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Boston Herald on Russell & McHale
Boston Herald
It's one Hall of a day for McHale: Joins ex-C's Thompson, Embry in
Springfield
by Mark Cofman
Wednesday, September 29, 1999
Last year was Larry Bird's time. This year, it's Kevin McHale's turn.
The former Celtics star, who teamed with Bird and Robert Parish in the
1980s and early '90s to form what is considered the greatest frontcourt in
NBA history, will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday
night in Springfield.
McHale is the only player among the Hall's five new inductees. John
Thompson and Billie Moore were elected as coaches. Wayne Embry and the
late Fred Zollner were chosen as contributors. It marks the smallest Hall
of Fame election class in five years.
Thompson, who rose to prominence as head coach of Georgetown for nearly
three decades, and Embry, who broke the color barrier in NBA front offices
as the league's first African-American general manager, each have ties to
the Celtics from their playing days.
Thompson, a former Providence College standout, was a backup center to
Bill Russell for two years in Boston, winning championship rings in 1965
and '66. He began his coaching career at Georgetown in 1972, turning the
Hoyas into a perennial national power until his resignation last year.
Embry was a member of the Celtics' 1968 NBA championship squad and also
played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks during an 11-year
career. He became the Bucks' general manager in 1971 and moved to the
Cleveland Cavaliers' front office 14 years later.
``It's great to go in with Wayne Embry and John Thompson - both with
Celtics ties,'' said McHale, 41, whose 13-year playing career ended
following the 1992-93 season. ``It really would have been special to go in
with Dennis.''
McHale's reference was to former Celtics teammate Dennis Johnson, one of
14 Hall nominees this year who were not elected. Johnson was a member of
three NBA title teams in a 14-year career, two during his seven seasons
with the Celtics.
McHale, Bird, Parish, Johnson and Danny Ainge made up the starting five of
the Celtics' 1985-86 championship squad, considered one of the best teams
in NBA history. Bird was elected to the Hall of Fame last season. Parish,
whose playing career ended two years ago, will be eligible for election in
three years.
Another Hall of Famer, Bill Walton, came off the bench for the Celtics to
back up Parish that season. Before their title romp, the 1985-86 Celtics
finished the regular season with a franchise-best 67-15 record. It was the
height of the Bird-McHale-Parish era in Boston.
``(This honor) is much more a reflection of the teams I played on and the
teammates I played with,'' said McHale. ``I think that the success we had
as a team is the reason I was elected to the Hall of Fame.''
McHale was elected in his first year, as were Moore and Embry. The other
two enshrinees, Thompson and Zollner, had been nominated before.
Zollner, who died in 1982, was one of pro basketball's pioneers,
overseeing the merger of the Basketball Association of America and
National Basketball League to form the NBA. He's also responsible for many
of the rules changes that helped popularize the game in the 1950s.
Moore is the first coach in women's history to lead two schools (Cal
State-Fullerton, UCLA) to national titles. She was also coach of the first
U.S. women's Olympic team in 1976, winning a silver medal in Montreal.
Both McHale and Thompson selected Red Auerbach as one of their escorts for
the induction ceremony, which begins at 5 p.m. at the Springfield Civic
Center. Tickets ($25 ceremony, $200 for floor seating and pre-ceremony
dinner) are still available and can be purchased by contacting the
Basketball Hall of Fame at (413) 781-6500.
Boston Herald
ESPN opens another Russell saga: Puts C's Hall of Famer at No. 18
by Jim Baker
Wednesday, September 29, 1999 <snips>
Bill Russell is certainly no stranger to controversies and ESPN will swing
him into more at 7 Friday night with a show that names him only the fourth
greatest basketball player of the century.
Here's the rub: The poll results among supposed experts have Russell,
though 18th on ESPN's list of the century's best North American athletes,
behind Wilt Chamberlain, whom he dominated head-to-head in leading the
Celtics to 11 NBA titles.
Russell refused to be interviewed for the show, but that came before he
knew ESPN's 48-member panel lifted Wilt - in addition to Michael Jordan
and Magic Johnson - over him.
The show, hosted by Dan Patrick, will be loaded with controversies -
racism, Russell's issues with Boston, why Bob Cousy was considered far
more a hero, Russell's refusal to sign autographs and those battles with
Wilt.
Daughter Karen Russell speaks of 1962 break-ins to her parents' Reading
home, invaders defecating in their bed and writing racial slurs on the
walls. She also underscores what a private person her father is.
``He listens to his own voice,'' she said.
Others interviewed in the half-hour show include Satch Sanders, KC Jones,
Tom Heinsohn, Cooz, Red Auerbach, Chet Walker, Bill Bradley and Elvin
Hayes.
But the outrage of picking Chamberlain over Russell, perhaps because he
scored more points, will become clear even to young fans when they hear
John Havlicek describe how Russell, the game's greatest shot-blocker,
would let Wilt score 50 and yet lead the Celtics to one title after
another.
This panel of media members, historians and officials - ranging from Curt
Gowdy and Frank Deford to Bob Ryan and Mike Lupica - also left John Elway
off the elite 100, Rocky Marciano off the top 50 and Cooz rated No. 94.
Incredible.
But rating Chamberlain above Russell simply renders this list a joke -
regardless of whether Muhammad Ali, Babe Ruth or Jordan emerges No. 1 on
Dec. 26.