Sam's Boston Celtics Fan Site

NEW FORMAT FOR THIS BLOG: ARCHIVING WRITINGS ON THE CELTICS

2009-10-26T04:55:00.003-04:00

As indicated in a later thread on this blog, I have now established Sam's Celtics Forum, which will take over the function of Celtics-related conversation and debate that I had originally planned for this blog. This blog will now be devoted mainly to archiving and discussing the writings of myself and others on the Celtics, primarily involving Celtics history and tradition.

I'm leading off by posting three of my own works:

1. "SlipperySam's Personal History with the Russell Celtics"

2. "Here Come the World Champions...the Final Chapter in Basketball Camelot"
(a personal account of my trip and stay in L.A. with the Celtics as they won the 1969 championship)

3. My review of Bill Russell's book, "Russell Rules"

I hope you'll post your reactions here or on Sam's Celtics Forum, (which may be found at: http://samcelt.forumotion.net) because I'd like to encourage others to archive their Celtics writings here.

Thanks,

Sam

SAM'S PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF "THE RUSSELL YEARS"

2009-10-26T04:53:00.002-04:00

SlipperySam's Personal Account of The Russell Years in Boston Celtics History

Birth of a Nation

The Boston Celtics began operations as part of the new Basketball Association of America in 1946, when the owner of the Boston Garden and the Boston Bruins, Walter A. Brown, was seeking ways to keep the Garden more fully occupied. Brown was not a big basketball fan in those days but turned out to be the glue that held the Celtics together in the early going.

The team became a charter member of the newly formed National Basketball Association (BBA) in 1950, and many of the early years were fraught with financial strife. At one point, Brown had to mortgage his home to keep the franchise barely afloat. There were reports that the players' paychecks sometimes failed to go out on time.

The 1950 season saw the advent of Coach Red Auerbach, who also performed the General Manager function. Red had coached the Washington Capitals in the BAA. Auerbach and Brown formed a very tight bond, and their "contracts" typically consisted of a handshake agreement.

From 1950 to 1955, the Celtics accumulated some very good players, including Bob Cousy; the razzle dazzle playmaker who attracted this 13-year-old to the game in 1950. “The Cooz” was acquired as the “leftover” third choice in a dispersal draft of three key players from a team that had folded.

Other important acquisitions included sharp-shooting guard Bill Sharman; finesse center Ed MacAuley; tough forward Jim Loscutoff; multi-talented guard-forward Frank Ramsey, and (in 1950) forward Chuch Cooper—the first person of color ever drafted by an NBA team. (He was not the first to play in the league, as Earl Lloyd of the Syracuse Nationals barely beat him out for that honor.)

But the Celtics could never get over the contending hump because of a lack of defense and rebounding. The highlight of the early fifties was probably the four-overtime playoff game against the Syracuse Nationals in 1953, in which Cousy scored 50 points, including 30 of 32 from the free throw line (still a record).

To address the defense and rebounding needs, while also shoring up his offense, Red made a series of very shrewd moves. The Celtics forfeited their first round pick in favor of selecting (before the first round got under way) Tom Heinsohn of Holy Cross a “territorial selection” (a player from a college located within 50 miles of a pro team’s home base). Then he approached the St. Louis Hawks, who had the second pick in the draft. Red packaged MacAuley and Cliff Hagan, a future Hall-of-Famer who had been in the Army since being drafter earlier by the Celtics, in trade for center Bill Russell of San Francisco University (whom the Hawks agreed to draft). In order to ensure the cash-strapped Cincinnati Royals would not draft Russell with their first pick, Red traded them an appearance by the Ice Capades. Imagine that…a date with the Ice Capades for Bill Russell!

Red's focus was always on acquiring a blend of great skills rather than on accumulating individually great all-around players. Even if a player had multiple talents, Red was most interested in the most prominent skill(s) that stood out in the player's repertoire. He now had shooters in Sharman and Heinsohn. He had a great playmaker in Cousy. Russell and Loscutoff were a solid rebounding and defensive tandem. And Ramsey's primary skill was being such a Jack-of-all-trades that he was established as the very first sixth man.

Although Red may not have known it then, the initial foundation for the greatest dynasty in the history of professional sports was in place. I believe that dynasty was actually an aggregation of six mini-eras, which I'll be using as a framework in this history.

Setting the Scene

As a backdrop for getting a feel for pro basketball in the fifties, it is important to reflect on the idiosyncrasies of the game, the playing conditions and the crowds. In those days, the rules of pro basketball tended to react to evolving player abilities. The unprecedented bulk of George Mikan, the agility of Bill Russell, and the length and power of Wilt Chamberlain forced changes in the width of the lane. When the early Celtics had a one-point lead with 30 to 60 seconds to go, Bob Cousy would dribble out the clock; so they instituted the 24-second rule. Russell forced the offensive goaltending rule to be instituted the year before Chamberlain entered the league.

Playing conditions bordered on the primitive, starting with the locker rooms. Tom Heinsohn says an issue in the Celtics dressing room would be whether a player would rate one peg or two; and the room was so small that reporters were allowed in only one at a time. Locker room temperatures could range from frigid to tropical. Temporary courtside seats were so close to the action that things were sometimes hairy for players. The one time clock at the old Boston Garden was directly overhead and very difficult for the players to see. Guy wires, stretched from the backboards to the balcony, helped only partially to reduce the vibrations of the board and rim from missed outside shots or the rare dunk attempts. Cigarette and cigar smoke often made the spectators squint, and God knows what effect it had on players (including their lungs). As Bill Sharman lamented during a later interview, rims in those days were very tight because they were bolted directly to the backboard, and the breakaway rim wouldn't be instituted for decades.

The lack of security and relative ease of access to players inspired youths to aspire to try to emulate them. We used to stand outside the locker room after games. When players emerged, we'd crowd around them until the one cop would start to herd us out. I'd always be at the front of the herd and would "march in place" so that I'd wind up at the end of the herd without having actually moved. Then I'd engage in conversation with a player, and the cop would let me stay, figuring I was a friend of the player.

The primitive nature of the game and accessibility of players created an intense sense of personal closeness and involvement among the fans—a feeling that unfortunately waned as the game became more remote over the decades. Tight rims and dead spots in the famed Boston Garden parquet floor. Heck, I had tight rims and lumpy footing in my back yard.

Most spectators were male, and the roar that even a partial crowd could mount was unparalleled. The stentorian cacophony could make the Boston Garden balcony shake up and down as much as a foot. Particularly scary if you were seated below that balcony.

Celtics tickets were not difficult to obtain. In 1969, the prices ranged from a high of $5.00 to a low of $3.00. During the entire Russell Celtics' reign, the Celtics’ highest home attendance was in their first championship season. Attendance that season averaged only 10,517, representing 76% of the 13,909 capacity. For playoff games, we thought nothing of camping out all night on Causeway Street. One person would hold another's place while he went for food and beverages for his section of the ticket line. We'd curl up on the sidewalk and sleep fitfully. When I took a folding chair with me one year, it was considered an innovation in the annals of Celtics ticket-waiting, and I got my picture in the newspaper.

Era 1: Establishing the blueprint (1956-58)

Even before Russell arrived around Christmas time, fresh from winning the Olympics, the Celtics were a pretty good team, with their 16-8 record leading the Eastern Division. Two veterans acquired from other teams, future Hall-of-Famer Arnie Risen and Jack Nichols (who later graduated from Tufts Dental School), were doing an adequate job at the center position, and Heinsohn wound up being Rookie of the Year that season. Another aging veteran acquisition and future Hall of Famer, Andy Phillip, was backing up Cousy.

In fact, during Russell's first season with the Celtics, the team was actually blessed with six future Hall of Famers (Russell, Cousy, Heinsohn, Ramsey, Risen and Phillip). Playmaker KC Jones, whom Red had also acquired in the same draft as Russell's, could have swollen the total to seven, but he was in the Army during Russ's first two seasons.

56-57

4 teams in East, 4 teams in West, for total of 8 in league; played 72 games
Leaders: Scoring: Paul Arizin; Rebounds: Maurice Stokes; Assists: Bob Cousy
MVP: Bob Cousy
Celts #1 in East by 6 games over Syracuse Nationals: 44-28 (.611); #1 overall
3 playoff rounds (division semis with top team having bye; division finals; championship)
Celts sweep Syracuse, 3-0
Celts beat St. Louis for title, 4-3

With Russell on hand, the Celtics' portfolio of weapons was frighteningly diverse. Suffocating defense, amazingly strong rebounding, an exciting transition game spearheaded by Cousy, and an efficient halfcourt set (also with Cousy the catalyst). They didn't yet have great athleticism other than Russell, but they didn't need a lot against their most dangerous rivals the first few years...the St. Louis Hawks.

In his first NBA game, which happened to be against those Hawks, Russ displayed his promise for the future by grabbing 16 rebounds in 21 minutes; and, in the fourth quarter, he blocked three shots by future Hall-of-Famer Bob Petit in a Celtics win. Petit was a PF, but it usually wound up being Russ versus Petit.

It was appropriate that Russ faced Bob Petit in his initial game because Petit became the first of five major antagonists the Celtics would face during the Russell years. Multiply the relentless, rough rebounding style of Leon Powe by two or three; add the inside and outside scoring punch of someone like Dave Cowens; and you have Bob Petit. Though he was only 6' 9" and 205 pounds (and not fast), he never failed to average at least 20 PPG and 12 RPG in all of his 11 years in the league; and he made the all-star team in every one of those years.

So it was also fitting that the Celtics and Hawks wound up in the championship series of 1957. It went seven games, and the last was one for the ages. Red Auerbach had spiced up the series before game 3 in St. Louis by punching Hawks' owner Ben Kerner in the mouth over a dispute about the exact height of a basket. Then game 7 at Boston Garden went into double overtime. In the final minute, four key plays occurred.

First, Russell made one of the greatest plays of all-time. His momentum from action under the Celtics' offensive board had carried Russ out of bounds. The Hawks' Jack Colemen caught a long pass and had a solo breakaway at midcourt. Somehow Russ leapt back inbounds, overtook Coleman, blocked the layup, and raced downcourt to put the Celts up by one.

A few seconds later, a huge three-point play by Ramsey put the Celts ahead 124-121. Then Loscutoff made a big foul shot for a four-point lead. After the Hawks had narrowed the gap to 125-123, and with the Hawks having no time outs left, Hawks' player-coach Alex Hannum heaved the ball the length of the court off the backboard, and it bounced right into the hands of Petit, who missed a foul line jumper as time expired. The Celtics were champs.

In game 7, Heinsohn scored 37 with 23 rebounds and Russ had 19 points with 32 boards, as Cousy and Sharman went a combined 5 for 40 from the field. Thus, this series not only ignited the Celtics Dynasty. It also introduced one of the Russell Celtics' most endearing traits...the ability of some players to step up when others were having off-nights.

Red realized that the first important erosion of his player core would come in the backcourt. He had already drafted playmaker KC Jones, who was still in the Army. Now, in 1957, he drafted unknown SG Sam Jones, whose shooting prowess had been recommended to Red by one of Red's former players, Bones McKinney. Sam's favorite bank shot off the backboard seemed to mystify opponents throughout his career. They persisted in instinctively guarding him to shoot directly at the hoop (which he sometimes did), and he'd be shooting a little to the side and off the board. He was basketball's equivalent of the old baseball adage to "hit 'em where they ain't" because Sam would "shoot 'em where they ain't."

Sam was exceptionally fast, was also a pretty good defender, and had great ball control, having spent some time as a playmaker in school. But it was Sam's shooting skill that induced Red to draft him; and Sam's clutch shooting in the last seconds of playoff games was arguably the best in team history.

57-58

4 teams in East, 4 teams in West, for total of 8 in league; played 72 games
Leaders: Scoring: George Yardley; Rebounds: Bill Russell; Assists: Bob Cousy
MVP: Bill Russell
Celts #1 in East by 8 games over Syracuse Nationals: 49-23 (.681); #1 overall
Three playoff rounds (division semis with top team having bye; division finals; championship)

Celts beat Philadelphia Warriors, 4-1
Celts lost to St. Louis Hawks, 4-2

The 1957-58 season looked like a repeat for the Celtics over the Hawks until, in game 3 of the championship finals, Russell suffered a severe ankle injury. He had to miss two games (one of which the Celtics actually won). Russ came back for game six but was hobbled, although the Celtics lost by only one point as the Hawks won the championship.

Era 2: Meeting Complementary Needs (1958-60)

The first two Russell seasons had established the blueprint for the future. The next three seasons, from 1958 through 1961, were largely devoted to adding to the depth of the team and honing the games of complementary players. Sam Jones now became increasingly integrated into the rotation, backing up Bill Sharman.

I believe it was around this time (although I'm not certain of the year) when Sam Jones also began climbing the ranks of New England tennis players. At one point, I heard that he was ranked #4 in the area.

In the 1958-59 season, the Celtics faced a new adversary in the finals...the Lakers, who were then beginning their last two seasons in Minneapolis before moving to L.A. The Lakers had recently added the next major antagonist of the Russell years, Elgin Baylor. Baylor was unquestionably the best SF the Russell Celtics faced. He was only 6' 5" but had Jordanesque hang time, agility and strength. Although he played during 14 seasons, injuries limited his most productive seasons to 10. He was an all-star in all 10, and his lifetime averages were 27 points and 14 rebounds. He may have been the most persistent scorer around the basket that I have ever seen.

'58-'59

4 teams in East, 4 teams in West, for total of 8 in league; played 72 games
Leaders: Scoring: Bob Petit; Rebounds: Bill Russell; Assists: Bob Cousy
MVP: Bob Petit
Celts #1 in East by 12 games over New York Knicks: 52-20 (.722); #1 overall
Three playoff rounds (division semis with top team having bye; division finals; championship)
Celts beat Syracuse Nationals, 4-3
Celts swept Minneapolis (next-to-last year) Lakers, 4-0

Notable achievements during the season: 64 points by Elgin Baylor of the Minneapolis Lakers in a November 8 Celtics loss in Minneapolis. Record 28 assists by Bob Cousy as Celtics score a record 173 points in February 27 win vs. the Lakers (a figure tied by Phoenix in 1990; Cousy assist record later broken by Scott Skiles with 30). Record 19 assists in a playoff game by Bob Cousy against Minneapolis Lakers in Boston on April 9. (Since broken by several players, including Doc Rivers; record of 24 now jointly held by Magic Johnson and John Stockton.)

In 1958-59, KC Jones arrived from the Army to add another special skill to Red's arsenal...blanket defense on the other team's backcourt rocket launchers. The Jones Boys became a devastating backup duo. Opponents would breathe a sigh of relief when Cooz and Sharman would come out for a second-quarter rest; and then Sam and K.C. would turn up the tempo and create general mayhem, disrupting opponents defensively and usually adding to the lead. Having four future Hall-of-Famers, with varying capabilities, in the backcourt allowed Red to use numerous backcourt combinations depending on whether he needed more experience, scoring bursts, catchup ball, speed, defensive disruption, ball control, or whatever.

The Lakers obviously needed more than Baylor, and the Celtics swept them in the championship finals despite the fact that Cousy missed the last game due to injury. I believe it was during this season that the Celtics became cognizant of just how routinely dominant and special they were becoming...and when they genuinely began to be confident of a win every time they took the court.

'59-'60

4 teams in East, 4 teams in West, for total of 8 in league; played 75 games
Leaders: Scoring: Wilt Chamberlain; Rebounds: Wilt Chamberlain; Assists: Bob Cousy
MVP: Wilt Chamberlain
Celts #1 in East by 10 games over New York Knicks: 59-16 (.787); #1 overall
Three playoff rounds (division semis with top team having bye; division finals; championship)
Celts beat Philadelphia Warriors, 4-2
Celts beat St. Louis Hawks, 4-3

Notable occurrences: The Celtics collected 109 rebounds against Detroit Pistons on December 24. The Celtics went on a 19-game winning streak.

Goliath joined the league in the fall of 1959, in the form of Wilt Chamberlain. At 7' 1" and 275 pounds, he could physically pummel anyone if he wanted to. But he was surprisingly mild-mannered unless someone got him aroused. Over 14 seasons, he was to average 30 points and 23 rebounds. One year, he averaged 50 PPG. Another year, he led the league in assists. He once grabbed 55 rebounds in one game. Wilt's stats were simply off the charts.

Wilt and Russ unquestionably represented the ultimate mano a mano confrontation. In their very first meeting, both men grabbed a loose ball, and Wilt lifted Russ up off the floor before the refs could call a jump ball. Russ was afraid Wilt was going to dunk him. But, over the 10 years they played against one another, Russ almost invariably won their big matches, and he "out-championed" Wilt, 9 to 1.

Russ constantly psyched Wilt out. One favorite ploy of Russ was to force Wilt out just about a foot beyond his favorite spot but to do it subtly so Wilt wouldn't notice. Wilt would become frustrated because he couldn't understand why he kept missing jumpers, and his frustration only made him miss more shots. And then, when the Celtics were comfortably ahead in a game, Russ would then allow Wilt to score a few points in order to satisfy the stat-happy giant, when the gratuitous points were meaningless, in order to dissuade Wilt from steamrollering Russ next time.

The pressures of being bigger than life in a figurative sense seemed to act as a sort of off-court bond between Russ and Wilt. In fact, Russ sometimes spent Thanksgiving at Wilt's house. Wilt called Russell "Felton" (Russ' middle name).

In the 1959-60 playoffs, the Celtics beat Wilt's Philadephia Warriors, 4-2 and overcame the St. Louis Hawks once more, 4-3

'60-'61

4 teams in East, 4 teams in West, for total of 8 in league; played 79 games
Leaders: Scoring: Wilt Chamberlain; Rebounds: Wilt Chamberlain; Assists: Oscar Robertson
MVP: Bill Russell
Celts #1 in East by 10 games over Philadelphia Warriors: 57-22 (.721); #1 overall
Three playoff rounds (division semis with top team having bye; division finals; championship)
Celts beat Syracuse Nationals, 4-1
Celts beat St. Louis Hawks, 4-1

Notable occurrence: The Lakers had moved to Los Angeles.

The Celtics were now wrapping up their years of gaining depth by acquiring complementary players; and they rounded them out nicely by drafting Tom "Satch" Sanders—a gangly but very strong 6' 6" forward with sharp elbows who was acquired for his special skill in defending against really tough matchups such as Bob Petit and Elgin Baylor. I always viewed Satch as somewhat of a sacrificial lamb, who was thrown to the toughest, highest-scoring wolf on the other side.

It was revealed in later years that Satch and K.C. Jones would make bets on who would guard his man better; their defense was a matter of intense pride. I have no idea how the bets were settled, but I'm guessing they wound up the season in a tie and went out to dinner.

Satch was a good example of a Celtics philosophy that I used to call "The longest way around is the shortest way home." Satch wore contacts, and sometimes one would pop out, leaving players and referees writhing like snakes all over the floor looking for it. Even with both contacts in place, Satch probably couldn't see much more than 50 feet. Often, when Satch would fill a lane on a fast break, Cousy would throw him a long pass to reward him, knowing full well that Satch would never catch it and it would result in a turnover.

It was all part of Cousy's motivation scheme and was just one of many examples of how the Russell Celtics were willing to lose battles in order to win wars. Russell did something similar when he'd lull an opponent into a false sense of security by allowing him to score two or three times on a pet move early in the game. Then, with the game on the line, the opponent would confidently go to that move, and it was Wilsonburger time!

The 1960-61 season heralded the arrival of two backcourt icons who represented the final two major antagonists of the Russell Celtics...Jerry West and Oscar Robertson. For my money, West played with passion and excelled in the clutch at both ends of the floor, while Oscar filled stat sheets and did not inspire his mates nearly enough. Despite gaudy statistics, neither of them won more than one championship, but West was far more respected by the Celtics players.

For the next few years, the Celtics played against all five of their major antagonists: Petit, Baylor, Chamberlain, West and Robertson. They were spread out over four of the seven or eight other teams in the league. That meant that Russ and his mates were playing headline competition at least an average of every two games. The challenges were unremitting.

Iin 1960-61, the Celts again routed the aging St. Louis Hawks in a five-game final, as Russ scored 30 and grabbed 38 boards in the final game.

Era 3: Consolidating the Identity (1960-1963)

The Celtics now settled into a period during which they did not add a key player for three years and the major antagonists were in place. This phase involved building their chemistry while their identity as perennial winners became solidified.

'61-'62

4 teams in East, 5 teams in West (Chicago Packers join league), total of 9 in league; played 80 games
Leaders: Scoring: Wilt Chamberlain; Rebounds: Wilt Chamberlain; Assists: Oscar Robertson
MVP: Bill Russell
Celts #1 in East by 11 games over Philadelphia Warriors: 60-20 (.750); #1 overall
Three playoff rounds (division semis with top team having bye; division finals; championship)
Celts beat Philadelphia Warriors, 4-3
Celts beat Los Angeles Lakers, 4-3

Notable occurrences: Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 in a game and averages 50. Oscar Robertson became the only player to average a triple-double for the season.

By the 1961-62 season, the Los Angeles Lakers were getting their act together, and the duo of Baylor and West was wreaking havoc on competitors. For the Celtics, Bill Sharman had become the first of the old guard to retire, leaving Sam Jones to man the SG position. For the first of what would be five times in the decade, the Celtics and L.A. Lakers faced each other in the finals.

The Celtics had averaged 121 points and 76 rebounds a game that season. Russell averaged 24 boards a game, and Heinsohn and Sanders each had 10.

That was the also the season when Wilt averaged 50 points a game, and his Philadelphia Warriors took the Celts to a game 7 in Boston, as the C’s barely squeaked by. The game was tied at 107, when Sam Jones (who else?) hit the winning jumper with two seconds left.

The exhausted Celtics had home court advantage over the Lakers in the finals, but the Lakers were a little fresher, having beaten the Pistons in six in the semis. The Celtics won the first game handily, but the Lakers stole the second game (in Boston) 129-122. The Lakers won at home as Jerry West stole a Celtics inbounding pass with three seconds left and went in to score the winner.

But the Celtics won game 4 in L.A. (115-103). In those days, the game sequence was 2-2-1-1-1, so the Celtics came home ready to take the lead. But a funny thing happened, and the Lakers stole ANOTHER one in Boston (126-121 as Elgin Baylor became the first to break 60 in the playoffs (he had 61)). His feat was all the more incredible because he was in the Army, a bit out of shape, and playing only because he had saved up 15 days of leave time. For the first time of many to come, the media made the Lakers heavy favorites to finish off the Celtics (in LA). The Lakers had an 8-point lead at halftime. But, led by Sam Jones, the Celts outscored the Lakers by 18 in the third quarter, and the Celtics came back to win 119-105.

I remember the next day at work. I had no connections, and I was in a fairly new job. But I had two advantages. A boss who really wanted to go to game 7 and a friend in the same department whose boyfriend (“Butch”) had connections of the type no one asks about. Lo and behold, about 4:00 p.m. on game day, two tickets arrived at the office (freebies…they must have fallen off a truck). So my boss and I went together.

This was the famous “Selvy game.” Frank Selvy had been a great star at Furman, and he once scored 100 points in a college game. Now he was a good scorer on a team led by Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.

The Celtics led by four with 45 seconds to go. Frank Selvy scored two quick baskets, aided by a West steal. The Celtics had the ball with 20 seconds to go; and, for some reason Frank Ramsey threw up a wild shot with about 10 seconds left. The Lakers rebounded and called time with the game tied at 100 and five seconds left.

There have been a number of times at Celtics games when I felt as though I had a huge boulder in my stomach. That was the first one. (The Havlicek steal game would be another a few years later.) My boss and I just looked at each other, and I was honestly afraid I was going to barf all over him.

The Lakers got the ball to a wide-open Selvy, and he got off a pretty uncontested 10-footer from the left side. He later said that a Cousy lunge sort of bothered him, but that was a late and futile lunge. The boulders in 13,908 other stomachs joined mine in rolling around as the shot looked beautiful, but it was one inch short. Russ hugged the rebound as time expired. Baylor later said that Sam Jones pushed him off the court in the rebound action, but I just watched the video again for perhaps the 30th time. Sam was nowhere near him, and Baylor never went out of bounds. Gotta tell the truth, Elgin.

Anyway, the game went into overtime. Both Sanders and Heinsohn had fouled out, and little-used Gene Guarilia was pressed into action. He did an excellent job of covering Baylor, even deflecting a couple of his shots. Baylor eventually fouled out. Sam Jones, who didn’t have a great game in general, hit two huge jumpers, and Cousy wound up dribbling out the last 15 seconds of the clock as the Lakers swarmed around him but didn’t want to foul and just couldn’t get to the ball. The Celtics won, 110-107 for their fourth consecutive championship. Russ had a ho hum 30 points and 40 boards.

All the other times I felt the boulder, it subsided almost immediately after the Celtics won. This first time, it just wouldn’t go away for at least another day. As I walked down the exit ramp, my legs kept buckling under the weight of that boulder. I saw other people stumbling around in similar fashion. My boss was ecstatic. But I didn’t get a raise.

'62-'63

4 teams in East, 5 teams in West, for total of 9 in league; played 80 games
Leaders: Scoring: Wilt Chamberlain; Rebounds: Wilt Chamberlain; Assists: Guy Rodgers
MVP: Bill Russell
Celts #1 in East by 10 games over Syracuse Nationals 58-22 (.725); #1 overall
Three playoff rounds (division semis with top team having bye; division finals; championship)
Celts beat Cincinnati Royals, 4-3
Celts beat Los Angeles Lakers, 4-2

Notable occurrences: Bill Russell was the All-Star MVP. Philadelphia Warriors become the San Francisco Warriors.

Cousy announced that the 1962-63 season would be his last, and a highlight of the season was Bob Cousy Day held on St. Patrick's Day. The emotion throughout Boston Garden was absolutely unbearable and was broken only when one leather-lunged fan yelled, during a sobbing Cousy interlude in his speech, "We all love you Cooz." At the end of the speech, there was a sustained roar that shook the balcony very dangerously up and down for nearly four minutes, like waves pulsating on the shore. My dad and I were screaming, and we never once were able to hear ourselves above the din.

The Lakers won again in the West, and they once again faced the Celtics in the championship series. With the Celtics up in games 3-2, game 6 was at L.A. The Celtics were handling the Lakers well, up by 9 early in the fourth quarter. Suddenly, Cousy went down for reasons that were never fully clear to me. He suffered a badly sprained ankle, which would certainly have swollen to the point of preventing him from playing a game 7.

After sitting out for several minutes as Trainer Buddy Leroux froze the ankle, Cooz dramatically returned with 4:43 remaining and the lead having dwindled to three points. He didn't score again, but he got the team under control and was dribbling the ball at the end, finally throwing it high into the rafters as the Celts won 112-109. Characteristically, one of his last scores had been a trademark, audacious, running left-handed hook shot from about 15 feet...my favorite shot of all-time.

Cousy was probably best known for his sleight-of-hand with the basketball...the behind the back passes, the once or twice around-the-body moves...the open court wizardry...the long baseball passes. I loved his so-called "air dribble," in which he'd tap the ball to himself over an onrushing defender, usually, at the start of a fast break. I once saw him do it twice in succession over two separate defenders on the same play. His creativity would definitely be his biggest asset if he were playing today because I'm confident he'd come up with new wrinkles to use his outsized hands and arms and his incredible peripheral vision to best advantage.

But, when I recently scoured many hours of video of big games, I could scarcely find any of that really creative stuff. Those moments were mainly on highlight videos. The fact is that Cousy operated on a creative...conservative continuum depending on the importance of the game. Sure, once in a while he'd do something outlandish even in a big game, but he really toned it down. Consequently, if they had kept turnover stats back then, Cousy's would have been very, very low in big games.

The Russell Celtics, as a team, were far more creative than the other teams. Somehow the Celts broke away from the shackles of tradition sooner than other teams. Whether it was Sam Jones passing the ball to himself off an opponent's back on an out-of-bounds play, or Ramsey inventing the offensive foul flop, or Russell playing games with Chamberlain's mind, or Cousy inventing a new move in the middle of a play, their innovativeness was just one of many attributes that put them ahead of the pack by keeping the pack guessing.

Cousy is a perfect example of the fallacy of using statistics to compare players...especially over different eras. In his day, assists were not credited if the recipient of a pass took a dribble after receiving the pass. One can only imagine what his assist totals would have looked like under later rules.

