14,890 vs. 17,505 ...

Here's a column that is posted on Basketball 24/7 today:

The 2008 NBA Finals are upon us. Boston vs. Los Angeles. Number one in the East vs. number one in the West. The series will bring back fond memories of days gone by, and it will bring clear recollections of classic NBA Finals that I was lucky enough to witness live, from courtside, in 1984, 1985 and 1987.

For others, a little older, this series will bring back memories from series listed further back in the NBA history books when the Celtics first played the (Minneapolis) Lakers in 1959 or when Boston defeated Los Angeles four times between 1962 and 1965. For some, it will conjure fond memories of 1968 and 1969 when Boston defeated Los Angeles in consecutive championships when legendary center Bill Russell outlasted his longtime rival Wilt Chamberlain.




I will concentrate on first-hand memories from the mid-1980s, a time when spring and summer meant trips between Logan and LAX airports. I was lucky enough to work at the NBA when the league's most intense rivalry focused on Boston's Larry Bird and LA's Earvin "Magic" Johnson.

Here are some of those memories, as well as some random thoughts and a few comparisons to the 2008 NBA Finals:

The Venues

80s: The venues were the famed Boston Garden and the fabulous Forum in Los Angeles. They were aging buildings with rich history tucked in every corner. The Garden, far older than The Forum, had the famed parquet and the NBA championship banners hanging in the rafters while the Forum showed the glitz of Hollywood and brandished the "Showtime" style of the Lakers.

Today: The venues are the TD Banknorth Garden and the Staples Center. Just by reading the corporate sponsored names, you can see how the times have changed. The parquet and the banners from the Garden were moved a few hundred yards west but they remain intact, the last one still from 1986. In Los Angeles, it was a complete overhaul and a state of the art facility erected in downtown LA, a freeway drive away from Inglewood. The new banners from the Shaq-Kobe-led squads are fresh and dust free.

The Travel

80s: Travel between Boston and LA was an American Airlines non-stop on a DC-10 where you could book smoking or non-smoking seats.

Today: Never mind a smoking seat, in today's world you can't even get a disposable cigarette lighter near the gate or the aircraft for obvious security reasons. The choice of air carriers surprisingly remains the same with American, Delta, United and US Airways.

The Team Architects

80s: The team architects were as much a part of the lore as anything you could imagine. Boston's Red Auerbach built the Celtics franchise piece-by-piece, brick-by-brick. He was brash and arrogant, often lighting up a victory cigar while still on the bench in the waning seconds of a big game. Red was Boston and Boston loved Red. One of the reasons was the fact that Auerbach drafted Bird under a rule that is no longer in place, called drafting a junior eligible. He would also orchestrate a trade with Golden State that brought the Celtics a veteran center Robert Parish along with power forward Kevin McHale in exchange for the No. 1 pick that Auerbach did not want to use to select Joe Barry Carroll. In Los Angeles, Jerry West was masterminding a plan and had his own dynasty in the making. West, was one of the very best guards in NBA history and an equal to Michael Jordan in terms of competitive drive. He became the very best GM in the NBA for the last 20+ years.

Today: Both Boston's Danny Ainge and LA's Mitch Kupchak are former players with their respective franchises. Both were under considerable pressure and public scrutiny in recent years. At the 2007 NBA Lottery, Ainge was hoping for a top two pick and the rights to a franchise rebuilding program with either Greg Oden or Kevin Durant as a new cornerstone. Instead, Ainge and the Celtics fell to the fifth pick but dealt it to the Seattle Sonics for Ray Allen. The move would later lead to a multi-player deal to secure Kevin Garnett. In LA, Kupchak was under fire from his franchise player, Kobe Bryant and the public was calling for Kupchak's head. However a mid-year trade that brought star forward Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies solidified the Lakers frontline and spring-boarded the team to the top of the Western Conference standings. After the move, Kupchak was praised by one and all, and he finished second in voting to Ainge for the 2007-08 NBA Executive of the Year.

The Coaches

80s: The Boston Celtics were coached by KC Jones, the former Celtics guard, who teamed up with Russell, Sam Jones, John Havlicek and all the others to win eight titles as a player. KC had transitioned quite nicely from his role as assistant coach under Bill Fitch to become head coach of the power-packed franchise and he led the Celtics to two titles (1984 and 1986). Of course, Pat Riley was the head coach of the Lakers and he confidently motivated and guided the likes of Johnson, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the very best. Riley epitomized the bright lights of LA with his slicked back hairstyle and fashionable wardrobe. He proved to be one of the very best coaches in NBA history.

