INJURED PRIDE: The Boston Celtics 1991-92 Season

INJURED PRIDE: The Boston Celtics 1991-92 Season

And Larry Bird has written another chapter in the novel Chief feet and head are in this ball [Applause] game Kevin mccale keeps making Big Shots Sports Channel presents injured Pride a look at the Boston Celtics 1991 92 season hi everybody I’m Mike Gman and welcome to Injured Pride sports channel

Look back at the Boston Celtics 1991 1992 season well after being eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 1991 playoffs two of the Celtics three major players over the past decade decided to undergo surgery during the summer with the hope of extending their playing careers Larry

Bird spent three months in a back brace following surgery that removed a disc from his lower back his front Court mate Kevin mccale had a bone spur removed from his left ankle in July both men hope to be ready for the the opening night of the 1991 1992 season and they

Were but injuries started to strike other members of the team starting point guard Brian sh Shaw endured the longest injury streak of any Celtic in recent memory on that first day of training camp in October he slipped on the floor at helenic college and sprained his right knee while sideline the fluid

Drained from his knee and it formed a knot in his calf when he finally returned to practice 13 days later he bruised his fingers in a collision with free agent forward Steve Sheffer then on October 21st Brian strained his right hamstring all in all he had four

Injuries in a span of 17 days however his injury woes didn’t conclude with the preseason as the regular season started Brian Shaw was on the sidelines hoping to return by game three against Miami however that hope soon disappeared when he restrained his hamstring in a November 4th practice after 13 more days

Of rest and Rehabilitation Brian returned to practice but strained his hamstring for a third time it would not be before December 5th 17 games into the regular season that Brian Shaw would play for the Celtics regie has it slapped Away by rice gets it back finds Brian throughout the preseason while

Brian Shaw sat on the sidelines D Brown took charge of the point guard position a great play by D Brown on the break D nice catch by regie Lewis however two days before opening night D suffered a torn cartilage in his left KNE and underwent surgery that would sideline him until

February you know this is the first major injury I ever had so it’s it’s hard dealing with the the differences of not being able to play when you’re supposed to be playing the injury left the team’s point guard position in the hands of 8-year NBA veteran John Bagley

Bags was surely capable of handling the job when healthy but questions surrounded his new assignment Bagley last appeared in an NBA game on May 6th 1990 when the Celtics lost to the Knicks in game five of those playoffs tendonitis of the right knee and subsequent knee surgery put bags on the

Shelf for the entire 9091 season compounding his recovery was the impression that he was not in good enough shape after being sideline for over 16 months the confidence is coming and you know I’m just trying to you know build on it trying to take advantage of you know my

Opportunities opening night arrived on November 1st and the Celtics roster was being juggled up until that day Kevin mccale who sat out the entire preseason was suited up and ready for action Kevin gamble arrived in town one day before the regular season after missing Camp due to contract

Negotiations Larry Bird was ready to start his 13th NBA season alongside the Elder Statesman of the league 38-year-old Robert Parish next to these two future Hall of Famers in the opening night lineup was first round draft choice Rick Fox from North Carolina Rick became the first Celtic rookie to start

On opening night since 1979 when the man from French Lick Indiana first appeared in a Celtic uniform the starting guards were reliable Reggie Lewis at the two spot and 31-year-old Veteran John baggley at the point oh nice look bags baggley had it spotted all the

Way six on the shot CL Fox of Steel up to Bagley that’s got to be play this ball game today the Celtics came away with a 11 108 Victory and while not a classic Celtic win it still got things off in the right foot for the season John

Bagley in his first game since 1990 dished out 10 assists and Larry Bird led the team in scoring with 23 with um the new guys that that came in and Kevin hadn’t played and gamble hadn’t practiced with us I thought we did a pretty good job the se’s next game

Would be on the road against Washington while the bullets had struggled the past few years years they always were a tough Nemesis for Boston as usual a victory in the Cap Center would be hard to come by for either team but the star of the night was a guard from Boston College

To excellent shooting opportunity Adams newly acquired Michael Adams showed the bullets fans his worthiness as a player as he exploded for 29 Points in the first half on 12 for 13 from the floor Washington had an eight-point lead at halftime but the Celtics wouldn’t quit

Goes to Hammond on him his away we go Boston has a lead with 20 seconds left in regulation in the Celtics down by one Larry Bird showed that he had recovered from his summertime back surgery however the game was not over as the bullets still had one more chance

They go to Grant bird gets on him his Hammond’s left alone and ties it up the game went into overtime where the smallest man on the court took over once again Adams lines up a three that shot put the bullets up for good as they walked away with a

