76ers Mauled in Boston

Apr. 8, 1965 - Do the 76ers really have a chance to beat Boston in the NBA playoffs? Philadelphia coach Dolph Schayes still insists that “we’ll beat them in six games — maybe seven.”

But after watching tonight’s disaster in Boston, one has to wonder if the series will even go six games. The Celtics mauled a stumbling, fumbling something wearing 76er uniforms, 112-94, before a sellout crowd of 13,909. And it’s a good thing Red Auerbach’s shock troopers had an off night. If they were sharp, it would have been the worst dunking Boston has seen since the tea party.

Except for the first six minutes, the Philadelphians could do nothing right with any consistency.

“The same thing beat us tonight that beat us up here the first time,” Schayes sighed. “We just stood around on offense, made no moves whatsoever. I’d say we played scared basketball, and I don’t know why. 

“We know we can beat Boston. We beat them five times during the regular season, and we beat them once in the playoffs.”

The 76ers, playing in spurts, managed to hold an 18-16 lead seven minutes deep in the first period. Then, before you could say “Dipper Dunk,” they had kicked away the ball enough times for Boston to run off seven quick points and grab a big lead they never relinquished. Auerbach could have lit up his victory cigar right then, but he mercifully waited until less than three minutes to go when Boston had built up a 100-87 cushion.

Bill Russell shook off compliments in the happy Celtic dressing room.

“I didn’t do anything differently than I did the other night in Philly,” he said. “Tomorrow’s another night, and we have to try to do the same things all over again. I will admit I may have felt a little better physically, had a day’s rest and all that, but we played real good team ball, I’d say.”

Said Auerbach: “We saw real good efforts by Sam Jones, Havlicek, Larry Siegfried, and of course Russell. 

“K.C. Jones ran into early foul trouble and Larry gave us the pickup. I won’t say our defense was any better than even in Philly, but our shooting was a lot better. But how can a home club go to the line 22 less times than the visitors? Answer me that?”

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