NBA PLAYOFFS : Celtics Go Up, 2-0, but Not in a Rout

While it still seems apparent that the Bucks stop here, meaning that they will not go beyond the NBA’s Eastern Conference final, at least Milwaukee made a contest of it in Game 2 Thursday night against the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics won again, securing a 122-111 decision before a sellout Boston Garden crowd of 14,890. This time, however, the Bucks made them do it with relative unease, compared to the Celtics’ 32-point blowout in Game 1.

Yet, the Bucks had to face the fact that, despite playing about as well as they have in this spring’s playoffs, they were unable to prevent the Celtics from taking a 2-0 series lead. “We can beat them--I know that,” Milwaukee forward Terry Cummings said. “We came in here knowing the odds were against us. Don’t be surprised if we come back.”

The Bucks’ hobbling star guard, Sidney Moncrief, was back, as was Cummings’ jump shot. But today, the Bucks will head back to Milwaukee in need of a win there either Saturday in Game 3 or Sunday in Game 4 to force the series back to Boston next week.

Using every available weapon and strategy, which included putting a double-team on Boston’s big men and having his players penetrate offensively, Buck Coach Don Nelson was able to keep his group of overachievers close, but not close enough to make the Celtics squirm.

With 6:06 left in the game, Cummings sank a jumper to cut the Celtic lead to four points at 99-95. With 4:06 left, the Celtics had the lead back to 10 at 107-97. With three minutes left, the Bucks cut it to six points, but two three-point plays inside by Boston’s Kevin McHale sandwiched around a Danny Ainge layup made it a 12-point advantage with 1:47 to play.

After that, the Bucks threatened no more.

“They were never able to get over that hump where they could beat us,” Celtic Bill Walton said. “(They) got close, but that gets us to the point where we have one of those rolls when we expand it again. The lead was either 13 or 6 the whole game.”

Celtic Coach K.C. Jones, who seemingly must find something to worry about each game, pointed to his team’s inability to put away Milwaukee as a reason for concern.

“That was a sweet victory because we weathered the storm and were able and fortunate to come out on top,” Jones said. “We got the breaks and some luck and took advantage of them.” The Celtics are playing so well these days that they don’t need luck, but they get it, anyway.

Exhibit A: With 2:04 left in the first quarter, guard Dennis Johnson had the ball about 75 feet from the basket and spotted Larry Bird running down the sideline. Johnson launched a soaring lob pass that swished in the basket for three points.

Since Johnson was just behind the three-point line at the other end of the court when he released the ball, maybe he should have been credited with a six-point shot.

“One reason I think we can win is that there were many crazy things that happened tonight that went their way,” Cummings said. “But there’s nothing to say (about that). We just have to play better to overcome it.”

Milwaukee played quite well Thursday night, achieving all of its objectives except the big one--a victory.

Nelson’s game plan was to double-team Bird, McHale and Robert Parish when they had the ball in the low post, forcing the Celtics to make the outside shots, which the Celtics, alas, often did. The Bucks also wanted to take the ball inside, score from there and get the Celtics into foul trouble, which to some degree the Bucks did.

But even though Boston finished with only a 36-34 rebounding advantage and shot worse than the Bucks (56.2% to 54%), Milwaukee could not pull out a win.

“We played better all-around than in Game 1, but we never could get over that hump,” Nelson said. “If we perform a little better than this at home, I think we can win. We’re capable.”

Not if Boston receives the kind of balanced scoring it had Thursday. All five starters scored at least 20 points, which only three other Celtic teams have done in playoff history.

Bird led the Celtics with 26 points, making 10 of 19 shots but only 1 of 6 from three-point range. Steady guard Danny Ainge made 10 of 12 shots and had 23 points, while Parish and Johnson each had 21 and McHale had 20.

The Celtics usually don’t need that much scoring from their guards, but they did this time because the Bucks clogged the middle.

“When Larry and Kevin get double-teammed, Danny and I move to the open spots,” Johnson said. “You have to move the ball well and quick to beat that type of defense. We did that.”

Except for Cummings, who scored most of his 23 points from the perimeter, the Bucks’ offensive strategy was to take it right at the Celtics. It resulted it a 22- and 21-point nights, respectively, for Alton Lister and Randy Breuer.

Moncrief, playing with a badly injured left heel, was most responsible for the penetration. Although not at full speed, he drove past defenders and found open teammates.

Moncrief, however, scored only two points, on 1-of-8 shooting. And he probably won’t score any in Game 3 Saturday at Milwaukee, since he doesn’t figure to play. Moncrief’s pattern throughout the playoffs is to avoid playing in two consecutive games, so he can rest his sore left heel.

“It’s up to him whether he thinks he can play Saturday,” Nelson said. “But I don’t see how he can do it.”

Most don’t see how the Bucks can win in this series, but they will give it another go Saturday and see what happens.

“I truly think we can win,” Nelson said. “I’m not trying to be funny.”

Playoff Notes

Bill Walton was named winner of the NBA’s sixth-man award Thursday. Walton received 32 of a possible 78 votes in a poll of sportswriters covering the NBA. Milwaukee’s Ricky Pierce finished a distant second with 11 votes. . . . Pierce did not play in Game 2 because of a chronically sore left shoulder. He is questionable for Game 3 Saturday. “We’ll be in trouble if we don’t have (Sidney) Moncrief and Pierce Saturday,” Buck Coach Don Nelson said. . . . The Celtics announced after the game that center Robert Parish signed a new multiyear contract. Terms were not released.