In this Books & Biceps Q&A with Chad Finn, the longtime Boston Globe writer shares stories from his new book, The Boston Globe Story of the Boston Celtics.
If you’re a Boston Celtics fan stop reading right now, click on the link above, and buy this book. Just do it. There’s no need to hesitate. If you’re an NBA fan or grew up (either rooting for or against) with the Celtics in your life in the 80s, early 90s, 2000s and today, then do the same. Just buy it. And lastly, if you are simply a fan of excellent journalism and world-class writing, buy it.
This book is a thorough, well thought out compilation of the very best Globe articles by the very best Globe writers (legends: Bob Ryan, Leigh Montville, Jackie Mac, etc…) from 1946! We’ve got columns, features, long form stories, game reports and all inside, at-the-time writing on everyone from Red Auerbach and Bill Russell and Bob Cousy to Joe Mazzulla, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
It covers everything, and it’s all been organized and edited by one of my favorite current writers, the Boston Globe’s Chad Finn.
And since Chad’s awesome, and I had a TON of questions about how you put a book like this together AND about the book itself, he agreed to do an exclusive Books & Biceps Q&A for us. This was a real treat. And it’s a long one, so be sure to click through and read the whole thing. Enjoy:
FINKEL: While you could read this book chronologically, taking little bites out of Celtics history at a time, I found that it’s more fun to bounce around and let the headlines and stories grab you. One of my favorite random articles that I read was from April of 1979 and it was called “Cowens Says Enough – Quits Coaching”. It’s a piece by Leigh Montville and it opens with Dave Cowens trying to light a cigar. It’s brilliant. Then he explains why being a player/coach didn’t work out. There was something quintessentially “Celtics” about this piece and Montville nailed it, as always. How often did you read his pieces and get blown away by the details he opened with? Did you have a favorite open of his?
FINN: Oh, man, it’s so cool that you pointed this out. The most challenging thing – in an awesome, fulfilling way – about putting this book together was deciding which story to use when different writers had touched on the same subject.
This was particularly true in the ‘80s on the occasions when Montville, Bob Ryan, Dan Shaughnessy, or a little later Jackie MacMullan and Ian Thomsen would write about the same subject. There were multiple incredibly written stories to choose from (which is one reason why the Larry Bird/Big 3 chapter is by far the longest in the book – the subject matter, sure, but also the extraordinary caliber of the work during the Globe’s heyday as a “writer’s paper.”)
The story you reference is from the late ‘70s, but it is a good example of this – I used Montville’s column rather than a news story of Cowens quitting because it was so rich with detail. It was quintessentially Celtics and quintessentially Cowens too, with his intention to light up a cigar after his last game in the spirit of Red Auerbach, but also in a self-deprecating way.
If you polled Globe columnists past and present, they would tell you that Montville was the best at the job in the paper’s history, I think. My favorite piece in the book is by him – a whimsical look in 1988 about Larry Bird’s sculpture and aging. Only Montville could pull off such a piece.
Up until his death, Red Auerbach was the main character for the Celtics. Stars would come and go. Superstars would come and go. Hall of Famers would come and go! But there was one Red. I found this quote from him in a feature Jackie Mac wrote about him: “If you do something great, kid, then don’t apologize to anyone. If you’re a winner, act like one.” He was a man of a thousand quotes. Do you have one that sticks with you?
I do, and it’s one fans might have thought was apocryphal, but it’s true. In 1950, Red’s first year here, the Celtics had the first pick in the draft. Fans clamored for him to select local hero Bob Cousy, who had dazzled at Holy Cross in Worcester. Red, being Red, was not about to cave to the pressure. “I don’t give a darn for sentiment of names,’’ he said. “That goes for Cousy or anyone else. A local yokel doesn’t bring more than a dozen fans into your building.” Imagine calling Cooz a “local yokel.” Red didn’t select him either, instead taking a big man named Charlie Share from Duquesne. The Celtics ended up with Cousy in a dispersal draft, and Red quickly learned that the local yokel was rather special after all. Just goes to show that even geniuses like Red needed a little bit of good fortune along the way.
The tone for the entire success of the early Celtics was set by Red Auerbach’s relationship with Bill Russell. Their relationship has been examined for decades, but by re-reading articles written in the moment, we get a good feel for how things were originally, before all the titles. Is there one moment or conversation you read from the early years that gave you new insight into their relationship?
It’s funny, there’s so much in those early stories about Russell’s time with the Celtics and how copacetic his views on the proper way to play basketball were with Red’s. But the greatest insight on their relationship is actually a quote John Powers used in his obit on Russell in August 2022. “Anytime he found me drifting, he found a way to call me back,’’ said Russell, on how Auerbach trusted him to self-motivate. “Not order me back, but call me back. He always let me know more than anybody else, he knew what I was doing. I really loved working with him. It’s almost like we were soulmates.” Soulmates! Now that’s powerful.
