Michael Chiklis: When the Game Stands Tall

(This story is posted on DigitalSportsDesk.com as part of a regular supply of original content, available for sports and entertainment sites worldwide).

By TERRY LYONS (Special to DigitalSPortsDesk)

During these past few lazy days of summer, there's been a lot going on in the New England sports scene. The New England Patriots are firing up their preseason engines with coach Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady leading the way. The Boston Bruins and Celtics are scouring the earth for some added scoring, as each approach the 2014-15 season on opposite ends of the projected ladder. Over on Yawkey Way, Ben Cherington, the GM of the Boston Red Sox orchestrated a midseason coup, trading pitching ace Jon Lester and a slew of role-playing World Champions for some hope and home runs as a strategic first step in the re-engineering of the BoSox. One of Cherington's bosses, Tom Werner, is on the short list for consideration as Major League Baseball's new Commissioner. And, speaking of Commissioners, over in the western portion of the Commonwealth, the Basketball Hall of Fame is staging its annual tribute and the inductee of honor is former NBA Commissioner David Stern.

Actor Michael Chiklis (Getty Images)

With all of that going on, I thought it was time to step back, maybe escape a bit from the reality that I won't be watching late October baseball at Fenway. So, with that in mind, there was one reliable ole' friend I could reach out to, in order to set my mind on a clear path from the Mass Pike of the depressing local sporting news, so I could look toward the future.

My inside source to all things sports - historical and soon-to-be imagined - provided some fan-friendly perspective as a real New Englander, one with appreciation of the past and the ability to see the future. Fittingly, like Stern, he was someone who had the credentials of a Commissioner but, they were mixed with the passion of a sports fan.

I needed to speak with Michael Chiklis, the actor. 

Chiklis was born in Lowell, Mass, and gained wide notoriety as an actor when, from 1991-96, he played Tony Scali - The Commish. Since that career-breaking role, he went on to star in "The Shield," and even played Curly in "The Three Stooges.” More recently, Chiklis starred in "The Fantastic Four" and he is currently filing FXs "American Horror Story: The Freak" in New Orleans. However, it was Chiklis' previous casting that was the more appropriate subject of discussion when we spoke by phone this past weekend, catching up as though we were old friends sitting in my West Village studio watching his "Commish" reruns, but talking about his soon-to-be-released film role, the portrayal of Terry Eidson an assistant coach to Bob Ladouceur in the true story of (Concord, California’s) De La Salle High School's 151-game winning streak, the backdrop for “When The Game Stands Tall,” a SONY Pictures release, hitting theatres nationwide on August 22.

First, Chiklis was sure to set the record straight when I brazenly asked if he continued to have ample time to follow sports, and in particular, Boston sports while he was so busy with life as a famous actor and jaunts between New Orleans and Los Angeles.

"I still am, and will always be, -- until my last breath -- an avid Boston sports fan," said Chiklis with an emphasis that might've been taught in drama class by Kurt Douglas. "I think one of the single greatest things about my celebrity is that it’s gained me access to my beloved Boston teams."

Where you at Fenway last fall, I asked?

"I was there.  I was at Game 6.  My wife and I went with my dear friend and his wife.  We were there for the celebration, and we ended up going to the owner’s box after the game and had the greatest time in the world.  It’s been wonderful. And, one of the most special things was that I lived out a "Jimmy Fallon moment" (noting the motion picture, Fever Pitch) when Curt Schilling brought me out onto the field right after we won in ’07 in Colorado.  I was right on the field right after the win.  To be that close in proximity to those guys, right there. I was standing there, literally, right with Mike Lowell’s brother while they gave him the MVP trophy on the field, I mean that’s incredibly special, it was insane.  You’re right there, it’s historic stuff that’s happening, and you’re privy to it."

Chiklis then opined on the sport of football, being that the role of assistant coach Eidson was fresh in his mind.  What is it about football, anything with the Patriots that made you particularly insightful to your role in the movie?

"Look," Chilkis said. "I’ve always grown up with the mentality that I’d rather be a good player on a championship team than the "franchise" player on a lousy team.  When you see the way Coach B (his nickname for Belichick) coaches the team and the way he picks players, he’s never been about stars.  One of the goose-bump moments of my life as a Patriots fan was in 2001 at the Superbowl when they introduced the (St. Louis Rams) 'Greatest Show on Turf' player by player.  And then, after all of that fanfare, they went 'introducing the New England Patriots.' and they came out just as the Pats team. Every hair on my body stood up and I thought, 'we are winning this game.' Something about being a New Englander, we love the idea of a team, as opposed to the individual. 

"We don’t like blow hards much."

"It’s about the way we’re raised, I guess," he continued.  "In New England, if you get too far ahead of yourself, you’re going to get brought down to earth really quickly.  When I was growing up, it was really instilled in me that it’s just a better experience in life to be yourself and not be a narcissist, but rather to be a part of a community.  And our teams are like that.  You look right and left of you and you feel that bond between the people. It’s an incredibly special thing, and you’ll get a feel for it in this movie, When The Game Stands Tall.  You’ll see that camaraderie, that brotherhood that happens on a team.  And you can see that in real life with the Patriots and Belichick when he speaks to the players coming into this team he says, 'You want to succeed? You want a ring on your finger? Then, you’re gonna plug into this system, we’ll all pull our weight, we’ll all do this together.'"

Chiklis was quick to put two-and-two together.

"Of course, superstars have emerged (in the New England Patriots' system) due to their level of commitment and play," said the actor. "Tom Brady couldn’t be a better example of a guy who’s all class, who never would say disparaging words about another player.  But, it’s not about the other guy.  It’s about his personal execution as it relates to the guys right and left of him and his commitment to them as a team.  He knows that they can be relied upon.  These guys can rely upon each other.  They have each other’s backs.  And that’s the kind of thing that makes your chest swell when you’re watching this movie.  You can see that in the context of the picture.

"When you’re watching movies like 'Remember the Titans' or 'Rudy' or 'Miracle,' you’re always threatened by that fine line between too corny and something that doesn’t make a mark. But, what I love about this movie is that it's not about 'the cliché version of 'two seconds left on the clock and he scores and the game’s over and we win.'  The film we're so proud of doesn’t take it from that place. The De La Salle high school football team won 151 games in a row in twelve years which for anybody who knows sports, that’s ridiculous.  It just doesn’t happen.

"There’s a reason why their formula was successful and they kept winning," noted Chiklis.  "Sure they want to win their games, but the onus and the focus wasn't on winning games. It’s on making these boys into young men.  They are conscionable, responsible, credible human beings and you rely upon them.

 "I’m very passionate about the movie, I’m a supporting player in this movie, When the Game Stands Tall, but I love what it says."

You will too.

Stern's Brightest Moment

Billion-dollar franchises, NBA in China, Global Games?  Nah.  Here is David Stern's brightest moment as Commish:

Russ Granik: One "Hall" of a Choice

SPRINGFIELD, Mass - September, 7, 2013 -- The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will induct its Class of 2013. Included in the diverse group of players, coaches and contributors to the game are five "direct elect" Hall of Famers, in ABA great Roger Brown, little-known basketball pioneer Edward Henderson, NBA Veterans committee electee Richie Guerin and International great Oscar Schmidt. In addition, the rightful inclusion and the Hall of Fame's recognition of former NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik is a wonderful message for the many behind-the-scenes contributors to the global game of basketball.

Granik helped build the court of dreams, the NBA

At times, players and media criticize the inclusion to the Hall for non-players of the game. The question arises when referees or executives are named to the hallowed Hall, and the questions often come with a streak of venom and unfounded criticism. At issue is a simple question, really. Should the Hall be for players only?  Should alll others, including coaches like Red Auerbach, refs like Earl Strom or Mendy Rudolph, contributors like league and team officials such as 24-second clock inventor and Syracuse Nationals owner Danny Biasone or the NBA's first Commissioner Maurice Podoloff, be designated for the same treatment as the media - a seperate wing?

