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Re: What's up Doc Stern ?
Me thinks it might be helpful to check your facts first before running down
a legend. In another article I can't now find, Cousy said he loved following
the Celtics, travelling to most games, and many practices. His praise for
the Nets were that their style of play right now better mirrored the style
of his Celtics teams, and notably the play of Kidd. All he said was that he
was impressed with kid MVP play and the teams overall turn around. Who
wouldn't be anyway?
Great win of course, Go Celtics,
Greg
Friday, May 24
Russell, Cousy and Co. rallying behind Celtics
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Associated Press
WALTHAM, Mass. -- Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and Red Auerbach are walking
through the door for the Boston Celtics for the first time since the
championship years of the 1980s.
The most successful franchise in NBA history, Boston has a supply of former
stars like no other team. Now that the current players have restored some of
the traditional Celtic pride and swagger, eminent old-timers have been
showing up at the FleetCenter, offering tips to their successors or just
sitting in the stands and cheering.
``They give us a silent encouragement that we have to play up to par,''
center Tony Battie said Friday. ``To impress those guys, you have to put up
a banner. They're not impressed with any conference championship.''
Winners of a league-record 16 titles, the Celtics are well into the longest
championship drought in team history. Before this year, Boston had not made
the playoffs since 1995, had not advanced since '92 and had not made it as
far as the Eastern Conference finals since '88.
For many, rock bottom came in 2000, when coach Rick Pitino lashed out at the
fans for what he saw as unrealistic expectations, telling them, ``Larry Bird
is not walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale is not walking through
that door, and Robert Parish is not walking through that door.''
Pitino's outburst came after the Celtics dropped 11 games under .500 and
were eliminated from the playoff race for the fifth consecutive year.
As it turned out, the Celtics didn't need the Big Three to walk through the
door as much as they needed Pitino to walk out of it. And since coach Jim
O'Brien inherited the team in midseason last year, he has taken the team
from its longest drought to its most impressive turnaround since Bird was a
rookie.
With a 1-1 split in the first to games of the best-of-seven series against
the Nets, the Celtics snatched home-court advantage from New Jersey; with a
10-game winning steak at home, they have a good chance to play in the NBA
Finals for the first time since 1987. They have not won it all since '86.
The current playoff run has been witnessed by a Hall of Fame who's-who from
Auerbach, Russell and Cousy to Bill Walton, K.C. Jones and Tommy Heinsohn.
Russell, a bit of a grump in his playing days, is best known by these
players for his hearty laugh and his locker room visits before and after
games.
``I'm just glad to be a part of a history like that,'' forward Eric Williams
said, ``and for him to know me by name.''
Russell and Antoine Walker also seem to have hit it off. Cousy, the former
floor general, gives tips to current point guard Kenny Anderson. M.L. Carr
is in business with Walker and Williams. Heinsohn is courtside as a
broadcaster, extolling the virtues of Walter McCarty.
For the Nets, though, the luminaries are just Boston fans destined for
disappointment.
``They have waited for a long time,'' guard Lucious Harris said. ``It's
going to be more gratifying beating them when they bring out their old
players and they have all the rings they have, and lose that night. That's
the thing, that's motivation right there.''
Not since the franchise's first years of existence had it gone as many as
five years without winning a title, and its eight consecutive losing records
until this season was more than the total in nearly half of a century.
For both fans and rivals, seeing the Celtics back on top brings back
memories of the old days. But rather than add to the pressure to win, the
old-timers try to make the players feel like they're part of a family -- and
a very happy and successful one at that.
``It's not all of a sudden that they're supportive because we're winning,''
O'Brien said. ``They are thrilled that we are winning right now, but they
were wonderful when we were losing.''
----- Original Message -----
From: "Shawn Niles" <shizzjr@hotmail.com>
To: <birdwl@earthlink.net>; <Celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 25, 2002 5:34 PM
Subject: Re: What's up Doc Stern ?
> Let me add another ex-celtic to the list of ex-celtics who do not seem to
be
> doing their part during these playoffs... Mr. Cousy. He has been nothing
but
> negative towards the C's. And has gone out of his way to praise the Nets.
I
> have only two words for messr's Bird and Cousy.... Screw em!
>
>
> >From: bird <birdwl@earthlink.net>
> >To: Celtics@igtc.com
> >Subject: Re: What's up Doc Stern ?
> >Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 14:04:13 -0700
> >
> >>From: "Dan Forant" <dforant1@nycap.rr.com>
> >>
> >>Hey, I'm with you, they don't come any more loyal than Tommy H. He has
> >>given
> >>his quart of blood for the Celtic organization. Can't say that of
certain
> >>other Celtic retirees.
> >
> >Yet another reference to "Larry Bird's not at the Fleet and it's so
> >terrible!"? When are we going to see the end of the beating to this dead
> >horse?
> >
> >The keys to Boston''s win this afternoon are going to be playing good
> >defense, making good passes for easy scores, and the home crowd. *Not*
> >whether or not Larry Joe Bird or Satch Sanders or Hank Finkel show up at
> >the Fleet. It's about what happens on the court by the guys who are in
> >Celtic uniforms *now*, not twenty years ago. See, that was then, this is
> >now.
> >
> >Bird
>
>
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:
> http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx
----- Original Message -----
From: "Shawn Niles" <shizzjr@hotmail.com>
To: <birdwl@earthlink.net>; <Celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 25, 2002 5:34 PM
Subject: Re: What's up Doc Stern ?
> Let me add another ex-celtic to the list of ex-celtics who do not seem to
be
> doing their part during these playoffs... Mr. Cousy. He has been nothing
but
> negative towards the C's. And has gone out of his way to praise the Nets.
I
> have only two words for messr's Bird and Cousy.... Screw em!
>
>
> >From: bird <birdwl@earthlink.net>
> >To: Celtics@igtc.com
> >Subject: Re: What's up Doc Stern ?
> >Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 14:04:13 -0700
> >
> >>From: "Dan Forant" <dforant1@nycap.rr.com>
> >>
> >>Hey, I'm with you, they don't come any more loyal than Tommy H. He has
> >>given
> >>his quart of blood for the Celtic organization. Can't say that of
certain
> >>other Celtic retirees.
> >
> >Yet another reference to "Larry Bird's not at the Fleet and it's so
> >terrible!"? When are we going to see the end of the beating to this dead
> >horse?
> >
> >The keys to Boston''s win this afternoon are going to be playing good
> >defense, making good passes for easy scores, and the home crowd. *Not*
> >whether or not Larry Joe Bird or Satch Sanders or Hank Finkel show up at
> >the Fleet. It's about what happens on the court by the guys who are in
> >Celtic uniforms *now*, not twenty years ago. See, that was then, this is
> >now.
> >
> >Bird
>
>
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:
> http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx