Before that, he already had players such as Ross Kutov, Shaman, Cousy and Ramsey. In the summer of 1956, he chose Tom Heinthorne and KC Jones. Reinhardt, who was entrusted by him to find a great center, gave the answer: a guy with a height of 206 cm and extremely imperfect offensive ability. The Minneapolis Lakers are fighting for him.
Auerbach decided-as he did repeatedly in the next few decades-to use his wrist to get the young center. He probably didn't know how much impact it would have on the trend of the times. And we wrote this name on the historical chronology many years later, bill russell, Celtic 6.
"We will soon have someone to change all this."
This is Cousy's memory. He said he saw a giant as tall, dark and strong as a mountain peak. This man follows every cutter like an Okumo. When the opponent shoots, he will cover the ball-he often covers three balls in the first five minutes of the game. In 2006, the number of blocked shots in every game in the NBA was similar-then the ball fell to Cousy. "Next, it is the famous Boston fast break."
Auerbach commented that Russell said:
"He is special because he is fast and smart. He won't be cheated twice in a row. He also has perfect long arms, and he loves defense. Contrary to those big men who love to score; Russell prefers teammates to shoot. "
Bill Russell averaged 22.5 rebounds per game in his career, and his blocking and rebounding were the first knife for the Celtics' fast break. Auerbach told the young man on the first day he came to the team that his score data would not affect his salary when he signed the contract. From that day on, Russell became another auerbach-a proud, fierce machine that didn't care about anything but victory.
Hubie Brown, a former grizzlies coach who is now in his 70s, said:
"As Russell's huge backing, auerbach can play his favorite game-fast break and defense. Their game is well organized, you know, it is difficult to keep outstanding performance, so I think auerbach has the ability to inspire the potential of every player-he knows how to motivate his players and let them help the team. And it seems that this ability is passed down with the changes of players.
This is a fateful meeting. Without each other, auerbach and Russell might not be as famous as they are today. /kloc-in the winter of 0/956-57, Russell joined the team, and the Celtics became a horrible monster-all teams faced Russell who stood like a fortress, attacked by lightning shaman and Cousy, and chased by Ramsey and Heinsohn. Auerbach continued to growl on the sidelines, calling on his players to give each other a ruthless and cruel blow.
Other NBA teams have jointly complained to the official that Russell's blocked shot is illegal interference. Of course, Auerbach never gave in to the argument with them, and then won without any suspense. He knows the rules better than anyone. He can take the rule book, shoot it in front of the alliance officials, give them lessons with thunderous roar, and train them like timid primary school students.
1in the summer of 957, the Celtics reached the finals and played against the eagles. Auerbach met Hannum the vulture. Russell played Patty, one of the strongest forwards in the history of the first NBA team in 1 1. In Game 7, the Celtics defeated the Hawks with Russell with 19 points and 32 rebounds and heinsen with 37 points and 23 rebounds, and won the first championship in their team's history. Auerbach's prediction came true. These young people splashed champagne in the dressing room to celebrate their first summit.
They didn't expect-I guess auerbach didn't expect-that this was just the beginning of the spell in the Boston Garden. 1957-58 season, Hannum's eagles won the championship again. However, the bald eagle coach immediately found that NBA entered the craziest, most absurd and most incredible period in history.
On the floor of the dark and shabby Boston Garden, Russell and his Celts ran year after year. Someone left. 196 1, in the finals, Shaman played against Lakers No.44, the future godfather of the Lakers, and the dribble silhouette of NBA trademark Jerry West. He won his fourth championship ring, without giving West, Robertson and Greer any chance to beat him, and left the field as the coolest shooter of that era. 1963, in the sixth game of the finals, the Celtics led the Lakers with 1 109. Lasso, West and Baylor are all chasing each other. Cousy leaned down and used her enviable posture and naismith's legal dribbling action to keep patting the ball and shuttling on the hardwood floor. In the wave of these people coming and going, the only constant is auerbach's roar, rambling about the referee, and the cigar that is lit every time he wins-this has almost become a ritual for him.
