Larry Bird hosted an Easter Garden celebration on Sunday, while the New York Knicks came away empty-handed.
The Boston Celtics’ star forward put up 38 points, leading his team to a 114-102 win over New York, who ended the season with a winless 0-6 record against Boston.
Bird sealed the victory with a critical 3-pointer at the 3:28 mark, thwarting any hopes of a Knicks comeback and sending them to their eighth consecutive loss.
Knicks Coach Hubie Brown, a self-proclaimed admirer of Bird, lauded his performance, stating, ‘The pivotal moment once again came from Sir Lancelot. I could go on for hours about him. He’s the one who elevates the game for everyone around him. He always steps up when needed.’
Boston’s Robert Parish, contributing 20 points and 21 rebounds, emphasized Boston’s dominance on the boards as the deciding factor.
‘They couldn’t secure second chances, and we consistently had two or three players crashing the boards,’ noted the 7-foot center. Boston outrebounded New York 54-32, with Bird grabbing nine rebounds and Kevin McHale adding 13 for Boston’s starting frontcourt.
Boston, securing first place in the Atlantic Division, seized control with an 8-0 run in the opening quarter and extended their lead with an 11-2 surge early in the second, establishing a 48-33 advantage that New York failed to close.
A late second-quarter 19-4 run further widened Boston’s lead to 67-44. Although New York managed a 19-6 run to cut the deficit to 75-65 in the third quarter, they struggled to contain Boston’s taller front line.
McHale and Dennis Johnson chipped in 17 points each for Boston, improving their league-best record to 62-16.
For New York, with a record of 24-53, Ken Bannister led the scoring with 23 points, followed by Louis Orr with 19, and Darrell Walker with 17.
New York played without their NBA scoring leader Bernard King, sidelined for the season due to a knee injury, and center Pat Cummings, who was nursing a foot injury.
