“Winning, Celtics’ Style”

…If there’s any added smog around LA today, it’s probably due to the celestial smoke coming from Arnold’s victory cigar. Congratulations to the Boston Celtics for winning their 17th NBA World Championship after polishing off the LA Fakers in six games. Other than the series being a renewal of the “classic” Boston-LA rivalry (which the Celts have won 9 of 11), the Celts had it all over the Fakers, erasing a record deficit in Game 4 before blowing (NBA Fraud of The Year) Kobe & Co. off the court in Game 6, 131-92. Despite what certain people at ESPN may have to say, there is a Celtic Way of doing things and this current group of champions accepted the torch mindful of the responsibility that comes with wearing the uniform.

Somewhere along the line, I pretty much lost interest in the NBA and basketball in general. Maybe it’s just the way that the game changed from a team concept to ESPN-individualism that turned me off. Like many New Englanders of middle age, I was spoiled in my childhood by watching Red and Bill Russell’s team win the NBA title practically every year during the ‘60’s. They generally didn’t put the most talented group on the court, but they always found a way to win. They played as a team in the best sense of the word.

My awakening to the world of sports came in the early ‘60’s, owing largely to being raised in a sports-mad working class neighborhood. This was around the time Bob Cousy was at the end of a brilliant career. Back then, the Sox and B’s were doormats in their respective leagues and the Boston Patriots and the AFL were in their infancy, so the Celtics could’ve been kings of the sports scene, but never seemed to get their due in the public eye or at the gate. There was never a problem walking up and getting tickets at the Garden. Games were rarely, if ever, televised and the only coverage would be a couple of minutes’ worth of film on the nightly news. But there was the faithful and trusty transistor, and the “Voice of The Celtics”, Johnny Most, who always seemed to make the game come alive.

Johnny was always positioned “high above courtside where the Boston Celtics would do basketball battle with…”. There was no pretense about Johnny’s broadcast. He was an unabashed homer. Anyone not wearing green was a villain. According to Johnny, no Celtic ever committed a foul and they were constantly “being mugged” by their opponents or cheated by the referees. Johnny was adored by New Englanders and Celtic fans worldwide.

He was an original, and so much has already been written about his style that it would be superfluous to comment any further. He made every broadcast entertaining, and was at his best during playoff times when the invincible Celtics went to battle with the villians from LA, Philly and Detroit.

On paper, those Philly and Laker teams of the mid and late ‘60’s should’ve blown Russ and Crew off the court, but the Celtics nevertheless prevailed (except for ’67) by outworking and outhustling. Those epic battles beneath the ‘boards between Wilt and Russell were athleticism at its best. It seemed that every spring, the playoff intensity escalated for a kid who held a transistor to his ear glued to every moment of play. The playoffs of ’68 and ’69 were magic. The ’68 Eastern Finals where the Celts overcame a 3-1 deficit to beat Wilt and the ‘Sixers and the ’69 Finals against LA (“Russell’s Last Hurrah”) can’t be topped by anything that happened in the ‘70’s, ‘80’s or even now. Those years were the summit for the greatest team lead by the Ultimate Team Leader.

Who was the greatest team player in professional sports?

Not even close, Bill Russell. 11 Championships in 13 years; top that.

Following the Celtics in the ‘60’s through the ‘70’s they were a reflection of their blue-collar, working class group of rabid followers. When the “Larry Bird Era” began in the early ‘80’s, the team began attracting a more affluent, suburban fan (a/k/a “The White Wine & Cheese Crowd”). Even then, the stalwarts of those championship teams of ’81, ’84 and ’86 maintained the tradition and work ethic that made them enjoyable to follow.

After winning their 16th Championship, everything turned sour. #1 draft pick Lenny Bias died of a cocaine overdose. The Big Three got old, hurt and then retired, along with Johnny, who died in 1993. Reggie Lewis died. Rick Pitino was brought in supposedly to restore the team to greatness and was a miserable failure. The lottery ping-pong balls didn’t fall according to the odds and the team lost a chance to draft Tim Duncan. Pitino’s biggest mistake was removing Red as Team President (incurring even greater emnity from the fans). Coaches came and went with alarming regularity. The team went from one of professional sports’ models to just another team. One year, they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals using smoke and mirrors then quickly faded into irrelevance. Along the way, there were too many players who wore the uniform who were the antithesis of what it was to be a Celtic, staring with Antoine and his ass-wiggle. Arnold died last year and the Celts had one of their worst seasons ever. However, the team was sold to an ownership group who appeared committed to building a winning team. They hired (a True Celtic) Danny Ainge to run the operation who hired an experienced coach to run the team.

Ainge drafted well, determined which players to keep and which to trade and moved a bunch of picks and young talent to acquire Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett (a “Born Celtic”) to compliment the only True Celtic of this generation, Paul Pierce, to make a championship run. Celebrated in their own right, none had the supporting cast to reach championship glory. They were hungry for this opportunity. To their credit, the New Big Three checked their egos at the door and the team accomplished the big prize that had eluded each of them during the course of their exemplary careers (notwithstanding their difficulties on the road during playoffs).

At the conclusion of Game 6, Kevin Garnett embraced Russell on the court and it seemed as if everything had come full circle. They played like Celtics and won like Celtics.

Somewhere there are two guys watching all of this and having a big laugh. Rest in peace, Red & Johnny. I was thinking of both of you the whole time.