John Havlicek had joined the Celtics for Cousy's last season. John's advent offers insight into how seamless it was for the Celtics to integrate new players because they were such a great family that cared about the team. John reports that, when he first reported, he was concerned because he'd probably be up against Frank Ramsey for playing time. The first guy to meet John was Rams, who said, "Am I glad you're here. You're going to extend my basketball career." And, sure enough, multi-faceted John became the heir to Ramsey's sixth-man spot.

The family aspect of the Celtics cannot be over-emphasized. Not everyone loved everyone. But in cases where friendships did not become lifelong, professional relationships were the rule. Heck, K.C. Jones improbably taught Tom Heinsohn to dance. And travel by air, train, bus, or even by car during the exhibition season was drawn out to the point where the players became more unified than many biological families.

Cousy and Sharman had been particularly close during road trips. They used to spend plane trips playing a version of whist that was variously called "Crazy Eights" or "Oh Hell." And, every so often, they'd ask the stewardess (as she'd be called in those days) for cartons of milk. If they have avoided severe calcium deposits throughout their lives, they should be subjects of a medical journal article. Stories about travel between exhibition games are all over the place.

Certain players such as Ramsey and Sanders became automobile drivers to avoid. There are even tales involving car trips partially up sidewalks.

Era 4: The Racehorse Years (1963-66)

With Havlicek on board, the Celtics' style underwent somewhat of a change. The uptempo game became the rule, with halfcourt basketball the exception. The team constantly thought about attacking...even off made baskets and free throws. As soon as the other team shot, confident that Russell or Heinsohn or Sanders or Loscutoff or someone else would get the rebound, guys like Sam Jones and Havlicek would just take off. And invariably, K.C. Jones (having replaced Cousy at the playmaker position) would get the outlet pass; and, one or two passes later, the Celtics would have points. On many of those occasions, the ball never once hit the floor. Russell was unquestionably the greatest ever at quickly transitioning a team from defense to offense. And Dave Cowens just might rank second.

And the attack mode even invaded the other end of the floor, as guys like Russell, Sanders, Havlicek, and K.C. Jones were particularly aggressive on defense. As Jerry West put it, "You take the shot when you have it with Russell. You don't try to get any closer." More and more, that notion of a defensive blanket applied to the rest of the team. Russell's concept of "Invisible Man" became increasingly operative: The threat of an action can be as effective as the action itself. Tom Hawkins called it "Russellphobia." He said, "Even guys going in for a layup are looking nervously over their shoulders." The Celtics were just fatiguing opponents and blowing them away.

'63-'64

4 teams in East, 5 teams in West, for total of 9 in league; played 80 games
Leaders: Scoring: Wilt Chamberlain; Rebounds: Bill Russell; Assists: Oscar Robertson
MVP: Oscar Robertson
Celts #1 in East by 4 games over Cincinnati Royals 59-21 (.738); #1 overall
Three playoff rounds (division semis with top team having bye; division finals; championship)
Celts beat Cincinnati Royals, 4-1
Celts beat San Francisco Warriors, 4-1

Noteworthy occurrences: Chicago Zephyrs move become the Baltimore Bullets. Syracuse Nationals become the Philadelphia 76ers.

1963-64 proved to be just more of the same. Wilt Chamberlain moved to San Francisco, which made the championship finals but lost to the Celtics, 4-1

'64-'65

4 teams in East, 5 teams in West, for total of 9 in league; played 80 games
Leaders: Scoring: Wilt Chamberlain; Rebounds: Bill Russell; Assists: Oscar Robertson
MVP: Bill Russell
Celts #1 in East by 14 games over Cincinnati Royals 62-18 (.775); #1 overall
Three playoff rounds (division semis with top team having bye; division finals; championship)
Celts beat Philadelphia 76ers, 4-3
Celts beat Los Angeles Lakers, 4-1

Notable occurrences: Wilt Chamberlain was traded from the San Francisco Warriors to the Philadelphia 76ers during the season.

In September, 1964, family patriarch Walter Brown had passed away. The team dedicated the following season to their fallen owner and early life support system.

Now the ranks of the old guard began to thin noticeably, as Ramsey and veteran reserve center Clyde Lovellette had joined Sharman on the retired future Hall-of-Famers list. Loscutoff left as well. Willie Naulls and Larry Siegfried were brought in to fill out the roster. Now, on Red's skills list, the scorers were Heinsohn, Sam Jones, Havlicek and Naulls; the defensive stalwarts were Russell, Sanders, Havlicek and K.C.Jones; the rebounding forces were Russell and Sanders; the playmaker was K.C. Jones with Siegfried in reserve; and Mr. Fixit sixth man was Havlicek. Same blueprint...just a lot of new faces.

In my opinion, the 1962-63 and 1964-65 teams vie for the honor of best basketball team of all-time. Personally, I can't stand the thought of a best Celtics team without both Cousy and Havlicek, and the '62-'63 squad was the only one on which they both played. And Cousy's last Celtics team had included Sanders and Loscutoff plus eight future Hall-of-Famers and a Hall-of-Fame coach. Havlicek agrees that this was the best Celtics team, and his main reason is that it incorporated so many proven winners, including four who had won national championships in college.

Russell would pick the '64-'65 team as his best. That team arguably had the most ferocious fast break of all-time and was the last really dominant Russell Celtics team.

Russell teams always used what I called a volume approach to basketball—and never more so than in '64-'65. Stay in attack mode and never let up. Get a lot of possessions, and put up a lot of shots. If they don't fall, get the rebounds and put those in. Hoist shots early in the shot clock. Don't wait and take desperation shots on the opponents' terms. Take them early, on your terms, before the defense is set. And never worry about field goal percentage.

To illustrate the effects of volume basketball, the combined field goal percentage of the first and last Russell championship teams was 41%, compared with 48% for the 2008-08 Garnett team. But the number of FG attempts per game averaged 101 for those two Russell teams and 77 for Garnett's. And the number of FT attempts per game averaged 30 for Russell's and 20 for Garnett's. The net result of more attempts but a lower percentage for the two Russell teams was that they averaged eight more point per game than Garnett team.

By the way, I'm not trying to prove which is better...only pointing out the differences in styles. The older fast break style allowed more points too.

Despite the superiority of the 1964-65 Celtics, they survived the Eastern Division Semifinals by a hair. What tipped the balance was game 7, in which Havlicek stole the ball from Philly with five seconds left to hang on to a one-point victory over the 76ers. In contrast, the 4-1 win over the Lakers was anticlimactic, especially because they were missing injured Elgin Baylor.

The one noteworthy element of the championship series was that the Celtics scored 20 consecutive points in the final game, which was at Boston Garden. If there were ever a time when a Boston fan might actually feel sorry for the Lakers, this was it. Wave after wave of Celtics attacks overwhelmed L.A.. There were several consecutive possessions when LA barely got the ball over mid-court before the Celtics stole it and ran it in for another score.

'65-'66

4 teams in East, 5 teams in West, for total of 9 in league; played 80 games
Leaders: Scoring: Wilt Chamberlain; Rebounds: Wilt Chamberlain; Assists: Oscar Robertson; MVP: Wilt Chamberlain
Celts #2 in East, 1 game behind the Philadelphia 76ers 54-26 (.775); #2 overall
Three playoff rounds (division semis with top team having bye; division finals; championship)
Celts beat Cincinnati Royals, 3-2
Celts beat Philadelphia 76ers 4-1
Celts beat Los Angeles Lakers, 4-3

In 1965-66, Don Nelson joined the team, having been waived by the Lakers. The Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3 for their eighth consecutive championship. However, in his final game as Celtics coach, Red Auerbach nearly lit up his victory cigar too soon. Jerry West had made the finals very close, but the Celtics led by six points in game 7 at the Garden with 14 seconds to play. But the crowd ringing the court, and just an inch or two off the end line, kept preventing the Celtics from getting the ball in bounds. Twice the Lakers stole the ball and scored quickly. Finally, an in-bounds pass found its way to K.C. Jones, who dribbled out the clock for a two-point victory and an eighth straight championship as a retirement gift for Red.

It's interesting to speculate on how the Celtics, despite changes in the makeup of the team, doggedly continued to be sufficiently motivated to pursue championship after championship, year after year. Perhaps some of it was fear...fear of being the squad that would break the string. I know the word "pride" is thrown around a lot. I think Jerry West came closer when he spoke of a certain arrogance he felt emanating from the Celtics. But I don't believe he hit it exactly on the head.

I had an opportunity, during the last few Russell years, to hang around some Celtics players and attend a load of practices. I sensed that what most drove those teams came down to a matter of expectation. Russell's first book has a preface that tells about Auerbach addressing the team as they were about to go out on the floor for a big game. And his final words were something like, "Win or lose...you're my guys." And, as they filed out the door, someone...sounds to me like Satch...said, "Lose? Are you kidding me baby?"

Havlicek described it in what I find an even more chilling manner when he said, "When we lost, we thought it was a mistake." It sounded as though he's talking about a clerical error. They expected to win...as simple as that.

Moreover, Red's continuing reliance on each player to focus, first and foremost, on utilizing his most indispensable skill(s) meant that each player was, in effect, a role player...albeit a superb one. Players could concentrate on doing what they did best. No one had to play out of position or over his head. No one had to carry the team. The diverse interchangeable parts of the rotation formed a machine that operated at peak efficiency nearly all the time, without letdown.

Era 5: Adjustment and Hiccup (1966-67)

After the final 1966 series, Tom Heinsohn joined the ranks of the retired.

66-'67

5 teams in East, 5 teams in West, for total of 10 in league; played 81 games
Leaders: Scoring: Rick Barry; Rebounds: Wilt Chamberlain; Assists: Guy Rodgers
MVP: Wilt Chamberlain
Celts #2 in East, 8 games behind the Philadelphia 76ers 60-21 (.741); #2 overall
Three playoff rounds (two division semis with no bye for top team; division finals; championship)
Celts beat New York Knicks, 3-1
Celts lost to Philadelphia 76ers 4-1

Notable occurrences: The Chicago Bulls entered the league, and the Baltimore Bullets switched to the Eastern Division.

During the previous five years, the Celtics had lost five Hall-of-Famers: (Sharman, Cousy, Lovellette, Ramsey and Heinsohn) plus Loscutoff and their Hall-of-Fame Coach Auerbach. Bill Russell was appointed player-coach. They traded for veteran Bailey Howell, a future Hall-of-Famer and added veteran center Wayne Embry. But it took a year for the revamped cast of aging characters to adjust to an altered cast and a new coaching style. They finished a distant second to the 76ers in the regular season and were beaten by the 76ers, 4-1, in the Eastern Division finals. The 76ers went on to win the championship.

My opinion is that, although that Philly squad was a great and well-rounded team, they were never close to being the greatest team of all-time as some people claim. They beat a tired, decimated Celtics team that season. Moreover, the competition was about as weak as at any time during the sixties. Only three of ten teams in the league finished with won/lost records of at least .500. For the Celtics, I call this the season of the hiccup. When, for all intents and purposes, the same two teams played in the division finals a year later, the Celtics won.

One of my proudest and most memorable Celtic moments was occasioned by the Celtics loss in the Philly series. At the time of the final game, I happened to be near Philadelphia on business (not entirely by chance) and surrendered my wallet to a scalper out of last-minute desperation.

Convention Hall was filled to capacity with Philadelphia fans—and me. Tension reached fever pitch as the Celtics jumped to a 16-point lead by halftime, as I seized the opportunity to let Philly fans know my leanings. But Philadelphia surged back and completely overwhelmed the Celts in the second half to win the game and series handily.

I was seated beneath one basket in a row of temporary folding chairs that were connected in sections of four. When the outcome became inevitable, the fans all around me began yelling, “Boston is dead. Boston is dead,” while tossing my section of seats up and down in tempo with the chant. The only problem was that I was still in my seat; and it became more than a little uncomfortable, to say nothing of the difficulty I had in scoring the game on my program.

About this time, I noticed two things on the court. First, the Celtics never even began to quit. Larry Siegfried and John Havlicek, in particular, were diving for loose balls as though their lives depended on it—even when they were far behind with 30 seconds left in the game. (It was a good thing Russ got them out of the game before they hurt themselves.) Second, as each Celtic left the game, he went over to congratulate the Philadelphia players.

It is easy to pass off these actions as simply good sportsmanship, which they certainly were. However, consider the situation. The proud Celtics were seeing the end of their consecutive world championship skein at eight. Every year, the pressure had become a little greater to maintain the streak. This squad would forever bear the stigma of being the one that could not quite do the job.

In the face of this devastation, they were champions in defeat as they had been in so many victories. When the game ended, I watched Sam Jones warmly clasp Hal Greer’s hand. That handshake said a great deal; and it prompted me to turn to my closest chair-shaking tormentor, stick out my hand, and say, “Looks like the better team won.” This accomplished three things:

1. It followed the example set by Sam and the other Celtics.

2. It left my neighbor looking silly, with his ample mouth hanging wide open.

3. It was far less dangerous than any other option that came to mind.

I drove all night to reach my Greater Boston home before the team. Purchasing the largest bottle of champagne I could locate at 9:00 a.m., I left it on the doorstep of Sam Jones (who lived in my town, but whom I had never met at that point) with a note reading, “TO A REAL CHAMPION." He wound up thanking me, discovered that I played golf, and somehow a friendship was born. Throughout the rest of the sixties, Sam Jones was my best friend.

Era 6: The Senior Citizen Years (1967-69)

KC Jones now retired, and the team entered its Senior Citizen Era that extended from 1967 to 1969. They depended less on the fact break and more on set plays. This was when not only their experience but also what I call their "shared instincts" became particularly important.

The Celtics always placed huge emphasis on team play. They made it a point to learn one another's games. Those traits, combined with the fact that many of them played together for so long, seemed to give them a sort of sixth sense for one another. They instinctively knew what a teammate was doing and planning. Of course, hand-in-hand with their instincts was superior basketball intellect. In fact, by the mid-1970s, 31 former Celtics had coached at the college level or above.

They had seven basic plays, which everyone in the league knew. But, on each play, they also had options, and it was the options that proved perplexing to opponents. The Celtics didn't have to signal one another as to what option was to be run. They simply let the flow of the action determine the option, and they all sensed simultaneously and instantaneously what that option would be. The situation was akin to muddy football conditions in which the wide receivers have the advantage over defenders because the receivers know which direction they'll take and the reacting defenders lose a split second in the muck.

The weave was my favorite play. The players would run back and forth laterally on the floor in a prearranged pattern, making passes that were so quick and short that they were barely discernable. Defensive players, knowing it was coming, would hunker down and try to be vigilant, but invariably a Celtic would spring free for an easy basket. Imagine being on the streets of New York and watching a street corner shell game. Same concept, except that the players are the shells and there are five of them. Back and forth the pea goes. Who's got it? Player A? Player B? Player C? Nope, it's in the basket. Wanna see it again?

'67-'68

5 teams in East, 5 teams in West, for total of 10 in league; played 82 games
Leaders: Scoring: Dave Bing; Rebounds: Wilt Chamberlain; Assists: Wilt Chamberlain
MVP: Wilt Chamberlain
Celts #2 in East, 8 games behind the Philadelphia 76ers 54-28 (.659); #3 overall
Three playoff rounds (two division semis with no bye for top team; division finals; championship)
Celts beat Detroit Pistons, 4-2
Celts beat Philadelphia 76ers 4-3
Celts beat Los Angeles Lakers, 4-2

Notable occurrences: Seattle Supersonics and San Diego Rockets began play, being added to the Western Division as the Detroit Pistons moved to the Eastern Division.

With K.C. Jones gone, Larry Siegfried became the starting playmaker. (I refuse to call the position "point guard" because the term had not yet been introduced.) As the team aged, General Manager Auerbach's philosophy became one of not over-taxing the guys during the regular season so they'd be less debilitated during the playoffs. And that suited Coach Russell, whose legendary distaste for practice fit right into the scheme.

The Celts finished second in the Eastern Division...eight games behind the Philadelphia 76ers. In the Eastern Division finals, it looked as though Philadelphia was once again too strong for the Celtics, as Philly jumped out to a 3-1 lead. Amazingly, the Celts won the next two as Russell and company really turned it up, and another game 7 (at Philly) loomed.

As often happened during the Russell years, an opponent's quirk proved helpful. At this point in his career, Chamberlain was monkeying around with his game to prove he could excel in everything. During the previous season, he had led the league in assists as he concentrated on passing off rather than shooting. Now, in one of the biggest games in his life, he took only two shots in the second half and scored just 14 points overall,

When it became apparent that Wilt wasn't interested in shooting, Coach Russell put Wide Wayne Embry on him to muscle Wilt away from the basket, freeing up Russell to guard Luke Jackson, who had been giving the Celtics fits. In his one year with the Celts, reserve guard Tom Thacker took four key fouls to disrupt Philly's comeback attempts late in the game.

After the previous year's "Boston is dead" experience, I was there again, and it was one of my most satisfying moments ever as a Celtics fan...although the most satisfying was yet to come the following season. The Celtics eked out a 100-96 win. I was on the plane with the team as they headed back to Boston. There was virtually no sign of exuberance. They were totally focused on the championship round that lay ahead. However, that final series against the Lakers proved rather anticlimactic, as the Celtics won in six games. Havlicek scored 40 as the Celts handily won the last game in LA, 124-109.

'68-'69

6 teams in East, 6 teams in West, for total of 12 in league; played 82 games
Leaders: Scoring: Elvin Hayes; Rebounds: Wilt Chamberlain; Assists: Oscar Robertson
MVP: Wes Unseld
Celts #4 in East, 8 games behind the leading Baltimore Bullets 48-34 (.585); #5 overall
Three playoff rounds (two division semis with no bye for top team; division finals; championship)
Celts beat Philadelphia 76ers, 4-1
Celts beat NewYork Knicks 4-2
Celts beat Los Angeles Lakers, 4-3

Notable occurrences. The Milwaukee Bucks (Eastern Division) and Phoenix Suns (Western Division) joined the league. The Hawks relocated from St. Louis to Atlanta.

Emmette Bryant joined the Celts as backcourt insurance. The team was now old (with five key players over age 30) and, though occasionally showing flashes of its vaunted fast break, relied increasingly on an experienced halfcourt offense. Sam Jones had announced that this would be his last season, and it would turn out to be Russell's last as well. Injuries had slowed both Sam and Russ during the regular season.

So the Celts literally limped to a 4th place divisional record, barely making the playoffs. In the eastern semis, they beat the Philadelphia 76ers, who were now without Wilt Chamberlain due to a trade that had landed him with the L.A. Lakers. Then the Celts beat the up-and-coming New York Knicks in the divisional finals. Amazingly, the old men were in the finals once again. But Wilt and the heavily favored Lakers won the first two games at home and, after a Celtics home win in game three, game four found the Lakers clinging to a one point lead with seven seconds left and the Celtics in possession of the ball after a huge Emmette Bryant steal.

All year long, the Celts had been practicing the "Ohio play," involving a complicated triple pick for Sam Jones. Instituted by Buckeyes Havlicek and Siegfried when Russell missed a practice early in the season, the play had proven difficult for the team to learn. The goal was to run it within five seconds. The first time they tried it resulted in a 25-second execution time. They gradually whittled the time down to roughly the five-second goal. But the play had never been used by the Celts in a game.

Now, with the series on the line for all intents and purposes, they trotted it out on the final play of game four. When the Celtics went to put the ball into play, the referee accidentally passed it to a Laker rather than to Bryant. In the confusion, Sam made the cut and tipped his hand, but he quickly stopped to disguise his intent.

Bryant finally passed it into Havlicek, who relayed it to Sam. Sam cut around the pick but slipped as he went up for the jumper from the top of the key. He had the presence of mind to put backspin on the ball in hopes that it would bounce around and Russell would grab it for a putback. But it bounced around and fell through the hoop, which was a good thing because Russ had taken himself out of the game just before that play. The crowd was the most delirious I had ever experienced in Boston.

When I now think back about that play, I am unable to visualize it in real time. My mind can see it only in slow motion. A realistic shot at the championship hangs in the balance. My best friend slowly glides behind the screen but maddeningly slips and releases the jumper off-balance. The ball lazily arcs through the air and bounces, bounces, bounces, bounces before teetering and dropping through, with Wilt Chamberlain circling below and just aching to goaltend it.

In the ensuing cacophony, I became aware of this bass drum beating in my mind. Boom...boom...boom. At first, it seemed to be celebrating Sam's and the Celtics' triumph. Then, for the first time, I began to feel it could be sounding the death knell for the Lakers.

The Lakers won game five at home, and the Celtics followed suit in Boston, as I hugged some guy next to me and screamed, "I'm going to LA, I'm going to LA."

Sam gave me the commercial flight number, and I fortunately got a ticket. Aisle seat, so as to miss nothing. As I boarded, I was supremely confident, and my confidence never wavered once. I saw the familiar expectancy in the players' eyes. They were businesslike as they boarded, and there was some joking around, but there was a purposeful set to their jaws. Almost as if, regardless of whether they were playing cards or reading or laughing or even sleeping, they were focused on the mantra of the underdog: "We'll see about that. We'll see about that."

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to American’s Flight 11 to Los Angeles.” The flight attendant continued, swaying slightly as the giant craft taxied slowly to its takeoff position. She hoped we would enjoy the flight, which would take about six hours. The movie would be “Bullitt,” starring Steve McQueen.

A groan arose from the First Class section. “Four times. Four times I’ve seen that picture,” muttered one passenger as he tried unsuccessfully to arrange his lanky frame in a seat that would have been ample for most.

Undaunted, the attendant launched into a description of the plane’s emergency exits and a demonstration of an oxygen mask. By this time, she had lost most of her front cabin audience, which had begun sorting out their newspapers—sports pages on top, financial pages next, and the remainder jammed between seats and walls.

“We are honored to have the Boston Celtics traveling with us to Los Angeles, where they will be playing the Los Angeles......Warriors.” Snickers erupted, and the flustered attendant retreated to her seat as the plane turned to face the runway.

Only the crackle of newspapers broke the silence as the silver bird nosed upward. Through the clouds it broke, leveling off to a gradual ascent it would maintain for several minutes.

Eventually the loudspeaker snapped on, and the Captain began his monologue. Not surprisingly, he also hoped we’d enjoy our flight; and he promised to enlighten us on many points of interest.

Displaying obvious sports acumen, he referred to the Boston Celtics’ upcoming game with the Los Angeles Lakers. “Best of luck fellas,” he finished. From the cheap seats, a voice blurted out, “I’ll drink to that!” The rest of me may have been half awake, but my mouth was off and running.

Sam Jones, with a sportswriter in tow, came back to the tourist section and settled down to a game of Gin which eventually lasted four hours. The writer won the first hand. “Now I’m going to get you,” Sam promised. “I’ll whip you good.” About 90 seconds later, Sam flashed a smile and announced, “Geeinn. I’m hot, Sharkey. Watch me now.” Sam went on to win the next several hands. “Whoee, I’m unbeatable.”

“I’m dangerous when I’m behind,” Sharkey ventured tentatively. “But I’m dangerous when I’m ahead baby,” Sam shot back. Another smile.....another “Geeinn.” Sharkey was grateful for the lunch break.

Sam’s retort made me think back several years to a preliminary-round playoff series between the Celtics and the Cincinnati Royals. Going into the final game at Boston Garden, the series was tied; and Cincinnati was enjoying the psychological edge of having exceeded all expectations. The Royals were playing relaxed, efficient basketball, while the Celtics were inconsistent—particularly in their offense.

There were no organized pre-game shootarounds in those days. But, long before the regular pregame warmups, Sam Jones was on the Garden court all alone—shooting, shooting, shooting. Then Sam Jones proceeded to go out, guard Oscar Robertson much of the time, and score 47 points to spark the Celtics to a convincing win. Whatever his competitive involvement—from basketball to “Geeinn”—Sam had a burning spirit belied by his casual demeanor.

The team stayed at the Airport Marina Hotel, and I was lucky enough to score a room. After an hour or so, the hotel limousine took our party to the Forum, which was an impressive structure with a gigantic parking area (which would later cause me great anguish). It was also a fine place in which to watch basketball.

One by one, the Celtics trooped out to the court and began a leisurely shooting warmup. With the arrival of player-coach Bill Russell, the tempo accelerated. Several different drills were organized, principal among them the game of “21.”

In “21,” two teams of two players apiece are positioned on opposite sides of the foul circle, about 18 feet from the basket. Each team has a ball, and the players on that team alternate in shooting, retrieving and passing the ball back to the partner for a shot. The first team to make 21 baskets wins.

This game places a premium on shooting with speed and accuracy under pressure, as well as emphasizing the importance of following one’s shot. In a Celtics practice, it brings out the highly competitive instincts in each player. The pace is frantic, and the shooting is unbelievable. Sam Jones and Larry Siegfried seemed to have a slight edge over all other combinations.

Notwithstanding the high energy level, it would be an understatement to say that the practice was relaxed. Russell frequently punctuated the action with his high-pitched cackle as he stood about 30 feet out and took high, arching shots. About one of every 15 went in. With each success, he doubled over in gales of laughter.

Don Chaney, Mal Graham and Rich Johnson—none of whom was likely to play in the game—were assigned the task of dribbling around the outside of the court again and again. It was a little like a three-ring circus: the hectic scramble of “21,” the methodical pounding of balls around the perimeter, and the long bombs and periodic peals of laughter from the king-sized court jester.

After practice, I stood outside the Forum as the players emerged, two or three at a time. It’s funny—you seldom saw a Celtic without another Celtic. Maybe that was part of their special cohesiveness. I know it was not always true with other clubs.

The hotel limousine was not available—a complete surprise to me. Each player had prearranged his own method for returning to the hotel. Several had obligations that would not take them to the hotel. Sam Jones, for instance, was having dinner with relatives. Tom Sanders had two friends in tow as he drew away in his borrowed car.

After several minutes, I began wondering just how I’d return to the hotel. This was not the type of location cruised regularly by taxis. I hadn’t noticed any public transportation. And it wasn’t where I wanted to be after dusk.

Tom Sanders proved my salvation. Apparently he had observed my predicament; and, having deposited his passengers elsewhere, he returned—just for me. To this day, I find it impossible to believe his kindness on behalf of someone whose name he didn't even know at that point.

That night was used to get rid of jet lag with a long sleep. The next morning, I met Bailey Howell heading to the coffee shop. We had breakfast and went for a haircut afterwards.

After suffering the barber’s observations about how he was tall enough to be a basketball player, Bailey turned to me and asked, “Do y’all play bridge?”

“Yes, in an amateur way.”

“We may need a fourth later this morning. George Plimpton, Johnny Most (the Celtics radio announcer) and I would like to play a little to pass the time. I’ll let y’all know later on.”

“Later on” came in the form of a phone call to my room. “Do y’all have a table in your room?” Bailey inquired.

“Sure I do,” came the immediate response. I then looked around and discovered that I had actually told the truth; a quick table requisition would not be required.

I opened the door and began counting. In 20 seconds, Bailey and George arrived. Fifteen seconds later, Sam Jones sauntered in. We played one hand (I was happy to be the dummy) before Johnny Most came on the scene. He took over my partnership with Sam.

As the bridge game progressed, I watched the faces of Bailey and Sam for signs of tension. Sam looked as detached as he usually did on the basketball court. Bailey seemed only slightly more on edge.

Johnny Most, on the other hand, was obviously a basket case. It was impossible to ignore the telltale signs of runaway nerves. At one point, he actually had three—count ‘em, three—cigarettes working. No kidding.

In the end, the bridge team of Howell and Plimpton emerged victorious. The players decided to look up General Manager Red Auerbach, who was rumored to be ready to deal with ticket requests.

On the way, we stopped at the lobby while Sam checked to see whether he had messages. In fact, he had more than thirty—almost all ticket requests. “They’re friends, he said. You don’t like to let down friends. But I’ll be lucky to get four tickets.” (The “friends,” by the way, included people like Bill Cosby.)

Red was located behind a desk in the lobby, trying to make 200 tickets out of 70. Players were swooping down on him, and it was easy to see why the nickname “Red” was becoming more of a misnomer with every passing season. Sam was kind enough to give me one of his four tickets. (Take that, Cos!)

Finally it was game time. Soon after I took my loge seat, the sound of a lone bouncing basketball broke the muffled murmur of the fast-growing crowd. I knew what to expect even before I looked. All alone on the court, before the last game of his career, Sam Jones was tossing up shot after shot. My thoughts went back to that Cincinnati game years earlier. I could only hope the result would be the same.