12618 victory Michael Adams finished the night with 40 points and 11 assists including five three-pointers with two of the Celtic’s top three guards on the sidelines the team scrambled to find adequate backups to relieve Reggie Lewis and John Bagley first for a bullet Larry Robinson was signed and a few days later Kevin

Pritchard joined the club Pritchard made a good impression on the team by being able to play both guard positions he also led the team with eight assists in their overtime loss to Washington when Brian Shaw was placed on the injured list the Celtics signed 13-year veteran Ricky green to be a steadying influence

In the back court I’ve been a pretty good defensive player all my all my career and uh uh you know I know what I have to do to stay in this league uh uh still got my legs I still got pretty good quickness the Celtic’s third game

Of the year was in Miami where the ever improving heat proved to be a tough foe good defense highlighted the night as the game seesawed for the entire 48 minutes Reggie Lewis became the Celtics latest point guard as he guided the Seas for the last six minutes of the game

They go to Lewis quickly bird has it Fox yes good Ball moving on the up quick Reggie tied the game at 87 and two Rick Fox free throws gave Boston the lead as Miami failed to convert their last shot from the field the next night the

Celtics were back home to face the world champion Chicago bows the game marked the 500th consecutive sellout for the Celtics at the Garden but the Knight belonged to Michael Jordan lot of fakes and the scoop shot for two oh what a play Air Jordan finished with 44 points

And BJ Armstrong chipped in with 22 as he replaced an injured John Paxton in the starting lineup the Celtics had jumped out to a nine-point lead after one but then missed 10 straight shots to start the second quarter as the Bulls exploded on a 20 to3 run

Michael the Bulls walked away with this one 132 to 113 I like playing old stadiums I like playing in Chicago Stadium I like playing in the boster garden it’s just something about the history that just gets me red up to play here and uh you know the competition is

Always going to be great and I love playing against good competition and uh you know I’m always eager to play here the Celtics record stood at 2 and two but any regard for basketball fell into the background on November 7th 1991 the entire nation was in shock as Magic Johnson announced his retirement

From the game due to testing positive for the HIV virus I plan on going on living for a long time bugging you guys like I’ve always have so you’ll see me around I plan on being with the Lakers in the league hopefully David will have me for

A while Larry Bird was very affected by the news of Magic Johnson it took two days for him to talk about it but the next time he stepped onto the paret floor he expressed a special tribute for his longtime rival in Fr bir behind the back to

Le well if I ever had an idol he was probably the idol that I had cuz he plays the game the way that I want to play the game and he approaches the game the way I like to approach the game very serious have some fun while you’re out

There and get job done it just don’t seem fair and it don’t seem right I I’ll see him and I’m sure he’ll be very visible around the league but uh all I can remember is I hit my last jumper on him by the end of the first quarter the

Celtics had guarded a 12-point lead against the Hawks including 16 transition points however just as in previous games as the fourth quarter approached the Celtics were being outplayed by their opponents the haw outs scored Boston by 11 in the last quarter as Dominique Wilkins finished

With 36 as the Hawks went on to win 100 to 95 the Celtics dropped to two and three in the year including two straight losses at home it just seems that we’re you know we’re missing something you there’s some ingredient that that we just don’t have right now and uh we need

We’re short-handed to begin with but we need everyone to carry their load right now the Celtics were suddenly in a very unfamiliar sixth place in the Atlantic division as they prepared to travel on their first extended road trip of the Season good and bad news came from Deep

Brown’s knee injury first his injury did not require removal of his cartilage which should help him in the long run however by allowing it to heal on its own would require much more time and D Brown would not be back before February we’ll see how the Celtics did without D

When we return with more of injured Pride a look at the Boston Celtics 1991 1992 season things were not looking good for Boston as they took their first trip Westward the first opponent would be the Portland Trailblazers and any hopes of defeating the fast breaking High Flyers from the

Pacific Northwest dissolved in the third quarter as Clyde directs Le ke a 25-10 run the Celtics shot a PO 39% from the field and the insertion of Kevin gamble into the starting lineup to replace rookie Rick Fox did not prove to have any great effect the Celtics had lost

Three in a row and four of their last five Larry Bird was struggling with his shot selection and Kevin mccale may have returned too quickly from his ankle injury however things began to jail on the rest of the road trip as Rick Fox scored 19 points off the bench and Larry

