws with two seconds remaining for the final margin.

Boston guard Gerald Henderson had forced the overtime session when he stole a James Worthy pass with 13 seconds left in regulation and drove in for an uncontested layup to tie the score at 113.

"Anytime you're in that situation, you have to go for the steal," Henderson said. "We had to have that steal. We had to have something at that point, and Worthy just lofted the ball."

Los Angeles took the ball out at midcourt after a timeout, but Magic Johnson dribbled away the last nine seconds without getting off a shot.

Johnson scored four of the Lakers' first five points in overtime to give Los Angeles a 118-115 lead. Henderson then took a lead pass from Bird and converted a three-point play to tie the score with 2:15 left.

After the teams exchanged baskets, McAdoo hit a 12-foot jumper with 1:25 remaining to give the Lakers their last lead, 121-120.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar missed a sky hook with 26 seconds left that would have given the Lakers a three-point lead, and Wedman followed with his game-winning shot.

Worthy paced the Lakers with 29 points and Johnson added 27.

Celtics' Coach K.C. Jones was relieved to get out of Boston with a split.

"We got ourselves in trouble, we let our momentum slide, but we had heroic efforts from different people," Jones said. "That's what 'team' is all about."

Unlike the first game, the Celtics broke quickly from the gate. They jumped to a 7-0 lead, reversing the early minutes of Game 1, when Los Angeles took a 22-7 lead en route to a 115-109 victory.

Johnson, who had 14 of Los Angeles' 26 first-quarter points, hit four consecutive long jumpers to cut Boston's lead to 13-10. But Danny Ainge, who had played only two minutes Sunday without scoring, came off the bench to hit three long jumpers in an 11-2 stretch that gave the Celtics a 33-20 lead.

Boston maintained a comfortable advantage for most of the half, using a 17-4 edge in free-throw attempts build a 57-44 lead with 4:32 remaining.

The Lakers finally got their fast break working at that point. Worthy had nine points and Jamaal Wilkes six during a 15-4 run that cut their deficit to 61-59 at halftime. Worthy made four layups and Wilkes hit two corner jumpers during the spurt.

Worthy had 11 points in the third quarter, when Los Angeles shot 68 percent. The Lakers took their first lead of the game when Jabbar, who had 20 points, hit a pair of sky hooks to finish a 7-0 spurt that put Los Angeles ahead, 66-65, with 9:26 left in the period.

Late in the fourth quarter, Abdul-Jabbar completed a three-point play to score his 4,000th career playoff point.

Parish hit a long baseline jumper to give Boston a 101-97 lead, and the teams swapped baskets until Bird hit three of four free throws with 1:30 left to give the Celtics a 111-108 advantage.

Worthy tied the score on a driving three-point play and Johnson added two foul shots with 35 seconds remaining to give the Lakers a 113-111 advantage. After a Henderson jumper fell short, Kevin McHale was fouled by McAdoo on an offensive rebound with 20 seconds left.

McHale missed both free-throw attempts, setting the stage for Henderson's steal of Worthy's looping cross-court pass.

The Celtics' victory marked the ninth consecutive time in NBA history that a home team lost the opening game of a championship series and followed with a victory in Game 2.

1984 NBA Finals: Wedman and Parish Play Key Roles in Game 2 Win

1984 NBA Finals

GAME 2

Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary

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

Scott Wedman, who has been languishing on the Celtic bench, hit a 13-foot jumper with 14 seconds remaining in overtime tonight that enabled Boston to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers, 124-121, in the Boston Garden.

Wedman, who played 18 minutes because his team needed more outside shooting, was sent in with 2 minutes 47 seconds remaining in the 5-minute extra session when Coach K. C. Jones decided to play him on offense and Cedric Maxwell on defense.

Wedman replaced Maxwell for a third time 11 seconds before his basket enabled the Celtics to regain a 1-point lead. Bob McAdoo had just given Los Angeles 121-120 lead with his 11-foot baseline jumper off Earvin (Magic) Johnson's ninth assist.

But before the Celtics were to clinch the victory and tie the championship series at 1-1, there were two key steals within 6 seconds by Robert Parish, Boston's 7-foot center.

With 11 seconds left, Parish stole a pass that Jamaal Wilkes tried to get inside to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers' overpowering center. But Maxwell made a bad pass that went off Larry Bird's foot to give the Lakers still another chance. This time, Parish stripped McAdoo of the ball as he was driving to the basket. Bird was then fouled and hit the last 2 points.

Bird led the Celtics with 27 points, shooting a poor 8-for-22 from the field.

The four-of-seven series for the National Basketball Association championship now shifts to Inglewood, Calif., for the third and fourth games Sunday afternoon and Wednesday night.

Jones said that Wedman was the second option on the decisive play. The play was really designed for Bird.

"I sent Scott into the game because I wanted another outside shooter," Jones said. "It was better to have two outside shooters at the time. One would have made them think the ball was going inside to Parish. We wanted them to do some thinking."

Wedman, who had 10 points, said: "That's one of the things I do best, shoot from the outside. After Dennis Johnson fouled out, I got the opportunity. Every guy likes to step in when the game is on the line, and I'm no different. I scored off a double pick, with Larry on one side and myself on the other."

It appeared there would be no need for an overtime after Earvin (Magic) Johnson gave the Lakers a 113-111 advantage with 35 seconds remaining. He had hit a pair of free throws after a foul by Dennis Johnson.