Celtic is like an out-of-control machine, like a bison breaking into a porcelain shop, like a man-eating plant that thrives uncontrollably, like a train with broken brakes. There are 5,000 vacant seats in Boston Garden all the year round, and 8,000 people present witnessed everything that was incredible to the point of absurdity. Auerbach and his team are running around the United States by train, chasing for victory. Every summer, he appeared in the finals on time like a disciplined student, and then beat his opponent with a boring program. "Once, we almost put out that damn cigar," said a coach of the Lakers. "I wish I could shove that cigar down that guy's throat," said another failed coach. "I am willing to trade all my scores for this last shot." 1962 Lakers player Sefer, who missed the final winning goal in Game 7 of the finals, said. You can list such quotations as three days and three nights. In the eyes of others in the NBA, auerbach is the devil and the embodiment of evil. He is like a Frankenstein, copying victory and champion. From the summer of 1959, it lasted for 8 years.
Bostonians don't even understand the miracle they experienced around them. Celtic conquered everything alone. Auerbach devoured his opponent mercilessly, for no reason, and almost greedily. Russell, Jones, and heinsen are like parts of a machine, each doing his own job and ravaging his opponent year after year. They pass the ball, cooperate, defend, project, control the rebound, play the key ball, win the championship and pour champagne. They just want to win. They all became auerbach.
I know the following record will bore you-but take a look. Because NBA players have spent eight years in such a monotonous process-eight years, even the whole career of many players.
1959, the Celtics retaliated against the eagles 4-0 to win the championship. 1960, eagle again. Russell won the championship again with 22 points and 35 rebounds in the seventh game of the finals. 196 1, the Celtics and the hawks met in the finals for the fifth time in a row, and the battle was resolved with 4- 1. 1962, the opponent has changed. The Lakers stood opposite the Celtics, leading 3-2 in the finals. But the Celtics continued to win monotonously. In Game 7, they beat the Lakers in overtime 1 10/07. 1963, the Celtics beat the Lakers 4-2. After winning the championship for the fifth time in a row, auerbach has become the public enemy of the United States, attracting the hatred of all opponents and fans. However, in 1964, the suspense continued to be stifled, and 4- 1 solved the eagle and won six consecutive championships. So that people began to discuss whether the Celtics would win the championship forever. 1965, the Celtics almost lost. In the Eastern Conference finals against Philadelphia, Russell, the greatest center in history, played against Chamberlain. In the last five seconds of the seventh game, Celtic 1 10 leads 109, Chamberlain, steals the ball and Russell make mistakes. At this time, havlicek, the young backup white defender, scored a lightning goal to ensure the victory of the Celtics, and this goal has become a unique classic goal in history. Later in the finals, auerbach didn't let the accident happen, and 4-/kloc-0-0 solved the Lakers. From 65438 to 0966, the Celtics began to get tired. Auerbach announced before the playoffs that he would resign as head coach at the end of this season and concentrate on managing the team. His successor Russell will become the first black head coach of major American sports leagues. The Celtics with high morale met the Lakers again in the finals. I don't know how many times-in the seventh game, the Celtics narrowly won 95-93 and won eight consecutive championships.
What kind of team is the division of the dynasty with eight consecutive championships? When we open the notebook, we can see many incredible numbers. What kind of era was the 1960s? Elgin Baylor 1962 Finals 6 1 minute, Chamberlain1new york on March 2, 9621minute, averaging 50.4 points that season. Oscar Robertson averaged 30.8 points 12.5 rebounds 1 1.4 assists in the same season. Elgin baylor and Jerry West averaged nearly 60 points for the Lakers on every occasion every season. The Celtics, who averaged 25 points per game, were even rarer. Auerbach doesn't allow selfishness in his team, nor does he allow any arbitrariness-except himself.
