June 20, 2008
IN NINE years of playing for the Celtics, Tommy Heinsohn, who came into the NBA the same season as Bill Russell (arrived six weeks late due to the '56 Melbourne Olympics) and won top rookie honors, averaged 18.6 points and 8.8 rebounds.
Hall of Fame statistics.
But the most amazing dimension of Heinsohn's board score is the reality he recorded it playing alongside Russell, who averaged a bloated 22.5 during his brimful career, and for five of those seasons beside Satch Sanders, who averaged almost 11.
Ripley data.
Don't ever believe old folks who swear players in the '60s were better marksmen than today's snipers.
Fundamentally sounder, for sure, but definitely not higher percentage shooters.
At any rate, one of my most prized pursuits throughout four decades of covering professional basketball is going out of my way to track down Heinsohn and pick his agile oblongata.
He'd retired before I showed up. Still, I covered him his whole coaching career that earned him another two rings in nine seasons for a total of 10. Permanently accessible, intuitive and brutally blunt, Heinsohn was the same then as he is now and always has been as a (Celtics' slanted) commentator for his beloved team.
So, there I was again late Tuesday evening reaching out to Heinsohn for his expertise as we stood out of the way on the Red Auerbach named parquet and eyeballed the Celtics share the elation of maximum fulfillment with family, friends and 19,000 fans.
It had taken the Celtics but 30 years to amass 16 championships and another 22 years before this group of predominant hardcore veterans bottled individual cravings and committed to playing defense as well, if not better, than any team in league history to capture No. 17.
When coordinated, as choreographed by assistant coach Tom Thibodeau, five bodies vigilantly stalk the ball as a single-minded unit into assigned coverage areas in order to apply paramount pressure and minimum maneuverability.
Beautiful to behold unless you're an opponent, their flawless fandango skips across the ocean like a storm. "How many 'Tommy Points' (getting' down and dirty) would you have given Rajon Rondo," I asked Heinsohn about one of his favorite TV topics since arriving as a rookie.
Who says it's tough for young players to develop and keep their confidence in Kobe's company? The Finals offer proof to the contrary. Exhibit A is Rondo's six steals, eight assists, seven rebounds and 21 points.
