Anyone who grew up watching the NBA in 1960s (and I’m one of those), whether you were a Boston Celtics’ fan or not, had to feel at least a tinge of sadness at the news that Red Auerbach died early this evening.
He had a lot of great individual parts to work with while winning nine championships (eight of those in a row), including some of the greatest players in the sport’s history: Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Bill Sharman, K.C. Jones and Sam Jones.
Later, as the club’s president and general manager, he was responsible for drafting and acquiring he likes of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Dennis Johnson too account for the team’s success in the 1980s.
Would the NBA be flourishing today if Auerbach hadn’t come around? Possibly, just as college basketball might still be as significant as it is today if 96-year-old John Wooden hadn’t decided to become a baseball coach and manager instead of the greatest every college hoops coach.
But anyone with a historical perspective of basketball will still be singing both coaches’ praises no matter what form of electronics instant communication has supplanted the blog years from now.
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