I began edging toward the entrance the Celtics would be using. Marvin Kratter, a former owner of the Celtics and a great fan, appeared on his way to the dressing room. He was famous for his lucky stone, which he asked the players to touch before a big game. I intercepted him and asked him to let me touch the stone, which he did. As he turned to continue on his way, I remembered that I had a smooth stone in my pocket—a so-called “worry stone” from New Mexico that was purported to lower your blood pressure if you rubbed it during times of stress. “Mr. Kratter. How about returning the favor?” He did.

I didn't know it at the time, but a little drama was unfolding in the Celtics' locker room, where John Havlicek shared a memo he had intercepted. Lakers' owner, Jack Kent Cooke had written it. The memo read something like, "When Lakers win championship, balloons will drop from ceiling. USC pep band will play "Happy Days Are Here Again." Remember that underdog mantra? Once again, the Celtics were thinking, "We'll see about that."

In a few minutes, a flurry of activity commenced in the runway. Out came the Celtics, grim-faced and staring straight ahead. As I joined a few other Boston fans in shouting close-up encouragement, Bailey Howell gave me a grin.

Warmups ended with a Celtics tradition that had started in the fifties. A Celtic had to take and make the last two shots (layups). In the beginning, it was always Cousy, and I never saw him miss. Starting with the 1963-64 season, it was Havlicek. The only times I saw him miss were when a wise guy opponent would toss a ball when John was shooting. John would calmly wait until all balls were in the hands of ballboys, and then he'd drain two shots. This time, he had no opposition as he followed the ritual.

As I stood for the National Anthem, the words of a man from Hyde Park returned to me. He had contacted me to purchase tickets for Sam Jones Day. (I had been on the committee.) “The thing I like best about Sam,” he stated, “is the way he stands at attention like a soldier during the National Anthem.” I stole a look at Sam, who was positioned true to form. Never again was I likely to witness that sight.

What followed was my favorite Celtics game ever. The Celtics followed an old formula. Just stomp all over the other team at the outset when you're freshest, and make them play catchup the rest of the way. Without Emmette Bryant, there would have been no championship. He made jumper after jumper in the first quarter, absolutely stunning the Lakers and their phony baloney, front-running crowd. The Lakers dutifully played catchup, and the Celtics' halftime lead was only three.

Just as time ran out in the half, Tom Hawkins pushed Sam Jones at halfcourt. A really stupid foul, but symptomatic of opponents’ tendencies over the years to make errors that the Celtics simply didn’t commit. Sam calmly sank the two freebies, which would turn out to be important in the final score.

I went down to the tunnel entrance when the Celts returned for the second half, and they looked something like coal miners who had been trapped for hours. Absolutely grim and gray with every eye looking piercingly straight ahead. This was their kind of intensity. The same kind that made Russell vomit before big games. The inner kind. No jersey tugging. No chest thumping. No head butting. No ostentation. The expectation of victory was etched in their eyes. I swear I could see it.

Celtics reversed the momentum in the third quarter and led by 17 going into the final quarter. But everyone knew the Lakers would play catchup once again, and they did. Jerry West was going nuts (he received the first-ever championship series MVP award). The Celts were still up by nine when Wilt Chamberlain got a knee boo boo and took himself out of the game. His coach, Butch Van Breda Kolff, was so infuriated that, when Chamberlain allegedly asked to return, he left Wilt on the bench.

Now was the time for the Celtics to play out the remainder of the formula. Simply out-focus the other team in the clutch. Former Celtic Mel Counts, subbing for Chamberlain and playing quite well, cooperated with another opponent’s error at a key moment. He hit a beautiful long jumper, only to be called for traveling on the shot.

Nonetheless, the Lakers kept cutting into the lead, which dwindled to 103-102 with 3:07 to play. There was a scoring drought until, with 1:17 left, the ball was poked away from Havlicek and bounced to Lakers' castoff Don Nelson at the foul line. He went up with the jumper. The ball bounced three feet in the air and down through the net for a 105-102 Celtic lead.

Maybe the noted Celtics leprechaun had been on the trip too and had once again nudged the ball the Celtics' way. Or just maybe the Celtics had retained a little extra sense of destiny...that governing aura of expectation...that had been guiding them since Red had put that band of brothers together thirteen years earlier.

The Celtics widened the lead to 108-104 before the Lakers scored a meaningless last-second basket. The packages balloon stayed up in the rafters, and a deflated group of Los Angelinos silently filed out.

The old men had played only seven guys, as Russell and Havlicek went the distance. In fact, 35-year-old Russell went the distance throughout the entire seven games. And Sam Jones fittingly matched his uniform number with 24 points in his final NBA game. There was no champagne in the locker room. That came out at the all-night party at the Airport Marina Hotel.

It was not easy to negotiate entry to the dressing room. Two policemen guarded the runway, and they absolutely refused to admit anyone without a press pass. After several attempts at persuasion, I recalled a back entrance the team had used during practice a day earlier.

I quickly made my way to the alternate entrance and found it was blocked by two ushers. At least an usher can’t arrest you.

If there was one time during the trip when prior planning proved important, this was it. I had made it a point to wear a sport jacket and tie, and I carried a briefcase (which had earlier contained a few signs I had posted). During the various activities surrounding Sam Jones Day, I had discovered that a jacket, tie and briefcase increase one’s chances of non-interference at an arena by about 50%.

So I sucked in my breath, straightened my tie, and walked right by. Descending the stairs, I heard one usher ask the other if he’d seen my pass. I covered the last seven steps in one leap.

The dressing room was already filling with reporters and other well-wishers who had somehow gained entry. Around the perimeter, the players lounged on benches in various stages of undress. Some sipped soft drinks. There was not a bottle of champagne in sight.

The most obvious person in the room was Russell, surrounded by a circle of writers. At frequent intervals, his screams of laughter penetrated the growing ruckus.

I slowly traveled around the room, congratulating each team member and ending my travels in the corner housing John Havlicek, Sam Jones, and at least half the reporters in the U.S. I didn’t mind waiting. The reporters had deadlines to meet. I could stay all night if necessary.

I watched Sam answer questions as he parceled out bits of his clothing to souvenir hunters. He even cut off his large thigh bandage and autographed it for one guy.

As the crowd thinned a little, I was able to offer kudos to Sam and John. They asked me to watch their uniform bags while they showered. Apparently their green road uniforms were items they were not allowed to dole out to anyone.

Soon they emerged, and talk began to center around the activities of the evening. Due to a 7:00 start time for the West Coast game, it was now only 9:45. Sam had received an invitation to Bill Cosby’s home and felt he might go over there. (Somehow, Cosby must have been gotten his tickets, but not from Sam or he would have been sitting near me.)

John would be returning with George Plimpton to a party thrown by the Celtics at the hotel. I managed to hitch a ride with them. With a final salute to Bailey Howell (who was taking the first available plane home), I followed John and George to an exit leading to the parking lot.

Through the glass doors, we could see a crowd of perhaps 300 waiting. “I think I may need both hands to get through that mob,” John decided. “Would you mind carrying the uniform bag?” I clutched the bag, along with my briefcase, as George opened the door.

The dangerously friendly crowd surged in on John and spilled over onto George and me. I was engulfed in the undertow of a human sea. The harder I tried to move forward, the faster I was thrown backward.

Several people spied the uniform bag, and I had to hunch over like a fullback to maintain my grip. My head wound up near my flailing feet which, I noticed, were nowhere near the pavement.

Finally we broke through the crowd and ran for George’s car, with most of the crowd at our heels. “Where’s the car, George?” shouted John.

“I can’t remember where I left it.”

“Well what does it look like?”

“I’m not sure. I borrowed it. I think it's a convertible.”

From one end of the parking lot to the other we raced, as the crowd remained in hot pursuit. John was actually signing autographs as he ran backwards.

After the better part of ten minutes, George spied the car in a remote section of the lot, and we made for it. Even after we jumped in and locked the doors, the crowd thronged around the car and almost smashed the rear window. Finally, as the car moved through the mass of humanity, John yelled, “See you next year guys,” and we headed for the hotel.

During the 10-minute ride, George and I were treated to a soliloquy from John, who was slowly releasing some of the pressures of the previous nine months. “Man, it’s over and we won! This has to be the best! No one gave us a chance! We had to win on the other guy’s court in every series—every series—and we did it!”

Upon reaching the hotel, we decided to go to our rooms and phone home. Even the elevator ride was an experience. John continued his tirade, occasionally drumming on the elevator walls for emphasis. At the 13th floor, in the midst of a drum solo, the elevator stopped and the door opened, revealing a frightened little man who had obviously been waiting but now began beating a hasty retreat to the stairs.

“Come in, sir,” shouted John. “We love everyone.” The poor guy obeyed and retreated furtively to a corner until we exited.

In a few minutes, we met again and headed toward the suite where the party was to be held. Larry Siegfried joined the group; and, fortified by bottles of bubbly, he and John (former Ohio State teammates) became human magnets in a serpentine parade through the hotel.

The party room was locked, and someone ran to get a key before John and Larry beat down the door. The suite quickly filled with as many as 200 bodies, including several players. A living advertisement for Coppertone was standing next to me, and I mentioned how exciting the Celtics win had been. “What’s a Celtic?” he responded. At least he had a nose for a good party.

I stood off to one side for a while to watch the crowd. There were several scattered groups and a contingent at the bar. Naturally, the major focus was on the players. At various points in the proceedings, Satch Sanders, Don Nelson, and Rich Johnson joined the two Buckeyes and were immediately surrounded.

The crowd yelled for a Celtic spokesman to give a speech, and the players immediately elected poor Rich Johnson. Rich was not very vocal, and they forced him to climb onto a coffee table just to make him more visible. Fortunately for Rich, only the lip readers among the crowd will ever know what he mumbled, because the general noise level was so high.

At midnight, a surreptitious word-of-mouth campaign eliminated some of the party crashers by moving the proceedings to another suite. There, a brief speech was delivered by each remaining player and trainer Joe DeLauri, to the accompaniment of tumultuous applause.

For the next few hours, the players drifted in and out, except for John Havlicek, who was obviously enjoying the unfolding scene. Two men were playing Paper Scissors Stone and yelling in Italian when they'd throw out their hands. In another part of the room, several people were attempting a flamenco contest, with no success at all.

The entire scene was bizarre and, at the same time, utterly consistent with our Hollywood surroundings. I sat next to John on a couch, as he politely accepted good wishes. Whenever any woman under the age of 60 came over, John immediately began talking about how much he was looking forward to celebrating with his wonderful wife. John is always in control. Being between marriages, I kept raising my hand and yelling "Ooh, ooh," like Horschack in "Welcome Back Kotter." The women just sneered and turned away.

By 5:30 in the morning, the pace of the party had slowed to a crawl. The game players and dancers had dropped out. Most of the rest had simply dropped into chairs and fallen asleep.

Beside me, John was surveying the room. Those who were not asleep were either slumped over the bar or trying to see through puffy, half-closed eyes. There were no other players in sight. John had obviously outlasted every conceivable challenge in the vicinity. A look of triumph entered his eyes as he glanced over and said, “Let’s go home.”

Epilog

Just think of the drama attending this final game. Underdogs in the eyes of almost everyone. Old. Injured. (Satch Sanders didn't even play in the final game). Two retiring legends (although we didn't know about Russell at that point). A regular David and Goliath script. And in Hollywood to boot. There's no wonder why I call that season and that game "The Final Chapter in Basketball Camelot."

The Russell Celtics. Eleven NBA championships in 13 years. The winning was wonderful, but I took away so much more than that. The chief lesson that I learned from those wonderful years was to live life with passion and with a joyful spirit. The Celtics' sense of joy in playing the game was understated, but it was a constant.

Like the time they were walking back on the floor after a timeout and a rubber ball came out of the stands, bounced high off the floor, and was caught by Satch without breaking stride. Completely deadpan, and without looking, he just flipped it over his shoulder to an astounded Russell as if to say, "Would you take care of this, sonny?" Or the sight of Havlicek imitating Satch's undulating body as he shot a jumper at practice. Or, during a fast break at practice, Havlicek suddenly eschewing the dribble as he just cradled the ball like a running back and ran the length of the floor. Just silly little moments, but born of joy. And, like their displays of intensity, very subtle.

Suffice it to say that, if basketball teams were comedians, the 2007-08 Garnett champions would be Jackie Gleason, looking for the belly laughs. The Russell champions would be Steven Wright, and the humor would be as dry as a good martini. And both performances would be topnotch...just different from one another.

After that series, Russell announced his retirement. The era was officially over. I would never again experience again the supreme sense of confidence that had frequently persuaded me to bet opposition loudmouths $20 to nothing that the Celtics would win big home games. (And I never once lost my $20.)

It slowly dawned on me that my season opener routine was almost finished as well...at least for a while. The Celtics would typically win the championship. I'd go to the opening game the following season. Games started about 8:00, which meant it was important to arrive by 7:30 in order to have the thrill of hearing public address announcer Weldon Haire proclaim, "Here come the World Champions...the Boston Celtics." Organist John Kiley would launch into "It's a Great Day Tonight for the Irish." The crowd would go crazy as the team trooped out onto the floor. After warmups, whichever luminary had retired after the previous season (there was usually someone) would raise the banner with his number on it. Then, Red and the Celtics Captain (and later Coach Russell) would raise the championship banner. Just one more of those nights, and it would be gone like a puff of Auerbachian smoke.

So, the evening before the start of what would certainly be a rebuilding season, I called in to the only sports talk radio show I had ever heard of...Guy Mainella's "Calling All Sports" on Boston's WBZ. They were kind enough to allow me to read a poem I had written for the
occasion. I'll end with that poem.
Here Come the World Champions...the Final Chapter in Basketball Camelot
It hardly seems five months ago when from our Western Coast,
We listened to the play-by-play of our own Johnny Most,
As he described the action in a game of basketball
In which the winners seemed to be an ad for Geritol.
They were of course the Celtics and they made Dame Boston proud,
And at the Logan Airport they were welcomed by a crowd
Which roared its praise and loud approval over and again
For what had been accomplished by these tireless old men.
A lot has happened to the Celtics since that time in May,
As numbers six and twenty-four have left and gone away,
And now a ray of hope at long long last appears to loom
For all those Celts detractors who each year predict their doom.
Now Celtics fans could argue that their hopes retain a twinkle,
For after all they’ve added Jo Jo White and Henry Finkel,
But I believe there are some more important things to say,
Before the ball goes up to get next season under way.
Since nineteen hundred fifty-six, most pro sports teams in town
Have met with mixed successes, but less often up than down,
And only one has given us consistent excellence,
Refusing to be beaten with a pride that is intense.
They’ve offered us a heritage that time will not erase,
And now perhaps another team will rise to take their place,
But win or lose, there’s one fact that’s quite obviously true,
The Celtics more than ever now are much in need of you.
Now I’m not knocking hockey, baseball, football—any sport,
They’re all exciting games and most deserving of support,
The Bruins, Sox and Pats all have great skill with brains and brawn,
They offer you a chance to see whatever turns you on.
But if you’ve thrilled to see Sam bank one with the going tough,
Or Cousy go behind the back, or Russell make a stuff,
And if you dig the flags they’ve raised most every opening night,
Tomorrow and throughout the year, let’s help them in their fight.
All I can ask is that you’ll give some thought to what I’ve said,
If you agree, come Friday night and we’ll all knock ‘em dead,
But come by seven-thirty to be sure you’ll hear that call,
“Here come the Boston Celtics—they're the Champs of Basketball."

ACCOUNT OF SAM'S TRIP TO THE 1969 FINAL GAME WITH THE CELTICS

2009-10-26T04:32:00.002-04:00

"HERE COME THE WORLD CHAMPIONS...THE FINAL CHAPTER IN BASKETBALL CAMELOT": SlipperySam's account of his trip and stay in L.A. with the Celtics as they won the 1969 championship

Contents

Foreword 2

Takeoff 3

Quandary 4

Old Man River 7

Touchdown 9

Final Practice 10

“Satch” 12

The Spring Coils 14

Prelude to Battle 17

Zero Hour 19

Aftermath 23

Getaway 26

Sam 28

Triumphal Return 30

Postscript 31

Foreword

**************************************************

This is the story of a landmark chapter in not only NBA history but also the annals of all of basketball—the 1969 championship game between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. It chronicles the last hurrah of the most dominant team that sport will ever know and the ultimate challenge of their chief protagonists of the time.

Prior to this season, the Celtics had won 10 championships in 12 years—eight of them consecutively (’59-’66). The Lakers had been their final opponents during five of those earlier years; and the Celtics had won all five series.

By 1968-69, the balance of NBA power had clearly switched to the Lakers. Their nucleus—people like Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain—was in its prime. In contrast, every year or two throughout the 1960s had found a Celtics mainstay retiring: future Hall-of-Famers Bill Sharman, Frank Ramsay, Bob Cousy, K.C. Jones, Tom Heinsohn and Clyde Lovellette, to say nothing of key supporting characters such as Jim Loscutoff, Wayne Embry and Willie Naulls and legendary Coach Red Auerbach. Sam Jones had announced that this would be his last game. Rumors (later confirmed) were circulating about the imminent retirement of Bill Russell.

In 1969, the Lakers had added Chamberlain and had dominated their Western Division. In comparison, the Celtics had finished fourth in their division. Only through incredible effort had the Celts overcome the home court disadvantage in every preliminary playoff series. This, the final scene of the final act, would be played on the Los Angeles stage. It was to be great theater. And I would be there!

I had no official affiliation with the Celtics, although I had become friendly with some of the players—notably Sam Jones. As soon as the Celtics tied the series at three games apiece, I knew I had to be at the final in La-La-Land.

This account of the trip was originally intended as a journal for my personal reference over time. It is not intended to be objective, and it will never be hailed as a literary triumph. It is simply a collection of perspectives that I’m delighted to share with others who really care about the Celtics and with Celtic-detractors who enjoy being tortured.

I can promise that the reporting portion of the story is accurate. One Celtic who has read it has called it the truest account of a road trip that he has ever seen. Where my own reflections are presented, they are recognizable as such.

So, if you’re so inclined, turn the page and begin reading about the swan song of a very special sports assemblage.

2

Takeoff

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to American’s Flight 11 to Los Angeles.” The flight attendant continued, swaying slightly as the giant craft taxied slowly to its takeoff position. She hoped we would enjoy the flight, which would take about six hours. The movie would be “Bullitt,” starring Steve McQueen.

A groan arose from the First Class section. “Four times. Four times I’ve seen that picture,” muttered one passenger as he tried unsuccessfully to arrange his lanky frame in a seat that would have been ample for most.

Undaunted, the attendant launched into a description of the plane’s emergency exits and a demonstration of an oxygen mask. By this time, she had lost most of her front cabin audience, which had begun sorting out their newspapers—sports pages on top, financial pages next, and the remainder jammed between seats and walls.

“We are honored to have the Boston Celtics traveling with us to Los Angeles, where they will be playing the Los Angeles......Warriors.” Snickers erupted, and the flustered attendant retreated to her seat as the plane turned to face the runway.

Only the crackle of newspapers broke the silence as the silver bird nosed upward. Through the clouds it broke, leveling off to a gradual ascent it would maintain for several minutes.

Eventually the loudspeaker snapped on, and the Captain began his monologue. Not surprisingly, he also hoped we’d enjoy our flight; and he promised to make it more enjoyable by informing us of many points of interest.

Displaying obvious sports acumen, he referred to the Boston Celtics’ upcoming game with the Los Angeles Lakers. “Best of luck fellas,” he finished. From the cheap seats, a voice blurted out, “I’ll drink to that!” The rest of me may have been half awake, but my mouth was off and running.

3

Quandary

By the time the seat belt light disappeared, the First Class occupants had finished trading newspapers and were already bored. As they stood to stretch, there was no doubt who they were. Alone on a trip, any one of them could have passed for a very tall businessman. Collectively they could only have been basketball players—specifically the Boston Celtics.

Ahead lay another repetition of their well-worn travel script—Act 1: Boredom; Act 2: Motivation; Act 3: Main event; Act 4: Recovery. The difference between this trip and others was that this was the last journey of the year. After a lengthy exhibition campaign, 82 regular season games, and a month’s worth of playoffs, the 1968-69 NBA Championship had become a sudden-death, winner-take-all quest.

It seemed only a few weeks ago that most of these same men had stood in a semi-circle as they raised the 1967-68 championship banner to the Boston Garden rafters. One recalled the emotion of that October evening and the memories of incredible come-from-behind heroics as the Celtics defeated Detroit, Philadelphia and Los Angeles to win the flag.

However the Lakers were no longer the same team. The additions of Wilt Chamberlain and top players such as Keith Erickson and Johnny Egan had molded them into a unit billed by many as unbeatable. Three of six times in this series, they had proven to be just that.

On the other hand, the Celts had not made major personnel changes during the off-season. They had purchased Emmett Bryant to replace Tom Thacker as a reserve guard; and they had drafted center Rich Johnson from Grambling and guard Don Chaney who had played with Elvin Hayes at Houston. Wayne Embry, Bill Russell’s stalwart backup center from the previous two years, had been lost in the expansion draft. Jim Barnes, obtained to fill this void, had been injured much of the year and had seen virtually no action during the playoffs.

Furthermore, the familiar specter of advancing age had continued to stalk the Celtics, who seemed increasingly susceptible to key injuries. Although the team was in reasonably good health for the playoffs, the season had taken a tremendous physical toll, as reflected in the team’s fourth-place division finish—their lowest in many years.

Somehow the champs had managed to squeeze out hard-fought series victories over Philadelphia and New York, much to the consternation of sports fans and writers throughout the county. The games against the so-called “Iron Men” of New York, in particular, had been bitterly contested; and at times the Celtics had appeared to be playing almost on instinct alone.

Compounding the problems for the Celtics was the fact that this critical game would be played on a foreign court. Although they had never lost a seventh game, the Celtics had always played such contests at friendly Boston Garden. This time, the Lakers had earned the home advantage by dint of a superior record during the regular season.

4

Not surprisingly, the Los Angelinos had been installed as heavy favorites to win the finals for the first time since the team had moved from Minneapolis. Although the series was now tied at three, the Lakers had won the first two; and no team had ever surmounted a two-game deficit to win all the marbles.

My reverie was interrupted as the players began to react to the tedium of the flight. Several simply succumbed to restless catnaps. Larry Siegfried repaired to an empty three-seat section, removed the arms of the seats, and settled down to a deep sleep from which he awoke only when a female flight attendant approached.

It had not been a particularly good season for Larry. After a tremendous start, during which he was among the team’s scoring leaders, he had contracted a variety of ailments that reduced his effectiveness. Shortly before the playoffs, Emmett Bryant had been installed in Larry’s starting slot, and Emmett had been instrumental in several victories. Yet Larry had assumed the sixth-man role in professional fashion and had, himself, been largely responsible for two playoff wins.

Sam Jones, with a sportswriter in tow, came back to the tourist section and settled down to a game of Gin which eventually lasted four hours. The writer won the first hand.

“Now I’m going to get you,” Sam promised. “I’ll whip you good.” About 90 seconds later, Sam flashed a smile and announced, “Geeinn. I’m hot, Sharkey. Watch me now.” Sam went on to win the next several hands. “Whoee, I’m unbeatable.”

“I’m dangerous when I’m behind,” Sharkey ventured tentatively. “But I’m dangerous when I’m ahead baby,” Sam shot back. Another smile.....another “Geeinn.” Sharkey was grateful for the lunch break.

I thought back several years to a preliminary-round playoff series between the Celtics and the Cincinnati Royals. Going into the final game at Boston Garden, the series was tied; and Cincinnati was enjoying the psychological edge of having exceeded all expectations. The Royals were playing relaxed, efficient basketball, while the Celtics were inconsistent—particularly in their offense.

Long before the regular pregame warmups, Sam Jones was on the Garden court all alone—shooting, shooting, shooting. Then Sam Jones proceeded to go out, guard Oscar Robertson, and score 47 points to spark the Celtics to a convincing win. Whatever his competitive involvement—from basketball to “Geeinn”—Sam has a burning spirit belied by his casual demeanor.

5

John Havlicek was the next visitor to our cabin. He was immediately collared by a passenger, who launched into his version of Twenty Questions. Patiently, and in his distinctively deliberate manner, John answered each one. Yes, he was fortunate to be a Celtic. He was six-five and had no preference whether he played forward or guard—whichever helped the team more. The Lakers were a fine team with outstanding players—particularly Jerry West, who was having a great series despite a hamstring injury. John was married, with no children yet. Etc., etc., etc.

“One final question, John. What do you do during the offseason?”

“Well I like to fish a lot, and I have a position as a manufacturer’s representative in Columbus, Ohio.”

The stranger moved on, but he had touched on a point that really interested me; and I addressed the matter as John passed by. “What happens after a few more years, John?”

“Well I’ve decided that the business area is the most remunerative in the long run. If a coaching position were locally available, and if it could be worked into my business schedule, that might be all right. However I don’t look forward to coaching as a career.”

“Are you married to the Columbus area?”

(A lengthy pause) “Well, of course, I like Columbus very much; and I’ve had the opportunity to begin a fine business career there.” (An interminable pause) “If a similar opportunity presented itself in Boston, I might very well take it. But nothing of that sort has happened yet.”

We talked about other matters, including a basketball book he had noticed me reading. Then he returned, with the book under his arm, to his seat for lunch. But the impact of his comments remained.

Why, I had often wondered, did so many outstanding Celtics leave Boston after their playing days ended? Certainly some stayed: Tom Heinsohn, Bob Cousy, Jim Loscutoff and K.C. Jones to name a few. But why shouldn’t a Frank Ramsay, a Bill Sharman, a Sam Jones (bound for a D.C. Athletic Director job after these playoffs) be motivated to stay?

Boston offers an abundance of opportunities in almost every field of endeavor. Why, then, shouldn’t these men pursue their post-jock careers in Boston, where they could take maximum advantage of the exposure and reputations they had gained during their Celtic days? How could the Boston area afford to let such valuable human resources slip away?

I resolved to pursue this subject in greater depth if the opportunity presented itself during this trip.

6

Old Man River

Shortly after lunch, the pilot—true to his word—informed us that the City of St. Louis was directly below. This announcement hardly sent the passengers into spasms of excitement; but, to me, it signified the important fact that we were also passing over the Mississippi River.

For many years, there has been something very symbolic about the Mississippi for me. Its aesthetic qualities may be debatable; but its persistence is undeniable. When I was a kid, they used to call my favorite baseball player and role model—Bobby Doerr of the Red Sox—“Old Man River” because of his proven dependability over time. It was fitting that Old Man River should be part of this trip, because it indirectly helps explain my attachment to the Celtics.

Many people view certain objects and monuments as consistent sources of inspiration: mountains, bodies of water, the flag, the Lincoln Memorial, the Statue of Liberty, etc.

These artifacts have one thing in common—they are inanimate. When one thinks about it, how many of today’s enduring inspirations are human beings? A war hero may occasion an outpouring of emotion; a singer may momentarily bring tears to the eyes. But these are usually transitory events, and I believe it is the sustained impact of a catalyst that really defines its value.

The Celtics represent the only organized group of human beings that I have ever found to be an unwavering source of inspiration. I recall trying to explain this to a friend who replied, “Sure, they give you inspiration. They win all the time.”

But it goes far deeper than that. One of my proudest and most memorable Celtic moments was occasioned by a Celtics defeat by Philadelphia in 1967, ending the only playoff series lost by the C’s in the entire decade of the 1960s.

It was the fifth game of the Eastern Division championship finals, with the 76ers leading three games to one. I happened to be near Philadelphia on business (not entirely by chance) and surrendered my wallet to a scalper out of last-minute desperation.

Convention Hall was filled to capacity with Philadelphia fans—and me. Tension reached fever pitch as the Celtics jumped to a 16-point lead by halftime. But Philadelphia surged back and completely overwhelmed the Celts in the second half to win the game and series handily.

I was seated beneath one basket in a row of temporary folding chairs that were connected in sections of four. There was no mistaking my Boston sentiments, as I was nearly the only person in the gym who had something to yell about during the early stages of the game.

7

When the outcome became inevitable, the fans all around me began yelling, “Boston is dead. Boston is dead,” while tossing my section of seats up and down in tempo with the chant. The only problem was that I was still in my seat; and it became more than a little uncomfortable, to say nothing of the difficulty I had in scoring the game on my program.