Bird shot 10 for 16 from the field to lead the Celtics to an easy win over the Sacramento Kings Kevin gamble in his second start picked up 16 points and Ed Pinkney provided valuable minutes off the bench with 14 points and eight rebounds the success continued in

Phoenix where the team shot 56% from the field and the players had their best defensive effort of the Season G beautifully quickly goes to Green pull up by Ricky the Celtics were without their Center Robert Parish who missed the game with backs spasm but the other two All-Star veterans took up his slack

Larry Bird scored 27 points on of 17 shooting and Kevin mccale delivered 18 points by hitting nine of 15 the big play of the game however was delivered by Reggie Lewis with under a minute to play Reggie trying to work on hor he [Applause] gets the Celtics had held off the Suns

And evened their season record at four games a piece as they headed home to face the Philadelphia 76ers and their leader Charles Barkley Barkley was making his first first NBA appearance in uniform number 32 he switched from his traditional number 34 as a show of respect for Magic Johnson unfortunately for Charles while

He showed up with 28 points and 11 rebounds versus the Celtics his teammates were virtually silent as Boston rolled to a 25-point win we didn’t even compete I me you don’t if you go out there and play hard you don’t get beat by whatever we got

Beat by I don’t know what the final outcome was but it was kind of embarrassing to get beat like that the Celtics travel to Shawn the next night where the Hornets took revenge for their opening night defeat at the hands of Boston Larry Johnson began to show signs

Of his NBA potential with 27 points and 15 rebounds as the Celtics lost the second game of back-to-back outings for the third time in four tries on the year next up was the return of Chuck pson and the Indiana Pacers to the Boston Garden for the first time since

Game five of the 1991 playoffs Larry Bird came prepared for a shootout as he delivered 26 points and 19 rebounds well let’s see if there’s any jibber jabber going on up to court no but Chuck pson was silent on the night as he scored only two points in 11

Minutes of action before leaving the game with a sore kneecap tonight was a big game for me just I’m disappointed that Chuck didn’t get to play because I was looking for the matchup I feel I can move a little bit better this year and and I wanted an

Opportunity to play against but I know I have more opportunities to do that the win put the Celtics a 500 and sent them on a five-game winning streak a pleasant surprise in the first quarter of the season was the play of rookie Rick Fox the 24th player selected in the draft

Was averaging 12 points a game Fox the outside three yes it’s been a good transition so far it’s a long year but uh right now the people I’m playing with has made things a lot easier it was also announced that Kevin mcale would miss at least two

Weeks of action at the end of November in order to give his sore left ankle some rest perhaps his quick return to the lineup at the opening of the Season proved to be a bit Hasty for Kevin the day after Thanksgiving brought the Los Angeles Lakers to Boston for the

First time without their leader Magic Johnson at this point of the season the Lakers were on a nine-game winning streak and the desire to play well for magic outshined his absence nice pass that time by Scott I was co- Captain to Irving you know I just felt the

Obligation to at least try to constructively you know keep the team uh encouraged and keep the intensity up and the morale going and the uh and it’s worked for us you know the Celtics led by six at the half and broke away to a 23-point victory as Larry Bird tallied

22 points and 10 rebounds to snap the Laker winning streak you think about before the game but just like he’s still over there and he’s going to come back in the game sooner or later but he just didn’t show up after a loss to Atlanta the Celtics

Embarked on a four game win streak that put them in first place by 4 and 1 half games Seattle returned to town on December 13th and for the first time since his departure in 1989 Casey Jones was not the center of attention at the game Instead This Night was set aside to

Honor one of the Celtics great stars during their 1984 and 86 championships and this award tonight is very deserving and appropriate ending to a great career and we wish you the very best in the future thank you you first of all to the team especially uh to the older fellas Robert Larry and

Kevin and uh Chris for I do thank you very much for the gift and I had a Time the time of my life and a pleasure playing with each and every one of you thank you very much and to Red arbach who was smart enough to make that trade for me another

Number goes to the rafters the 20-point victory against Seattle marked the return of Kevin mccale who scored 11 points in 10 minutes of action it also was the end of Ricky Pierce’s attempt to break Calvin Murphy’s NBA record for consecutive free throws as he fell three short by missing his first

Attempt of the game streak is gone the next night the Celtics traveled to New York where they lost by 10 but the big news was the absence of Larry Bird the captain of the Celtics missed his first game of the year due to lower back pain resulting from a fall at

Practice speculation as to the severity of the injury had subsided three days later when Larry returned for a Celtic victory in Orlando to after two more victories at home the Celtics began their second extended road trip of the season a loss in Miami and a total embarrassment to the hand of the