Fifteen seconds later, the Celtic cause became even more precarious when Kevin Mchale was fouled, but missed two both free throws. The Lakers grabbed the rebound and took a timeout.

Then came the play that resurrected the Celtics. It was a steal by Gerald Henderson, the Celtic backcourt man, who stole a cross-court pass from James Worthy intended for Byron Scott and scored on a lay-in to tie the game at 113-113 with 15 seconds left. Two seconds later, the Lakers called a timeout to map a final play, which was to get the ball insied to Abdul-Jabbar.

The Lakers took the ball out at halfcourt, but Johnson spent much of the final seconds dribbling the ball without getting off a shot. Johnson finally passed to McAdoo, whose desperation shot came after the clock ran out.

Coach Pat Riley of the Lakers defended Johnson on the play.

"It was a chaotic situation at the time," Riley said. "The place was bedlam at the time and it difficult for Magic to see the clock. It was in back of him."

Johnson said of the play: "We wanted to run the clock down to six or seven seconds. The second I time I lookked back, I knew I had to get the ball into Kareem. But Parish had good position and I didn't want to force and take a chance on the steal. By the time I went the second option, McAdoo, the clock had run out."

Unlike the first game, which the Lakers dominated from the start, the Celtics rushed to a 33-20 lead before the Lakers began their comeback. Aided by what Jones said "made the celtics turnover champions," Los Angeles closed out the first half with a 13-2 spurt that cut Boston's lead to, 61- 59, at the half. The game was close from then on, with Boston ahead, 90- 87, going into the see-saw last quarter. The team that wins the championship will receive $300,000 and the losing team $200,000. The Celtics have already won $205,000 and the Lakers $155,000. The difference is that Boston earned $50,000 for having the best regular-season record. . . . This was the Celtics' 168th straight sellout at Boston Garden. Sunday's game will be the Lakers' first sellout (17,505) in nine playoff games.

The Danny Ainge "Celtics Gone Wild" Video

Tucked away somewhere in his private stash, Danny Ainge owns a VCR tape he entitles "The Way Basketball is Supposed to be Played."

It captures quarter 3 of Game 5 in the Celtics-Hawks 1986 playoff series. The Celtics had managed to lose the previous game in Atlanta by a 106-94 margin, and it really wasn't that close.

Embarrassed and disgusted, the GREEN had worked up a head of steam going into the next game. Bill Walton, who had missed the previous two games after a collision with Tree Rollins injured his wrist, returned to the lineup.

The score at halftime was 66-55. Boston was clearly the better team. But that wasn't enough. Locker room talk conveyed a sense of urgency for the start of the third quarter. Still upset with the arse whoopin' from the last game, the Cs began the second half with what might still be described as the best 12 minutes of Celtics basketball--EVER.

The quarter actually began quietly enough, compared with what was yet to come.

Boston expanded it's lead to 17 points with a 12-6 run.

5:17 remained in the quarter. Bird stepped to the line and converted a technical called on Atlanta for illegal defense.

Then the dam broke.

The Celtics got the ball back and Ainge and Bird began taking turns from international waters. On defense, Ainge combined with DJ to lock down their opponents, force turnovers, or direct their man to the interior where the helpless Hawk was smothered by Bird, McHale, and Parish. Over the next 317 seconds, Atlanta committed 5 turnovers, had three shots blocked, and incurred two 24-second clock violations.

On offense, the Celtics could do no wrong. Covered by Dominique, McHale scored at will. Bird kept feeding Parish who scored over Tree Rollins, literally left and right. DJ and Ainge had 3 break-away layups, one of which came after Rollins, out of frustration, threw an inbounds pass directly at Ainge, who calmly intercepted it and waltzed to the other end for an easy two.

When the quarter mercifully came to and end, the score was 102-61. The Cs had outscored the Hawks 36-6 in the quarter, including 24-0 in the last 5 minutes.

The Hawks tried everything, timeouts, substitutions, and cheap shots. Nothing worked. "The only thing I didn't try was making a trade," Coach Mike Fratello quipped, "and the only reason I didn't try that was because the league prohibits trades during games."

Doc Rivers said "it seemed like it was raining baskets from everywhere. The were all on fire at the same time. One minute it was a game and the next it was over."

Asked to comment after the game, Mchale said "it was as close to perfection as you will ever see on a basketball court."

1984-85 Celtics Start 15-1

1984-85 Regular Season

10/26/1984 BOS at Detroit Pistons 130-123 1-0
10/31/1984 BOS New Jersey Nets 116-105 2-0
11/2/1984 BOS Detroit Pistons 127-116 3-0
11/7/1984 BOS Los Angeles Clippers 135-108 4-0
11/9/1984 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 130-119 5-0
11/10/1984 BOS at Washington Bullets 95-112 5-1
11/12/1984 BOS at Indiana Pacers 132-115 6-1
11/14/1984 BOS New York Knicks 115-99 7-1
11/15/1984 BOS at Chicago Bulls 125-105 8-1
11/21/1984 BOS Golden State Warriors 135-91 9-1
11/23/1984 BOS Washington Bullets 118-110 10-1
11/24/1984 BOS at Kansas City Kings 135-124 11-1
11/27/1984 BOS at Dallas Mavericks 114-99 12-1
11/28/1984 BOS at Houston Rockets 110-100 13-1
12/1/1984 BOS at Cleveland Cavaliers 110-104 14-1
12/2/1984 BOS Cleveland Cavaliers 122-99 15-1