Today: Boston is ably coached by Glenn "Doc" Rivers who, like Ainge, was under fire and could have been replaced just a year ago. Rivers is a 'player's coach for sure, but has a keen understanding of the game, stresses team defense and worked very hard to blend the talented roster into one solid team effort. Rivers stressed the need to leave the past in the past for his "Big 3" of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce and for those players to dedicate themselves to a new team concept. To say Rivers got the players to 'buy in" would be the understatement of the decade. They've bought in BIGTIME. In Los Angeles, the keys to the franchise belong to Phil Jackson who, along with Auerbach and Riley, are the coaches most often called the very best in NBA history. Jackson paid his dues as a coach in the CBA, worked his way up and gained valuable experience as an assistant, then vaulted into greatness as coach of the famed Chicago Bulls dynasty before his stint with the LA Lakers.

The Style of Play

80s: One of the biggest differences from the NBA of the mid-1980s to the NBA of today is the style of play. The Showtime offense orchestrated by Magic Johnson was among the most entertaining styles of basketball in history. The Lakers ran the fast break and a Johnson 'no-look' pass to James Worthy would result in "slam-dunk" after "slam-dunk." But, the Lakers also worked in the most lethal scoring weapon in NBA history, that being the legendary "Sky Hook" by Kareem. When the Lakers didn't score off the break, Magic would set up the offense, glace over at Pat Riley's right fist being raised to the air and the ball would make its way into the post for a sure-fire two points as Kareem pivoted and performed the artistic and unstoppable hook shot to perfection. The Celtics teams of the 50s invented the fast break offense and the Celtics of the 80s perfected it and ran the break as well as any team in NBA history. The dominant rebounding trio of Boston's 'original' Big 3 of Bird, McHale and Parish would often start the break with full-court outlet passes for easy lay-ups. Parish was a thoroughbred and would be rewarded with precision passes each and every time he beat his man down court. When the Celtics didn't score off their fast break, they could run their offense through Larry Bird, one of the greatest inside-out scorers in league history and certainly one of the best shooters I have ever seen. If Bird didn't have an open shot, he could pass into the low post where McHale was automatic with his turn-around or fall-away jump shot.

Today: The offenses of today are not as high-scoring and free-wheeling, but that is a credit to the intense focus throughout the NBA on team defense. The 2008 Celtics dedicated themselves to playing the best team defense in the league and Kevin Garnett stepped-up to anchor that defense. The Celtics rely on scoring from Paul Pierce, Garnett and the outside shooting of Ray Allen, of course. They have benefited greatly from the playoff play of Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo while getting support from a bench that is truly a credit to Danny Ainge's work as team GM. The support role played by James Posey or PJ Brown might make the difference when Boston and LA tip-off the NBA Finals on June 5th.

As far as the Lakers' offense is concerned, I won't take up your time to list the talents of Kobe Bryant. Instead, I will state these clear facts; Pau Gasol will need to step up and play at his very best. The defensive efforts of Bryant (on the perimeter) and Lamar Odom (inside) will be the key to LA's success or failure in the NBA Finals. For Boston, the likes of Pierce and Posey will try to limit Bryant's scoring and the ESPN SportsCenter cliché, "you can not stop him, you can only hope to contain him" comes right to mind.

The SHORT Shorts

Just minutes after the NBA Finals match-up was determined when the Celtics defeated the Detroit Pistons in Game 6 at Auburn Hills, there was a call made out to bring back "the short shorts" of the 1980s and make the current players don the funky style of game uniforms worn by the likes of Bird and Magic.

No thanks. Let's leave that alone.

The FANS

80s: Boston area fans could rely on only one sport for a championship contender and that, indeed, was the Celtics. While the Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr-led Bruins of the NHL had success in the '70s, the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots were middle of the road, at best. In the 1980s, you could eaily walk over to Fenway Park and buy reserved seats for nearly every game on the Sox MLB home schedule. Celtics fans jammed their way into the cramped confines of the old Boston Garden, packing 14,890 fans into the old joint alongside the elevated T line near North Station at Causeway Street. Often, the summer heat and humidity would raise the temperature to over 90-degrees (F) and the Lakers were forced to bring in portable air conditioning units to the visitors locker.
In LA, Jack Nicholson and the movie stars claimed their courtside seats at the Forum, a game in the win column would result in an appearance by "Dancing Barry" to the tune of "I Love LA" by Randy Newman. The LA fans would flock to the fabulous Forum parking lots to get a glipse of the stars arriving via limousine at the famed Forum Club entrance.