Chicago Bulls on Christmas did not send good signals to the team as they headed to the West Coast however Boston looked like a different team against the SuperSonics they outrebounded the number one rebounding team in the league and took advantage of Casey Jones being ejected in the third quarter to secure a runaway

Win the next night had the Celtics struggling once again as they lost for the seventh time in nine tries on the second night of back-to-back games however the end of the road trip was near with only the LA Clippers standing in the way to launch three sing Bang

Boom and the Clippers one time out as bir has touched him for three bird pops out against Norman launches take it homee ride back to Boston tonight that’ll do it well as it turned doubt that would be Larry Bird’s last time in a Celtic uniform for two months he

Initially sat out two games as the Celtics fell to Cleveland at home and then Minnesota on the road but when no improvement was seen the team placed him on the injured list where he remained until March 1st Kevin mccale joined him on the sidelines after getting kicked in

The calf in that Minnesota loss and he sat out 15 games suddenly speculation about the Celtics without the big three was a reality and we’ll see how the Celtics coped when we return with more of injured Pride a look at the Boston Celtics 1991 1992 season the Celtics started 1992 with two

Straight losses and in game three struggled against the Sacramento Kings but a late rally squeaked out a victory for Boston good look to P what a play by gamble another exciting fourth quarter comeback followed against the Knicks as Joe kleene stepped up his level of play against Patrick Ying Klein and Ying

Battle Ying no rebound cly emotion was the key element to the victory as the Knick shot 22% in the fourth quarter you know you got to come up here and play 48 minutes uh with force and if you don’t you’re not going to win I mean just to win by a little

Bit the Celtics hoped for an easier game as the Minnesota Timberwolves came to town with former Celtic Coach Jimmy Rogers Boston led by 15 in the second quarter and seemed capable of winning until Robert Parish sprained his right ankle in the third suddenly the Celtics lost their direction as Minnesota ran

Right by them gets it blocked down low loose ball picked up by Spencer up to Richardson behind the back nice [Applause] pass this was a big one for us and you know I know Robert’s out Kevin’s out you know and Larry these are great players but we know also know that there are

Other great players out there on that court that uh that all were playing very well and very hard so for us to come in here and get a win you know it’s it’s h huge for this young team as the team collapsed in the second half point guard Brian Shaw never got

Off the bench despite struggling through most of the Season sh was averaging 25 minutes per game no one knew what was going on until after the game we made a deal with Miami tonight we traded Brian Shaw to the heat in exchange for Sherman Douglas it’s an even player swap the

Return of Brian Shaw from Italy was never fully accepted by Boston fans his turnaround for being a defensive-minded player to a penetrating guard looking for offense first did not fit into the Celtic plans after a year of battling injuries a fresh start in a new local

Seemed like the best thing for Brian I’m I’m happy to get a fresh start the change of scenery will be will do well for me and I think it’ll do well for Sherman and Boston and you know I think both teams uh you know it was a good

Trade for both teams I’m glad to be a Boston Celtic I think that with the team they got with the veteran and and the youth it’s a great mix and hopefully we can blend together and try to accomplish a great deal here for the Celtics the next two games

Against New York and New Jersey would be a foretelling of the future for only the second and third time since 1980 have the Celtics played a game without any of the big three the first time was a victory against Portland in 1989 but this time the results were different

Boston tried but could not defeat either the Knicks or the Nets Robert Parish returned for the Celtics next game against the 76ers and became only the eighth player in NBA history to gather 20,000 points and 10,000 rebounds a landmark baskets for Robert Parry that’s something I never thought I would reach because I’m

Normally the fifth option on this ball Club you know for me to reach 20,000 points is big hole for me cuz I don’t shoot a lot so uh big achievement the Chiefs return sparked the Celtics into a four-game win streak including a 30.4 rebound effort against David Robinson and the San Antonio Spurs

Parish for two another big factor in the success of the Celtics in January was the play of Kevin gamble during an 11 game stretch gamble averaged 22 points a game as the team looked for a consistent scorer other than Reggie Lewis when you know you’re going to be

Out there you know you’re going to get your get your shots um you know you can’t help but feel confident and um that’s what’s That’s What’s happen happening to me now a victory against the Pistons in their first meeting since the 1991 playoffs put the Celtics 10

Games over 500 and created a greater confidence in the team the new go-to man was 6′ 7 in Reggie Lewis the former Northeastern All-American was leading the club in scoring and at the end of January was named to his first NBA All-Star Game you know it’s something I