Today, people will recall the champion members of the Celtic dynasty-sam jones, who is good at shooting, Tom heinsen, who can carry any striker in the league, Robert Joseph Cousy, the eight-time assist king, bill sharman, the five-time MVP of the league, and havlicek, the best sixth man in history. These people have entered the Hall of Fame and were selected as one of the 50 greatest players on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the NBA. Some people say that they built auerbach. But in fact, these players have no talent. Auerbach's vision is accurate and original, and he will never miss it. His criteria for choosing players are not how many points this person can score or how many beautiful moves he can make. Auerbach needs people who are eager to win and willing to sacrifice everything for it. Then, he told his chosen player to go to hell. Even a superstar like bill russell will be mercilessly scolded by the short old man who once needed him. It was in auerbach's almost neurotic kneading and tempering that the Celtics won the championship year after year in a low-key and boring way.
John havlicek recalled that when he first went to the Celtic Stadium for training, he was too nervous to speak. At that time, bill russell, one of the greatest centers in NBA history, came over and patted him on the shoulder and talked with him, and agreed to accompany him to buy a car after training. After that unpredictable tackle, havlicek was called the sixth man of the Celtics. This has been praised by some people, who think that havlicek is the first and the best sixth person. He is the first product of auerbach's sixth man tactics. But in other historical materials, people are told that auerbach did not invent the sixth man's style of play. He just tirelessly promoted the black superstar like Russell, the sixth man like Ramsey, and all the Celtic players-the guys who only knew how to promote white stars like Cousy and Shaman. As time went on, no Celtic felt left out and prejudiced. They realize that they are part of the team and are deeply proud of their championship membership.
In others' eyes, auerbach is not so amiable and respectable. An interesting fact, supreme, was elected as the NBA coach of the year only once in 1965. On his verbal confrontation with NBA officials and his ability to use the media to help fight psychological warfare, Cuban, the current Mavericks owner, is simply a primary school student compared with him. When teaching some new coaches, he also bluntly warned that he should stand as close to the technical desk as possible and make a dissatisfied voice to the referee as loudly as possible to influence the referee to the greatest extent. Because of his victory, stubbornness, rudeness and disrespect, all those who lost at his feet are eager to beat him. However, one year passed, two years passed, three years passed and eight years passed. The championship flag of Boston Garden is hung side by side. Whenever someone comes to the garden to compete, they can look up and see the symbols of the champions-the highest trophies that have conquered the world countless times, and the dazzling scars of all the strong people in that era who lost in despair.
1In the summer of 966, auerbach kept his promise at the ceremony of winning eight consecutive championships, and gave the position of head coach to Bill Russell, and he himself became the general manager of the Celtics and began to retreat behind the scenes. Turn around from the huge shadow that enveloped the NBA in the mid-1950s and leave quietly. Just like an old emperor handing over his scepter, people on their knees only hear his footsteps, which ring all over the corridor alone and lead to the darkness behind the scenes. The year auerbach left, his successor Russell failed to continue the glory of the dynasty. Hannum, the former eagle coach who was defeated by auerbach many times, went to Philadelphia to coach Chamberlain, Cunningham and Greer. Chamberlain made great sacrifices. After averaging 50 points a season, 1966- 1967 averaged only 24 points. However, in the year of Chamberlain's transition to Russell, the 76ers achieved an unprecedented record of 68 wins, and finally defeated the incomparable Warcraft in the Eastern Conference finals and won the championship after defeating the Warriors in the finals. In the seventh year of the 1960s, the champion was finally not Celtic.
"The basketball they played is the same as that we played in the past ten years." That's what KC Jones of Celtic said.
Auerbach's departure seems to have some inevitability with the failure of the Celtics, but the NBA team ruled by auerbach with an iron fist for ten years feels that the haze has dissipated, and the giant tree of the Celtics hanging over their heads seems to be falling down. Since the autumn of 1967, fans have been singing: "Boston is finished, Boston is finished, and the dynasty is destroyed."
However, in the spring of 1968, the whole United States found that they were doing well. The departure of the emperor is only an illusion. The old man hid in the dark, listened to politics, and continued to manipulate the monster team he had built. With a straight face, he approached the throne inexorably.
