Celtics (53-17) vs. Rockets (35-37)
March 12, 1980
Boston Garden

Whenever the Celtics were in need of a win, they needed to look no further than the Houston Rockets.

For the sixth consecutive time in the 1979-80 season, the C’s dispatched the Rockets, this time by a final score of 121-105.  Larry Bird had a sensational night, finishing two assists short of a triple-double with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists.  Bird shot 67 percent from the field, hit two of his four 3-pointers, and was nearly perfect (7-8) at the free throw line.  Six months into the season, the Rockets still had no answer for the Larry Bird and the Celtics. [Read more...]

Celtics (53-15) vs. Washington (32-36)
March 9, 1980
Boston Garden

All good runs come to an end.  The nine game winning streak for the Boston Celtics came to an end in overtime against the Washington Bullets, while the Bullets’ run of being the elite team in the Eastern Conference was also coming to an abrupt end.  The Bullets ended the Celtics streak by defeating the Green Team, 133-128, after dropping 18 points in OT.

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Celtics (52-15) vs. Philadelphia (50-17)
March 7, 1980
Boston Garden

The Celtics took a monumental step to locking up the Atlantic Division by thrashing Philadelphia in front of a capacity crowd at the Garden, 111-92.

“Boston is a very good team,” said Doug Collins, speaking to The Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan in his typical articulate manner after the game.  “They’re good in every facet of the game. They rebound, press and pass well.  They have no weaknesses.  They came up with a plus in Rick Robey.  It looks as if (Dave) Cowens getting hurt was a blessing in disguise. It gave Robey the confidence and now Cowens can work his way back gradually.”

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Celtics (51-15) vs. Houston (34-34)
March 5, 1980
The Summit

Competing in a foot race with the Spurs for the final playoff spot in the East, the Houston Rockets fell to the Boston Celtics in overtime at the Summit, 103-99.  Houston came up short despite a 30-18 performance from 24-year-old phenom Moses Malone.

The Rockets held the Celtics to a 38-point second half, not allowing the C’s to register 100 or more points in regulation for the first time in 23 games.  Cedric Maxwell led the Green with 22 point and 11 boards, and the win marked a new season high for wins in a row with the team’s eighth straight victory.  Bob Ryan from The Boston Globe detailed the 52nd win for Boston:

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Celtics (50-15) vs. San Antonio (33-34)
March 4, 1980
Hemisfair Arena

Only five days after playing each other at the Boston Garden, the Celtics manhandled George Gervin and the Spurs, 137-108.  The C’s and Spurs embarked on a scoring spree at the Garden, playing a 38-38 first quarter, but the two teams outdid that performance in Texas: the score was 40-40 after the first twelve minutes of basketball.

The Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan discussed the Celtics’ dominant victory:

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Celtics (49-15) vs. Detroit (15-50)
March 2, 1980
Boston Garden

In a game that saw Larry Bird pour in 41 points, the Celtics picked up their sixth straight win and 50th win of the season with a three point victory, 118-115, over the Detroit Pistons.  This marked the first time since the 1975-76 season that the Celtics had registered at least 50 wins.  With 16 games remaining, the possibility of 60 wins still loomed, which would be the first time the C’s hit that mark since the 74-75 season (and the sixth time overall in franchise history).  The 50 wins marked a career high for Bill Fitch.

A day prior to this noon tip-off (before the game, the Celtics entertained their fans with a mixed two-on-two college basketball tournament at 11:15am between four teams from Boston College, Boston State, MIT and Bentley), the Celtics won the coin flip against the Utah Jazz for the no. 1 pick in the upcoming 1980 NBA draft.  The Jazz general manager Frank Layden called the league office and called “heads,” but league commissioner Larry O’Brien announced the result was tails.  Unlike his Jazz counterpart, Red Auerbach was present for the coin flip (there was actually another coin flip prior to this that Utah win, allowing the Jazz to make the heads or tails call).  For what it’s worth, the NBA no longer employs a coin flip to make its biggest decisions. [Read more...]

Celtics (48-15) vs. Golden State (20-46)
February 29, 1980
Boston Garden

The Celtics celebrated by the leap year by whipping the Golden State Warriors, 110-99.  The 15,320 fans at the Garden were present for 24th sellout of the season of the season as well as the Green’s fifth straight win.  The Celtics ended the month of February with a 9-2 record, and Larry Bird — who led all scorers with 28 points — was the catalyst for the success.