I loved that you shared some long form features in the book, especially when they were about the personalities of the players beyond the floor. And in terms of fun-loving personalities, Kevin McHale is at the top of the list for sure. Jackie Mac’s 1991 piece “Happy in His Work: Kevin McHale’s carefree demeanor belies his dedication to peak performance…” Is so good. What was your favorite McHale story you uncovered?
We actually included two long profiles of McHale in the book, the fabulous one you mentioned by Jackie, and one from his rookie season title by John Powers titled, “Minnesota Mac Just Loves Being a Celtic,’’ where he was this naïve kid from the Iron Range in Minnesota just beginning his career.
I thought it was a nice way to bookend an exceptional career – he is the most creative back-to-the-basket low-post player of all-time — that from time to time got hidden in Bird’s shadow.
Jackie’s story detailed how McHale was incredibly competitive on the court but also carefree when those 48 minutes were over. K.C. Jones really got the essence of McHale in that story.
“People only see the jovial side of Kevin,’’ said Jones, “but behind the laughter, behind the fun, is a very perceptive, very intelligent person. Behind the laughter is one of the most hardworking players I have ever coached.”
I thoroughly enjoyed all the stories from 1979 when the Celts signed Larry Bird. Every writer played up how country and out of place Bird was. From his dress to his attitude to his game. He said, “I probably would live better without the money. Now I’ve got to worry about losing it.” Classic. What young Larry Bird moment or quote made you laugh the most?
There’s actually a hilarious photo in the book after Bird, at a team Christmas party during what I believe was his rookie season, sitting down and looking very suspicious at someone dressed up in an extremely discounted Big Bird costume. Makes me laugh every time I see it.
Leigh Montville wrote a column titled “Bird Signs in – But Doesn’t Dress for the Occasion” when Larry agreed to his rookie deal with the Celtics in June 1979, which is where that quote you mentioned comes from. That piece also has the greatest understatement of all time in it, from Bird’s agent, Bob Woolf. “I think,’’ said Woolf, “people are going to like him.”
But my favorite passage possibly in the entire book comes from Bob Ryan’s story when the Celtics drafted Bird as a junior-eligible in the 1978 draft. This is his lede: “Red Auerbach did not look like he had swallowed the canary. He looked as if he had just consumed the entire aviary.” I love that so much. Talk about a writer matching a moment.
I loved Reggie Lewis. I still have the poster from my room that I grew up in currently in my garage gym. While it was fun reading some stories about his arrival and big games, reading the features on his death was hard. I was only in 8th grade when he passed, but I’d forgotten that he had collapsed during a playoff game 3 months before he died during the Celtics shootaround. In a world where Reggie lives and stays healthy, what do you think those mid-90s Celtics teams would have looked like? 50 wins? Clashing against Jordan?
So much would have depended upon how they had filled in the roster around him. Reggie was already the Celtics captain when he died at 27, and he was the bridge from the Big Three to whatever came next, but it’s hard to tell if they would have ever put together a roster to compete with the Jordan Bulls. (Now if Len Bias had lived and kept his nose clean as an NBA player, that’s another story. Bias and Lewis were their first-round picks in ’86 and ’87, and both ended up as tragedies. It’s still heartbreaking, all of it, and it always will be.) I do think his career would have run parallel to Reggie Miller’s, who entered the league in the same draft class. Which would have resulted in Lewis ending up in the Hall of Fame.
One of the saddest stories in the book is also one of the best: Jackie’s column on Reggie the day he died. She had covered him at Northeastern and knew him well.
I could go on for a hundred questions, but I’ll finish on one about my personal favorite Celtic of all time, Paul Pierce. I was so glad you included Peter May’s piece from the game against the Nets in ’01 when Pierce went into the half with 2 points on 1-16 shooting… And then finished the game with 48 POINTS to win in overtime. One of my all-time favorite Pierce games. He had dozens of moments to choose from once he got KG and Ray Allen… But what is your #1 Pre-Big Three Paul Pierce game?
I’ll give you two: His 46-point performance in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Sixers in 2001. He had griped about touches and shots after a Game 4 loss, and the Boston sports radio jackals were ready to rip him apart had the Cs lost Game 5. It was one of the early confirmations that he was going to be fearless in big moments.
The other: His 40-point performance against the Pacers in Game 1 of a first-round series against the Pacers in 2003, on April 19, 2003. That was also my wedding day. My buddies kept me updated on how the Cs were doing, covertly of course.
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