Always wanted to be a part of and just finally it’s only going to happen you know it took a lot of hard work but it paid off as February came so did the last of the Celtics long road trips hopefully the return of some of the injured players would help D Brown out

Since the beginning of the Season returned for the February 5th game at home against the Houston Rockets D scored seven points in 11 minutes and felt progress had been made as the Celtics won 98 to 85 I’m pleased with what I did tonight but you know you can

Tell I got a lot a lot of work to do the Celtics left for their Texas Swing where they lost all three games for the first time in their history the San Antonio game marked the return of Kevin mcale but the seven time Allstar looked

Out of sync for most of the trip male’s pass knocked away Strickland alley to Robinson oh wow what a play by Robinson the next stop was the Great West Forum in Los Angeles to face the Lakers the Celtics also paid tribute to longtime rival Magic Johnson who had his

Jersey retired to The Forum Rafters this piece of Boston Garden par paret symbolizes your place in the hearts and mind of Celtic fans everywhere you will never wore the green and white you always will be a part of our family magic so I thank Larry Bird personally for bringing the best out of

Magic Johnson because without you I couldn’t rise to the top and I really appreciate that that’s man to man while Larry Bird was still not able to play his teammates Rose to the occasion and showed that Boston was not dead Kevin mccale scored 19 points and had eight rebounds and D Brown

Contributed 17 Robert Parish came up big in LA with 21 points and 11 rebounds on 10 for 12 shooting the old man can still move Larry Bird remained with the team as they traveled to Utah and Boston was on to their second straight road victory until the fourth quarter and the Jaz get

The lead the Celtics blew a 10-point lead and ended up not making a field goal in the fourth quarter until there were 8 seconds left in the game Utah won 8883 and sent the Celtics off to Golden State for a battle with Tim Hardaway comes Hardway it’s a four on three

Just the All-Star point guard chosen immediately after Michael Smith in the 1989 NBA draft lit up the Celtics for 43 points as the big three of Mullen Hardway and marcelonis held off the Celtics 117 to 112 a shining star at this point of the season for Boston was

Ed Pinkney a 16p point in career-high 18 rebound game against the Warriors elevated his confidence for the rest of the year good job March 1st marked the return of Larry Bird to the par floor after an absence of two months Larry got right back into

It quick Turn Around by bird and he hits his first two Larry completed his return with 26 points and 13 rebounds Kevin mccale showed Signs of Life with 14 points and 11 rebounds and this marked the first time in 1992 that the big three were playing

Together tonight I was very happy to be back and and um I was received very well and um I played pretty well so we’ll just go from there and see what happens injury R returned three nights later as Kevin MC sat out the game with ankle stiffness he would also miss the

Clippers game at home as the Celtics won convincingly another Victory against Orlando showed progress for the team on the road but a key part of every team’s success starts at the point guard position but 53 of the first 56 games of the Year John Bagley stepped in and guided the team successfully despite

Injuries to many key players Chris Ford always maintained that D Brown was the Celtic point guard of the future but Bagley held that position until D was back at full strength as the end of February arrived Ford decided the time was right to hand the ball Club over to

D and we’ll see how things transpired when we return with more of injured Pride a look at the Boston Celtics 1991 1992 season right after this when Chris Ford inserted D Brown into the starting lineup for the first time on February 28th he also told John baggley that Sherman Douglas would be

The backup point guard baggley spent the next six games on the bench watching as brown and Douglas LED Boston to a 4-2 record score get a shot at AO in a homecoming of sorts for Sherman Douglas and Brian Shaw the Celtics traveled to Miami to face the heat for

The first time since the trade of point guards in January while Sherman outscored Brian on the night 14 to nothing the heat came away with a seven-point win to cap off the night Sherman twisted his ankle with 15 seconds left in the game the next night proved to be one the

Celtics would like to forget by a host of bulls they’re toying with them the Celtics were out of it in the first quarter as they trailed 37 to to 13 and the Bulls ran away with a 34-point victory it also marked Boston’s 13 loss and 16 tries at winning the second game

Of backto backs the Celtics made their third and final appearance of the year in Hartford as they fa the New Jersey Nets on Friday the 13th of March Boston was up by 19 points in the third quarter as they took control of the game but New Jersey came

Firing back pic Bingo the Nets in the lead 9694 Celtics time out dzen Petrovic tallied a career-high 39 points including three threes I was making almost every shot and I was just sted you know to get to pull this game for us three straight losses put the Celtics

In a precarious position as they fac the Portland Trailblazers on March 15th the Celtics led by two after three quarters but had lost another point guard dbrown left the game in the third period after being hit in the thigh with Sherman Douglas on the injured list because of

