Byron Scott’s Best Shot Was a Cheap One : Laker Guard Was No Match for Celtics’ Danny Ainge in First Game

Without question, the best shot that Laker guard Byron Scott made here Monday afternoon came early in the third quarter after the Boston Celtics had built a comfortable 27-point lead over the Lakers in Game 1 of the National Basketball Assn. championship series.

When Danny Ainge, who had tormented Scott and the Lakers most of the game, had his back turned from the basket, Scott delivered a forearm shot that struck Ainge on the back of the head. Only momentarily stunned, Ainge quickly wheeled and fired the ball at the back of Scott’s leg. If not for Magic Johnson, who served as a peacemaker, a full-scale fight probably would have erupted.

Even when it came to cheap shots, Ainge wouldn’t let Scott get the upper hand Monday. In a matchup that many, including no less an authority than Celtic Larry Bird, said would be the difference in the series, Ainge clearly outplayed Scott in the Celtics’ embarrassingly easy 148-114 win.

Whereas Ainge scored 19 points and continually hurt the Lakers with his outside shooting, Scott also continually hurt the Lakers with his outside shooting. Scott made only 5 of 14 shots from the field, by far his worst shooting performance of the playoffs.

“I can’t explain it,” Scott said afterward. “I just missed them. I put the shots up, and they weren’t going in.”

Scott, who says he has complete confidence that any shot he takes will go in, was clearly stunned when the open 20-footers he attempted Monday banged off the rim. Everyone else on the Lakers was surprised, too. Scott had been the NBA’s most accurate outside shooter thus far in the playoffs, making 65% of his shots in the Denver series.

But Monday, in the smoke-filled, humid air at the Boston Garden, Scott’s outside shot wilted. Only four of his 10 points came from the 18- to 20-foot range and, a few times, Ainge wasn’t even around to defend him. Meanwhile, Scott couldn’t stop Ainge’s shot, but then, neither could Magic Johnson.

“They (the Celtics) didn’t sag off me, like Denver did, when I would throw (the ball) into the post,” Scott said. “They brought somebody else down to help inside. But still, I didn’t have trouble getting open shots. The shots just didn’t go down.”

Because Scott’s shots didn’t fall and Ainge’s did, the Celtics were able to greatly diminish the Lakers’ offensive effectiveness. Two days before the series opener, Bird had predicted that the Ainge-Scott matchup probably would be more important than what he did on the court. Even Laker Coach Pat Riley said Sunday: “That’s a good assessment.”

Naturally, Bird stood by that theory after Monday’s game, but Riley and other Lakers said that too much pressure was placed on Scott.

“I said before that if Danny outplays Scott, we’ll probably win the championship,” Bird said. “I still feel that way. If he (Ainge) plays like this, it could be an indication of how this series goes.”

Countered Laker forward Michael Cooper: “You can’t put it all on him (Scott). One guy didn’t make a difference today. Byron shouldn’t feel any more pressure than any other guy in this room.”

Although Scott was hesitant to admit it, he had to realize a lot was expected from him after his recent stretch of excellent shooting games.

“This was my first start in a championship series game,” said Scott, who was not a starter in any playoff games last season. “I was tense, a little over-eager. I guess that’s the word for it. (But) the only pressure on me is what I put on myself. And I didn’t put a lot of pressure on myself today. But I will from now on.”

Asked if he was surprised, stunned or embarrassed by his performance in his first start in a championship series, Scott smirked and said: “All of them.”

Specifically, Scott was surprised that Ainge and the Celtics shot so well, stunned that he shot so poorly and embarrassed about his brief scuffle with Ainge.

As expected, Scott’s explanation for the altercation differed from Ainge’s.

Scott’s version: Ainge had grabbed his jersey a few seconds before, when he was trying to receive a pass from Johnson and, in retaliation, he shoved him back.

“The next thing I know, he throws the ball at me,” Scott said. “I’ve seen Ainge get in a lot of fights with a lot of players, and that’s just the way he plays. I don’t know what it is--intimidation or what. But it’s not going to work against us.”

Ainge’s version: “Byron got me with a forearm to the back of the head, and I lost my cool. They were frustrated. There was a lot of pushing and shoving going on throughout the game.”

Even though Scott said the altercation was an “unfortunate and isolated incident” that happened when the game had all but been decided, it perhaps sent the Celtics a message that the Lakers won’t give up.

“I’m not going to quit,” Scott said. “We can still come back and win this thing. We still know we can win this.”

A Scott-Ainge rematch is set for Thursday. Next time, they might go at it without their backs turned.