About this time, I noticed two things on the court. First, the Celtics never even began to quit. Larry Siegfried and John Havlicek, in particular, were diving for loose balls as though their lives depended on it—even when they were far behind with 30 seconds left in the game. Second, as each Celtic left the game, he went over to congratulate the Philadelphia players.

It is easy to pass off these actions as simply good sportsmanship, which they certainly were. However, consider the situation. The proud Celtics were seeing the end of their consecutive world championship skein at eight. Every year, the pressure had become a little greater to maintain the streak. This team would forever bear the stigma of being the one that could not quite do the job.

In the face of this devastation, they were champions in defeat as they had been in so many victories. When the game ended, I watched Sam Jones warmly clasp Hal Greer’s hand. That handshake said a great deal; and it prompted me to turn to my closest chair-shaking tormentor, stick out my hand, and say, “Looks like the better team won.” This accomplished three things:

1. It followed the example set by Sam and the other Celtics.

2. It left my neighbor looking silly, with his ample mouth hanging
wide open.

3. It was far less dangerous than any other option that came to mind.

I drove all night to reach home before the team. Purchasing the largest bottle of champagne I could locate at 9:00 a.m., I left it on the doorstep of Sam Jones (who lived in my town, but whom I had never met at that point) with a note reading, “TO A REAL CHAMPION.”

So, while all the winning has obviously played a key role in my affection for the Celtics, there is an intangible—call it style if you will—that is far more important. A friend (a Knickerbocker fan) may have expressed it best when he grudgingly said, “The Celtics may not always win the championship, but you know they’ll always play like champs and conduct themselves like champs.

I would become even more convinced during this trip that, in addition to being great players, the Celtics are also championship people.

8

Touchdown

The next few hours passed without notable incident. Most of the players watched the movie despite their earlier protestations. Sportswriters circulated, attempting the nearly impossible task of dredging up any original tidbits before the final game of the year.

To the players’ credit, they responded courteously and willingly. Their answers soon sounded like a broken record. “The Lakers are tough.....we’ll have to run, play tight defense, concentrate on boxing out.....there’s no way to stop West.”

Finally the seat belt sign flashed, and the flight attendant announced our impending descent. The card games ended. The magazines were put aside, and on went the sunglasses.

As the plane neared the runway, I noticed the stereo earphones and decided to try a little music. A stirring march was playing: Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance No. 4 in G Major—not the one you hear at most graduations—another one. At the same time, I noticed that all conversation had ceased and the team members were grimly looking at the Los Angeles suburbs coming up to meet them.

Listening to the music and searching the players’ faces, I became absolutely certain for the first time that Celtics would win this game. I realized something else. Whatever the outcome, I was supremely fortunate to be among these individuals at this moment.

9

Final Practice

The Airport Marina is a decent hotel in Inglewood, no doubt selected by the Celtics for its proximity to both the airport and the Forum (site of the game). I waited until all the players had registered and then sauntered over to the desk while the clerk was otherwise occupied. Noting a “16” beside each player’s name, I got the clerk’s attention and requested something inexpensive on the 16th floor.

“We happen to have a very nice single on that floor,” the clerk replied. He missed a great sales opportunity, because I would have been happy with an overpriced closet on the 16th.

“Three-thirty,” yelled the trainer, Joe DeLauri. This was shorthand for “Meet here in the lobby at 3:30 to leave for practice.” We scattered to our rooms, and I watched some of the NHL playoffs and a roller derby before returning to the lobby.

In two shifts, the hotel limousine took our party to the Forum. Our party! I’m still not certain how I became part of the party. Maybe it was because I had become friendly with Sam Jones after the champagne episode. Maybe they didn’t notice me among the tall timber. The limo conversation dwelt mainly on the NHL playoffs, the roller derby, and the movie on the plane.

The Forum is an impressive structure with a gigantic parking area (which would later cause me great anguish). It is also a fine place in which to watch basketball.

One by one, the Celtics trooped out to the court and began a leisurely shooting warmup. With the arrival of player-coach Bill Russell, the tempo accelerated. Several different drills were organized, principal among them the game of “21.”

In “21,” two teams of two players apiece are positioned on opposite sides of the foul circle, about 18 feet from the basket. Each team has a ball, and the players on that team alternate in shooting, retrieving and passing the ball back to the partner for a shot. The first team to make 21 baskets wins.

This game places a premium on shooting with speed and accuracy under pressure, as well as emphasizing the importance of following one’s shot. In a Celtics practice, it brings out the highly competitive instincts in each player. The pace is frantic, and the shooting is unbelievable. Sam Jones and Larry Siegfried seemed to have a slight edge over all other combinations.

Notwithstanding the high energy level, it would be an understatement to say that the practice was relaxed. Russell frequently punctuated the action with his high-pitched cackle as he stood about 30 feet out and took high, arching shots. About one of every 15 went in. With each success, he doubled over in gales of laughter.

10

Don Chaney, Mal Graham and Rich Johnson—none of whom was likely to play in the game—were assigned the task of dribbling around the outside of the court again and again. It was a little like a three-ring circus: the hectic scramble of “21,” the methodical pounding of balls around the perimeter, and the periodic peals of laughter from the king-sized court jester.

After a final shooting drill, the team repaired to the locker room, where the sportswriters made a final check on physical ailments and again searched in vain for new perspective.

Before leaving, I looked around once more at the empty stands and mentally compared their sleek newness with the antiquated interior of Boston Garden. I wondered how the crowd noises would sound in this long, sloping arena. Would they seem as concentrated as in the Garden? How great an effect would they have on the game? I made a vow that, if crowd noise, were a factor in the game, there would be plenty of Celtics support.

11

"Satch"

I stood outside the Forum as the players emerged, two or three at a time. It’s funny—you seldom see a Celtic without another Celtic. Maybe that’s part of their special cohesiveness. I know it’s not always true with other clubs.

The hotel limousine was not available—a complete surprise to me. Each player had prearranged his own method for returning to the hotel. Several had obligations that would not take them to the hotel. Sam Jones, for instance, was having dinner with relatives. Tom Sanders had two friends in tow as he drew away in his borrowed car.

After several minutes, I began wondering just how I’d return to the hotel. This was not the type of location cruised regularly by taxis. I hadn’t noticed any public transportation. And it wasn’t where I wanted to be after dusk.

Tom Sanders proved my salvation. Apparently he had observed my predicament; and, having deposited his passengers elsewhere, he returned—just for me.

Tom Sanders—nicknamed “Satch” many years before because he reminded friends of Satchell Paige. Tom Sanders—given the moniker “Crazylegs” by people in my Section 88 at Boston Garden because of the contortions his legs go through on a basketball court. (A hilarious sight at a Celtics practice is John Havlicek undulating his body back and fourth as he imitates a Sanders outside shot.) Tom Sanders—six feet six inches with a size three neck. Tom Sanders—one of the finest and most articulate gentlemen I have ever met.

As he drove, we talked sporadically about a number of topics. He is spearheading a program of building (or, more properly, rebuilding) homes in a predominately black section of Boston. The construction work, though nearing completion, was the source of some frustration over several delays.

I thought back to the plane conversation with John Havlicek. I was now talking with someone who apparently planned to become a permanent Boston resident. “Why don’t more Celtics make their homes in Boston after they retire?” I asked.

“Well,” he replied, “people always think that Celtics players should capitalize on their reputations by staying in Boston. However, in many cases, their reputations mean more outside Boston. They’re pretty much taken for granted in Boston. They’re a dime a dozen. In other areas, an ex-Celtic is looked upon as unique.

12

We lapsed into silence as the hotel popped into view. Why did this situation have to exist? Why couldn’t players be encouraged to become more of an integral part of the Boston community from the outset of their careers? Maybe they didn’t want it that way. I didn’t quite believe that and, when I mentioned it to Tom, he was inclined to agree.

“When players are established,” he ventured, “they have generally stumbled onto some career opportunity; and their life pattern is taking shape. Of course, it would be best if they could have had some guidance along the way without having had to pay tremendous fees for it. It’s among the young players that a great need exists to absorb them into the community and to help them along a little.”

After we parted, I had a quick meal and went to my room. There were signs to be made—one for each player and one for the team as a whole.

The last sign simply said, “Go Satch.” As I worked on it, I reflected on what Tom had said. My immediate impulse was to blame the Celtics organization for not providing means of assisting rookies and veterans alike in matters pertaining to housing, investments, endorsements, career planning, dealing with fame, etc.

On the other hand, it’s probably not fair to expect the organization to assume all of this responsibility. The Celtics are not wealthy, and there is a substantial payroll. Why shouldn’t the league play a larger role in such an endeavor? Or perhaps the community-at-large should be shouldering proportionately more of the burden.

After all, the Boston area—in fact, New England in general—has derived many benefits from the presence of the Celtics over the years. There is no question in my mind that the area has received more than it has given in the way of support, financial or otherwise.

The general public seems to regard the Red Sox (of whom I’m also a big fan) almost as members of an extended family. Many Sox players over the years have been accorded the status of community treasures. But, for one reason or another, a comparatively small segment of the community has enthusiastically and unconditionally embraced the Celtics.

There is one sad exception to this rule. Whenever there is money or notoriety to be realized by associating with the players, Celtics suddenly become extremely popular. I discovered this when I was on the Sam Jones Day Committee and realized that several committee members didn’t want to work very hard; they just wanted to get close to Sam.

Maybe I’m just too cynical. Who knows? I do know one thing. This generation of Celtics is a living legend, the likes of which will never appear again. I’m making a point of actively appreciating it to the max.

13

The Spring Coils

All dictionaries within the city limits of Los Angeles should be required to make “haze” the first definition of “dawn.” Monday “hazed” at last, and I spent the first half hour peering out the window as I tried to recall what sky looked like.

My reverie was finally overcome by hunger, and I started for the coffee shop. On the way, I bumped into Bailey Howell, who was headed for the same place. Bailey, like former Celtic Frank Ramsey, is a perfect example of a Southern Gentleman.

In this playoff series, “Bail” (as he is often called by his teammates) had been experiencing rugged going with his offense. His scoring had fallen off drastically from the previous series, and he was discouraged. He plays the game intensely and is perhaps more self-critical than any other player.

When I mentioned that his defensive assignment, Elgin Baylor, was not exactly a rest tonic, it didn’t help much. “As long as we win, that really is the most important thing,” he drawled. “I just wish I could help out a bit more.”

I mentioned a plus-minus statistic I had kept on every playoff game. It involved the number of points the team gained or lost while each player was on the floor—a reflection of a player’s offensive and defensive prowess, and a real nightmare to calculate (compared for instance with hockey, in which scoring is infrequent).

A total of plus-three for an entire game is excellent. Bailey had been at or near this level in each game. Even that fact did not offer him much consolation, so I changed the subject to—guess what?

Bailey has played for teams in Detroit, Baltimore and now Boston; and each year he and his family have returned to Mississippi where they own a home. “If we had it to do over again, we’d probably make our home in the city where my team was located—even though we’d have had to change whenever I was traded. But as things have turned out, we’re pretty well-established in Mississippi. I have an insurance business down there, and maybe there will be a coaching job when I’m through.”

With a little encouragement at the right time, a fine family like the Howells might have decided to become permanent Boston-area residents.

As we finished our meals, Bailey spied George Plimpton, author of several books including Paper Lion, in which he describes a brief experience in playing with the Detroit Lions. Aspirations for another book had led him to participate in some of the Celtics preseason training. He’s a Boston-area resident, and he is obviously a devoted Celtics fan.

14

After they finished their conversation, Bailey joined me on a jaunt to the nearest barber shop. After suffering the barber’s observations about how he was tall enough (6” 7”) to be a basketball player, Bailey turned to me and asked, “Do you play bridge?”

“Yes, in an amateur way.”

“We may need a fourth later this morning. George, Johnny Most (the Celtics radio announcer) and I would like to play a little to pass the time. I’ll let you know later on.”

“Later on” came in the form of a phone call to my room. “Do y’all have a table in your room?” Bailey inquired.

“Sure I do,” came the immediate response. I then looked around and discovered that I had actually told the truth; a quick table requisition would not be required.

I opened the door and began counting. In 20 seconds, Bailey and George arrived. Fifteen seconds later, Sam Jones sauntered in. We played one hand before Johnny Most came on the scene. He took over my partnership with Sam.

As the game progressed, I watched the faces of Bailey and Sam for signs of tension. Sam looked as detached as he usually does on the basketball court. Bailey seemed only slightly more on edge.

Johnny Most, on the other hand, was obviously a basket case. It was impossible to ignore the telltale signs of runaway nerves. At one point, he actually had three—count ‘em, three—cigarettes working. No kidding.

John is, without doubt, the most capable play-by-play basketball announcer I’ve ever heard. His rapid-fire delivery is always abreast of the action (as is evident when I watch a game on television but listen to the radio account). Moreover, his analysis of the ebb and flow of a game is excellent. He’s particularly adept at identifying the key catalyst or problem of the moment.

Some people have accused John of being too much of a “homer” who becomes overly emotional during games. I had always wondered whether the freneticism in his delivery was simply theatrical—a conscientious professional searching for ways to convey the excitement of the event to listeners.

Now I recognized the sincere and deeply rooted devotion John has toward the Celtics. He obviously had suffered with the team through this comparatively mediocre year; and he was now showing the strain of the stretch run. I will always respect John and his broadcasting all the more because he exemplifies the personal commitment I feel toward the team and what it represents.

15

In the end, the bridge team of Howell and Plimpton emerged victorious. The players decided to look up General Manager Red Auerbach, who was rumored to be ready to deal with ticket requests.

On the way, we stopped at the lobby while Sam checked to see whether he had messages. In fact, he had more than thirty—almost all ticket requests. “They’re friends, he said. You don’t like to let down friends. But I’ll be lucky to get four tickets.” (The “friends,” by the way, included people like Bill Cosby.)

Red was located behind a desk in the lobby, trying to make 200 tickets out of 70. Players were swooping down on him, and it was easy to see why the nickname “Red” was becoming more of a misnomer with every passing season.

Sam was kind enough to give me one of his four tickets. (Take that, Cosby!) I have often wondered how large a mob and how extensive an arsenal of weaponry would have been needed to make me part with that ticket.

At least I was now certain of seeing the game. Only four hours until departure time.

16

Prelude to Battle

Half an hour before we were to leave for the Forum, I realized I had failed to perform a very important ritual. A few years ago, Johnny Most made a record called Havlicek Stole the Ball. It contains many broadcast vignettes in Celtics history, highlighted by the famous steal by John Havlicek to win a key playoff series against Philadelphia in 1965.

Before each Celtic playoff game, it has always been my habit to play the Havlicek cut from the record. In my one concession to superstition, I’ve always felt it brought the team luck; and it has helped me “get up” for the game.

I had had the foresight to bring one of my two copies on the trip, but how was I going to listen to it? I tore out of the room, record in hand, and raced through every office of the hotel within 10 minutes. The consensus: no record player within miles.

I finally called home and was treated (via my spare copy) to a replaying of Havlicek’s feat from 3,000 miles away. I had listened to my record. I had my signs in hand. I was ready. My private coast-to-coast concert had made me miss the limo, so I caught a cab to the Forum.

After locating my loge seat, not far from midcourt—thanks Sam—I concentrated on the business of posting signs. After 15 minutes and two skirmishes with Forum management, the walls fairly bristled with Celtics propaganda. No doubt it would all disappear soon; but it made me feel better—sort of my own personal warmup for the game.

Presently the sound of a lone bouncing basketball broke the muffled murmur of the fast-growing crowd. I knew what to expect even before I looked. All alone on the court, before the last game of his career, Sam Jones was tossing up shot after shot. My thoughts went back to that Cincinnati game years earlier. I could only hope the result would be the same.

Several other Celtics and Lakers appeared shortly for a light shootaround. The stands were nearly full when they returned to their respective dressing rooms.

I spent the next few minutes watching my signs disappear one by one. Well, maybe a Lakers fan would injure something in the process.

I began edging toward the entrance the Celtics would be using. Marvin Kratter, a former owner of the Celtics and a great fan, appeared on his way to the dressing room. He’s famous for his lucky stone, which he asks the players to touch before a big game. I intercepted him and asked him to let me touch the stone, which he did.

17

As he continued on his way, I remembered that I had a smooth stone in my pocket—a so-called “worry stone” from New Mexico that was purported to lower the blood pressure if you rubbed it during times of stress. “Mr. Kratter. How about returning the favor?” He did.

In a few minutes, a flurry of activity commenced in the runway. Out came the Celtics, grim-faced and staring straight ahead. As I joined a few other Boston fans in shouting encouragement, Bailey Howell gave me a grin.

Out went the old men to meet their destiny, and I returned to my seat determined to do everything in my power to help shape it.

18

Zero Hour

There are many rewards in caring about the Celtics the way I do. It’s impossible to prioritize them. The vicarious thrill of winning is important. Witnessing beautifully orchestrated teamwork is a constant turn-on. I’ve learned so much about a commitment to excellence and the importance of rising to meet challenges.

There is an added ingredient that is particularly personal—my role as fan. It has two forms—one in Boston and another away from the Garden. At home, throughout the Russell era, I have always had supreme confidence that the Celtics would win the big games. (God knows what will happen when Russell leaves.)

Many would say the same kind of arrogance characterizes the Celtics themselves. According to John Havlicek, the Celtics are so confident that, when they lose a game, they think it’s a mistake.

At each “big” Boston Garden game, I like to identify a poor unfortunate soul who happens to be rooting loudly for the other team. I approach him and offer him a bet. Now, I’ve always believed that winning money by betting on the Celtics could never bring more enjoyment than simply being able to appreciate them. So I always bet this poor jerk $20-to-nothing that the Celtics will win. If they lose, he gets my $20. If they win, I get nothing (except to keep my $20). It’s a bet he can’t refuse.

Since my college days in the late fifties, I’ve always used the same $20 bill for the bet. I’ve never lost. It’s akin to an amazing streak fashioned by Bill Russell. Coming into this all-or-nothing game, he had been involved in 20 winner-take-all games during his high school, college, Olympic, and NBA careers. His record in these encounters had been 20-0.

If I displayed a $20 bill at an away game, I’d be mugged on the spot. So my involvement is entirely vocal. Whenever watching a Celtics game on a foreign court, I always make it a point to establish my presence as quickly and emphatically as possible. This leaves no doubt in my neighbors’ minds as to my allegiance, and they have the satisfaction of being able to taunt me for the maximum amount of time. I consider it therapy for them, cushioning the blow of their inevitable devastation.

My first opportunity came during the Celtics’ introductions. The formula is simple: yell as long and loudly as possible; and, lest there be a mistaken identity, stand and wave a fist. I had the satisfaction of seeing heads from four sections away turn in my direction.

Laker fans returned the gesture (and added a few), while I visibly suppressed a yawn and busied myself with my scorecard. My own personal battle had begun. The Celtics’ war would begin after the National Anthem.

19

As I stood for the Anthem, the words of a man from Hyde Park returned to me. He had contacted me to purchase tickets for Sam Jones Day. “The thing I like best about Sam,” he stated, “is the way he stands at attention like a soldier during the National Anthem.” I stole a look at Sam, who was positioned true to form. Never again was I likely to witness that sight.

The starters for the champions slowly filed onto the floor: Russ, Sam, John, Bailey and Emmett. The challengers followed: Wilt, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Keith Erickson and Johnny Egan. High overhead hung eight massive packages of balloons waiting to be released upon the crowning of the new champions. Anticipation is a wonderful thing.

It is not my intention to give a detailed description of the game. There have been many such accounts written by more capable reporters. Besides, who had time to take notes?

However, there are some key recollections and turning points that I want to record for posterity. I remember a torrid start by the Celtics, when it seemed they would blow the Lakers off the court. John Havlicek and Sam Jones were popping from all over the floor. For me, it was instant frenzy. As the Celts went ahead 13-6, I managed a solo outburst that would make a Marine Drill Instructor sound like Tiny Tim.

The lakers counterattacked and narrowed the gap to 28-25 at the end of the period. Had the initial Celtics spurt run them out of gas?

The second quarter was even, 31-31. To be truthful, Emmett Bryant’s fantastic shooting from the left corner kept the Celtics in the game.

Just at the end of the half, one of the Lakers committed a needless foul on Sam Jones, who was nowhere near the basket. Both teams watched from the sidelines as the old pro calmly sank both shots.

Time and again, in clutch situations through the years, Celtic opponents have committed foolish errors or have missed easy shots. Invariably the Celtics have capitalized on the situation. Maybe those two points would not be crucial to the outcome; but they could be. I felt it only fair to enlighten the crowd with my observation, which I soon accomplished at an extremely high decibel level. The crowd proved unappreciative.

Two of Sam Jones’ relatives were sitting nearby, and we spent much of halftime discussing the game. Soon the familiar flurry of activity appeared below. I rushed to the runway as the Celtics trudged out for the final time of the year. “Twenty-four minutes! They’re more tired than you are! You’ve got ‘em! Eat ‘em alive!”

Once again, Bailey Howell was the only Celtic to look at me. I shook my fist. Bailey wasn’t smiling any longer. This was it.

20

The third quarter was something I’ll never forget. Suddenly, the Celtics could do nothing wrong. Sam Jones and Don Nelson were nothing short of incredible, as they scored again and again. The Lakers appeared demoralized. Their repeated timeouts could not stem the tide.

For me, the highlight came after a Celtics basket. The Lakers brought the ball upcourt, and someone threw a pass to a teammate cutting around a screen. The ball disappeared behind several players and immediately reappeared, but going in the opposite direction. John Havlicek poured it on as he went coast to coast for two more points.

I now know that the term “beside myself” means. I was so ecstatic that I almost seemed to be screaming at this other guy who looked just like me and was equally nuts. The period ended with the Celts leading 91-76 and the Lakers being booed by their own fans. Being sensitive to great theater, I remained conspicuously quiet. I figured my silence spoke volumes.

The only question in my mind was when the Lakers would begin their comeback. Guys like Elgin Baylor and Jerry West would not give up without a struggle. It was pleasing to note that West was playing without apparent effects from any hamstring pull. I’ve always liked Celtics opponents to be at full strength so there can be no excuses.

Three minutes into the fourth quarter, the lead had widened to 17 points, 100-83. I began to relax. Premature! Dumb! The roof fell in.

All at once, the Lakers became red hot, and the Celtics visited the Polar Ice Cap. Now the fickle fans were solidly behind their team. The place erupted with sound, featuring trumpet fanfares and roars of “Charge!”

The fans in my section started giving it to me as the Lakers steadily narrowed the gap. I thought back to my Philadelphia experience and was grateful that my seat was bolted to the floor.

In the midst of all this trauma, the Bostonians received a real blow. Sam Jones fouled out. With 7:05 left, and after scoring 24 points (ironically his uniform number), Sam went for a Jerry West fake and hit him. Sam left to a standing ovation from the partisan Los Angeles crowd.

I recalled his last shot. Characteristically, it had been a short jump shot on which he challenged Wilt Chamberlain, just getting the ball over Wilt’s fingertips early in the fourth period. Two points for the Celtics.

But this was no time for reflection. Larry Siegfried replaced Sam as the Lakers resumed their assault. The lead became smaller and smaller and finally stood at one point, 103-102. At this juncture, two key plays occurred.

21

Mel Counts, who had replaced an apparently injured Wilt Chamberlain late in the game, took a pass and went up with a shot from downtown. Seventeen thousand people held their collective breath as the ball arched through the air and hit nothing but net. Pandemonium broke loose. But the referee was doing a little dance and rotating his forearms in a circle. Counts had traveled. What was it I said about clutch errors of Celtics opponents?

But could the Celtics capitalize? The answer was not long in coming. They brought the ball down and tried to penetrate the swarming defense. A scramble! Someone poked the ball loose from Havlicek—right into the hands of Nelson at the foul line. His quick shot hit the rim and bounced about three feet into the air. Who was in position for the rebound?

Wait a minute.....there was no rebound. The ball dropped back cleanly through the hoop. Unbelievable!

The Lakers seemed to think so too, as they turned the ball over twice. The opportunistic Celtics garnered three free throws. The fans started to leave, as I serenaded them with the merits of the Celtics and reminded them to wait and catch some balloons.

The Lakers scored the last four points as time ran out, but the die was cast. The final score was 108-106, and the senior citizens of professional basketball were once again World Champions.

I started to run for the dressing room, but I couldn’t resist turning for one final look at the scoreboard. No mistake about it—108-106. I thought to myself, “Here, in this place, has occurred one of the great moments in your life. Soak it up. Savor it. Take a mental snapshot, because this is something you’ll want to retain forever.”

A splash of color caught my eye. Up in the rafters, eight now-forlorn bags of balloons vainly awaited their release.

22

Aftermath

It was not easy to negotiate entry to the dressing room. Two policemen guarded the runway, and they absolutely refused to admit anyone without a press pass. After several attempts at persuasion, I recalled a back entrance the team had used during practice a day earlier.

I quickly made my way to the alternate entrance and found it was blocked by two ushers. At least an usher can’t arrest you.

If there was one time during the trip when prior planning proved important, this was it. I had made it a point to wear a sport jacket and tie, and I carried a briefcase (which had earlier contained my signs). During the various activities surrounding Sam Jones Day, I had discovered that a jacket, tie and briefcase increase one’s chances of non-interference at an arena by about 50%.

So I sucked in my breath, straightened my tie, and walked right by. Descending the stairs, I heard one usher ask the other if he’d seen my pass. I covered the last seven steps in one leap.

The dressing room was already filling with reporters and other well-wishers who had somehow gained entry. Around the perimeter, the players lounged on benches in various stages of undress. Some sipped soft drinks. There was not a bottle of champagne in sight.

The most obvious person in the room was Russell, surrounded by a circle of writers. At frequent intervals, his screams of laughter penetrated the growing din.

I slowly traveled around the room, congratulating each team member and ending my travels in the corner housing John Havlicek, Sam Jones, and at least half the reporters in the U.S. I didn’t mind waiting. The reporters had deadlines to meet. I could stay all night if necessary.

I watched Sam answer questions as he parceled out bits of his clothing to souvenir hunters. He even cut off his large thigh bandage and autographed it for one guy.

As the crowd thinned a little, I was able to offer kudos to Sam and John. They asked me to watch their uniform bags while they showered. Apparently their green road uniforms were items they were not allowed to dole out to anyone.

Soon they emerged, and talk began to center around the activities of the evening. Due to a 7:00 start time for the West Coast game, it was now only 9:45. Sam had received an invitation to Bill Cosby’s home and felt he might go over there. (Somehow, Cosby must have been gotten his tickets, but not from Sam or he would have been sitting near me.)

John would be returning with George Plimpton to a party thrown by the Celtics at the hotel. I managed to hitch a ride with them. With a final salute to Bailey Howell (who was taking the first available plane home), I followed John and George to an exit leading to the parking lot.

23

Through the glass doors, we could see a crowd of perhaps 300 waiting. “I think I may need both hands to get through that mob,” John decided. “Would you mind carrying the uniform bag?” I clutched the bag along with my briefcase as George opened the door.

The dangerously friendly crowd surged in on John and spilled over onto George and me. I was engulfed in the undertow of a human sea. The harder I tried to move forward, the faster I was thrown backward.

Several people spied the uniform bag, and I had to hunch over like a fullback to maintain my grip. My head wound up near my flailing feet which, I noticed, were nowhere near the pavement.

Finally we broke through the crowd and ran for George’s car, with most of the crowd at our heels. “Where’s the car, George?” shouted John.

“I can’t remember where I left it.”

“Well what does it look like?”

“I’m not sure. I borrowed it. I think it's a convertible.”

From one end of the parking lot to the other we raced, as the crowd remained in hot pursuit. John was actually signing autographs as he ran backwards.

After the better part of ten minutes, George spied the car in a remote section of the lot, and we made for it. Even after we jumped in and locked the doors, the crowd thronged around the car and almost smashed the rear window. Finally, as the car moved through the mass of humanity, John yelled, “See you next year guys,” and we headed for the hotel.

During the 10-minute ride, George and I were treated to a soliloquy from John, who was slowly releasing some of the pressures of the previous nine months. “Man, it’s over and we won! This has to be the best! No one gave us a chance! We had to win on the other guy’s court in every series—every series—and we did it!”

