NBA Roundup : Gamble Has 31 as Celtics Win, Make Playoffs

Perhaps by subtraction it is possible to determine how valuable a player is to the team.

In a season in which second-year pro Ralph Lewis became a star, rookie Brian Shaw became a regular, center Robert Parish had a tremendous season and the Boston Celtics finally came up with a bench, they barely made the playoffs.

The one ingredient missing--Larry Bird, who missed all but seven games because of surgery to both Achilles tendons. In other years, with Bird healthy, the Celtics breezed to division titles.

Until their 82nd game Sunday at Boston, the once mighty Celtics didn’t know if they would qualify for postseason play. A guard few heard of until a couple of weeks ago, Kevin Gamble scored 23 points of his career-high 31 points in the second half at Boston and the Celtics beat Charlotte, 120-110, to gain the eighth playoff spot in the East.

The Celtics finished with a 42-40 record. Although Bird’s ankles started to bother him late last season, the Celtics still finished with a 57-25 record.

Gamble, a 6-foot-5 guard who played at Iowa, was playing in the Continental Basketball Assn. most of this season. When veteran Dennis Johnson sprained an ankle, Gamble became a starter. He started the last six games, averaging 22.8 points.

The Celtics led most of the way. With Gamble getting 15 points in the third quarter, they led by 11. He had eight more in the fourth as the Celtics maintained control.

The Celtics, who had lost three in a row, play Detroit, the team with the best record, in a best-of-five series beginning Friday night. Although he has not played since the surgery in November, the Celtics put Bird on their playoff roster. There was no indication that he will play.

Portland 126, Sacramento 120--Maybe, the Trail Blazers didn’t really want to play the Lakers in the first round. They had to go overtime at Portland to clinch the eighth playoff spot in the West.

They led by 13 with 6:17 remaining, only to let the battling Kings draw even on two free throws by Wayman Tisdale with 13 seconds remaining.

Terry Porter missed a three-pointer at the gun and it was into overtime. The Blazers scored the first five points in overtime, two of them on a steal and layup by Danny Young.

Clyde Drexler, who scored 40 points, made four of them in overtime and the Trail Blazers, with a 39-43 record, nosed out Dallas which won and put the pressure on Portland.

Dallas 113, Denver 96--The Mavericks put all the pressure on the Portland Trail Blazers. With Roy Tarpley scoring 20 points and getting 20 rebounds the Mavericks snapped the Nuggets’ 19-game home winning streak.

When Portland beat Sacramento in overtime, the Mavericks missed the playoffs. Instead, they qualified only to participate in the lottery.

By losing, the Nuggets are forced to open the best-of-five first round series at Phoenix. If they had won they would have played Seattle.

Philadelphia 115, Washington 106--Charles Barkley took care of the Bullets’ final playoff hopes and showed the league that he and his 76ers are ready for the playoffs.

Barkley had 31 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists at Philadelphia and the 76ers will meet the slumping New York Knicks in the first round.

The Bullets needed a victory, plus a Celtics loss to make postseason play. Instead, they are eligible for the flip, along with eight other teams, to see who gets the top collegiate player.

Detroit 99, Atlanta 81--Vinnie Johnson scored 23 points at Auburn Hills, Mich. and the Pistons ended the Hawks’ nine-game winning streak.

The Pistons’ 63-19 was the best in the league. They will open against Boston.

Cleveland 90, Chicago 84--The Cavaliers were without injured regulars, Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance and Mark Price, but still whipped Chicago. All will be ready to face the Bulls in the opening round. The Bulls lost five of six during the season.

Michael Jordan, three-time scoring champion, closed out with 25 points.