8701280214 DETROIT FREE PRESS 870608 Monday, June 08, 1987 STATE EDITION

SPTS

1F MITCH ALBOM SEE ALSO METRO FINAL EDITION 1F Copyright (c) 1987, Detroit Free Press SUDDENLY, THE TIRED CELTS GET HIGHER THAN A KITE BOSTON -- Only minutes after the game was over, a mob of reporters was gathered around his empty locker. Cameras were steadied. Microphones were tested. "When's he coming?" the voices cried. "He's not coming," came the answer, "there's not enough room in here. He's doing his interviews out in the stands." The mob picked up and rushed towards the court. In the stands? Greg Kite was doing interviews in the stands? How deep had the Celtics dug to win this 109-103 decision against the Lakers? How much effort did it take to keep mighty LA from going up 3-0 in this best-of-seven championship series? How much of everybody's everything did it take? Greg Kite was doing his interviews in the stands. "Greg, hell of a game today," a reporter said to the man often described as the least-talented player in the NBA. "How do you feel?" "I feel great," he said. "How do you account for today's performance?" "I was just ready when K.C wanted me. . . . " "The last time you had a thrill this big?" "When I was born. . . . " Whatever he did, was great Quote. Quote. It was all written down. Was he the star of the game? No, not really. Was he the leading scorer? No, not really. Actually, he didn't score a point. Actually, he had five fouls. Actually, he left the game for good with more than eight minutes left. And yet he came in for Robert Parish in the second quarter and he, well, he bumped and he pushed and he rebounded and occasionally even blocked a shot, and he kept Kareem Abdul- Jabbar in check, and mostly what you remember is that the score was Lakers 39, Celtics 30 when he entered and Celtics 80, Lakers 69 when he came out, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation because they knew, even without stat sheets, that he had a lot to do with it. Whatever it was. "Today, Greg did the job," Larry Bird said. "He set the picks, got the rebounds, played good defense. And with Robert in foul trouble, he kept Kareem from taking over the game at that stage." Kite symbolized the Celtics, who were in danger of losing this series before they finished tying their sneakers. Talent- wise, they were overmatched. Speed-wise, they were overmatched. Effort? Well. Aha. Here was Kite, the perennial bench warmer, bumping with one of the best centers in history. Here was the man who looks awkward standing still, coming from nowhere to smother a Magic Johnson lay-up attempt. Kite finished with nine rebounds and a lot of pokes in 22 minutes of action. No, Kite did not beat LA by himself. Dennis Johnson, with 26 crucial points, did more than him. Bird, with 30 points and 12 rebounds, did more than him. Yet there are intangibles when playing the Lakers and one is how you slow them, and on this day, Kite was like the big dart gun that they shoot into the charging elephant. Slowly, slowly, the beast wore down. And the Celtics, left flat-footed in the first two games of this series, finally got a bead on the enemy and beat it. "Pat Riley, the Lakers' coach, said he would give you the game ball if he were coaching the Celtics," a reporter told Kite. "Really?" Kite said. "Well, that's nice." Quote. Quote. 'I couldn't be that bad' "Greg got physical in a game where we needed to get physical," Dennis Johnson said, smiling, like the rest of the Celtics smiled when asked to talk about Kite. "And that's the best defense I've seen him play in four years." In truth, it was probably the best everything, at least in championship play. Kite has been to an NBA final every year of his pro career. He is usually known as the guy who fouls the fastest. "It's hard being a bench warmer," he admitted, "trying to stay ready all the time. The jokes they make. . . . I try not to pay attention. I couldn't be that bad and still be with the team, right?" Well . . . Who knows? On this day, however, he was the symbol of the Celtics in this series, slower, less graceful, and written off. So it was fitting, given the result -- only the Lakers' second defeat in this year's playoffs -- that he would be the one with the biggest media crowd. Of course he isn't in a league with the other guys out there. Of course, the next game he probably will revert to form. But here were the Celtics, for one afternoon, basking in the tired knowledge that at least it could be done, one game, they would not be swept. Who knows if they'll have another moment this season? So here was Greg Kite. Doing his interviews in the stands. Why? Why not? "What did K.C. tell you when he sent you in for Parish?" someone asked. "He told me, 'Go get Robert,' " Kite said. Another quote. COLUMN;GREG KITE;BASKETBALL;UNUSUAL;REACTION