Upon reaching the hotel, we decided to go to our rooms and phone home. Even the elevator ride was an experience. John continued his tirade, occasionally drumming on the elevator walls for emphasis. At the 13th floor, in the midst of a drum solo, the elevator stopped and the door opened, revealing a frightened little man who had obviously been waiting but now began beating a hasty retreat to the stairs.

“Come in, sir,” shouted John. “We love everyone.” The poor guy obeyed and retreated furtively to a corner until we exited.

24

In a few minutes, we met again and headed toward the suite where the party was to be held. Larry Siegfried joined the group; and, fortified by bottles of bubbly, he and John (former Ohio State teammates) became human magnets in a serpentine parade through the hotel.

The party room was locked, and someone ran to get a key before John and Larry beat down the door. The suite quickly filled with as many as 200 bodies, including several players. A living advertisement for Coppertone was standing next to me, and I mentioned how exciting the Celtics win had been. “What’s a Celtic?” he responded. At least he had a nose for a good party.

I stood off to one side for a while to watch the crowd. There were several scattered groups and a contingent at the bar. Naturally, the major focus was on the players. At various points in the proceedings, Satch Sanders, Don Nelson, and Rich Johnson joined the two Buckeyes and were immediately surrounded.

The crowd yelled for a Celtic spokesman to give a speech, and the players immediately elected poor Rich Johnson. Rich is not very vocal, and they forced him to climb onto a coffee table just to make him more visible. Fortunately for Rich, only the lip readers among the crowd will ever know what he mumbled, because the general noise level was so high.

At midnight, a surreptitious word-of-mouth campaign eliminated some of the party crashers by moving the proceedings to another suite. There, a brief speech was delivered by each player and trainer Joe DeLauri, to the accompaniment of tumultuous applause.

For the next few hours, the players drifted in and out, except for a stationary Havlicek, who was obviously enjoying the unfolding scene. Two men were playing “Fingers,” simultaneously thrusting out a number of fingers while yelling numbers in Italian. The one whose number matched their combined finger count was the winner. In another part of the room, several people were attempting a flamenco contest, with no success at all.

The entire scene was bizarre and, at the same time, utterly consistent with our Hollywood surroundings. I sat next to John on a couch, as he politely accepted good wishes. Whenever any woman under the age of 60 came over, John immediately began talking about how much he was looking forward to celebrating with his wonderful wife. John is always in control.

By 5:30 in the morning, the pace of the party had slowed to a crawl. The game players and aspiring dancers had dropped out; and most of the lingerers had simply dropped into chairs and fallen asleep.

Beside me, John was surveying the room. Those who were not asleep were either slumped over the bar or trying to see through puffy, half-closed eyes. There were no other players in sight. John had obviously outlasted every conceivable challenge in the vicinity. A look of triumph entered his eyes as he glanced over and said, “Let’s go home.”

25

Getaway

Within two hours, I was in the lobby, waiting for the 7:45 limo to the airport. John Havlicek and Sam Jones were missing. I called Sam’s room.

“I’m not even speaking to you, Dick!" (The last word happens to be my name but could just as easily have been his recent opinion of me.) "I called your room until 3:30. My relatives and I were at Charlie Brown’s Restaurant, and we thought you might want to come over. You’re nothing but a night owl!”

“I thought you were going to Bill Cosby’s.”

“No, it would have been too crowded. Anyway, I’ll be right down.”

Someone was on the line with Havlicek. “Yes it is a great day. We’re waiting on you. No, take the elevator....you're on the 16th floor, for Pete's sake!” John obviously was still high as a kite. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had spent the previous two hours doing pushups.

Six players were returning with the official party—Russell, Havlicek, Sam Jones, Sanders, Siegfried and Johnson. The others either had left immediately after the game or had commitments elsewhere. Nonetheless, the procession through the airport was an impressive one. The Russell beard was recognized by most passers-by, and one could trace Bill’s progress by the string of snapping heads.

I remember striding briskly along the movable walkway, which really accelerates one’s normal walking speed. Russell was briefly beside me, but he was walking on the floor, not the mechanized conveyor; and he was rapidly gaining ground on me.

Satch, Sam and John joined me for breakfast at a coffee shop. Sam and I then went to buy newspapers. He stunned the sales clerk by saying, “I want five, but you can keep everything except the sports sections.”

As we proceeded to the gate, I learned what I believe will always be one of the most important lessons of my life. It involves the way in which one regards the concept of time.

Noting that only five minutes remained until takeoff, with the gate some distance away, I suggested we pick up the pace. Sam said, “It’s only six gates away. It doesn’t take more than 30 seconds per gate. That’s three minutes. It won’t take more than a minute to get on the plane. No problem.” After years of working against the clock, what he really seemed to be saying was that, even when you’ve got a deadline, you’ve got to stick with your plan or you’ll really be in trouble.

26

I’ve thought a lot about Sam’s viewpoint since that day. Each of us forms an implicit “game plan” for everything we undertake. Each plan is unique to the personality and abilities of the individual who makes it. Forced to play another’s game, one loses effectiveness. From now on, when someone tries to put unusual pressure on me to rush something toward an arbitrary deadline, I’m going to be more hardnosed in evaluating (a) how legitimately urgent the need really is versus (b) the possible ramifications on the quality of my performance.

We reached our seats on the plane, and I was pleased to note that the Los Angeles newspapers were quite fair in their appraisal of the game. They did talk a lot about the injury to Jerry West, who had "only" scored 42 points with 12 assists; and there was much conjecture about whether or not Wilt had really been injured when he was removed from the game. In general, however, they felt the team with more class under pressure had won.

The newspaper trading began as soon as seat belts were fastened. I couldn’t help but notice how the game coverage was read with obvious relish by the players. Anyone who thinks professional athletes don’t care about scrutinizing their media coverage (at least when they win) is sadly mistaken.

By the time we taxied away from the gate, the players were all looking out the window at a hazy (naturally), conquered city. I clamped the stereo earphones to my head; and, sure enough, there was the same inspiring march I had heard while landing two days earlier. This time, however, it had a different meaning for me: strident, proud, and—about all—victorious.

The trip to Boston was relatively uneventful. Most of the players went to sleep almost immediately and awoke only for lunch and the movie (“Kenner,” with Jim Brown, which they had seen three times). Even John Havlicek, apparently satisfied that there were no more worlds to conquer, drifted into a deep sleep.

I went looking for Sam Jones and passed Johnny Most, sitting next to Russell. Johnny made an announcement. “I’m thinking of coming out with a new record about the Celtics. I’m going to call it ‘Russell Broke Their Balloons.’” Russell’s howl led the riotous laughter.

Sam was up in First Class, and I expected to find him asleep. He had confided earlier that he had aggravated a leg injury during the game; and he had limped badly on the trip through the airport. (I assume he had included the limp in his four-minute boarding calculation.) Sam was not asleep. He was reading. After 12 grueling seasons and an exhausting ultimate playoff series, he was reading a sports magazine.

27

Sam

Sooner or later in this account, there had to be a chapter on Sam Jones.

Despite having lived in the same town for several years, we had never known one another until the fall of 1968. Even then, our meeting was an unusual one.

After I left the champagne on their doorstep following the 1967 loss to Philadelphia, the Joneses sent a note of appreciation, “although we don’t drink.” So, after the 1967-68 championship had been won, I obtained the loan of a six-foot plastic display Coke bottle from the Coca Cola Company. This was my 1968 award to the Joneses, and I went to their home to present it.

They got a big kick out of the whole thing; and Sam and I began talking about a number of mutual interests—including golf. One thing led to another, and we became quite friendly. By the time the Joneses left for Washington, I considered them among my closest friends. In fact, their five children stayed with me while their moving van was being loaded.

I have always applied two rules to our relationship. First, I have tried never to make a pest of myself. Second, I have never imposed on Sam or his family for personal favors. That is an aggravation they do not need. Even the Los Angeles ticket was Sam’s suggestion.

These guidelines have always seemed to be a matter of simple respect. However, it is amazing how often they are violated by alleged “friends” who always seem to benefit more from the association than the Joneses do.

It was not a happy day for me when the Joneses moved to the D.C. area. However, I have come to believe it will be the best thing for them. A good job awaits Sam—Athletic Director at Federal City College; they will be closer to relatives in North Carolina; and they can use a respite from the regimen of professional basketball. Nevertheless, I hope the Joneses will be back some day; and New England will be the better for it.

When our committee was planning the ceremonies honoring Sam, we solicited a number of people and businesses for various types of assistance. Some chose to participate; others did not. Only one contact was openly critical. He wrote me a blistering letter, claiming that the entire affair was “shallow in content;” Sam was well-compensated; and while Sam might be “a great guy and great ballplayer,” our efforts would be better spent in addressing some of today’s social problems.

When Sam Jones Day was over, I sent a letter to this gentleman. I’d like to close this chapter with an excerpt from the letter, as it probably best illustrates my feelings about Sam Jones:

28

Sam Jones is a “great guy” and a “great ballplayer.” But anyone writing him
off with these descriptions is seriously uninformed. Like most well-known
athletes, Sam is constantly in the public eye and is continually sought out
by people. However, unlike all too many professional athletes, he utilizes
such opportunities to enrich the lives of those he meets. In the face of
many demands, he treats everyone with a warm respect which is totally devoid
of aloofness. Sam Jones has the ability to make everyone he meets feel like
the most important person in the world.

Sam seems to have a passion for seeking out people in order to spread what I
call “his spell.” When stopped at a traffic light, he’ll be apt to initiate
a conversation with the people in the next car. It seems impossible for him
to drive by a group of basketball-playing kids without yelling, “Hey you
bums.” You should see their eyes when they recognize the “Celtics 24”
number plate and realize who has been talking to them.

If I had to select one phrase to describe Sam, I would have to say “total
respect for all.” Jess Cain (a local radio announcer), at Sam’s testimonial
dinner, said it another way: “Sam Jones is love.”

I happen to feel that no salary is commensurate with the total commitment to
make such an everyday difference in contemporary society. To me, Sam’s
"Day" represented an opportunity for us to let him know how much we
appreciate his non-athletic virtues.

29

Triumphal Return

“Ladies and gentlemen. In 15 minutes, we will be arriving at Boston’s Logan Airport. It appears that quite a crowd is waiting to greet the Celtics. We ask that all of you who are not in the Celtics’ party deplane first.”

Some of the players began guessing what the size of the crowd would be. The veterans, conditioned to years of public apathy, did not expect much, as guesses ranged from 50 to 100.

Logan Airport came into view; and, as the pilot banked for the last time, I turned to my trusty stereo earphones. This time, the sound of a mezzo soprano greeted me. You can’t win them all.

The tall passengers hunched over to peer through the windows. Looks like a sit-in.” “Isn’t that a band over there?” “The Red Sox must be coming in too.”

But it was the Celtics the crowd of several thousand wanted, and the Celtics they got. As soon as the team began filing out the door, led by Bill Russell, the band played the Boston College fight song, and the crowd broke into chants of “We’re number one.” I trailed along behind, the ultimate Celtic gofer trying to juggle the ever-present briefcase and a large, wrapped portrait that Sam had been given in Los Angeles.

Rose Russell, Gladys Jones and Beth Havlicek were very much in evidence as they waited to greet their heroes in style. The Governor offered his congratulations.

Having delivered the portrait to the Joneses and collected my luggage, I headed for the garage to begin the drive home. I wish I could recount some profound thoughts that entered my mind at this time. I remember thinking mainly about how the trip had certainly been more than worth its expense; and I resolved to write the journal you are now reading.

As I paid the garage fee, I almost included my lucky $20 bill by mistake—the one I never lost betting $20-to-nothing on the Celtics. Since BILL Russell had been the one constant throughout the entire championship run, and since it was a $20 BILL, I resolved to call it "Russell."

As I wended my way out of the airport, I heard muffled shouts from the crowd. “Maybe this town is waking up after all these years,” I muttered.

I hope so.

30

Postscript: 1970

Bill Russell retired after that 1969 game, leaving the Celtics with a major rebuilding job. I'm retiring my "betting" $20 bill undefeated. On the eve of the '69-'70 season, I called the Guy Mainella Show—a local radio talk program—and was allowed to read the following poem which I had written:

It hardly seems five months ago when from our Western Coast,
We listened to the play-by-play of our own Johnny Most,
As he described the action in a game of basketball
In which the winners seemed to be an ad for Geritol.

They were of course the Celtics and they made Dame Boston proud,
And at the Logan Airport they were welcomed by a crowd
Which roared its praise and loud approval over and again
For what had been accomplished by these tireless old men.

A lot has happened to the Celtics since that time in May,
As numbers six and twenty-four have left and gone away,
And now a ray of hope at long long last appears to loom
For all those Celts detractors who each year predict their doom.

Now Celtics fans could argue that their hopes retain a twinkle,
For after all they’ve added Jo Jo White and Henry Finkel,
But I believe there are some more important things to say,
Before the ball goes up to get next season under way.

Since nineteen hundred fifty-six, most pro sports teams in town
Have met with mixed successes, but less often up than down,
And only one has given us consistent excellence,
Refusing to be beaten with a pride that is intense.

They’ve offered us a heritage that time will not erase,
And now perhaps another team will rise to take their place,
But win or lose, there’s one fact that’s quite obviously true,
The Celtics more than ever now are much in need of you.

Now I’m not knocking hockey, baseball, football—any sport,
They’re all exciting games and most deserving of support,
The Bruins, Sox and Pats all have great skill with brains and brawn,
They offer you a chance to see whatever turns you on.

But if you’ve thrilled to see Sam bank one with the going tough,
Or Cousy go behind the back, or Russell make a stuff,
And if you dig the flags they’ve raised most every opening night,
Tomorrow and throughout the year, let’s help them in their fight.

All I can ask is that you’ll give some thought to what I’ve said,
If you agree, come Friday night and we’ll all knock ‘em dead,
But come by seven-thirty to be sure you’ll hear that call,
“Here come the Boston Celtics—they're the Champs of Basketball."

31

SAM'S REVIEW OF THE BOOK, "RUSSELL RULES"

2009-10-25T03:13:00.091-04:00

SAM'S REVIEW OF "RUSSELL RULES" BY BILL RUSSELL, WITH DAVID FALKNER

As a preface to posting my synopsis of Bill Russell's book "Russell Rules," I saved a newspaper article that compared this book with one called Shaq Talks Back. Some highlights from the article:

Premise of the book:
Russell: Learn what made the 1956-1969 Celtics winners and apply it to your own
company/relationships/life
Shaq: Nobody know the "real" Shaq. Now you can.

Sample chapter:
Russell: Toughness or Tenderness. Creating Your Leadership Style.
Shaq: Dead Presidents and Free Agents

Favorite Leonardo:
Russell: DaVinci
Shaq: DiCaprio

Names dropped:
Russell: Tony Robbins, Haile Selassie, Lee Iacocca, John Glenn
Shaq: Bill Gates, Madonna, Marilyn Manson, Snoop Dogg

Political commentary:
Russell: Supports affirmative action
Shaq: Endorses only products he actually uses

Philosophy:
Russell: Look for the positive in your imagination. If you go into a dark room find the light switch.
Shaq: If you don't enjoy doing it, don't do it. Image is reality.

Quote of note:
Russell: Winning that's joyless is like eating in a four-star restaurant when you're not hungry.
Shaq: My view on marriage is that you can't have two cars when you're supposed to have only one.

Won't be in Rick Pitino's next book:
Russell: Celtic Pride is both a cognitive concept and a deeply emotional one.
Shaq: If they would have had this Internet stuff when I was coming up, I would have been in Harvard by now.

I don't think so, Shaq. But you readers can draw your own conclusions..

A synopsis of Russell Rules follows.

At the outset, I shouldn't overlook the introduction in which Bill includes some interesting stuff. Russ called Wilt Chamberlain "Norman," and Wilt called Russ "Felton," in both cases their middle names.. Shortly before Wilt died in October, 1999, during one of their "marathon phone calls," Russ told Wilt about the time when Russ was hosting a talk show and had actor Rod Steiger as a guest. The dialog between Russ and Steiger went like this, beginning with Russ: "Are you a good actor?"

"I am a GREAT actor."

"How good?"

"The best."

"If you really think you are that good, I have the ultimate defining role that would leave no uncertainty that you could reach any height as an actor.........Could you play me?"

Apparently, Steiger fell off the sofa and so did Wilt.

Russell's answer to how the old Celtics would have fared against Da Bulls of Michael Jordan:"The Celtics would have won in a walk. We would let Michael get his 40 or 50 points and we would have beaten them decisively. Why? We had the more complete team. We had the matchups. We were far stronger coming off the bench. The vaunted defense of the Bulls would have been useless against us because of the kind of ball movement and shooting accuracy we regularly brought to our games. Sam Jones was as great a shooter as the game has seen; it would not have been possible to stop him without seriously compromising the defense. Bob Cousy could not have been contained. K.C. Jones, Frank Ramsey, John Havlicek, Tommy Heinsohn—all of them Hall of Famers—would have been waiting like alligators in the shadows to take advantage of any overplaying or shifting by the Bulls. I sincerely believe there was an honest truth behind all those kind words about the Celtics and about me being the greatest of winners."

Note the absence of any comparison of himself with Jordan because IT'S IRRELEVANT.

Russ says something in which I've always believed. "Basketball is more than a game. It's a metaphor. For me, the basketball court was a place where I could bring my thoughts and my understanding of psychology, physiology, mathematics, and, most important, human values."

On championship rings: "The Celtic players from those championship years all have rings that we designed together. On those rings are two words—teamwork and pride. I've never forgotten that the rings on my fingers and the rings on the fingers of guys who were last off the bench are the same. From the day I first met my teammates and coach, I experienced something very different from what I had before: a real family whom we all called 'team.'"

And finally: "I am frequently asked if I am a basketball player, and I always say no. One time, years ago, John Havlicek and I were standing in an airport when he asked me what I did that. I told him what I had been telling myself all along: basketball is what I do, it's not who I am."

Russell Rule Number 1: Commitment Begins with Curiosity
When hesitancy is looking back at you in the mirror, you don't have true commitment. Commitment separates those who live their dreams from those who live their lives regretting the opportunities they have quandered.

What separates the two types of people? Curiosity.

Some Russell rules on curiosity:

1. Good questions are more important than easy answers. Millions saw apples fall from trees, but it was Newton who asked why.

2. Curiosity is a process. Life is a journey, not a destination. Create a driving force in your life, understand that force, and always challenge it through self-evaluation and questioning. When your curiosity asks you to take risks, take them.

3. Curiosity should be a verb, not a noun. Curiosity is connected to doing, to solving, experimenting, trying, failing, and then accomplishing. Russ says the game was static when he took it up at age 9. For instance, no one was supposed to jump except for a rebound. After Russ graduated from high school, he joined a high school all-star team on which the coach pretty much let the players do what they wanted. He, in effect, "gave me the green light to explore the game that so fascinated me."

Among other things, Russ began experimenting with jumping under various circumstances, and that led to his blocking prowess.Russ gives an almost clinical explanation of teamwork. "What I found with the Celtics was a set of other players who were brilliant and accomplished. I had to learn about their thinking, their temperaments. For me to play my best game, I had to discover theirs."

In one way, his curiosity got the better of him. He became fascinated with Cousy, to the point where he began acting like Cousy, leading the break with Cousy trailing behind. Russ soon realized he was taking Cousy out of his game (although no one else mentioned it—Cousy, Red, other players, writers); and the quick outlet pass was born so Cousy could begin performing his magic as quickly as possible, with Russell doing what he did best by filling a lane.

Russell Rule 2: Ego=MC Squared

Russ writes about being invited to address the 1999 Celtics, who were on a 9-game losing streak and telling them that, despite being called an unselfish player, he was the most egotistical player they would ever meet. But it was not a personal ego; it was a team ego. Personal achievements became team achievements. In what he calls "sub-rules," Russ relates this lesson to business life:

1. Establish the business culture around the team. Get individuals to see success not in terms of individual performance but in terms of the group's success.

2. Vest people in the process. (I can just imagine Red's epithet-riddled response to the word "vest"). Help people understand where the group is going, how it is going to get there, and (most important) why sharing decision-making is a critical step in achieving team ego. For example, since everyone's paycheck depends on team success, why not have everyone on the team understand how much it costs the company to make products or provide services?

3. Create unselfishness as the most important team characteristic.Bill mentions that being dominant means you never have to mention that you are dominant. "In the 13 years I played for the Celtics, I never heard the words 'dynasty' or 'legend' spoken by anyone within the organization. The reality is that any team that thinks if itself as a dynasty will never be one."

Russ talks some more about being a team: "Only when I reached the Celtics did I really come to appreciate the joy of winning as a team. The Celtics had been built carefully, player by player, over the years. The players had been chosen not only for their specific skills but because they complemented each other so well. Red knew each of the players as individuals, respected them, and saw them together as a team.
Each teammate knew how good he was, but each of them seemed to understand perfectly that everyone had to play his part for us to win. When Heinsohn's shot from the corner wasn't falling, he'd turn himself into a tornado, moving all over the court trying to make up for what wasn't working."

Russell Rule # 3: Listening is Never Casual

Russell says that listening is ultimately aboutveffective communication. The payoff of listening effectively is that humans tend to respect and like someone who listens to them, even if they disagreevwith the person's views. He goes on to say it's important to discriminate between what someone says and what he really means.
"Because each of us (on the Celtics) was a star in his own right, the only way we could have been effective was by the ability we all developed to work with each other. Listening made it easier for us to be friends, but most of all it enabled us to do our job to win games and championships.

"Red had a great set of ears. Red's greatest talent was that he was a listener who translated what he heard into effective action. Every now and then, Red would call me to come to a game or practice early and we'd just talk. He might say, 'You're getting a little off-track.' And the conversations were always useful because he used a language that I could hear. He spoke to each of us differently. He had an uncanny ability bo pick up intonations, inflections and body language in each of his players. When he listened, he had what I like to think of as a built-in, shockproof lie detector.

"We used to have a saying on the Celtics, 'Don't lie to me, boy!' That one came from Red. He insisted that each player tell him exactly what was on his mind. He had the wiliest instinct for eliminating the difficult space between someone's words and his intonations. You knew you had room to answer him without being threatened."

Okay, Russ. Here's what I'm getting. First, get tuned into other people so you understand their language; and then speak in their language in order to make it easy for them to listen to you. Next, encourage them to communicate with you and nurture complete candor by eliminating any implied threat of reprisal—whatever they candidly say. Finally, develop an instinct that helps you to know when they're blowing smoke up your digestive track.

And finally, something he calls "Russell's Corollary to the Rules of Listening": "Always make sure you are able to listen to yourself to the point where you know that what you are picking up is the voice of wisdom."

Russell Rule # 4: Toughness or Tenderness: Creating Your Leadership Style

In this chapter, the title is pretty self-explanatory. Different situations call for different leadership styles, and people vary in their ability to adopt one style or another. Russ offers three sub-rules:

1. Successful teams of any kind are benevolent dictatorships.

2. Great leaders need to be adaptable. They should be able to follow as well as to lead. There's a difference between being an inside-out leader and an outside-in leader. The former finds ways to include others, drawing them out and incorporating them in the decision-making process . The latter relies on his own intuition, logic and counsel which he then projects outward in theform of commands.

3. A great leader considers kindness an act of strength. Russ' grandfather used to say, "Praise loudly and blame softly." Great leadership sometimes requires tenderness, which is not a sign of weakness if used correctly.
When Russ took over as coach in Seattle, the team was doing badly, and he recognized at once that there was no cohesiveness on or off the floor. The only reason a couple of players would hang with one another was to reinforce their griping. Russ decided that a tough leadership style was the ticket. He ran rigorous practices, but there was also a more subtle form of toughness. He instituted five Celtics plays that would only work if every player on the floor was doing something in close coordination with the others.

One of Russ' goals was to convince the Seattle players that they could become their own best teachers without always relying on Russ. "If the plays were run correctly, with all the subtle variations that were in them, the players would have to use all their creativity and individual skills to the maximum. If they did not, they would fail. My team knew what I stood for....but they also knew what I wouldn't stand for." One unnamed player threatened (twice) to kill Russ, but Russ basically stared him down. The team did better each year Russ was there, and the core he established eventually won the championship.

I (Sam) had always thought that the term "benevolent dictator" was first coined to describe Auerbach. Actually, the first Celtics owner Walter Brown was the focus. Walter was always nice to everyone—too nice, according to Red. That was the tender, benevolent part.

For the dictator element, Brown turned the team entirely over to Red. The lesson here is that a good leader doesn't have to do it all personally as long as he can delegate effectively. Red used to ride Jim Loscutoff hard in practice, once having him dive, side-to-side for balls in a drill that covered Loscy with strawberries. Loscy always swore that, when he retired, he would kill Red. After his last game, he asked his teammates to leave him alone with Red for 15 minutes so he could carry out his threat. The guys hung around outside; and, hearing nothing for several minutes, peered through the door. Loscy was sitting in front of Red, bawling his eyes out, and telling Red how much the relationship had meant to him.

Russell Rule # 5: Invisible Man

I love this chapter, because, more than anything else, it's about psychology. I think the spectacular has become the standard of excellence for many of today's players (not a Duncan or a Kidd, but for many). There's a certain conformity in the way they become so preoccupied with finding an opportunity for the monster slam or block that they overlook more subtle ways to use psychology to gain a competitive edge.

Russell's concept of invisibility being a powerful leadership style is difficult to generalize. It is best explained in some examples used by Russell:

(1) Xerox used it by branding their process so that people referred to "Xeroxing" something rather than copying it. This gave the company an inherent competitive advantage over other copying companies that were racing Xerox to develop better copying machines.

(2) The Cold War remained cold until the collapse of the Soviet Union, not because we had vastly superior military strength but because the Russians had to respect the invisible THREAT of vastly superior military strength on our part.

(3) Even a deceased loved one can exercise invisible power by continuing to influence those left behind.

Russ' sub-rules regarding Invisible Man:

1. Invisibility offers an extra dimension that is an opportunity to augment power and to intimidate, rather than to outmuscle, the competition.

2. Becoming invisible sometimes requires a conscious effort to ensure that others don't see us as we really are—in other words, to use misdirection of deceive them.

3. Invisibility can open doors for those who see potential in something that does not now seem to exist, such as a supermarket that opens a store in a depressed area and becomes extremely successful because of the unique way it serves its constituents.

The sixth man can be used as an invisible threat in basketball, and Russ mentions Frank Ramsey as an example. His scoring ability gave the Celtics the same shot in the arm that Havlicek and Vinnie Johnson provided later. Russ says, "I saw what that did to other teams.. They reacted as though the Celtics had six men on the floor instead of five. Even when Frank was on the bench, opposing coaches began guaging their matchups, their substitutions, with Frank in mind. Imagine how insidious that was."

Russ tells of having to face Elvin Hayes for the first time late in Russ's career, when non-physical advantages became even more important. He decided to deny Hayes the ball, fronting him. Well into the second quarter, Elvin had taken only two shots. Russ sidled up to him during a stoppage in play and said, "Hey, I heard you were supposed to be the main man. How come these guys don't pass you the ball?" Elvin shrugged, but Russ could see he was thinking about it. Elvin eased up as though he was no longer expecting his teammates to get him the ball. Russ didn't have to play him so tough the rest of the game.

One of Russ' favorite tactics was to allow an opponent to get by him because Russ knew he could block the ball from behind. Players began to sense his absence and, not knowing where he was, would become tentative about shooting. Then, to confuse them even more, he'd sometimes take a long stride to the left before blocking the shot from a new angle and deflecting it toward a teammate. Now the other player had even more to worry about, just at the time when he had thought he was figuring out Russ' pattern.

In a sense, Russ even tried to make himself invisible to teammates on the theory that the less they consciously thought of him on the court, the better they were focusing on their own roles. Once, during a timeout, Red ordered Russell to go back in the game, and Russ had been in the game all along.

Russ even mentions how he was invisible to Sam Jones on the now-famous Laker-beating play in the fourth game of the 1969 finals. Sam slipped as he shot the ball and later said he had instinctively adjusted to put a lot of backspin on the ball to give Russell a shot at the rebound. But Russ had taken himself out of the game to get more shooters in.

Russ is careful to distinguish between the psychology of being invisible on the court and the actuality of playing very physically; they need not be contradictory Basically the Celtics of his era had to be willing to give themselves up—in effect, to be invisible—if they wanted success.