1967 The mood of the whole NBA is like a long drought. However, at 1968, they found dark clouds covering the sky again. The Celtics used the 12 th championship to tell people that the miracle of the 76 ers was just an accident. Then 1969, the old Celtics, the hated Celtics, and the Celtics under the shadow of auerbach were solved in a typical auerbach way-the finals, the seventh game against the Lakers, 108+006. 13 years 1 1 The championship ended in the 1960s.
1969, Russell retired after winning the championship, while auerbach continued to smoke cigars in the position of general manager, discovering players and knitting teams with his keen eyes. In the chaotic 1970s, there was no team to defend the title. The Celtics relied on cowans promoted by auerbach and havlicek who had been training for a long time to win the championship twice.
Of course, auerbach didn't write this alone.
From 65438 to 0979, the 63-year-old man found the prince he needed to inherit the glory he created. He, auerbach, the first anti-racist who started as an all-black in NBA history, was the sixth in the 1979 draft, and chose a white man who couldn't run fast or jump high after playing at Indiana University for four years. According to himself, he has only seen this guy's game.
Larry bird, a white man, was regarded as the greatest striker in NBA history when he retired. auerbach's insight made the teams with 2, 3, 4 and 5 draft picks in 1979 regret it-only the top pick was the magician selected by the Lakers that year-and he became a member of the first team in the first year. It happened again after 17, and Tim Duncan of the Spurs staged a similar example. Like Duncan, Bird led the team to the championship in the second year.
1On June 9th, 980, auerbach made a terrible deal once again-how many times he had done similar cunning deeds in more than 30 years-which even earned him the reputation of a "robber". He traded Golden State Warriors' season 1 and 13 draft picks for No.3 draft pick and Robert parrish, and then kevin mchale, a forward at the University of Minnesota, won No.3 draft pick. From this moment on, the Celtic Troika in the 1980s came together. Auerbach in a deal and a draft, decided the Celtics' glory in the next decade, and also decided the suffering fate of the Lakers, 76ers and Pistons. In Hugo's "Les Miserables" Waterloo, Napoleon's cavalry rushed to the British army on Mount St. John. At that time, both Wellington and Napoleon were close to running out of oil, and the advantage was in France. However, a deep ditch appeared in front of the cavalry, and the unprepared French cavalry collectively fell into the ditch. This foiled Napoleon's attack. Shortly thereafter, Prussian reinforcements appeared on the horizon.
Many times, it is not a moment when the limelight can turn around the war and the situation. A good horse kept running after being injured and finally fell down. His fate was sealed when he was injured. An accident, the appearance of bad luck, will become a turning point on the road of unknown life.
1986, auerbach tried to continue to contribute to the Celtics led by Byrd. He cleverly got a second place in the draft and chose-we must trust his vision-a talented player, Bias. Just a few hours after the election, this genius, this child who was fantasized as a future king and superstar, this child who should have won honor for the future Celtic dynasty, died of cocaine poisoning.
Nothing can beat the mood of an old man who is getting old.
Bird and mchale retired in the early 1990s, and parrish moved between different teams. 43-year-old, 1997, ended his career in the new dynasty bull. Auerbach, who was over seventy, finally began to look like an old man after Buys's death. 1993, another bad luck arrival. Celtics captain Lewis died suddenly in training.
Then, it was the relocation of the Boston Garden and the decline of the Celtics-at that time, auerbach had already left.
"I have no motivation to work." He said. 1997, 80-year-old auerbach attended the 50th anniversary celebration of NBA. Eight of the 50 greatest players in the 50th anniversary of the NBA are Celtics-naturally his disciples. But this is not enough.
196 1 in the finals, Shaman played against the Lakers West. 10 years later, Shaman became the head coach of the Lakers, leading the defeated Celtics such as Chamberlain and West to 69 wins, which made the Lakers win the first championship after moving to Los Angeles-it sounds ironic that the person who led the Lakers to win the championship was actually a person who defeated them many times.
