Lone slipup on near-perfect home record still bugs Celtics

The game occurred nearly 24 years ago, yet Larry Bird painfully recalls every detail. "I can remember that game like it was yesterday," said the Pacers' president of basketball operations.

The game -- Trail Blazers at Celtics, Dec. 6, 1985 -- was the lone blemish on an otherwise impeccable home record for the Celtics, a streak that stretched all the way through the postseason. The Celtics finished the regular season 40-1 at home and, counting their run through the postseason, were an astounding 50-1 in home games.

The one still haunts Bill Walton.

"This was not a lucky break at the end of the game," Walton said. "They took it to us. We were not ready. We paid the price. And I'm still suffering the consequences, 24 years later."

Blazers 121, Celtics 103

Should the Cavaliers win their remaining five games in Cleveland, starting Tuesday against Detroit, they will take their place next to the '85-'86 Celtics as the only teams in NBA history to go 40-1 (.976) at home during the regular season.

Looking back, the question remains just as puzzling: How in the world did a team that racked up 67 wins -- only two teams in history had won more at the time -- a team that blew out opponents out by an average of 10 points per game lose by 18 at home to the Blazers?

"We got outplayed," said Bird. "When I left the court, I remember thinking they were just better than we were that day."

The Blazers finished 40-42 that season before the Denver Nuggets wiped them out in four games in the first round.

And the Blazers schooled what is arguably the greatest team in NBA history?

"The Celtics proved they were human that night," said Clyde Drexler, who was just in his third season with the Blazers in '85-86. "They didn't take us seriously."

The Blazers made their lone visit to the Boston Garden that season not only seeking a victory, but a little big-picture respect, too. "We looked at that game as an opportunity for the fans on the East Coast to see what our team was all about," said Drexler. "We knew the Celtics were good. But we also wanted them to know that there was a pretty good team out West that was young and on the rise."

The upstart Blazers didn't even play their leading scorer, Kiki Vandeweghe, who stayed in Portland to seek treatment on an injured leg. Instead, the Blazers shifted Drexler to the small forward spot while starting Mychal Thompson at the four, second-year center Sam Bowie at center and Jim Paxson and Darnell Valentine in the backcourt.

Yet the star of the evening for Portland wasn't Drexler, Thompson or Bowie. It was Steven Colter, the second-year point guard out of New Mexico State and 33rd overall pick of the '84 Draft.

"Steven Colter had the quickest first step of anybody in the league at that time," said Drexler. "Ainge couldn't keep up and DJ was getting up in age. They were both a little bit slow for Colter.

"It was the most aggressive as I've ever seen Steve play. He was phenomenal that night."

While Kersey provided the Blazers a lift off the bench with 22 points, it was the 6-foot-3 Colter who set the run-and-gun tone for Portland, igniting the offense with 22 points in 27 minutes, including 14 trips to the free-throw line.

"The Celtics had trouble matching up to our quickness," said Drexler. The Blazers led 56-52 at halftime and when the Celtics tried to get close in the third, the Blazers continued to turn on the jets.

"We were making a run on them," said Bird, "and then Clyde Drexler hit two spectacular shots, getting the rebound and going coast to coast."

The Blazers didn't allow the Celtics back in the game, increasing their lead to seven points entering the fourth quarter before making a run of their own.

"In the third quarter, we stepped it up from halftime and had a double-digit lead, which is huge in the Garden back then," said Drexler, who finished with 19 points and 6 assists. "You don't get double-digit leads on those guys. They were too good."

Midway through the fourth quarter, the greatest Celtics team of the Bird era was iced.

"They missed a few shots and we got a couple of steals for dunks and it was over," said Drexler. "You could tell they pretty much knew that they weren't going to catch us."

The game occurred the night before Bird's 29th birthday. "I never did like playing on my birthday," said Bird, who won his third consecutive NBA MVP that season, joining Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to win three in a row. "Maybe I just remember the losses. Now you look around the NBA and these guys have parties, we never did do that."

Bird ended up making only nine of his 26 shots while the Celtics, who shot 51 percent from the field that season, hit only 46 percent. "That's why we lost," said Bird. "My inability to hit a shot. I didn't shoot well."

Walton -- who won the league's Sixth Man of the Year award that season -- was even worse. He had two points, three rebounds and five turnovers in 18 minutes for the Celtics. When Bird was reminded of that, he immediately shifted the blame.

"That's really why we lost," said Bird. "Blame Walton."

Walton, who played his best basketball with the Blazers -- leading Portland to the NBA title in '77 while earning Finals MVP honors -- acknowledged he was pressing against his former team and coach.

"I was a disgrace to the sport of basketball," said Walton, who also won the 1978 NBA MVP with Portland. "It was one of those games when you're trying so hard -- you always do that against one of your former teams -- particularly with Jack Ramsay being the coach that made me the best player that I ever was.

"I was just running on empty: Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again."

With the Cavs now within striking distance of the Celtics' record for best winning percentage at home, it'd be understandable if Bird was a little melancholy about another team possibly joining the Celtics as one of the best home teams ever.

"Nah. Records are made to be broken," said Bird, whose Celtics played three "home" games in Hartford, Conn., that season. "As long as the Pacers aren't playing the Cavs, then I would like to see them do it because it's pretty special to have that record."

While home games against the Spurs (Sunday, April 5, ABC, 1 p.m.) and Celtics (April 12, ABC, 3:30 p.m.) seemingly pose the greatest threat to the Cavs' grasp at history, Dec. 6, 1985 proves it's wise for Cleveland not to overlook the Pistons, Wizards or Sixers either.

"It's so funny because that game always comes up," said Drexler. "It's like, 'How did you guys beat the Celtics that season, giving them their only loss at home? Then the next question is, 'If you guys were that good, then what happened?'"