After opening the last game against the Spurs with a 38-point quarter, the Celtics dropped 36 on the Warriors in the opening frame in this one.  Golden State’s dreadful season continued, and the C’s neutralized Golden State big man Robert Parish.  After scoring 22 and picking up 11 boards against the Celtics on December 29, Parish was held to just 8 and 6 in Boston.  Bob Ryan from the March 1, 1980 edition of the  Boston Globe summed up this affair very quickly:

It was on the schedule, so they played it.  This is the safest thing that can be said about the Celtics-Warriors affair at the Garden last night. [Read more...]

Celtics (47-15) vs. San Antonio (33-31)
February 27, 1980
Boston Garden

The Celtics increased their winning streak to four in a row after out-running the San Antonio at the Garden, 130-125.

The game, far removed from today’s NBA, entertained a building sellout to a38-38 first quarter.  George Gervin looked to be on pace for a record-setting night after 21 points in the first quarter alone, but the Celtics’ defense “limited” the Ice Man to only 35 points for the evening.

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Celtics (46-15) vs. Atlanta (38-25)
February 26, 1980
Hartford Civic Center

The Celtics traveled to the newly opened Hartford Civic Center for a road game with Hubie Brown’s Atlanta Hawks to continue a tough stretch of games for the Green.  After traveling for a five game road trip, making stops with Western Conference staples in Seattle, Portland, and Phoenix, Bill Fitch was on record that he considered this stretch a seven game road trip: five on the road, one “home” game in Hartford, and a tough match-up back at the Garden with the San Antonio Spurs.  Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe reported on Fitch’s philosophy:

Fitch contends that the Celtics are off on a seven-game road jaunt. There are five indisputable road games… [including] the tough Atlanta Hawks.

“We’d better put our road faces on for that one,” Fitch says.  “That’s the equivalent of a road game.”  He’s right, of course.  Traditionally, the Celtics view these home-away-from-home games in Hartford, Providence, Springfield, etc. with all the enthusiasm of a vegetarian ordering up a Big Mac.  Finally, there is the home game of Wednesday, Feb. 27.  Fitch is a firm believer in the theory that states that the first home game after a long road trip is actually the last game of the road trip.  Presto – a seven-game road trip.

With the way the Celtics were playing, however, it really didn’t matter where the game was held.  Boston ripped through Atlanta, 108-97, to improve to 4-1 against the Hawks.  The win stretched the C’s winning streak to three games, and the team was paced by a dominant effort from the front line.  Cedric Maxwell finished with 15 points and 9 boards before fouling out, but Larry Bird (25 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists) and Rick Robey (27 points, 13 rebounds) dominated Atlanta’s big men.  Nate Archibald and Chris Ford kept feeding the ball to the big men, combining for a dozen assists, and even though Pete Maravich did not make an impact (4 minutes, 2 points), the Celtics remained successful — and picked up their first victory in Connecticut, as Bob Ryan noted in that next day’s Globe, in years:

Last night’s game at the Civic Center marked Boston’s first appearance here since the infamous roof collapse in January 1978. In their last game in the “old” building, which seated 3000 less than the rebuilt edifice, they were beaten by the Phoenix Suns as Paul Westphal (43) and Walter Davis (40) shot them down…

The game also marked the return of Dave Cowens to the lineup.  Fitch promised that he would easy Cowens back into the rotation, and the head coach was good to his word: Cowens logged fourteen minutes off the bench.  In order to make room on the roster, Don Chaney was placed on the five game injured list.  Remarkably, he managed to pull a hamstring at the exact moment the Celtics proclaimed Cowens was ready to return.

The Celtics returned home — this time to the Garden — for a game the very next night with the San Antonio Spurs.

Celtics (45-15) vs. Denver (24-40)
February 23, 1980
McNichols Sports Arena

The Celtics wrapped up a five game road trip by making quick work of the Denver Nuggets, 124-105.  The win improved the C’s to 20-11 on the road.

Looking to build another winning streak to help distance themselves in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference, particularly from Philadelphia (44-17), the Celtics relied on a team effort that produced seven scorers in double figures.  There were also three players (Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell, and Rick Robey) who also recorded double digits in rebounds, as the C’s hit the glass and out-boarded the Nuggets, 58-35.  The Celtics also produced 69 first half points and continued to display their willingness to share the ball, registering 34 assists (nine by Archibald, eight from Bird).

Cedric Maxwell led the team with 19 points.  Paired on the floor with Tiny Archibald, Pete Maravich had his best performance, showcasing his ability to score in bunches, finishing with 14 points on 5-7 shooting in only 16 minutes.  Bird had another tremendous outing, refusing to let up on his domination of the league.  He finished with a line of 15/8/8, just shy of recording another triple-double. [Read more...]