1969 In the seventh game of the finals, the Celtics beat the Lakers with a winner from guard Donald Nelson, and won the 1 13 championship. Donald nelson is now one of the greatest coaches in NBA history. Like auerbach, this old man is radical, high-spirited, competitive and never stops.
1993 The Suns coach Westphal, who fought the Bulls in the finals, was born in Celtic. 1995 As the fifth general manager of Wolves, mchale, the general manager who chose Garnett to take the Wolves away, was a meritorious striker of the Celtics in the 1980s. David Cowens, 1996-97 led the Hornets to the best score in team history and almost became the best coach of the year, which was the pillar for the Celtics to be hand-picked by auerbach to replace Russell in the 1970s. The coach KC- Jones, who won the championship four times, is the first generation disciple of auerbach; Larry bird won the title of coach of the year when he first became head coach in 1997-98 season. ...
Albany's shadow is full of alliances. You can still feel his presence more than ten years after he retired from the NBA stage. From the east coast to the west coast, his disciples imitated him and some Celtic spirits. Some stubborn things that have not been changed by years are circulating silently. On the last Saturday of June 5438+ 10, 2006, the old man put out his cigar forever. Different from his glorious retirement in the summer of 1966 exactly forty years ago, this time, this huge shadow, the evil emperor and the dark old man really left the world he had conquered and tired of, as those who feared and cursed him forty years ago said.
Legend has it that Heisenberg once made an epitaph for himself when he put forward the uncertainty principle. He is lying here somewhere. To borrow this format, Red auerbach, Cardinal, Cigar Coach, Old Monster. No matter what you call him, perhaps the most appropriate memorial for him is the tombstone standing under the Boston Garden 16 champion flag. Write "He lies somewhere in the garden" on the tombstone. Or, to paraphrase the famous saying of the Lakers coach who has been defeated by him countless times, "I wish I could shove that cigar down his throat."
1994, the Lakers and Celtics, the two most common visiting teams in the history of NBA finals, played the last battle in Boston Garden with the championship flag of 16. Then, the Celtics moved to the North Shore Arena. Imagine a hand full of rings quietly closing the door and bidding farewell to the prosperous years in the past. At that time, auerbach in red was shrouded in smoke, living in the frightening videos of Boston Celtics and in the biographies tirelessly written by NBA experts. Walking on the road, no one will know that the old man who passed by them with a height of 175 cm was the most terrible ruler in the history of the best basketball league in the world and was promoted by various large posters all over the United States.
1 65438+1October1,on the day when the 2006-07 NBA season began, auerbach was buried in Washington. Imperial superstars-Robert Joseph Cousy, bill russell and kevin mchale-watched helplessly as the old man who yelled at them all his life was buried in the dark soil. About 150 people were buried with him-very suitable for his career. You know, when he tirelessly led Boston to win the championship year after year, Boston Garden was almost full.
Many people will forget everything about auerbach in Washington. 1946, the descendant of this Russian immigrant turned 29, and the world around him experienced World War I-when he was a baby-the Great Depression and World War II. This year, a colorful, rotating and disillusioned generation began to grow old, Europe was still in ruins, and Americans experienced the war and began to hope to have some fun. At that time, the NBA was still a basketball league with no 24-second time limit, narrow three-second zone, all white athletes and no three-pointers Folques won the scoring title with an average shooting percentage of 30% and an average score of less than 24 points.
That's how auerbach started. He led the Washington congressional team to a coaching career. By then, he had revealed a part of the later Boston legend-a Jew who was sensitive to money, energetic, rude and realistic. Washington Congress is a strong team-we certainly don't know much about it in China after 60 years-but during auerbach's three years in Congress, Washington won the first place in the regular season division twice and the championship once. 1948-49 season, the congressional team even entered the finals. There, auerbach met the enemy of his life. The Minneapolis Lakers relied on George Mikan, the first super center in NBA history, to solve the congressional team.
