THE NBA PLAYOFFS : Hawks Hold Garden Party, Upset Celtics : Wilkins Shows Way as Atlanta Pushes Boston to the Brink

Most National Basketball Assn. fans can’t remember when neither the Lakers nor the Boston Celtics were in the championship round. Could this be the first time since 1979?

The Lakers are in tough in Utah; the Boston Celtics are in desperate straits and going to Atlanta.

Dominique Wilkins, tentative and unsure in the first two games of the series, took charge down the stretch Wednesday night at Boston to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 112-104 victory over the Celtics.

The Hawks’ third win in a row ended their 13-game losing streak at Boston Garden and put them within a victory of knocking the Celtics out of the playoffs. With the Hawks leading the best-of-seven series, 3-2, the sixth game will be played Friday night at Atlanta. The Celtics have lost eight of their last nine games at the Omni.

Wilkins scored 11 of his 25 points in the final eight minutes after the Celtics built an 84-76 lead. He scored five points in a 15-4 spurt that moved Atlanta ahead. After the teams exchanged leads several times, Wilkins’ two free throws put the Hawks ahead to stay, 99-98. It was the start of a 10-0 surge that gave Atlanta its first road win over Boston since 1985.

The game turned around when Hawk Coach Mike Fratello put Cliff Levingston on Larry Bird and moved Wilkins to guard opposite Dennis Johnson. From then on, it appeared that the Hawks were either driving to the basket or going to the foul line. They made 22 of 24 free throws in the last quarter.

Bird finished with 22 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, but he made only 9 of 21 shots, and he and his teammates looked tired down the stretch.

“It’s a great feeling, but we have to keep everything in perspective,” Wilkins said. “We have to win another game.”

Despite their big win, the Hawks were quiet in the dressing room.

“I think everyone wanted it this way,” guard Glenn Rivers said. “All we’ve won is a game. We haven’t won a series, so we haven’t won anything, yet.”

The Celtics, seeking their 17th championship, have not been eliminated in the second round in five years.

“We felt we were a better team than Atlanta, maybe that’s why we lost,” Bird said.

Detroit 102, Chicago 95--Bill Laimbeer was the man of the hour in Pontiac, Mich., as the Pistons checked Michael Jordan again and advanced to the Eastern Conference final round.

Laimbeer scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, helped surround Jordan and took charge of the backboards in a superlative performance.

In the last three Detroit victories, Jordan had only 23, 24 and 25 points. In this one, he scored just 9 in the second half.

“It came down to their veteran experience,” Chicago Coach Doug Collins said after losing the series, 4-1. “Laimbeer hurt us. He steps out and shoots a three-pointer on an out-of-bounds play as the clock’s running out. Then he fades and hits a couple of jumpers in the corner.

“(Joe) Dumars made some great plays for them. They’re a great team and they beat us.”

The Pistons have advanced to the conference finals for the second year in a row. Last spring, they blew a golden opportunity to knock the Celtics out but lost in seven games. They would love to have another opportunity.