An ankle spring Chris Ford was back to John baggley and once again bags delivered Bagley led the Celtics down the stretch as they cut a seven-point deficit to three with 7 Seconds to [Applause] goes it’s aoin and he’s time again well was luck because I felt I got fouled on

The shot and it was like a line drive and I was surprised to went in as the game went to overtime the Blazers took control and could have wrapped it up if they didn’t shoot 71% from the line however the Mystique of Boston Garden was present on the IDS of

March and now gamble for Bagley looking to tie here’s gamble up the buzzer and we go to a second overtime finally in the second overtime Portland stopped making shots and the Celtics went on an eight nothing run behind the leadership of Larry Bird B by by the end of the day Larry Bird had his first triple double of the Year 49 points 14 rebounds and 12 assists in 54 minutes of play he doubled up Larry he found the open man if we’ let him play one on one he scored on the

Jump shot he scored on the hook he got to the free throw line uh you know he just did it all offensively after an emotional let down allowed the Milwaukee Bucks to Route the Celtics by 21 points the team returned home to face the squad with the third

Best record in the league the Cleveland Cavaliers D Brown returned from his thigh injury and played 46 minutes mainly because of John bagley’s foot injury with the score tied and less than a minute to play the Celtics went to work Bird on a cut to D and a

Foul the Celtics next stop was their first first visit of the year to the Palace at Auburn Hills the Celtics had lost 13 of their last 15 Road games and the Pistons were on a roll with eight wins in their last nine games the Celtics led by 10 with two minutes left

But Detroit suddenly woke up he launches it’s good the Celtics had one last shot with three and a half seconds left and dbrown provided the excitement yes this was the Celtic’s second journey into overtime in the last 5 days and after trading baskets Larry Bird sent the Celtics on a gamebreaking 11 nothing

Run B bang boom boom the momentum of the road wi provided a great impetus to the team as they proceeded to Coast through five more victories the train of success momentarily derailed in Indiana de shrimp held off a final Celtic comeback as the Pacers won 101 to 97 the loss

Snapped the seven game win streak for the Celtics and as it turned out would be the last regular season game Larry Bird would play this season when Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls came to town Larry Bird was on the sidelines due to back spasms the Celtics clamped down played great

Defense for 48 minutes as they held the world champions to the lowest point total of the Season 86 points John Bagley scored nine points and dished out six assists including the turning point of the game I think we always did feel we can compete it’s just a matter of going

Going out there and doing it and tonight was just a case of us going out there and doing it without Larry Bird the entire team knew they had to work harder and improve each other’s game first up was Reggie Lewis in Cleveland with less than 20 seconds remaining the Celtics looked for

Their new go-to guy Reggie Lewis made the last two of his 38 points on the night as the Celtics held on for a three-point victory next up an important home game against the Atlantic division leading New York Knicks at this point the Celtics trailed New York by three games

With only six to play Patrick Ying was his usual All-Star self with 35 points and 10 rebounds but a concentrated team effort by the Celtics down the stretch with John Bagley at the helm secured the victory the turn around gets the roll two more victories against Milwaukee and Charlotte brought the

Celtics within a game of first place as Reggie Lewis began to appear as a dominant NBA scorer he was also named the NBA’s player of the week by averaging 28 points and seven rebounds the Celtics missed Larry Bird but Reggie Lewis was coming through you know I just

Don’t want to be known as a player who just play one the floor I want to be known as player who could play at all at the same time D Brown began to miss games once again the flu he had contracted resulted in a severe case of

Sinusitis that left left him weak and disoriented in his place both John Bagley and Sherman Douglas stepped up their play here Comes Douglas yes after defeating the 76ers in Philadelphia the Celtics squandered two 10-point leads against the Pistons before their man of April came through Bagley is open they give him the shot

Big basket by a final defensive stand gave the Celtics a 9289 Victory and a share of first place in the Atlantic division one final obstacle was the 82nd game of the year the Celtics were at home to face the Miami Heat it also marked a return to Boston for Brian Shaw

Who renewed acquaintances before the game however once the game started Shaw was on the enemy side and the fans made sure he knew it Brian finished the game with 11 points six assists and three steals but the Celtics had a 22.9 rebound effort from Robert Parish

And won the game by 16 to clinch the Atlantic division title the Celtics finished the regular season by winning eight straight games and 15 of the last 16 the absence of Larry Bird and D Brown made everyone else step their game up a level or two but everyone still wanted these two players