I don't know what 175 cm auerbach thought when he saw 208 cm McCann ruling the basketball court and ravaging the congressional team. It was the first time that auerbach was close to the pinnacle of success-although the NBA championship at that time did not attract the attention of 100 national media as it does now-but he was completely defeated. A perfect giant, he led the Lakers to beat auerbach. This is like a meaningful prophecy and foreshadowing.
George mikan retired before auerbach beat him. In the icy arena in Minneapolis, huge shadows gave auerbach some instructions. Lakers coach Kundera is the first famous coach in NBA history. There is public opinion that his talent is not high, and he can win five championships only by relying on famous players such as McCann and Pollard. But auerbach's evaluation of Kundera is: "Many teams are very strong on paper, and they get nothing. There is also Kundera, who has made the Lakers a strong team and he has done a lot of work for this. "
Remember the key words of this passage, which is the most important part of auerbach's praise to his opponent after several failures: the team. 24 seconds
1950, the Celtics invited auerbach. At the age of 33, he reluctantly accepted Robert Joseph Cousy. Celtic lost a high center in a lottery and got a white defender with a height of 185 cm, which is famous for his colorful dribbling and exquisite passing. Auerbach said, "I don't want to belittle anyone, whether it's Cousy or others. I only care about ability. Bob hasn't proved his ability to me yet. I would never make a choice just because he is a local. Cousy's fancy ball wind energy brings no more than 12 audience. What really attracts the audience is a winning team. This is also my goal ... "
This is his usual language style, simple, direct, dictatorial and even rude. From this year on, for a long time, there was only one dictator's voice in Boston Garden.
/kloc-in the summer of 0/954, george mikan retired and the Lakers dynasty ended. That is, this fall, the NBA began to implement a 24-second time limit. There is a limit to big and slow centers. Auerbach keenly grasped this point. The Jewish mind, which is good at calculation, has judged the future direction of the world before everyone else. The Celtics have two white guards with a height of 185cm, eight-time assists champion Robert Joseph Cousy and 1 1 year marksman bill sharman. They condensed the Celtic philosophy-more precisely, auerbach: passing, wisdom and projection.
Auerbach knows basketball better than anyone in his generation-the white man with a height of 175 cm roared and cursed on the sidelines, riding his steeds like an angry knight, while Kusi and Shaman rushed to each other's baskets like lightning in his roar. The Celtics won the audience's favor because of the presence of Cousy, but auerbach's growl will obviously make some audiences disgusted. In the 1950s, when the audience saw that the coach unexpectedly selected black athletes from the draft and urged these blacks to compete with whites, they could only be dumbfounded. It was not until 1968 that Martin Luther King made a declaration against racial discrimination in "I have a dream", and more than ten years ago, auerbach was already using black people to confront the criticism of the world. For this Jew, perhaps nothing is more important than reality and numbers. There is never color in his eyes. He weaves a team like a businessman, a chess player, a general and a child playing jigsaw puzzle-a team as powerful as the invincible Lakers that Kundera once led.
It was in the 1950s. The Soviet Union was planning to send a manned spaceship, Eisenhower continued to help Europe, Elvis Presley released his first record, Hemingway won the Nobel Prize in Literature as the representative of the "lost generation" in World War I, and Americans began to watch black and white TV sets. And auerbach, a stubborn middle-aged guy, left his wife and two daughters in Washington, sleepless and tirelessly planning his own dynasty dream. His enthusiasm can surprise fans, referees and NBA officials. He took the lead, practiced, believed in himself and made Celtic a part of his will.
He only cares about winning and losing and the numbers on the winning and losing table.
The Celts began to become a terrible plant. They are silent, tenacious and full of energy, just like their jerseys. Boston Garden has become a huge monster forest, where auerbach is the demon leader. He angrily rebuked the referee and opponents, angrily waved his fist at the professional players who were one head taller than him, spit out swearing words, encouraged the players at any time, and danced to command the Celtics' offensive wave. And, make a prediction of victory.