Finally, in this chapter, Russ talks briefly about playing Wilt. He knew he could have blocked Wilt much more than he did, because Wilt's right-handed shot was fairly easy for the left-handed Russell to reach. However, Russ knew that blocking Wilt would just get Wilt angry, and an angry Wilt was a terror. So Russ concentrated on moving Wilt out or over a couple of inches more than Wilt wanted or getting Wilt just a little off-balance so Wilt would often miss the shot and Russ would be in position for the rebound. Sometimes Wilt would even move back or over without Russ' being right on him, because he sensed Russ would be there. Wilt would be oblivious to the fact that Russell had anything to do with the misses.

This chapter captivates me, no question about it!!

Russell Rule # 6: Craftsmanship
For Russell, craftsmanship translates into "getting the best results from your work effort":

Sub-rule 1: You never know it all. "The more I learned, the more I knew I had to learn." He describes how, in college, he and K.C. Jones "wanted to understand the game at a level other players....never approached," whether it be how to force a certain shot that would result in a predictable rebound angle or how certain players would act in game situations.

Sub-rule 2: "Craftsmanship is the result of sincere effort, principled intentions, intelligent direction, and skillful execution."

Sub-rule 3: Since players on great teams learn from each other, craftsmanship should be made contagious.

This chapter contains great stuff. Russell extolls the virtues of practice, while admitting he hated practice. I witnessed the final practice of his career, in L.A., before the final and arguably most important game of his life. As coach, he instructed the other players in what to do; and then he personally spent the entire practice shooting two-handed 40-footers and cackling with outrageous laughter when several went in.

But that was at the end of his career. As a freshman at SFU, night after night, he would take up to 500 shots left-handed and 500 right-handed—mainly hook shots that a center of the time would be likely to use. Sure enough, he actually was an excellent hook-shooter in the pros. He says about practice, "If you love what you are doing, the very difficulty of what you need to do (such as learning to shoot with the "off hand") will drive you further, and the sense of accomplishment you gain will mean that much more."

Russ talks of the center position being all about footwork. Because he wanted to be a threat whether or not he shot the ball (the "Invisible Man"), he worked on developing what he called "smart feet" by running and moving (whenever he could) more like a guard than like a big man.In describing honing one's craft.

Russ offers some insight into his blocking technique. Obviously, Russ left his feet a lot on defense in pursuit of blocked shots. He became very concerned about what to do if he went for a fake and his man then went up as Russ came down. He discovered that, rather than landing flat-footed as most centers still do, landing with knees flexed usually enabled him to catch the guy just as he was releasing the ball. In addition to preventing a score, this further confused the poor guy who was now wondering just what he had to do to get off a shot.

When he joined the Celtics, craftsmanship for Russ became a matter of determining what he could do to make each person around him better. The rapidity of his outlet passes was key to Cousy, so Russ generally eschewed all the foot-planting and elbow-thrusting that many big men display upon landing with a rebound.

Russ worked on making a single movement of jumping, grabbing the ball, twisting, and passing; and he made it a point to spot Cousy's white or green jersey in his periphery on his way UP so there'd be no time needed to locate Cooz after Russell got the ball. Fighting to gain nanoseconds of efficiency was central to Russ's craftsmanship.

Although Cousy was the playmaker, in the halfcourt game, most halfcourt plays went through Russ. For the plays to work, every guy on the floor had to be in motion. (Oh, what a sight that was! My eyes become moist at the recollection.) Russ says everyone had to be ready to become a second, third or fourth shooting option. The craftsmanship part of it was that the movement of one player had to be understood by every other player.

Russ continues with the observation that there are 11 types of passes available to a center. Russ's job was to "to see every move by every player, to coordinate and process it as if my brain were a computer, and then to make the right pass." For example, Satch wore contact lenses and couldn't see well below his waist; so passes to him had to be at least waist-high. A pass to someone who only had an instant of daylight had to be a "dead" pass (with no spin) so he could get off a shot immediately.

Russ closes by reminding us that joy (a word he uses constantly throughout the book) is a leadership quality. "When a leader is obviously passionate and joyful in what he or she does, that is inevitably communicated. It sets a tone, a standard in which winning is not the only thing but is the most natural thing in the world."

Russell Rule # 7: Personal Integrity

I will deemphasize the few moralistic themes Russ cited in this chapter and will stick to personal integrity as it affects basketball. As usual, he cites three sub-rules:

Rule 1: Take responsibility for everything you do.

Rule 2: Stand behind the choices you make.

Rule 3: Be fully present in everything you're doing.

Russ goes out of his way to stress how he would not have wanted to play at any other time than the years spanned by his career or with any other team than the Celtics—financial possibilities notwithstanding. He mentions the well-known story about asking for $100,001 when Chamberlain was making $100,000. It's a nice story, although I'm not sure what it has to do with integrity.

Russ mentions that Frank Ramsey used to bypass Red at salary time. He'd just sign a blank contract and leave it on owner Walter Brown's desk, knowing Walter would take care of him.

Integrity becomes more relevant in Russ' discussion of how the Celts of his time were managed. Each player was considered, in some way, his own boss when he was on the floor. "Our few plays had so many variations because it was expected that the players would constantly use their creativity so that other teams could never successfully set up against us. We were a model of integrity because each of us so clearly understood who he was, what he had to do for himself and the team."

Russ wraps up the chapter with this: "Above all, (integrity) will permit you to act and to live as a winner, no matter what your station in life.

Russell Rule # 8: Rebounding, or How to Change the Flow of the Game

This chapter is all about adversity. When a team gets a defensive rebound, it's because the other team has suffered adversity, namely missing a shot. In that sense, the chapter is about CAPITALIZING on adversity. Ultimately, rebounding in a game—as in life—is all about taking charge—taking positive action in a negative situation to become a winner.

Russ says that a rebound can be instinctive or conscious. If it's instinctive, it may be viewed as a defensive action. If it's conscious, it can put you in control, becoming the beginning of an offensive transition. Conscious rebounding means maintaining your concentration and resiliency—not getting down if you miss one but instantly focusing on the next one.

Rebounding from adversity requires adaptability. One of the problems in focusing (in a broad sense) occurs with change in the makeup of the team. Almost every year in Russell's tenure, there were significant changes as one legend would retire and someone with upside would take his place. One key in the Celtics' reign was their ability to adapt quickly to such changes.

When Cousy left the Celtics and K.C. Jones became the playmaker, it was obvious that K.C. couldn't run the break the way Cousy had. They altered their offense, incorporating Russ to a greater degree, to the point where Bill's assists jumped (in the top 10 that year) and his screens improved dramatically. It was then that people started saying, "Russell makes his teammates play taller."

Rebounding from victory is tougher than rebounding from defeat. It's harder to repeat as champion than to win the initial championship. Self-congratulatory lapses during a game can spur the other team on.

Bill's sub-rules for this chapter:

1. Rebounding is an affirmative act. It should be looked upon as wresting control and starting the offense.

2. Rebounding from adversity involves not developing a victim mentality. If you're not the one called upon to take the big shot, don't pout. Get into position for the rebound.

3. Build resilience both as a winner and a loser. Understand why you are winning, and never take it for granted. Recognize that it is harder to rebound from a win than to rebound from a loss.

Russell Rule # 9: Imagination, or Seeing the Unseeable

I think I looked forward to this chapter most of all, because I believe the one thing the "old Celtics" arguably had in greater abundance than any other team in history (including later Celtics editions) was creativity. And I believe creativity is derived from imagination. Russ immediately confirms my feeling: "Imagination is the mother of innovation."

Within the first paragraph, I was so in sync with this chapter that it smarted. The innovative hits just keep on coming:

• Don't be reactive on defense. Moving a guy out of his comfort zone is at least as effective as trying to deny his shot.

• If you're a point guard, and you've got your man out of position, you should already be getting ready for the outlet pass and the transition to offense. (I am just eating this stuff up.)

• Think of basketball as both a vertical and a horizontal game. The vertical part of the game basically involves the relationship between the ball, the player, and the basket—in other words, the action associated with shooting. It takes 1 to 3 seconds to shoot and rebound or take the ball out-of-bounds. So maybe 5 out of the 48 minutes involve the vertical part of the game. The other 43 minutes involve the horizontal game, so a lot of the imaginative powers should be focused on the horizontal game.

• Blocking shots should involve not only vertical action (jumping) but also horizontal action (stepping to the side first, so you won't land on the guy's back). It was hell for Russ playing Wilt's vertical game, but Russ focused on trying to make Wilt play more than half the game (at least 30 minutes) horizontally. Russ would try to make Wilt spend a lot of time moving side-to-side and to move out of his favorite shooting comfort zone.

• Find innovative ways to advance the ball, such as Cousy's "air dribble"—tapping the ball over the defender's head and going around him to pick up the dribble—a perfectly legal move.

Russ says "Imagination is the task of enlightened leadership." He speaks of how he would have defended Jabbar. "My strategy would begin by making him run the floor on defense, so he'd be expending more energy. Because he was right-handed and I was left-handed and the key to defense is footwork, I could slide along his stomach and get to his sky hook with my left hand. You could never defend him reactively. If he was going to his spot on the right or left side, I'd get there first. Most guys have a spot they like to start from, and nothing annoys them more than to see you there first, waiting for them. I don't know how good Kareem's ears were. That would be important, because a big part of my game was conversation. I would have searched until I found out what would distract him and then determined what the impact of that distraction was."

Russ alludes to what is a recurring theme in this book. "We as Celtics supported each other, watched each other, incorporated into our imaginations the thinking, the practice of others. We were able to visualize for each other." When the 76ers had the Celtics on the brink of elimination in 1968, the Celtics had a two-point lead with 12 seconds to go, and Russ had two free throws coming. Making either one would effectively ice the game, because there was no three point crutch (editorial comment by Sam) in those days. Russ missed the first freebie. Sam Jones strolled over, visualizing the successful Russell free throw form in his mind, and whispered, "Flex your knees, Bill." Russell made the shot, and the Celtics won the game and eventually the series and the title.

Russ writes, "What Sam said was about as inspiring as a car manual, but it was the only thing I needed to hear at that moment for us to win. Do not confuse imagination with inspiration. The Celtics won infinitely more games because of the power of imagination than because of inspirational talks and speeches."

The Russell sub-rules for this chapter:

1. Look for the positives in your imagination. If you go into a dark room, find the light switch.

2. Taking unrelated thoughts and ideas and stringing them together sometimes creates a whole new concept, as well as order out of chaos.

3. Try to practice visualization. Try to run through scenarios or situations before you experience them so that, when you do experience them, they will be familiar to you.

Think I loved this chapter? This theme WAS the Celtics of 1956-1969, when the impact of imagination was the norm, not an occasional revelation.

Russell Rule # 10: Discipline, Delegation and Decision-making

Russ begins with three sub-rules:

1. All choices must be made with a clear and attainable goal in mind.

2. Delegating authority in decision-making can only take place successfully when there is absolute confidence in those to whom power is given. (Coach to team members, team members to one another)

3. Think everything through first, and then stick your neck out. (Risk being wrong rather than being tentative.)

As in several of the chapters, this one was very much about something that's not immediately evident in the title—trust. Red always trusted his players. One reason why he could afford to do so (in addition to their obvious capabilities) was that his process for selecting them in the first place had been very clear. Did they already know about winning? Did they understand that winning was expected, not just hoped for? Could they be trusted to demonstrate curiosity, team ego, active listening skills, integrity, selflessness? Could they be entrusted with the responsibility that Red would thrust upon them?

Red's trust in his players extended to their post-playing careers. That is why he drafted Sam Jones (whom virtually no one had ever heard of), sight unseen, upon the recommendation of a former Celtic, Bones McKinney. Red drafted Cowens as a forward, and it was Russell who told him Cowens could become a great center, because "the guys he can't guard won't be able to guard him." Red trusted Russ' instincts, and the rest is history.

Russ uses his final season, 1968-69, several times throughout the book. One of the most interesting is in this chapter, and it involves the antecedents for the fourth game of the Lakers' series, won by Sam Jones in the last second to prevent an insurmountable Lakers' 3-1 lead in a series the Celtics went on to win.

Toward the end of that season, Coach Russell knew his creaking team, fourth in their division, needed every edge they could get to have a shot at a title. According to Russ, he analyzed the games played that season and was astounded that they had lost 17 games by 3 points or fewer. Realizing they lacked a finishing kick, he set out to insert a last-second shot play into their arsenal. But he couldn't think of a non-predictable one, so he turned to the team. Havlicek and Sigfried recalled a play they had used at Ohio State, and Russ liked the concept. They started practicing the play; and, the first time they tried it, they took 27 seconds to run it.

(Editorial observation by SlipperySam: It should be noted that Havlicek and Siegfried claim to have begun practicing the play on their own when Russ missed a practice.)

Anyway, the mission became clear, and meticulous teamwork was at the heart of it. "Each individual player had to find in himself what he could do to cut the time of that play down. He had to take into account what his teammates did—to be mindful of every move made by everyone else"—because a triple pick was involved. They finally whittled the time down to four seconds.

Russ says they ran that play in the playoffs and won five games (including that critical fourth one against the Lakers) by three points or fewer. (Again, there are some historical discrepancies, as some teammates claim that game 4 was the first time they had ever tried the play in live game action.)

The essence of teamwork, says Russ, is discipline. There was constant tension between what people wanted for themselves and what they wanted for the team. He frequently refers to Sam Jones in this chapter, and here he notes that "Sam found it uncomfortable to step up to the dominating talent he had, but he did that because he knew it was called for. Scoring a ton of points per se was never his objective, only to give what he knew he had to supply for us to win."

Russ once again alludes to the difference between "outside-in" and "inside-out" leadership referenced in Russell Rule #4. The "outside-in" leader incorporates the perspectives of others in decision-making. The "inside-out' leader makes his own decision and basically tries to bludgeon the rest of the world into accepting it. He feels that this concept was possibly the primary difference between Wilt Chamberlain and himself. Wilt believed he was "The Man" and "The Man" could single-handedly make his team win. Russ opted for a more egalitarian philosophy. (Gee, I wonder how that worked out for each of them.)

Russell Rule 11: Everyone Can Win

Russ asserts that one key to winning is that you have to put yourself in a position to win:

1. Don't wait for an opportunity to win. LOOK for an opportunity to win.

2. You have to be the one to determine how to measure winning. Don't allow others to define you you're going to play the game.

3. Commit now. Don't wait until tomorrow.

When K.C.Jones came to the Celtics, he seldom played. Then he was widely considered a "fill-in" replacement for Cousy who was there because he was Russell's friend from college. Yet K.C. ignored all that and visualized only opportunity. John Thompson was Russ' backup, which meant relatively little playing time. But John nonetheless saw the opportunity in his association with the Celtics, asking questions, soaking up every possible piece of knowledge, and later converting what he had learned into a legendary coaching career at Georgetown.

And finally, Russ repeats something he's publicly stated many times: "Success is never a destination and always a journey." In other words, never stop striving to win, regardless of how close to, or far from, victory you are.

This ends my synopsis of the book. I hope it has piqued your interest in acquiring and reading the entire volume. Please let me know, either here or on Sam's Celtics Forum, whether it was of use to you, your reactions to various chapters, and any other comments you may have on the book or my synopsis.

The URL for Sam's Celtics Forum is:

http://samcelt.forumotion.net

Thanks for reading, and best regards,

Sam

ANNOUNCING SAM'S CELTICS MESSAGE BOARD: NEW TROLL-FREE FORUM

2009-10-16T20:38:00.003-04:00

Effective immediately, I'm hosting a brand new message board forum for Boston Celtics fans and friends of Boston Celtics fans. For those who may not know me, I'm SlipperySam (not an unsavory character but nicknamed in honor of Celtics great Sam Jones). I have posted on Boston.com for a long time, and you'll never hear me offer anything but gratitude to that site for interesting me in pursuing my Celtics passion via the message board route.

For a number of reasons, I have decided to strike out on my own, and the forum is available to Celtics fans and non-fans who desire a troll-free environment in which to engage in congenial discussion and debate about the Celtics and basketball. And we may even stray off-topic from time to time as appropriate. The only rigidity on this forum will be a no-nonsense exclusion of trolls by IP address so they cannot return under other names. It's your forum at least as much as mine.

The URL to access the forum is: http://samcelt.forumotion.net/your-first-forum-f1/

The blog that you're now reading will henceforth be used to archive my writings and experiences related to the Celtics and for periodic discussion of Celtics history and tradition. The URL for the blog will continue to be: http://samsbostoncelticsfansite.blogspot.com/
When you visit the new message board forum, the URL will automatically direct you to our thread list. We already have some threads up-and-running, and they'll give you an idea of the type of quality, creativity and good-natured spirit we hope will always characterize this site. If you like the forum enough, we hope you'll register and become a member so you can post and enjoy the camaraderie.

There has been conjecture about the financial arrangements regarding the forum. Here are the facts. We are offering a 30-day free trial. At the end of the 30 days, if you wish to subscribe, there will be a $25 fee for the first year and an annual $15 renewal fee thereafter (all payable through Paypal). I understand that some people do not want to pay for something they feel they can get for free elsewhere. The difference is that I'm determined to provide something more than you can get elsewhere. And toward that end, I'll committing my intense personal attention to administering, posting, and moderating this forum. That extensive time expenditure will reduce my income-earning ability from the consulting company I've been running for 41 years. Hence the need for what I think is a very modest fee for what you'll be getting.

And what you'll be getting will be a unusually high level of quality and informative basketball discussion, news, stats, game-on threads, post-game reflections, contests, and other features now in early stages of formulation. Right now, we're running a poll concerning the infamous 15th roster slot. This coming Tuesday (Oct. 20), during the game-on thread (Celts vs. Knicks), we'll be running our first contest. The poster who, before the end of the first quarter, comes closest to guessing the eventual total number of points by both teams (combined) will win a free subscription to this site for the first year. And we'll be running another type of ongoing and very challenging contest on every game-on thread during the regular season, with the overall winner for the season being recognized at the end of the last game.

Without further ado, here are some of the useful and enjoyable features you can enjoy on this forum:

• Vigilant and reasonable moderation
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If, after examining the forum a bit, you're ready to take advantage of the 30-day free trial, here's the procedure for registering:

• Go up to the top of the screen and click on "Register."

• You'll be asked to agree to terms.

• You'll then see another screen where you'll select a "user name" (board name) and will provide your email address and a password you select (at least 6 characters). This does NOT have to be the password you use on your email account; you can select any passwork the system will accept.

• You'll then see another screen, where you'll be asked to reconfirm your password.

• You should receive instructions to go to your email account and open a welcome message. When you open that message, you'll activate your account on the forum. By the way, the message contains your user name and password, so you'd be well-advised to save it for future reference in case you forget either.

• At this in the process, REBOOT THE FORUM using the same URL:
http://samcelt.forumotion.net/your-first-forum-f1/ (VERY IMPORTANT)

• You're now ready to use the forum. When you have rebooted it, you'll be looking at the thread list again. Click on "NEW TOPIC" if you want to start a thread. Click on "POST REPLY" at the bottom of any thread to which you wish to respond.

• You'll probably want to play around with the forum site, which is fine. One possible place to start is by clicking on the word "Profile" at the top of your screen and then clicking on "Preferences." This will give you a bunch of choices on what you want displayed about yourself and what options you wish to use and avoid. We went through a learning curve in familiarizing ourselves with the site, and we're posting a list of tips to help you avoid going through some of the challenges we experienced. (That thread will be titled "TIPS TO USING THIS FORUM.") There is also a FAQ option at the top of the screen.

Have fun, and please let us hear from you. And, at any time, feel free to email me directly at SlipSamCelt@aol.com if you have any suggestions, concerns or gripes. I think you'll find me pretty responsive.

I look forward to seeing and conversing with you. This will be fun. And GO CELTICS!

Best regards,

SlipperySam

Post-game Reflections: Celtics at Toronto 10/14/09

2009-10-15T01:52:00.001-04:00

On Tuesday, I felt the name of the game was "pride." On Wednesday, it seemed to be "chemistry." Both the starters and the bench (minus a resting Sheed) seemed to be in sync on both ends of the court. On offense, 67% of the field goals were generated by assists, and the Celts had only 11 turnovers (both preseason bests by comfortable margins). The team defense seemed one step ahead of Toronto all night...ball-hawking; deflecting passes; disrupting plays (especially down low); getting in the passing lanes; switching smartly; even defending the pick-and-roll well (not the strongest Celtics attribute). The net result was the largest margin of Celtics victory of the exhibition season (16 points). Some observations:

• The minutes have inched up for the starters. When all five regular starters have played in a given game, the average minutes per starter have progressed from 16 to 22 to 25 and then 25 again.

• KG submitted a preseason high of 23 minutes in this game, and he was definitely most like the "old" KG in this one...moving well on defense, out in front of the pack on several fast breaks, and successful on three alley-oop plays on his way to 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. One can tell he's still aware of his knee, especially when he lands after leaping (he tends to put a little more weight on the other leg in cushioning the landing process). But, in general, he's playing with relative abandon. To put his point total in perspective:

In the 2007-08 championship season, he averaged .57 points per minute
In 2008-09, he averaged .51 points per minute
In his career, he has averaged .54 points per minute

Last night, his 16 points amounted to .71 points per minute.

KG's points per minute have improved over the preseason:

Game 1   .45 points per minute
Game 2   .47 points per minute
Game 3   .57 points per minute
Game 4:   Did not play
Game 5   .71 points per minute

Obviously, points are not the only indicator of readiness; but KG's offensive efficiency is a pretty good indication of his ability to play effectively in whatever physical shape he's in...and his conditioning seems to be improving with every game.

• KG seems well on the road to recovery. Kudos to both him and Doc for not over-rushing things. For Kevin to progress gradually, the way he has, AND for the team to be looking quite good at the same time is a very good sign. One would have a right to expect the team to sputter somewhat in trying to adjust to having him at less than full strength.

• KG still shows signs of being a bit careful with the leg. I've noticed that, on those occasions when he does go up, he cushions the blow of the landing, ever so slightly, with the uninjured leg. I doubt that it's because he's hurting but probably just Kevin picking his spots and knowing enough to be careful when he does.

• Glen Davis was my MVP for this game. I don't know who won the award from the tv guys, but Baby won their Tommy Point Award for his energy and scrappiness (as well as his 13 points and 5 boards in 20 minutes). He has obviously dedicated himself to playing a Leon-like role on offense by bulling his way to the hoop; although he outdoes Leon by occasionally hitting a jumper too. True, his lack of height and lift mean he doesn't score a lot of field goals. But he's getting blocked less than earlier in his career, and he's getting fouled a lot and is making his free throws. He's rapidly learning how to use his body to keep opponents away from their offensive baskets because he knows he's usually at a disadvantage if they get down low.

• Eddie House was just fair from the perimeter in this one. But his passing—especially interior passing—sometimes bordered on the spectacular. He has become quite good at threading the ball down low. (I just wish Rondo had the same ability.) I'm personally very happy with Eddie sharing backup point duties with 'Quis and Hudson and alternately being freed to bomb away.

• "Quis did practically nothing in 16 minutes. (I suspect he had residual problems from his intestinal bug the night before.) But Hudson continues to grow on me. In 13 minutes, he scored 12 points in 5-7 shooting (including a three-pointer) and 2-2 from the line. He also had two assists (and two turnovers) and was a true pest on defense. Once, he made a beautiful interception in a passing lane for a breakaway. Although he does not yet possess true PG abilities, he continues to demonstrate a passing mentality, which is half the battle. I'd say he has not only made the team but is also challenging mightily for that 12th slot.

• Giddens continued his scrappy play. Like Scal, he's not a stat sheet-filler, but he plays very tough defense. He's a natural rebounder (four in 13 minutes) and loves to surprise the opposition defense by slashing in for occasional jams. Since the occasional jams represented Walker's main attribute, I'd put Giddens well ahead of Walker (even if he weren't injured) on the depth chart at this juncture.

• Perk still needs more consistency, as he's been up-and-down and sometimes hampered by fouls. But, on a 30-minute basis, his exhibition stats would project to 12.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.

• In about 26 minutes apiece, Pierce scored 17 and Ray tallied 8 points. Doc reiterated, after the game, that he hasn't yet put in any plays for either of them and that it would be a priority in the remaining seven practices and three games prior to the start of the season.

• The team is looking more cohesive, self-assured and potent with every game. And Doc has done a masterful job of simulating "real game" conditions by pushing each of them with extended minutes at one point or another. One after another, we've seen virtually every likely member of the rotation (and a couple of less likely ones) fise to the challenge Doc has presented. And, with the possible exception of Sheed's tweaked ankle (which doesn't seem serious), they've responded to the extra pressure without getting injured (or, in KG's case, without exacerbating the injury). This sort of gathering momentum, without much of a hitch, is rare indeed. So much so that one almost hesitates to post about it for fear of incurring the wrath of the gods.

• Even Williams had his moments last night. He a couple of nice jumpers and was fairly active in the offensive end. I'd take 3-6 shooting and four rebounds in 16 minutes from him any time (although I don't expect him to get nearly that number of minutes under normal circumstances).

• Tony may be the only one who has played (for just a few minutes) who hasn't shown some pretty positive signs that he's capable of being a solid contributor in one way or another.

• Perhaps what pleased me most, in addition to the Celtics' game-long alertness and relatively smooth play, was the sheer joy they continued to display. Lots of smiles and happy exchanges on the floor and the bench. Rondo and KG seem to sit together a lot. Kevin and his intensity obviously crack Rajon up from time to time.

Another nice outing, neatly put into perspective by Doc in his comments to the press: "These are not really games. They're serious practices."

Sam

2009-10-14T03:46:00.000-04:00

This was definitely a "pride game." With the Three Amigos being excused by Doc, and with 'Quis under the weather, the quartet of Rondo, Perk, Baby and Sheed fared just okay in the first 24, but a scrappy, patchwork bench was out pretty much in the dumper ('Quis in a literal sense) against the streaky Nets.

Ultimately, pride avoided a fall. After being down by 13 at the half and as many as 14 early in the second half, and without four of the team's core players, the Gang that Couldn't Shoot Straight earlier finally banded together and forced the issue. Although the Nets coach once again reinserted his starters in a vain attempt to stem the tide in the 4th, the bench brigade (plus Rondo) emerged triumphant in a nailbiter, 91-88. Spectator Pierce was so excited that, when House scored a key jumper near the end and the Nets took a timeout, Paul raced out on the floor in his gray suit (does he own any other threads?) and jump-bumped Eddie.

My MVP would be Rondo. Doc said, in his post-game remarks, that Rajon begged to stay in the game (he wound up playing 40 minutes) because he"wanted to see if he could bring them back." Like Pierce in the third game, Rondo seized the moment, even calmly draining some jumpers as he directed the team to an inspired win with a near-triple of 18-9-13, despite shooting a woeful 6-14 from the line.

Eddie drives stakes into hearts. He shoots so incredibly quickly that the other team salivates for rebounds that don't come. Most of his 14 came at moments that had to be demoralizing for the Nets.

Sheed was just a pro. Inside, outside, great defense, court awarness, running the floor, outstanding board work. He went for 20 and 9 before rolling an ankle late. Doc said it was nothing serious and, although he had previously considered sitting Sheed in the next game just 24 hours later, he might now change his mind. (I'm not sure of the logic, but Doc's doing a super job with the rotation so far.)

Baby must have been exhausted because, with Perk in foul trouble, Glen had to play Lopez for many of his 27 minutes. His 18 points don't begin to tell the story of his total effectiveness, as he absolutely skied for a key block late in the fourth and, a minute later, bulled in for a dramatic offensive rebound (and an eventual free throw) off a missed Rondo foul shot.

Scal also deserves mention for helping to keep Lopez in check when it counted and for two highlight plays—a turnaround three-pointer from the corner and a between-the-legs pass that lost some luster because of a very questionable moving pick call on Brian an instant later.

But the two guys who truly overachieved were Hudson and Giddens. Lester didn't have big stats, although he played 20 minutes, including most of crunch time in a backcourt tandem with Rondo, as the Celtics came back from well behind against the Nets' starters. At one point, Lester Pester filled a lane and took a nice pass from Rondo for a key fast break layup.

And Giddens was like a buzz saw throughout 33 minutes of action, scoring seven points, playing excellent defense, grabbing every loose ball in sight, and grabbing 13 rebounds, as both he and Hudson experienced what it's like to hang tough with the semi-big-boys and win a close one.