Back for the playoffs the first round opponent would be Chuck person in the Indiana Pacers in a rematch from last year the Celtics did not want to repeat of having to go five games with such a streaky team we’ll have that entire playoff story when we return with

Injured Pride to Boston Celtics in 1991 and 1992 after these messages the 1992 playoffs brought Chuck Pon Reggie Miller and the rest of the Indiana Pacers back to Boston with the hope this time of defeating the Celtics in the playoff series the season series stood at two games a piece as each team

Had won on their home court it’s a short series the first series is a short series and uh might be the only series and then we have home court in the rest of the uh rest of the playoffs so he got to take care of business game one proved

To be a continuation of the 1991 series there were 25 lead changes 17 ties and good shooting throughout Larry Bird and D Brown sat out the game but the Celtics were prepared Reggie with McLoud on him regg is going to take it Reggie Lewis let all scorers with 36

Points including the biggest basket of the game regie Lewis got it and a foul the free throw put the Celtics up by four and sparked a 15-2 run to take game one of the playoffs 124 to 113 the game turned in about a minute’s period about a you know a minute I mean

If we’ have made the right decisions and got a stop I think we’ have won the game game two would prove to be even more exciting than game one courtesy of John Bagley like Bagley like gamble you normally don’t get that many shots yes and it

Comes a circus shot for John Bley and the Celtics proceeded to fall behind by 12 at the half as Bagley rested for most of the second quarter Unfortunately The Rifleman just started firing person fires yes it’s a three for CH person the PAC has held a two-point lead through

Three but the combination of John Bagley and Robert Parish stepped into the Limelight Bagley with the drive Parish with six on the shot clock Parish yes and the game is tied at 102 Chiefs basket sent the game into overtime where the point guards took over Michael Williams put the Pacers up

By four after a long three-pointer but then bag started an eight nothing run with two baskets and two assists two Le Bley on the swing Bley with the rebound you know I try to do what I can you know and if it’s called on for me to do that

You know then you know that’s what I have to step up and try to do uh fortunately tonight uh I tried it and it worked so game three would take place on the Pacers home court and they still believe that a series victory was possible however the Celtics wanted to end this

Quickly has it picked off by gamble that’s the 12th turnover they go to pigney Boston had an 18-point lead in the third quarter but poor field goal shooting and horrendous free throw shooting allowed Indiana back into it it to Williams Reggie Lewis scored at will on

His way to 32 points and Ed Pinkney added 13 points in 14 rebounds as the game Drew to a close as they Bly and the Pacers lead by one and the time gives back to Bagley they swing to gamble yes and the Cs get the lead back

Kevin gamble started a closing 83 run and finished with 17 points his Play Over the second half of the Season showed people he was more than just a role player on a running team the Celtic won game three 102 to 98 and sent the paces home for a summer without a playoff

Victory the next round of the playoffs began at the Richfield Coliseum as the Cleveland cavali hosted the Celtics D Brown was dressed and available for action but Larry Bird was still on the sidelines trying to fortify his conditioning Cleveland had only one Victory against the Celtics on the year

But never had a healthy roster in any of the losses but game one the same would still hold true Brad Dy was playing despite an ankle sprain however he seemed inspired as he exploded for 26 points and 17 rebounds handles the ball so well a five-point halftime lead

Became 15 after three quarters and despite D Brown’s return to action the Cavaliers rolled to an impressive 101 to 76 Victory the Celtics suffered their first loss in 12 games and only their second since March 15th everyone questioned whether Robert Parish could handle Brad Dy in the series but game

Two quickly silenced his critics the chief back to the Bine got the chief delivered 27 points eight rebounds two blocks and a couple of steals as the Celtics broke open a close game late in the fourth quarter that’s about as tough a shot as you’re ever going to

Hit the two teams traveled to Boston Garden on May 8th for game three rumors of Larry Bird playing Prov false but the offensive rebounding and Reggie Lewis led the Celtics to a 110 107 Victory Reggie tied his playoff career high with 36 points as he scored 13 down

The stretch Lewis broke a 9999 tie with a three-point play and then ice the game on the next possession right side Lewis Reggie yeah the Celtics were now in the driver’s seat with a 2-1 lead in the series you know it’s not over yet we

Still have a long way to go and we we know we can’t afford to get comfortable right now because we know Cleveland they’re not going to give up they’re going to be right back and we have to make sure that we come with our guards up game four marked return of Larry Bird

