The NBA’s most influential figure
The NBA’s most influential figure
He was arguably the NBA’s most influential figure, the greatest coach the game has ever seen, and quite possibly the greatest G.M. and team president of all time – in any sport.
At this point I probably don’t even have to say his name.
I’m sure you already know this column is about the patriarch of the Boston Celtics – Arnold “Red” Auerbach.
While his name might not stir the same kind of emotion in this part of the country as it does with Bostonians like myself, Red Auerbach’s accomplishments are undeniable.
The Celtics still have the Leprechaun, but with the passing of Auerbach three weeks ago, the Celtics lost the man behind the team’s winning tradition that became known as Celtic Pride.
Starting with his nine NBA championships – eight of which were consecutive from 1959 to 1966 – Auerbach’s list of feats will never be matched.
Even when he wasn’t drawing up the X’s and O’s of the game on the sideline, Auerbach knew how to put together a winning team.
After he quit coaching in 1967, Auerbach’s legendary moves in the front office led to an additional seven NBA championships.
A former NBA Coach and Executive of the Year, Auerbach was selected as the “Greatest Coach in the History of the NBA” by the Professional Basketball Writers’ Association of America in 1980.
Although not everyone outside of the organization liked him, they respected him and couldn’t deny the record books.
Everybody who ever followed the NBA it seems has some memory of that guy and his big fat cigar. Warriors coach Don Nelson probably has hundreds of memories of Auerbach.
A lot of people were ticked off when Red would light that infamous cigar of his at the precise moment that he knew the game was in the bag. I recently heard Celtics legend Bob Cousy say that he never lit one up too early.
I especially remember his cigar light-ups during the days when he was both the team’s G.M. and president. Although his coaching days were a little before my time I do have one memory in particular of the mastermind architect behind the Celtics’ record 16 world titles.
The year was 1982. I remember a friend of mine from high school invited me to go to a game.
I remember asking him how the seats were? He told me that his family had season tickets for something like 20 or 30 years and said that they were awesome.
I had been to a handful of Bruins games in that building before but had never seen the Celtics live and in person. So even when I saw the ticket I still wasn’t familiar with the location of the seats.
But I knew they had to be good as we started showing the stubs to the ushers. Each time they’d examine them they’d keep sending us lower and lower towards not only the court, but towards center court.
Before long I’m sitting in the fourth row at center court. I said to my friend, “Are these better seats than Red’s?”
He says he’s right behind us in row six! Instantly, I turned around but Red wasn’t there. I kept looking back but never say him.
I remember the Celtics, with the likes of Cornbread Maxwell, Larry Bird, Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale, were the defending NBA champions that season.
That night I think they were playing the Pacers. Back then, the Celtics had most games won even before the opening tip.
It was a typical five-point lead a quarter back then that, as the game wore on, would quickly become a 20-point blowout.
I believe that was the case on this night. I knew the Pacers wouldn’t come back. That thought soon became etched a reality the moment I began to smell the smell of a burning stogie permeating the area.
I turned around and it was Red himself being escorted out of the old Garden puffing away. Evidently he was in a box seat or in his office and had shown up for the second half of the game.
As he left, the fans stood and cheered for the man who he guided the Celtics to 10 Eastern Division Titles. They cheered for the man who became the first coach in history to win 1,000 games.
They clapped for the man who was solely responsibly for turning the ceiling at Boston Garden into one draped in world championship banners.
Many don’t know this but Auerbach was also the first coach to draft black players and the first G.M. to hire a black coach.
He brought us Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale. With all of the Hall-of-Famers and the retired numbers it’s a wonder that the Celtics still have any numbers available.
His retired number “2” signifies the fact that Auerbach is second only to Walter Brown (team founder) as the most significant person in the history of the Boston Celtics organization.
And that’s saying a lot.