Doc proved that coaching in the preseason involves far more than just trotting out players to share minutes. What he's been doing, in the absence of games that count, has been to challenge individuals to surmount "the wall" of fatigue and persevere in clutch situations. And, one after another, KG, Perk, Pierce, Ray, Quis, Sheed, Eddie, Rondo, Baby, the Kiddie Korps of Hudson and Giddens, and even Hey Hey Hey Sweetney (who didn't play in this one) have come through in pressure-packed situations.

Only Sheldon Williams (despite one great putback dunk in the first game) and the chronically injured Tony Allen have failed to show much of anything during some portion of the relatively sporadic minutes they've been given. (Poor Walker won't be game-ready for quite a while.) Williams just has no semblance of a clue on offense, although "Sherwin" does possess some barely discernible paint potential and board strengths. Tony was literally an untamed but toothless tiger in his single game two stint.

With half the exhibition games under their belts and Toronto scheduled tonight, 11 of the interchangeable parts have passed stiff tests. What remains is for (1) the machinery to continue gaining collective momentum, with the big wheels and the steadfast pistons merging as a unified force and (2) the Hudson-Giddens-Williams-Sweetney impasse to be resolved. The latter could make a loser of Walker (or even Tony); but, whatever happens, it will involve the team's operating from a position of strength.

This is truly getting exciting.

Sam

Post-game Thread: Exhibition vs. Nets 10/11/09

2009-10-11T18:13:00.002-04:00

No ratings today. I'm shelving that due to lack of participation but may reinstitute it on a modified basis come the regular season.

Well, the Celtics beat the Nets in Boston, 100-93. Don't let any idiot trolls tell you it was inferior competition. Doc played his starters a total of 126 minutes. The Nets starters played a total of 142 minutes, including most of the 4th quarter against the Celtics' bench. Lopez is a big-league offensive center, who burned Perk a number of times.

In some ways, this was the most revealing game of the preseason to date. Doc went with the most likely 10-man rotation for the vast majority of the game and then turned it over the a combination of Eddie, Hudson, Sweetney, Quis and Davis at the end.

Some observations:

• KG again played 21 minutes: 9 in the 1st quarter, 4 in the second quarter, 8 in the third quarter. Even at the end of his stint, although obviously tired, he was running in front of the pack (albeit a slow-moving pack); and his jumper was deadly as he shot 6 for 8. Purely for the adrenalin his play gave the team, he would be my co-favorite for the game MVP.

• Marquis Daniels played his normal all-around game, scoring on runners, a breakaway, a patented floater; playing very smart defense, including a great block from behind; and being a guiding hand twice as the bench pulled away from the Nets in the second quarter and held on to win against the Nets' starters at the end. For that performance, he's also my co-favorite for the game MVP.

• But wait, there's more. Eddie House is my third co-favorite for MVP by dint of his timely sharp-shooting (13 points) and surprisingly good interior passing (three assists).

• Paul Pierce makes it an MVP quartet with his 25 points in 28 minutes, including two three-pointers that made it look easy.

• My MVU (most valuable unit) was definitely the bench. These guys had by far a better +/- than the starters, and much of that +/- was achieved against the Nets' starters in the clutch. I LOVE killer instinct; and, except for a little disorganized glitch at the end, the bench really exhibited it.

• Baby said after the game that his role has changed, with the advent of Sheed, to less of a jump-shooter and more of a power player. He is taking it to the hole like a bull, so far being fouled more than scoring field goals.

• You can read the box score and see that the Celts shot well (.45% FG, 84% FT, 39% 3-PT). I'd like to focus on some stats I calculate that can sometimes be revealing:

   √ "Offensive chemistry" (assists as a % of made field goals) was okay at 55%. (Anything more than 50% is good, but the Celtics seem to perform best at 60% or more; it was 42% in Game 1 and 61% in Game 2.)

   √ "Defensive alertness" (ratio of the sum of steals and blocks to personal fouls they commit) was 1:1.9—an improvement over Game 1 (1 to 2.2) and Game 2 (1 to 2.3). (The lower the second figure in the ratio, the better.)

   √ "Offensive rebound efficiency" (number of offensive rebounds divided by the number of rebounds available on the offensive boards) was only 12% (only two-thirds as high as in both of the previous games).

   √ "Defensive rebound efficiency" (number of defensive rebounds divided by the number of rebounds available on the defensive boards) was a very high 83%. In other words, they did a good job of keeping the Nets off the offensive boards, although Lopez got a few.

So, if I had to pinpoint what stood out as the principal difference-makers in this game, it would be (1) the Celtics' defensive alertness, which was strong among both the starters (1 to 1.8) and the bench (1 to 2. 0) and (2) defensive rebounding efficiency. If I were to identify a key need for improvement (based on this one game), it would be offensive rebounding.

If there's one player who has yet to hit his stride, despite occasional flashes of both offensive and defensive sparks, it would have to be Rondo. He went 3-9 from the field (finally hitting one jumper) and a promising 2-2 from the line, with 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 4 turnovers in 26 minutes. So far this preseason, he's shooting 35% from the field and a very acceptable 70% from the line; and he's averaging 3.0 assists, 1.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 3.3 turnovers in 21.3 minutes. Not terrible, but not reflective of the reliable catalyst they need him to be. He did seem to become inspired at certain points in this game (including an emphatic dunk), so we'll hope for the best.

All-in-all, it was a good outing and further indication of the emergence of the second unit as a decisive factor.

Sam

Some Important Questions

2009-10-11T11:28:00.000-04:00

While waiting around for tonight's game with the Nets, I have some questions for you, and I sincerely hope you'll ALL answer, regardless of how you feel. It's no secret that I've been closely monitoring activity on this blog, with an eye toward determining (1) how to improve it and (2) whether it's a worthwhile long-term venture.

So far, the positive things seem to be the civil atmosphere (which is definitely enforceable) and the number of people who have looked at the site (nearly 4,000 "views" in nearly three weeks). The less positive thing is that relatively few of the 4,000 views have resulted in ongoing contributors.

The 20-or-so who have signed up are MUCH appreciated and, frankly, represent a major chunk of the cream of the posting crop as far as I'm concerned. But, even if a few more come on board with the start of the season, it's unfair to expect a group of two dozen or even three dozen people to provide the ongoing flow of communication that keeps a site lively, interesting, and (hopefully in the long run) compelling.

I'm already sensing a leveling off in energy on the site. Yes, I understand that the start of the season will provide a boost. But I've received good advice from some of you that has helped me to realize that the nature of a blog creates a sort of "Robin Hood and His Merry Men" structure that is limiting. Fun in some ways, but limiting.

I started the blog by posting some of my own thoughts and inviting others to respond. Which you did...and in very interesting ways. And you know I'm never going to be bashful about expressing my thoughts, whatever the format. But frankly, I miss the message board format, which enables me to respond to thoughts that others initiate as well as vice versa. I've tried to replicate it via "Omnibus" threads, but it's unwieldy. And only the most recent thread is very visible, as the others get buried.

All of which leads me to one conclusion. Either I need to continue the blog pretty much as is and accept the blog's limitations; or I need to shift to a message board format. Frankly, I'm leaning toward the message board idea, but not without some reservations and some questions that you can help me answer. (I've already got a trial message board up-and-running, but I'm not yet giving out the URL because I'm not sure whether it will ever see the light of day, and I'm experimenting and familiarizing myself with it. And, by the way, that board does facilitate easy banning by IP number and seems to offer most of the features provided by Boston.com.)

My first and most obvious reservation is that starting my own message board would put me in direct competition with Boston.com...the very thing you know I've studiously been avoiding. I've been a part of the Boston.com board for many years now and have tried to support that board unwaveringly. Frankly, I'd feel like a bit of a traitor by leaving (although I have told them privately for some time that it could be a possibility). Legally, I guess there would be nothing to keep me from continuing to post there too, but I'd feel like a cross between a hypocrite and someone with a severe conflict of interest. So it would probably be a matter of my cutting the cord completely.

My second reservation is the amount of time it would take me to market, administer, and moderate a message board that I hope would attract a large number of posters over time. At present, I can handle the blog plus running my small company and fulfilling personal obligations. At this stage of my life, I don't depend on the company for very much, but running a message board the "right" way would definitely compromise my attention to the company to some extent—even if I had volunteer help with the moderation (which wouldn't necessarily be as smooth as it might sound because of the necessity of ensuring consistency in the moderating).

My third reservation relates to the fact that the blog service I'm using not only makes it possible for me to run advertising but also provides the advertising. And I know of no message board service that makes it possible to advertise, to say nothing of providing the advertising. (I would not be prepared to schlep around looking for sponsors.) Besides, with around 4,000 "hits" on the blog so far, I've made a grand total of $1.84 on the advertising. (Advertising revenue depends mainly on how many people click on the ads, not how many view the site.) So advertising is VASTLY overrated as a potential ource of revenue to defray expenses or substitute for income from my company.

My assumption is that, if I started a message board, most people who visit it would also stay on Boston.com, which would be fine. (I'd prefer to be able to do it myself, although I wouldn't.) I'm confident enough in being able to provide and encourage the types of content and support that would make Sam's Message Board a worthy venture.

So here are my questions, and I hope you'll be brutally frank in answering them:

1. Do you think a message board would offer YOU sufficiently more than the blog for me to go to the time and effort to establish a message board?

2. Do you think the main reason to consider joining a Sam's Miessage Board would be enhanced civility, or could you envision other ways in which it might be superior to Boston.com? (And, if the latter, can you explain how?)

3. If I started a message board, would you be confident enough in its potential to take a chance and pay $25 for the first year (via Paypal) to join? (The plan would be to charge $25 per year, subject to change with inflation. Note that I'm not considering any revenue alternative such as advertising for the reasons stated above. It's either charge $25 per member per year or forget it.)

If I'm going to go the message board route, I'd like to do so as early as possible in the the new season; so I'll appreciate your inputs as soon as it's convenient.

By the way, a one-month's free trial is a possibility I've already considered. My concerns are that (1) the message board would be in its fledgling stage during that first month, so it wouldn't be fairly representative of the value that the message board could represent over time; and (2) I'd have to investigate resources for helping me keep track of when to start billing a given user for continuing beyond the month.

Thanks for reading through all of this. I hope it'll be the last lengthy non-basketball post.

And thanks in advance for your help.

Sam

Post-game Thread: 10/10/09 (Knicks Exhib.): KellyGreen Guest Host

2009-10-10T01:29:00.002-04:00

KellyGreen was at the Knicks game and has kindly agreed to guest-host this post-game thread. Welcome Kelly. This thread is for discussion of the game only. If anyone wants to submit an MVP vote for the game and provide ratings for the Celtics' performance in 11 key categories, please go to the "VOTE ON CELTICS PERFORMANCE VS. KNICKS 10/10/09" thread.

Now, without further ado, heeeeeeere's KellyGreen!

*******

I missed most of the first quarter due to the ridiculous traffic heading into Boston. Luckily I recorded the game and am watching it now. I have to say there wasn't much action to report in this game, but a few observations:

KG seemed to tweak his leg a bit after an awkward stumble after being fouled in the 2nd (?) quarter. I watched him closely after that, and while he still hit a few shots, he seemed tentative on defense. It seems to me that he's sagging off his opponent more than I've seen in the past and isn't as quick to recover if his opponent gets around him. Of course he's still recovering from his surgery, and it is pre-season, but it's something I'm going to watch in future games.

Big Baby really looks good. When I saw him during the first pre-season game, I didn't notice a huge difference. Of course I wasn't watching it in HD so that could be part of it! But seeing him live really showed how toned he is now. During the first pre-season game he made a nice spin move under the hoop and his foot speed was very much improved from last year. On a lighter note, I enjoyed watching Baby and Ray's mini dance session during a time out! The mood on the bench seemed loose and relaxed through out most of the game. There really weren't too many high's or lows in this game.

Hudson made some really nice passes tonight, and probably should have had at least a few more assists than he ended up with due to players missing lay-ups and wide open jumpers. He did a decent job of staying with his man on defense. Nothing to write home about, but probably enough to keep him in that 15th spot. They pretty much used a committee approach to the PG spot tonight. I saw 6 players bring the ball up the court tonight: Rondo, Ray, Paul, Quis, Eddie, and Hudson. That could mean that Hudson will see a lot of the D-League this season, as 5 players capable of PG duty is plenty, in my opinion.

Well I'm sure you don't want to read a novel, so that's about all that was note worthy. Feel free to edit/paraphrase, or just not post any of this at all! I'll try to catch up with the blog when I get back from vacation.

(I happened to be sitting behind the parents of Bryan Doo, one of the C's training staff. He came to say hello to his folks before the start of the second half. He's much smaller in person than he is on TV!)

Kelly

VOTE ON CELTICS PERFORMANCE VS. KNICKS 10/10/09

2009-10-10T01:29:00.000-04:00

This thread is solely for casting your vote on our Celtics' "performance scorecard" vs. the Knicks. To make COMMENTS on the game, please go to the thread entitled: Post-game Thread:10/10/09 (Knicks Exhib.) KellyGreen Guest Host."

Shown below is a "ballot" that you can copy, paste into the "Comment" box, and use for a voting template:

                         BALLOT

First, your game MVP (Celtic or other)............

Last, rate the Celtics' performance on each of the factors shown below. For each factor, assign any rating from 0 = awful to 10 = perfect. (If you don't want to rate a given factor, just leave it blank.

The rating scale is further explained here.)
                                                                             Very
Awful --Poor--   ---Fair---    Avg.   Above avg   Good   Good   Perfect
F    D D+    C Minus      C      C+    B-      B        B+       A
_________________________________________________
0    1   2      3 4       5        6     7        8    9         10
These are the ratings you should use for voting

_________________________________________________



RATE THESE FACTORS:

Overall Celtics performance........................
A   Offense/plays/shooting/spacing/timing..
B   Defense/strategy/stops/disruption,.........
C   Rebounding/blocking out.......................
D   Passing/ball distribution/outletting........
E   Ballhandling/ball control.......................
F   Intensity/hustle/first to the ball...............
G   Chemistry/fluidity/teamwork.................
H   Tempo/control of the pace.....................
I    Killer instinct/clutch performance..........
J    Coaching/substitutions/timeouts............

CLICK BUTTON TO PUBLISH POST.

Omnibus Thread for Friday, October 9, 2009

2009-10-09T02:22:00.000-04:00

Don't forget that, after tonight's Knicks game, tomorrow's post-game discussion thread will be guest-hosted by KellyGreen, who will have been at the game. Meanwhile, here's a new thread for anyone to use to post about any topic that's Celtics-related. I also continue to welcome ideas about how to make this site more appealing and user-friendly for everybody. So go to it, with the only rule being one of civility.

Thanks,

Sam

Guest Post from Beat (of "BeatLA" Fame)

2009-10-08T15:20:00.000-04:00

Beat has requested the opportunity to start a thread with his own post. (This possibility is available to all.) So, without further ado, here it is:

*********

I've asked Sam for the opportunity of posting this here, as he realizes it's an honest attempt at being constructive and he assures me it will not be deleted.

Many of us (obviously including Sam and myself) have a longstanding affection for the Boston.com Celtics Message Board. It has become a way of life and a source of great camaraderie. And, as things have become increasingly contentious for one reason or another, we've felt it was worth the effort to wrestle with how to deal with the situation. A lot of that has involved trial and error, and I've had my share of both.

Sam's site will fill a niche for what he describes as "in-depth conversation" on post-game threads and numerous issues relating to the Celtics. And it's a refreshing haven from contentiousness and lack of civility. But, at least for me, it's also important to keep being able to access the rapid fire, multiple thread benefits of the Boston.com site. And to share thoughts about how to do that with other people. So this post is meant as a sort of word to the wise about the sensitive nature of the Boston.com situation.

I was recently banned again. When I inquired about the reason, I received the following reply:

"Thank you for writing to Boston.com. Your posting privileges were suspended because you violated our policy by making the following comment, which is a personal attack on another user:
"Another reason for the ignore button......champishere. Should be......champhasnoclue. Beat"

I did make the statement, but I nearly fell out of my chair from laughing so hard. With the name calling that takes place on BDC, I had apparently been suspended for making a parody of a troll's name.

I responded to BDC "Dottie" and explained that yes I did commit the alleged infraction and that they were being a bit over the top this time. I suggested that they receive a bit of sensitivity training. I explained that putting up with the constant attacks from the trolls was taking a toll on many good regular posters who were the backbone of the forum and were being treated like second class citizens. Finally I requested that my suspension be reviewed and lifted. A very short time later I received this response:

Hello: Your posting privileges have been restored. If you see something that you believe violates our posting rules, you can report it directly to the moderators by clicking the "report abuse" link, instead of risking your own posting privileges by responding with abusive material.

So I'm back in circulation on BDC. My reason for posting this is not to slam BCD. I just want to make sure everyone who posts on BDC knows how careful we should all be on that site, especially in saying something we feel is humorous but which would be even loosely interpreted as insulting. You'll save yourself lots of trouble if you just avoid the humor or maybe throw a lot of LOLs in there.

Beat

Post-game Thread: Exhibition vs. Houston.....Oct. 7, 2009

2009-10-07T23:29:00.011-04:00

Okay, here's your opportunity to offer your feedback on the game. If you want to participate in our ongoing MVP and rating scorecard, please do so at the beginning of your post. Then, provide any comments you wish. Feel free to copy the following as a "voting template" to complete and paste in the "comment" box. Just type each answer or rating at the end of the "............" (Don't worry that it looks squished when you cram it into that box. As long as you don't try to reformat it, I think it will reformat automatically when it appears on the thread.)

If you just want to comment without voting, simply type in the comment box as usual.

Thanks,

Sam
________________________________________________________

Your game MVP (Celtic or other)............

Rate the Celtics' performance on each of these factors...any rating from 0 = awful to 10 = perfect. (If you don't want to rate a given factor, just leave it blank. Rating scale clarified below.)

                                                                             Very
Awful --Poor--   ---Fair---    Avg.   Above avg   Good   Good   Perfect

F    D D+    C Minus      C      C+    B-      B        B+       A

0    1   2      3 4       5        6     7        8    9         10
                              (These are the ratings)

YOUR RATINGS (0 TO 10):
Overall Celtics performance.......................
A   Offense/plays/shooting/spacing/timing..
B   Defense/strategy/stops/disruption,.........
C   Rebounding/blocking out.......................
D   Passing/ball distribution/outletting........
E   Ballhandling/ball control.......................
F   Intensity/hustle/first to the ball...............
G   Chemistry/fluidity/teamwork.................
H   Tempo/control of the pace.....................
I    Killer instinct/clutch performance..........
J    Coaching/substitutions/timeouts............
___________________________________________________________
Your comments here:

EDITING YOUR POSTS

2009-10-07T15:35:00.000-04:00

There's no neat function for editing your posts. But I suggest the following makeshift approach:

1. Copy your post (with the error or errors in it).

2. Delete the post by clicking on the little trashcan at the bottom and following the instructions.

3. Re-paste your post (with the error or errors in it).

4. Correct the error or errors.

5. Publish the post. The version with the error(s) will be gone, and the replacement will appear.

Sam

New Feature: Omnibus Thread For October 6-7, 2009

2009-10-06T19:46:00.006-04:00

So far, a lot of the threads on this blog have followed a pattern of my delivering some thoughts and your commenting on them. Frankly, that makes me uncomfortable. I realize a blog, unlike a message board, tends to be centered around the original blogger. And it's true that I appreciate having control of the "civility factor."

The fact is that the structure of the blog makes me the only member allowed to initiate threads. But that doesn't mean I have to initiate the topics on those threads. So, every day, I'm going to post a new "Omnibus Thread," which will remain completely blank unless you fill it up with whatever CELTICS-RELATED (for the most part) topics you wish to talk about. I'll moderate it. I'll still feel free to chime in. And, from time to time, I'll initiate threads of my own.

But my goal is to make this as close to a message board as it can be without actually being a message board. That means democracy in action. So please accept this as the first Omnibus Blog of Sam's Boston Celtics Fan Site (which will cover Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 6 and 7). Please go to it and talk. Change the subject; there's no such thing as "off topic," as long as you debate civilly and remember that this is, first and foremost, a CELTICS blog.

Have a good time.

Sam
_______________________________________________

Post-game Threads and an Ongoing "Celtics Evaluation Scorecard"

2009-10-06T13:41:00.030-04:00

It's my intention to start a post-game thread after each game, so that we may discuss the game, our observations, some broader implications for the Celtics, etc. I will NOT start this thread until after the game because I don't want to impose on the always-entertaining "Game-on Thread" of Boston.com (which I hope to join as often as possible).

I don't want this thread to be a lot of Sam's opinions, so I just plan to make the thread available; and I hope you'll comment on your thoughts about the game. I'll chime in as appropriate. If there's a lull, I may try to get things going with a few remarks.

There is one part of this thread that I'm tentatively hoping to make a constant for every game...a vote for the game MVP and your ratings (from 0, meaning awful, through a perfect 10) on each of the following facets of the game:
                                                                             Very
Awful --Poor--   ---Fair---    Avg.   Above avg   Good   Good   Perfect
F    D D+    C Minus      C      C+    B-      B        B+       A
0    1   2      3 4       5        6     7        8    9         10

A   Offense
B   Defense
C   Rebounding
D   Coaching
E   Intensity
F   Chemistry
G   Passing
H   Ball-handling/ball control
I    Tempo/control of the pace
J    Killer instinct/performance in the clutch

I hope to keep track of your ratings over time so we can look for trends as the season progresses. I'll even strain my Excel skills to try to maintain breakouts of the data according to:

Home games
Away games
Games against .500+ teams
Games against Eastern Conference teams
Games against Western Conference teams

And, of course, a running tabulation of the MVP selections

If you're going to provide ratings, please put them at the beginning of your post. Then feel free to make any comments you wish—either beside the ratings or following the list of ratings.

To make it quicker for you to give your ratings, I'll just ask you to use the following format (without typing out all the ratings categories). Remember, these are NOT rankings (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.). They're RATINGS (from awful to perfect in each category. A rating of zero means awful; a rating of 10 means perfect. Or use any rating between zero and 10.    (The ratings in the example below are hypothetical of course.)

MVP: KG
A 10
B 5
C    7
D    4
E    9
F    7
G   4
H   0
I    7
J 8

If you want to make comments, they go here OR beside the ratings (your choice).

Simple as that.

Let's see how it works. If it's a bomb, I'll scuttle the idea. And, if anyone can think of other ratings categories that should be added, we can do so as we go along.

Thanks, and I'll start the first post-game thread after Wednesday's game against Houston. GO CELTS.

Sam

INSTRUCTIONS FOR JOINING/POSTING ON SAM'S BOSTON CELTIC FAN'S SITE

2009-10-06T10:33:00.004-04:00

WELCOME!

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Best regards, and GO CELTICS!

Sam

Monday, October 5

2009-10-05T09:19:00.006-04:00

Nice to return to a full computer screen and, most important of all, keys that fit my fingers (after several days with the BlackBerry). For those who are interested, it was a great trip. My daughter and her boyfriend were surprised (shocked in fact), but they insisted on spending about half their short time with me, and we had a blast! Stayed out so late that the time change never became a problem.

Anyway, they reran that Celtics Training tv special so many times that I got to see most of it. Very interesting; very encouraging, although I thought the scrimmages looked sort of helter skelter (I guess to be expected; I'm not sure when it was filmed). The thing that most impressed me was their togetherness of purpose.

In contrast, I read the following squib by Mark Murphy in the Oct. 4 Boston Herald:
(Quote)
An accomplished big man coach may be back on the market now that young Lakers center Andrew Bynum has apparently decided there’s not much else he needs to learn from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Hall of Famer told the Los Angeles Daily News last week that his young protege, who has made marked progress under his wing over the last two years, has apparently out-grown the partnership. “I think there are things that have to do with basketball that he could learn, but he’s getting on in years,” Abdul-Jabbar said. Replied Bynum: “As long as he is helping me everything is going to be fine.”
The rift appears to have been caused by Bynum’s decision to spend his summer traveling through Europe - and, in Jabbar’s view, at the expense of working on his game. He also stayed out of touch with Jabbar. “He’s got to figure it out,” said the former Laker great, who added that he is still there for Bynum.
(End Quote)

So apparently a new era of self-proclaimed greatness has dawned in L.A., and we can now call Kareem "Mr. Irrelevant." I wonder what would happen if Russ were hired to work with Perk. Different story, I know, because of the valued presence of Clifford Ray. But somehow I would envision a radically different scenario. Just another testament to the transcendent greatness of the Celtics tradition that many people simply don't have a prayer of understanding.

*****

Interesting that, at the same time, Doc was talking about the importance of recapturing the Celtics' spirit of Ubunto, which may have taken a hit last season. I'm not certain he was pointing to any single player (I know people have been wondering about Rondo), but he clearly indicated that young guys, in particular, can have a tendency to go off in different directions when severe adversity hits. (He mentioned contracts, so I assume that at least Baby was included as well).

So, when one gets right down to it, Doc may really have been talking (at least between the lines) about the importance of team leadership in difficult times. I guess there are different types of leaders. There is the "Get on my back boys" type—Pierce, Max, etc. And there is the "It all flows from the team" type—KG, Russ, etc. (I wanted to include Larry in one of these, but he may have been an exceptional combination of both. Havlicek too.)

Moreover, notwithstanding all we hear about "locker room presence," leadership is probably a whole lot more effective when exerted by example on the floor than when wearing a suit in the locker room. I expect that KG realized he was not cut out to be a sideline cheerleader, which is probably why he stayed in the locker room so often. I doubt it mattered either way. They really needed him driving them on the floor.

*****

Now that the preseason games are about to start on Wednesday, I assume today will be their last in Newport. I'd be interested to hear people's impressions of what kind of camp it has been and what the implications may be for the season.

*****

This site was initiated (in part) to facilitate a civil "post game" discussion of each game. I have no desire to intrude on the Boston.com "game-on" thread and hope to participate myself (although that site just seems to become more and more contentious). But, since a blog like this, by definition, has one "poster" and (hopefully) a lot of "commenters," here's how I suggest we do it.

Toward the end of each game, I'll start a post called "Reflections on Game of (DATE)." That post will be an open opportunity for civil discussion of the game. Just comment and comment and comment to your hearts' content. If no comments are forthcoming after the game (and assuming I'm not slumped over a table in some bar), I'll chip in with some observations of my own.

And, if anyone has suggestions of related features we could consider on an ongoing basis, please let me know. Voting for the game's MVP? (There's no "polling" feature on this site, so it would have to be done via comments.) Maybe a report card for the team on a number of dimensions of the game? (If so, what dimensions would you suggest? Something as simple as offense/rebounding/boards/coaching or something more in-depth to include more subtle things like chemistry, intensity, passing, ball-control, etc.? My goal is for the blog to be a democratic venture, so that all can have inputs not only as to content but also as to format. We can consider the "Reflections..." a work in progress over time. SUGGESTIONS ARE ALWAYS MOST WELCOME ON ANY MATTER.

*****

And, finally, I'm sorry about the no-edit limitation. I can edit my posts, which are a different category from comments. If you had the ability to delete your comments, you could just "cut" your comment, then delete it, then change it, then re-"paste" it. But I gather that's not available to you. There isn't even a spellcheck feature (apparently there used to be one). So all I can suggest for the moment is (1) proof what you've written—a hassle, I know—or (2) exercise mutual patience and understanding when it comes to typos. And, to Bob H., typing "not" for "now" is my most frequent error and causes me no end of embarrassment by often completely reversing what I'm trying to say. So I feel your pain.

Best regards and GO CELTICS,

Sam

A Case for J.R. Giddens 10/1/09

2009-10-01T07:53:00.001-04:00

First, I need to mention that I'll be away and without computer access until late Sunday evening. I hope you'll continue to use the blog to make comments during that time. Please don't be afraid to stray off-topic on any thread; it's definitely NOT a problem on this blog. If you encounter any comments by taunting interlopers, please do NOT respond. Leave me the pleasure of zapping them mercilessly upon my return. (It's so rewarding.) I will be monitoring the blog on my BlackBerry, but I can't "zap" with the BlackBerry, and my blog comments will be limited by oversized fingers trying to adapt to a tiny keyboard.

*****

The quest for the best record requires intense, unremitting focus by the coach. Doc has never been the type to relax the winning quest; and contending for the best record and championships has only reinforced that trait. It SOUNDS good to advocate playing young guys in December to rest older guys for the stretch run. But Doc knows that one dismal five-minute stretch in December, due to inexperience, could lose a game that would cost them the best record at the end of the season.