To a Boston Celtic uniform and although he didn’t start the game there was no doubt when he came into the game that he was ready Boston by one bird wide open top of the key the Cavaliers led by 12 at the half thanks to the inspired play of point

Guard Mark Price the smallest man on the court lit the Celtics up for 26 points and 12 assists as he neutralized John Bagley Larry Nance proved to be a Celtic killer as well by scoring 32 points on 13 of 16 from the field but his biggest play was a block shot against Robert

Parish late in the fourth quarter instead of being up by four Boston was tied at 103 After hot rod Williams missed two free throws with eight seconds left Reggie Lewis had one last try in regulation Lewis time running out no good overtime no foul was called and the

Teams went into overtime Cleveland took a five-point lead thanks to the shooting of Larry Nance Reggie Lewis was the Celtic star of the day with 42 points and five Steals and had the ball at the end of the game with the Celtics down by two the lane dises

Off couldn’t hit couldn’t hit loose Lewis can’t hit wide open 1 second left Bagley was he fouled no the game’s over the series was now tied at two games a piece but the Celtics were not giving up hope this was a big game today I knew they would play

A lot better today than they did any other games but um it a challenge for us and we didn’t meet the challenge uh they got uh a few calls down at the end that really helped him and other than that we just didn’t get the job

Done game five often times is the key game to any playoff series and this year the same would be true Larry Bird showing of 17 minutes and only four points in game four had to change while he did contribute 13 points on 6 for 10 shooting the hot shooting of the

Cavaliers simply crushed the Celtics El will shoot the go Craig Elo had 20 points and 13 assists as he rebounded from an awful game four performance of 0 for n from the field the Cavaliers broke away in the third quarter behind the dominant player Brad Dy his 28 points nine rebounds five

Assists and four blocks Pro that he was definit defitely one of the top four centers in the league as the Cavs coasted to a 114 to 98 win the Celtics had their backs against the walls for game six they either had to win or go home for the summer good

Signs appeared early when the starting lineup was announced and at the other board from Indiana State 6’9 number 33 Larry Bird Larry was ready to play and any talk of his demise as a player was premature bir in the lane left handed lar will bring it up himself n

Awaits screen from Paris bounce pass Robert for two bird gathered six points seven assists and four rebounds in the first quarter as the Celtics broke out to a 12-point lead more importantly he involved Robert Parish early and delivered great passes to both Reggie Lewis who had a game high 26 and Kevin

Gamble his old partner in the front to Kevin mccale seemed rejuvenated with 22 points and six rebounds as Boston tied the series with a 31-point victory I wouldn’t want anyone else in a big game than a guy like Larry Bird on my team and out there playing and uh

It’s a shame that a lot of people have short memories my back’s not bother I can play about as well as I want to play uh the only thing that uh sometimes I lack is my shooting um in the long run when you you don’t play a lot and you

Come back and you get a little fatigued uh your shot starts going short but as far as playing well I have a lot of confidence in my ability to play if my backs well my backs bother me sometimes I don’t play as well as I like the

Season had boiled down to one more game the Cavaliers had been in a seventh game situation only once in their franchise history back in 1976 on the other hand the Celtics were masters of the seventh game winning 17 of 20 since 1957 including six of seven during the Larry Bird thir era while

Experience plays a major role in these type of games Cleveland showed why they had tied Portland for the second best record in the league each one of their top six players came out with a ferociousness as they jumped to a 14-point lead in the first the closest

To Celtics would come was a 10-point deficit early in the second period Brad Dy and Mark Price showed the reason their NBA Allstars as the team shot 59% unfortunately for Boston their defense could never stop the Cavs [Applause] n who leaves it for DH Reggie Lewis struggled early but

Finished with 22 and D Brown added 18 but more importantly Larry Bird went 33 minutes and finished with 12 points no one knew if this would be his last game in a Celtic uniform the entire Celtic season really proved to be a roller coaster ride up

And down if it were not for injuries there’d be no telling how far this team might have gone on unfortunately though as players get older injuries appear more often and become slower to heal most of the younger guys certainly improved their play this year and the return of John baggley provided much

Help to a muddled point guard situation now changes may be made by the start of next season but when you look back at the 1991 1992 Boston Celtics season there were quite a few exciting moments created by many of these players for Sports channel I’m Mike Orman thanks for

Watching and I hope to see you next season for the start of another great year

As NBC Sports Boston heads into our archives, here is a review of the 1991-1992 NBA season for the Boston Celtics, hosted by Mike Gorman.

This season recap special shows the many major injuries the Celtics faced, in what turned out to be the last season of Larry Bird’s career.

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