Today: New England fans have witnessed a stunning run of championship seasons, as the NFL's New England Patriots won three SuperBowls this decade but were upset by the underdog NY Giants this past winter. Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox are the reigning MLB champs and their 2004 World Series triumph is a fresh memory considering the fact the Sox prior title was back in 1918. In LA, basketball fans enjoyed three consecutive NBA titles by the Lakers from 2000-2002 but baseball fans of the Dodgers look back to 1988 for their last series win while fans of nearby Anaheim enjoyed the 2002 title a freeway drive towards Orange County.

The Voices

Although the broadcasters for the Celtics, Lakers and the ESPN/ABC Sports networks of today are talented people who deserve plenty of credit, I have to pay tribute to two broadcasting legends and may they rest in peace.

Chick Hearn, the longtime voice of the Lakers, might have been the very best basketball announcer of all-time. For the people who grew up in Southern California within the radio frequency of Chick's game call, the imagery of his game description made the games come alive. Of course, in the early years, the radio call was the most common mode of delivery for NBA basketball to its fans.

I can't do it justice in a short column like this, but take my word for it, Chick was the best and I know I have Bill Walton's humble opinion to back it up.

In the Hub, the radio waves of WRKO-AM carried the legendary voice of Johnny Most to a legion of fans throughout New England. Most's gravelly voice and opinionated viewpoint were just what the Bostonians wanted to hear when it came to gametime at the Boston Garden. Most became us much a part of the Celtics mystique as Red, Russell or Cousy and when the Celtics faced the Lakers in the 80s, there was as much competition in the radio booth as there was on the court.

The Random Thoughts

So, to finish my tribute to the great NBA Finals of yesteryear and to help you prepare for another great series about to start, I will leave you with a random listing from a short stream of consciousness. I hope you can follow along and enjoy the ride.

When I think of the Finals, I think of some memories as a kid:

Marv Albert's radio call of the 1970 NBA Finals between the Knicks and Lakers…Walt "Clyde" Frazier's dominating Game 7 performance against the LA Lakers … Willis Reed falling to the Madison Square Garden court, in agony, with a knee injury…Dave DeBusschere and Dave Stallworth stepping up to guard Wilt Chamberlain when Reed was sidelined in a stunning Game 5 NY win…Reed limping out to the court to join his teammates in the warm-up line before Game 7 of that series. Reed went on to hit his first two jump shots in the game and lift the Knicks to their first championship.

As a former NBA employee, when I think of the Boston vs. LA NBA Finals, I think of:

Ninety-eight degrees (F) at the famed Boston Garden …

14,890 vs. 17,505

American Airlines DC 10s from Logan to LAX ... Boston Marriott Copley Place to LAX Airport Marriott ... In 1984, the LAX Airport Marriott pool was the best hotel pool I had seen outside of Fla ...I think of Rambis Youth ... I think of a Gerald Henderson/Kevin McHale clothesline foul which leveled Kurt Rambis on the break ... I think of ML Carr swinging a towel ...I think of a rookie named Rick Carlisle who DND for the Finals ... I think of North End Italian dinners and a place called "Scotch and Sirloin." ... Dockside ...Boston Garden staircases, hot, sticky, sweaty days ... I think of CBS Sports with Brent, Dick Stockton and Tommy Heinsohn, Mike Burks and Sandy Grossman, Ted Shaker, Jim Harrington and Jay Rosenstein, Bob Mansbach, Vin Devito and Eric Mann ...

I remember stacks of messages and seating charts to be done in LA with my buddy, Josh...I think of "Where do we put Sam?" ... I think of McIntyre taking one long draw on a cigarette and watching it disappear in front of my eyes ... I think of the Forum Club entrance ... Limousines for the Stars.

Mostly, I remember great basketball. I'll let many of the others, most who weren't there but were watching on TV recount the great days and great plays, like "Henderson stole the ball."

I am still shocked that Worthy threw that pass so softly. It might have been the only mistake I've ever seen him make in a "Big Game."

I think of a little saying we had, "You've only got to win one game... the last one."

I remember the workroom by the guard shack and always using the entrance by the popcorn machine.

I think of Storrow Drive to Causeway Street vs. Arbor Vitae to Manchester and Prarie.

Post Game 7 in 1984, I remember crushed press tables, mayhem, and stomped cars all along the streets.

Post Game 6 in 1985? The Lakers had their win at the Garden and everyone knew, it was so special to them.

Each and every year, the hallway outside of the locker rooms was known as "Normandy Beach." Fred Kerber tagged it. He wasn't too far off.

Wayne and Ray vs. Gary and Rudy. All good people.

Jon Moore at the Marriott and the birth of Marriott points.

I think of the change from 2-2-1-1-1 to 2-3-2.

All very fond memories.