During the past two seasons, he has steadfastly insisted that young guys prove in practice that they were ready to be tested in prime time. He has not compromised a winning mentality. He obviously feels that, when a game is still on the line, it's not a time for the floor to become an experimental laboratory except at garbage time. Yes, there have been times when his hand has been forced by injuries and certain young guys (Gomes, Baby) have performed well when thrown to the wolves. But who can say they would have done as well if Doc hadn't held them back for seasoning as long as he did?

This guy knows what he is doing, and he has become a championship-level coach as a result. He's got a squad that's at least 11-strong with veterans, and that's no accident. He has confidence in veterans, and veterans do win championships.

BUT this season could be different. Despite the plethora of veterans on the team, the veteran depth is strongest in the so-called "power positions." Consequently there could be some wiggle room for J.R. Giddens to earn "prime time" minutes more quickly than some of his predecessors. With Tony a question mark (although he unexpectedly did go through the entire practice yesterday) and Walker out (at least for now), and with no open roster slots, the Celtics are thin at the backup SF, SG and PG positions.

Scal, Daniels and Eddie currently are the only veteran candidates to fill these three needs, and Scal (against the more agile SF) and Eddie (against the taller SG) have their limitations in terms of the types of opponents against whom they match up reasonably well. Yes, Doc can always extend the minutes of Pierce, Ray or Rondo to include some stints with the bench. In terms of endurance, Rondo might be a reasonable possibility, but we've seen what can happen if Paul and Ray are over-used. And Rondo would create a small trio in the shooting and point positions (most likely with Daniels and Eddie).

If Tony does not wind up in game shape (and possibly even if he does), there is potentially a golden opportunity for Giddens to provide a taller alternative to Eddie at SG. The second unit has already shocked doc in terms of rapidly developing chemistry. The situation could be nearly ideal for J.R. to experience rapid growth at backup SG within a veteran "womb." He wouldn't have to be the primary rebounder, the primary shooter, the primary floor general, the primary floor spacer, the primary slasher. He could seek his own "role level" in complementing the others on the floor...perhaps concentrating on the defensive end at first.

It will be interesting to track Tony's hopeful progress while ascertaining whether J.R. can hop on the fast track and become an exception to Doc's policies of the past.

And, by the way, the news on KG continues to very positive, as he went full-speed through yesterday's two-hour practice (although he described himself as "80%-85%" afterwards. He even survived a kick in the bad leg, shook it off, and returned to action. Apparently, martial arts are helping Baby gain muscle strength. Rondo was described by KG as "sharp." And Eddie missed something like one shot in practice. Maybe they're just keeping the bad stuff from us, but it all sounds good so far.

See you in a few days.

Best regards,

Sam

After Preseason Day One: 9/29/09

2009-09-30T09:03:00.007-04:00

After the first day of official action at training camp, here's a combination of excerpts from news reports and a few of my own thoughts for your consideration and response:

• KG participated in about three-quarters of the drills the first day and was pretty tired afterwards. He seemed upbeat and went full-speed when he was in there, and he vigorously resisted when Doc took him out.

• Doc revealed that every player would miss an exhibition game or two and that KG's time would probably be limited throughout the exhibition season. Strictly as a precaution. I believe this is a luxury Doc has because of the depth of the team.

• Doc divided the team into three units for the first practice, and he spoke as though the two-unit system would be a given this season. "I want the second unit to have their own identity," he said. He indicated that the play of the second unit stuck out and that he's looking to that group to increase the lead when they're in games. And KG made a point of mentioning that playing against the second unit was like playing against many starting teams. Shades of the 60s. The second unit beat the first unit a couple of times, as the starters may have been a bit challenged to readjust to having KG back.

• Doc was also "pleased with how little the second unit needed to be corrected." He said, "Last year we sent half our practices starting and stopping and we had very few of those with the second unit (today), and that's huge for us." And apparently the IQ of the second unit is considered way up there!

• It's looking like the starting unit will contain no surprises: Perk, KG, Pierce, Ray, Rondo. With KG probably playing short minutes, at least early in the season, Baby will get minutes with the starters.

• The second unit (in the absence of Tony Allen, who did a few drills off to the side but did not participate in the practice) consisted of Sheed, Williams, Scal, Daniels and Eddie.

• When Baby wasn't filling in for KG, he usually spelled Williams (sometimes Scal) on the second team. It's beginning to look as though, in the absence of Tony Allen, Scal may be one option to sub for Pierce while Daniels plays guard. It won't shock me if another option is for Rondo to see minutes with the bench, as they go small with Eddie at SG and Daniels at SF. It's not difficult to envision two options:

Against larger, slower benches: Sheed, Baby, Scal, Daniels, Eddie

Against smaller, faster benches: Sheed, Baby, Daniels, Eddie, Rondo

• Doc said Daniels and Eddie "have already figured out the rhythm of whoever has the ball, that's the point guard in our offense." So it looks a bit like PG by committee for the second unit.

• On most teams (including the Lakers), the starters tend to be the game-changers and the bench represents the placeholders. When the Celtics play the "elite" opponents, the situation could be reversed. It could be that starters will be more likely to maintain pace with their enemy counterparts while the Celtics bench decisively outplays the opposition bench.

• The third team consisted of Williams, Sweetney, Walker, Giddens and Hudson.

• For those (including myself) who have been expecting that the addition of Daniels might lead to more fast-breaking, it's noteworthy that KG made the following comment about him: "He has that herky-jerky slow game like Paul Pierce." The comment was made enthusiastically as an indication of how much 'Quis will help the bench. But maybe we need to temper expectations about an upgraded transition game until we see some game action.

Best regards,

Sam

Blog Update

2009-09-29T19:16:00.002-04:00

Just a quick note to thank everyone for your support on this blog. While the posting and comments so far has been limited to nine quality people and one now-banned anonymous taunter, the blog has attracted 1,200 "views" so far. So people are looking in; and hopefully, increasing numbers will be motivated to post as the teams springs into action.

And today, the blog experienced its first click on an ad. Whoa, the earnings just soared! With a little luck, my total "take" may soon be a buck. LOL.

Many thanks, and any suggestions for improvement will be appreciated. If anyone wants to communicate with me without going on the blog, just send an email to: SlipSamCelt@aol.com. I'd love to find some ways to encourage some of those "viewers, non-commenters" to participate in the discussions.

Sam

Preseason: Early Insights 9/29/09

2009-09-29T11:45:00.000-04:00

Finally! Finally! Preseason is upon us! This is the time when Celtics fans hungrily devour early tidbits from training camp, do some reading between the lines, and err in the direction of optimism when possible. Let's look at a few tidbits, mixed with a little conjecture that I hope will stimulate some conversation.

• KG has participated in a 5-on-5 pickup game. It sounds as though they nearly had to pick him up afterwards, but he fought through the rust and competed. When asked about his program, Kevin joins Danny and Doc in sounding cautious...and that's not a word we're used to associating with him. But it's a smart word...and it also reflects a growing confidence in the team's depth...a feeling that seems to be pervading everyone in camp.

• Sheed and Perk, never friends when they were opponents, have both gone out of the way to praise one another. Sheed's personal jury is still out on Perk's role with the team, but Sheed says, "Hanging out with him, and the locker room talk, "Perk's cool." Perk's more effusive about Sheed's playing abilities: "I like playing with Rasheed. Great passer. Obviously we know he can shoot. He's got great post moves. Great defender...and he's a great guy in the locker room." (Will they bond and become known as the "Tech Tandem?" Stay tuned.)

• Nice article on Scal by Jeff Clark (who?). He details how Scal was essentially a misfit for his first few years with the team. He was acquired to be a role player, not a go-to player, and to add experience and maturity to the team. But, as Clark says, "Whatever maturity he brought to the locker room was far outweighed by the strong personalities on that team." Then, "on a team of early-twenty somethings, Scalabrine was once again a bad fit." As I've maintained for a long time, Clark suggests Scal is meant to make good teams better, and the Celtics finally became good enough for him to do exactly that as both a backup role player and an emergency starter.

• Not to belabor the Scal thing, because he won't be part of the team's core, but Clark rather eloquently summarizes the essence of this guy: "Do you want him to be a valuable backup forward? He can back up Pierce and also give us added depth at power forward. Do you want him to step aside and give more time to Bill Walker? Scal will happily tutor the young lad and wave a towel on the bench. Do you want to use his expiring contract to pick up a player at the trade deadline? Pair him with Tony Allen and you can swipe a $7M player away from a team hemorrhaging money (call it the Redhead Bailout Plan)...He's also the kind of guy I'd like to see get into coaching when his career is over." (Sam's comment: I've been saying that for two years.)

• They finally signed Hudson. (Wasn't tomorrow some sort of deadline for that?) That would seem to suggest they're somewhat reassured about (1) covering the PG situation and (2) the lack of need for another Perk backup or insurance for KG. (Or could it be precursor to a 2-for-1 trade?) They may also be liking the glimmers they're seeing from Hudson in the pickup games. This guy continues to impress me with his perspectives during interviews. He says, "Everybody has impressed me with how hard they compete. When we play pickup, we sometimes have one of our managers play because we don't have enough. Even then, guys are going after the manager like he's Paul or Ray or KG. There's no such thing as lackadaisical with these guys." And he continues, "I'm full of confidence, but sometimes I've been too passive. Playing with the Big Three and all these other guys you know you can just give them the ball and get out of the way, and something good will probably happen. But you have to stay aggressive, you have to make sure the defense plays you to make it easier for everybody else. And the guys all tell me when I'm too passive, when I should take a shot or make a play rather than just swing the ball." I love those statements. They reflect precisely the antithesis of what I saw in Pruitt, who always just swung the ball and virtually never advanced it. Hudson could easily wind up challenging Rondo as my favorite player; despite the fact that he's totally unproven. I just like everything about him...except a first name that somehow doesn't fit the impression of aggressiveness. This guy seriously needs a nickname!

• Just now comes the word (from Greg Dickerson) that Tony Allen may not be ready for preseason because he's still rehabbing from June 3rd surgery on a torn ankle tendon. This news could have more implications than a lot of people think. (1) I felt Tony was a legitimate contender for the backup SG spot, with the smaller Eddie House being a perimeter-shooting PG and "'Quis" (as KG calls him) functioning as a point forward; unconventional but interesting. (2) But, in order for this possibility to have a chance of coming to fruition, I felt it was imperative for some exploration of its efficacy to take place right from the start of training camp...not during the regular season, when the team will hopefully be well along in solidifying its combinations and rotations.

• And, on the lighter side, Glen Davis has been annointed by himself and his mates as the best dancer on the team. (KG claims to be second-best.) I don't know exactly how they judge such things, but apparently there are some spontaneous breakouts in the training room (which must be dominated by constant music). The worst dancers? Apparently Pierce, Ray and Scal. I don't care so much about the rankings, but it's great news that this team is already loose and bonding...before the exhibition season has even begun. It's so different from two years ago, when they were getting acquainted in Rome. I mean, even Lester Hudson weighed in on the "dancing controversy" with his support of Baby.

Best regards,

Sam

The Fallacy of Age...or A Myth Is as Good as a Mile

2009-09-28T00:23:00.000-04:00

I've had it up to here (use your imagination) with all the drivel about how old the Celtics are. Maybe I'm just super-sensitive to ageist comments for some strange reason, but I always take pleasure in debunking them.

I've used Basketball Reference to calculate the average age of the starters and key bench players for each championship team of the past 20 years. I've defined "starters" as the five players who started the most games for the team in question (according to Basketball Reference). I've defined the "bench" as the other players who compiled significant minutes. (There's almost always a noteworthy drop in minutes at some point in the roster list.)

• First, let's look at the current Celtics, with the Lakers as a point of comparison:

The five probable Celtics starters average 29.0 years of age vs. 28.8 for the Lakers.
The four most likely Celtics bench players average 29.3 years of age vs. 25.6 for the Lakers.

There's no significant difference among the starters for the two teams, despite all the bleating from the West Coast. And I'll HAPPILY accept the experience difference among the bench players. HAPPILY. Experience counts for a lot when a player has to come into the game cold and under pressure.

• How about comparisons over the past 20 seasons?

The average age of starters for the last 20 championship teams has been 29.1.
The average age of key bench players for the the last 20 championship teams has been 28.9.

So this year's Celtics are almost precisely average when it comes to ages of recent championship teams.

• If the Celtics win the championship this season, they will be the 12th youngest group of starters and the 12th youngest bench to do so in the past 20 years.

• I know a team that won the 1969 championship with a starting five averaging age 31.6 and a bench averaging 29.3. And they did it against a team that averaged 1.6 years younger among the starters and 1.8 years younger off the bench. (I don't know how old the balloons were.)

• I personally think the Celtics have great balance, with six of their signed players over age 30 and eight under age 30.

As usual, what the West Coast antagonists miss in their desperation to unsettle us are both a grasp of the facts and a sense of logic. I've presented some facts. As for the logic, the age at which a player might become a detriment rather than an experiential advantage (especially on a deep team that will spread the minutes) is beyond that of every single player on the Celtics roster. Yes, players can become more susceptible to injury with the passage of time; but that's probably little comfort to Andrew Bynum (and Tony Allen, for that matter). More experienced players know how to pace and take care of themselves; and the realization that they are not indestructible is no longer a new awakening for them.

Experienced players adapt more quickly to new situations Getting Sheed rather than some very young counterpart means the Celtics were trading longevity for more rapid integration. Experienced players have a "feel" for the game that enables them to lead, mentor and enable, without having to focus primaily on fitting in. I expect the presence of Sheed and Daniels will help make guys like Baby, Eddie, and maybe even Tony much better players; and the same could hold true for one or two of the really young guys, if and when they get a chance to play.

Any progress of young players can be very gradual (as we learned several years ago). Among more experienced players, the payoff is usually much more expedited and substantial.

I hate to fall back on my mantra, but the neophyte "pundits" always make the mistake of evaluating the worth of a player in a superficial vacuum. What he means to the TEAM is far more important than his age or his individual stats. And what the experienced Celtics players collectively represent is a giant step in the direction of major contention.

Please let me know if you have any ideas for subjects for us to discuss, along with the games of course.

Best regards,

Sam

Thanksgiving Should Come Early this Year

2009-09-26T12:12:00.000-04:00

Rosalie mentioned the unrest some people have about the possibility that KG's injury could be severe enough so that he'll never be able to regain enough of his form to lead the Celtics to another championship. It follows that those people would then ask, "Was it worth it to give up all those promising prospects for Ray and KG just for a one-and-done championship?"

Obviously, all good Celtics fans fervently wish KG the best and hope against hope that, sooner rather than later, he'll be back to full strength (or close enough to help propel the team to championship #18). And, with only a few days to go before we'll probably have more definitive answers about his situation, I almost hate to write about this topic for fear of jinxing him.

But, just for the heck of it, what if the worst happens? Let's not talk about injuries (the "jinx" factor); but let's assume that KG were suddenly called away to serve permanently as a missionary in the Australian Outback. (Forget the implications about retirement and salary cap room, etc.; it's my fantasy.) For one reason or another, assume he's now gone. Following are my Top Ten reasons for not panicking and for giving thanks that I'm a Celtics fan at this time:

1. We'd still be left with a contender. In fact, without adding a player, we'd still have 11 veterans available for 12 active roster slots (Perk, Paul, Rondo, Ray, Baby, Sheed, Eddie, Daniels, Williams, Tony, Scal), with at least two young guys (Giddens and Walker) busting their guts to get on that list and possibly another one (Hudson) knocking on the door.

2. Power forward is all of a sudden one of the deepest positions on the team, and Sheed, Baby, Williams and Scal would still be available to meet a need that Baby and Scal alone filled serviceably in last season's playoffs.

3. By not yet addressing the 15th roster spot, Danny has left himself the option of acquiring yet another player at the veteran's minimum. He could be a PG, but he could also be a big man if needed—obviously not a great one, but at least another body in case of foul trouble, etc. In fact, it could KG's unresolved situation, as much as PG questions, that has resulted in Danny's inaction to date.

4. Among Sheed, Baby, Williams, Scal, and possibly another guy, not one of them will provide the total package of ingredients represented by KG. But I'm not convinced that a team this deep and versatile will require as many of those ingredients from one man as the Celtics needed in the past.

5. Doc has proven to be pretty good at adapting the team's style of play to the capabilities of his roster...with the success of his rag tag lineups in the playoffs being an especially good indication. In the absence of KG, Doc and Thibs would be put to the "adaptation test." But it could just be that Baby and/or Williams (both of whom I believe face challenges in discovering their optimal roles with this season's Celts) will prove to be difference-makers in one area or another of the game. And one area of difference-making is all that's required of role players like them. (More to come on that topic in another post.)

6. I don't know about anyone else, but I wouldn't have traded the chance to be at the 2008 Rolling Rally for anything. That championship came out of left field, and I will forever be grateful for it.

7. I haven't seen anything from all those prospects who left Boston in the Ray and KG trades that would suggest the Celtics would be anywhere near the same shape with them on board rather than #20 and $5. Guys like Al Jefferson and Gomes are growing into very dependable NBA players, but I'm not sensing that they exert the kinds of leadership and "NBA savoire faire" exhibited by the Three Amigos.

8. Think of the non-championship benefits that have accrued as a result of the trade. The Celtics have returned to respectability. They have become an attractive destination for valuable additions to the team. Younger players such as Perk and Rondo have had an opportunity to mature within the "womb" of an experienced core. Paul Pierce not only hung around but also was re-energized to the point of being able to put the Celts on his back when required.

9. Aside from the impact of Ray and KG on the other players and the "product" on the court, Doc, Danny and ownership have formed a highly competent hierarchy funded on mutual respect, trust and enthusiasm. And the fan base has solidified and strengthened through the advent of "new blood."

10. Even if one forgets the Russell Years (which I know the fans of a certain Left Coast team, in their infinite and unending embarrassment, would dearly love to do), the Celtics have won 15% of all available championships from 1970 onward. They're not the leaders in that respect, but they're not the Chicago Cubs in terms of championship hiatus either. Heck, with 30 teams in the league, the purely mathematical "share" of championships should be 3% per team. So, even adjusting for the varying numbers of team in the league over the years, we Celtics fans have probably enjoyed upwards of five times as much championship fun as should theoretically be our "share." And, even in the 23 years since 1986, the Celtics have won 4% of the available championships. That's better than zero, and it's also better than 80% of the teams in the league have accomplished over that span.

So I hope for the most favorable possible outcome regarding KG's injury. Presumably he'll defer any Australian missionary work until he retires from the NBA due to old age. But, come what may, I'm very grateful to be a Celtics fan, and I'm prepared to support them through thick and thin...no matter what.

In fact, I'm so grateful that, just yesterday, I went out for a bite of pre-Thanksgiving turkey. But the sucker darted under some brush before I could catch it. Bah-da-bing!

Best regards,

Sam

Perspectives on Management Philosophies

2009-09-24T23:53:00.004-04:00

I am aware that some people have had difficulties in responding with their own comments. A few have been able to do so, but the appearance of their comments on the site has been a bit of a struggle. Please be aware that I'm making every effort to obtain a detailed procedure for you to make comments that will be displayed; and thanks for your indulgence. At least I've discovered that the way for people to access comments made by all of you is (1) at the end of each of my posts, it tells you how many comments there are; (2) if there is at least one comment, just click on the word "link" to reveal all the comments under that post (including my responses to comments).

While I'm trying to figure out the easiest way for you to make a comment on the blog, the makeup of the blog seems to make it easier for me to post; so I'll continue doing so...starting with the next paragraph. Those who have figured out how to comment are welcome to do so, and I've fixed it so I don't have to review each one before it's accepted by the blog. (I can still delete offensive ones after the fact.)

There's always a dearth of Celtics news during the offseason. But it's a good time to think through some of the logic that usually applies to the actions of management and the front office.

Perhaps the most controversial Celtics issue of the summer has been the extent of KG's knee injury and how soon (if ever) he'll be able to return to full-strength. If one believes the comments of Danny, Doc, and KG himself, it seems that he'll be his same old frisky, intense self when training camp opens. On the other hand, troubling media reports continue to surface. The most recent claims that Kevin's surgical procedure didn't simply entail removing bone spurs but involved a partially damaged tendon that had to be reattached to the bone with staples.

It would be silly for me to add to the conjecture about KG's availability, which we'll know about soon enough. I'm hoping he'll be sufficiently ready to get into game shape gradually during preseason, while Doc can take advantage of reduced minutes for KG to do additional experimentation with some of the myriad player combinations at Doc's disposal. But I'm more interested in discussing the expectations of many fans that the Celtics should adopt a policy of making timely, frequent, accurate announcements as to the condition of injured players.

As far as I'm concerned, that doesn't really make a lot of sense. As far as I know, the league mandates clubs to announce (by game time) which players will be activated for the game, and that's it as far as regulations are concerned. Left to their own devices, why should general managers or coaches help other clubs with their advance planning? Why should a general manager who feels a pressing need for backup to a seriously injured player give trade leverage to other teams by letting them know the true urgency of the need? Why should Danny or Doc have speculated negatively this summer about the possible seriousness of KG's injury when (1) their conjectures could have been deceptively alarmist and (2) they could have thrown a monkey wrench into the other players' very healthy desire to report early and to develop a highly enthusiastic outlook?

Trade leverage is an extremely important consideration and is probably underrated by many fans. For every trade we hear about, there are probably scores of potential trades that have been discussed and rejected. And at the core of those discussions is an ongoing struggle for the upper hand in trading leverage. I'm not suggesting that a general manager distort the medical condition of a potential trading chip from the rival general manager, who will presumably discover during the obligatory physical anyway...while valuable time has passed. But I do believe extent of need is a key factor in establishing trading leverage. It's one reason why a player does a dramatic disservice to his team by publicly demanding a trade. He's ceding "pennies on the dollar" leverage advantage to opponents for certain.

I'd also like to write a few words about another common misconception concerning trades. Message boards are full of trade suggestions, and many of them are extremely unrealistic. Typical of what I'm referring to is a situation in which someone will dutifully refer to the RealGM Trade Checker and will dream up a "brainstorm" involving dumping his three least-liked Celtics for one highly desirable incoming player.

Here's a good rule of thumb in thinking about dumping players in trades. If you don't think much of a player, it's very likely that other teams don't think much of him either. And simply compounding the attempted larceny by adding more "undesirables" to the mix makes the proposition even more preposterous. Because quantity is seldom a substitute for quality. And it's rare that a team wants to clutter its precious few roster slots with mediocrity.

Of course, there may be exceptions to this general rule, as in the KG trade. Minnesota was interested in stocking their roster with promising youth, and the Celtics needed a veteran defensive intimidator. But, in that trade, both teams parted with considerable value. Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes alone are two young guys who should have very good NBA careers.

So expectations of getting something for practically nothing are usually unrealistic. In fact, it sometimes makes sense to risk "over-paying" for the right player. Some fans initially felt the Celtics did so by trading Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and Jeff Green for an aging Ray Allen and his suspect ankles. But Ray's clutch heroics, steadiness and veteran leadership have proven to be an integral part of a championship team and a perennial contender, while Delonte's very unfortunate dilemmas, alone, underscore the tricky risk/reward nature of trades.

Sam

Here Comes the Preseason

2009-09-23T11:47:00.001-04:00

Okay, we've seen the news reports and interviews. With training camp right around the corner, the majority of the roster has been working out for weeks in Waltham (an excellent sign). KG guarantees a championship. Doc says KG will be ready for training camp. Rondo says he's been working on being a better floor general, although he also says it's a skill that's pretty much learned through game experience. ??? Rondo also maintains that Lester Hudson has looked good in pickup games. Hudson credits Paul Pierce with helping him on the pick-and-roll, and that fact is corroborated by Pierce. Hudson seems to have a knack for expressing a healthy balance between confidence (in his shooting and defense) and need for improvement (in his ballhandling). All-in-all, we've probably witnessed an above-average display of enthusiasm and anticipation for the coming season.

And, if the optimistic health reports on KG are accurate, who can disagree?

• Danny and the owners have basically taken the championship team (yes, a little older, but also with improved chemistry) and made it much better.

• With the addition of one player (Daniels), the fatigue danger to Pierce and Ray should be greatly diminished.

• Whereas Posey defended well at two positions, the combination of Sheed and Daniels (between them) arguably defends well at all five positions.

• The depth represented by 12 veterans may be unprecedented in Celtics history (KG, Pierce, Ray, Perk, Rondo, Sheed, Daniels, Baby, House, Scal, Tony, Williams). And the extent of the potential (or lack of it) of the remaining three young guys (Giddens, Walker and Hudson if he is signed) will probably be clarified this season.

• Each of nine veterans (KG, Pierce, Sheed, Daniels, Baby, House, Scal, Tony and Williams) can be legitimately said to play more than one position. So, in a sense, the likely active 12-player roster consists of the equivalent of 21 players.

• The incredible versatility of this roster will provide Doc with the kinds of matchup advantages that will force other teams to adjust to the Celtics rather than vice versa.

• If Doc will relax his two-unit philosophy in favor of situational substitution, he'll be able to "field" all sorts of special-purpose combinations on demand.

• With the possible exception of PG, the team is well situated to gird against injuries with veteran backups.

• And who knows? Danny could yet pick up a veteran backup PG, meaning that (1) either Walker, Giddens or Hudson won't be on the roster and (2) barring injuries, a veteran will very likely have to be on the inactive list for each game.

So what are the things to watch for during the exhibition season? In my mind, it's very largely about combinations:

• Aside from the starters (pretty much a "given"), which five-man combos will exhibit the most natural chemistry?

• When Sheed's in the game, under what circumstances (and with which combos of teammates) will he fit in better down low and on the perimeter?

• Related to the previous question, how will Sheed and Baby divide the roles when they're the two big men out there?

• If Daniels plays some point forward (as Doc says he will), will that mean Eddie House can function effectively at backup PG?

• Would playing with four veterans such as Sheed, Baby, Daniels and Eddie more narrowly define Tony's role as SG so that he may be able to focus on what he does best and therefore perform better?

• What will the three kids show? My guess is that any of them would need to exhibit a "difference-making" skill to dislodge a veteran from the active roster. For example, what if Tony and Walker emerged as a dynamic duo on the fast break? Would that change-of-pace weapon be sufficient to get them in there with Rondo for a few minutes a game and to place Walker, instead of Scal, on the active roster?

These are some of the things I'll be watching. I'm wondering about you.

Sam

Welcome to Sam's Boston Celtics Fan Site

2009-09-23T11:39:00.000-04:00

After years of posting on a Boston Celtics Message Board as SlipperySam, I have decided to start my own Boston Celtics Fan Site. At present, I plan to continue on the aforementioned message board, but this blog will be more personal. I hope to initiate a daily or near-daily thread about the Celtics, presenting information or viewpoints and encouraging others to respond. I'll be blogging only as "Sam," while the SlipperySam name will be limited to the message board.

My Celtics roots go back to 1950, when this 13-year-old kid hid a portable radio under the bedsheets and listened religiously to a "pre-Russellian" Bob Cousy laboring against George Mikan and other opponents of the day. The advent of Russell, of course, led to another 13-year period that was marked by euphoria. During some of those years, I had occasion to become very personally close to certain members of the team. Although The Russell Years will always hold a special place for me, I've never lost my passion for the Celtics through the years of the triple overtime, the Bird-Magic confrontations, and right up through the 2008 Rolling Rally and to this moment.

A blog will not replace a multi-thread message board. But it will provide an opportunity to focus on one issue at a time. I hope to accomplish several objectives—all from the perspective of an intense Celtics fan:

• Discuss Celtics games and other current Celtics-related events and developments as they occur

• Fill in less "news-active" periods with current and historical insights about the Celtic as gleaned through research and personal experience...and, hopefully, from you

• Engage in discussion with other posters in an atmosphere of civility and general Celtics allegiance

• Honor the Celtics Tradition at all times

Fans of other teams are welcome to participate as long as they recognize that (1) civility is the name of the game and (2) posts that persistently belabor promotion of other teams or demean the Celtics or gratuitously attempt to sow seeds of antagonism/baiting/disruption will have to be deleted.

I'm a total newcomer to blogging, so I'll appreciate any suggestions you may have. If you'd like to contact me less publicly, please feel free to do so at SlipSamCelts@col.com.

One thing about reading posts. It seems that the most recent posts appear at the top of the list. So, if you want to read chronologically, please start at the bottom.

So welcome to the blog. I hope you enjoy it. Let's see how it goes.

Best regards,
Sam