The Garlic: Red Auerbach

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Yes, Our Prediction Is In Flames

No, we were not cowering, hiding out, or otherwise avoiding our public, with the lack of posting yesterday (another homefront situation to be dealt with, another hospital run), over our bold, brazen prediction of the Orlando Magic whipping the Los Angeles Lakers in six games

How could we be so stupid, right?

It would be one thing to say it, talk about it with friends, but to post it up on the World Wide Web?

What can we say? ... Perhaps, award ourselves an Ignorant Dolt citation?

You have to admit, heading into the finals, Orlando was looking mighty shiny, dusting off the defending champs, the Boston Celtics, and then, needing only six games to blow away LeGone James and the Cleveland Cadavierliers.

Yet in this NBA Finals series, Orlando has been hampered most by ... Themselves!

You can profess that the Lakers are doing what they need to do, what a good team does, what a championship team does, to win games.

However, I am not quick to fit that particular crown on them.

Essentially, the Lakers have, simply, made less errors than Orlando.

In the past two games (Games 3 and 4), Orlando is up in the neighborhood of 40+ turnovers (including the win in Game 3), and in Game 4, missed 16 free throws (with Dwight Howard missing two, with 11-seconds left, and Orlando with a three-point lead; Had he hit, even, just one of them, it's a two-possession game for the Lakers, and even if they hit a three-pointer, it would come down in the last 5-or-6-seconds, the "foul game", and I would presume Orlando would be inbounding the ball, not to Howard, but either Turkelo or Lewis, the better free throw shooters).

So, just as you could say the Lakers are doing what they should be doing, you can also offer that, but for a missed lay-up, at very end (last second) of Game 2, and the missed Howard free throw, it is Orlando who could, just as easily, be up 3-games-to-1.

As one of the Talking Heads said after the game the other night, how Orlando plays in Game 5 tonight will be an indication if they believe they could still win this series, or if they go out, and just pack it in for the year.

It would be nice for Orlando to show some grit, and, perhaps, extend the series back to LA, for a Game 6, then, if they can keep their game together, bring it to a Game 7.

Anything to avoid the beatification of the rumored-rapist, Kobe Bryant, or their former-hatchet-man-as-a-player coach, Phil Jackson (he can win double, triple the amount of championships as Red Auerbach, and still only be a mere iota of a coach - Red built his championship line-ups, he didn't inherit them).

If that were to happen, put the pressure on the Lakers, who would be on the doorstep of blowing a 3-1 lead, and facing the prospects of losing the championship on their home court (let's not forget, Orlando beat the Celtics in a Game 7, in Boston).

Quite a few stars (both literally and figuratively) have to align for that to happen, however, as the old saying goes, "Never Say Never" ...

For now, we just want to see a good Game 5 tonight.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

A Personal Note: The End For A True, True, Icon - Red Auerbach

When you look at who Arnold “Red’ Auerbach was, and what he accomplished, you almost have to believe that it wasn’t true. That one man could not have done so much.

It was with tremendous sadness that I learned a short time ago, that Red had passed away this evening, a phone call from my sister, my basketball soulmate.

The news immediately took us back, to December 12, 1964, the first Boston Celtic game we attended (against the Gus Johnson-led, Buddy Jennette-coached Baltimore Bullets). We would attend hundreds-and-hundreds of games over the next few decades, but those games in the 60’s, still, are very special.

It wasn’t just Red’s 9 NBA titles as Coach (including in that run, eight-consecutive championships). Or the seven crowns that followed, as either General Manager or President.

It wasn’t just the unprecedented move, trading away a beloved established veteran (Ed McCauley), for the rights to a rookie, just out of college, and delayed coming to the team due to the 1956 Olympics (Bill Russell). Or outfoxing the rest of the league, drafting a junior-eligible “Can’t Miss” kid, a hick from French Lick, Indiana (Larry Bird).

No, Red made not only the Boston Celtics who they became, the standard of excellence Red lived also went towards establishing the league, all at a time when it wasn’t certain the league would survive.

In that era, struggling to draw fans to the game, the league played “doubleheaders”. Red, along with the legendary owner, the late Walter Brown, often agreed to be the team to go into whichever city, to play the “first game” so that local owner could bring in a crowd and, if they were lucky, break even for the night.

Red, in those early days, took on the role of the villain, baiting the referees (like his career-long head-butting with the late Mendy Rudolph) and, while still on the bench, lighting up his trademark cigar, once the victory was secured, but despite a minute, or two, left in the game.

(One of Red’s favorite story was of a game played in Cincinnati, against the Royals (led by the Big ‘”O”, Oscar Robertson and the big forward, Jerry Lucas). The team passed out 5,000 cigars so fans, once the Celtics were beaten, could blow smoke in Red’s face - no such luck, the Celtics won the game)

I’ll put some links below so you can look up stats and more information.

But understand a true giant as left us. While his successes are captured in choppy, flickering, black-and-white footage, his spirit, character and work ethic have indelibly stamped the game of basketball - and will continue to do so for decades to come.

Oh yeah, one more story.

If you want to win a bar bet, challenge someone to name who is the only man that can say he was traded for Bob Cousy.

In the late 1960’s, to early 1970’s, former Celtic legend Bob Cousy was coaching the Cincinnati Royals. With not a very good team, Cousy, some 8-years+ retired, activated himself to become player-coach, but was blocked, initially, by Auerbach - Cousy, the player, still belonged to the Boston Celtics and Auerbach was demanding compensation.

Cousy and the Cincinnati Royals ended up sending a young guard, Bill Dinwiddie to the Celtics.

Red wins again.