I say no and I can highlight Granik as the reason why.

Granik's official Hall of Fame bio hints at the amazing impact he made.

"One of the most influential contributors to the game of basketball. Granik spent 30 years in the NBA league office starting as a staff attorney in 1976 and finishing his NBA career as the Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer. He was involved in every major negotiation in the NBA from 1980 to 2005 including television contracts, collective bargaining and league expansion. Overseeing the expansion of the game into the international realm as a key figure in working out the details of professionals (NBA players) competing in the 1992 Olympic Games and subsequent international competitions. He was the NBA’s chief negotiator on four collective bargaining agreements and has served as NBA Executive Vice President (1984-90), Vice President of USA Basketball (1989-96) and President of USA Basketball (1996-2000). He was also the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board (2003-2007). In 2005, he received USA Basketball’s Edward S. Steitz Award," it says.

The bio just hints at the significance of such a key contributor to the game of basketball. 

Why?

Russ Granik was a quiet, but powerful workhorse behind the meteoric rise of the NBA to global prominence in the 1990s. Most importantly, he was a champion for every level of the game of basketball.  While his accolades and biography list major NBA contributions such as his negotiations of record-setting TV deals, resolved labor stalemates which resulted in trend-setting, progressive Collective Bargaining and Anti-Drug Agreements with the NBA's players, Granik's most significant contributions resulted from his work with the NCAAs, FIBA, the international governing body of basketball, global leagues, federations, Euroleague Basketball, and, most importantly, USA Basketball. 

Under Granik's watch, seemingly unresolvable problems with regard to mending fences, unraveling "red-tape," and creating consensus for the betterment of the overall game of basketball became everyday by-products of a career built on creating goodwill, strong relationships and dealing with people as one would like to be dealt with during a negotiation. That as a professional, a person who is respected and treats people with respect. In essence, Granik is a thoroughly decent human being and he treats his constituents with equal respect. Granik walked softly but carried a resume that could literally part a Sea of Red Tape and, unlike many who only barked of problems while surfacing and creating more problems, Granik would grab a No. 2 pencil, a phone and call upon years of goodwill to resolve most problems before anyone else knew they even existed.

His work in building the NBA-FIBA player pacts, his early recognition of powerful allies with the likes of FIBA Secretary General Borislav Stankovic, the late Coach Alexander Gomelski of Russia and BIG EAST Commissioner/NCAA veep/USA Basketball power-broker (the late) Dave Gavitt, might've earned him induction on its own. Certainly, without Granik's hard work, negotiating skills and willingness to give and take just the right amount, allowed for (former) Eastern Bloc European players such as Drazen Petrovic of Croatia (then Yugoslavia), Sarunas Marciulionis of Lithuania (then of the USSR) and Aleksander "Sascha" Volkov of the Ukraine (then of the USSR) to be the first true NBA global ambassadors, coming to America complete with a bevy of gold and silver Olympic medals but with "game" and a "take it to the hoop" approach never seen before on the international basketball scene.

At the time, the NBA had its Georgi Gluchkov of Bulgaria and long had Henry "Hank" Biasetti, a Canadian player of Italian descent who actually suited up in the NBA's very first game ever, an epic bout between the New York Knickerbockers and the Toronto Huskies in the way back machine that was 1946. But, the league - much because of Granik - was quickly thrust into a modern day model for immigration and exportation for talented ballplayers who wanted to travel to find a good game of hoops. While some may call it a theoretical jump, without Granik's work, the Petrovic/Marciulionis/Volkov era internationals would've been sitting in their rocking chairs wondering if they could've ever driven the lane to challenge the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson or Larry Bird. The confidence instilled upon a legion of countrymen and Euro-Latin-Australian-Asian counterparts might never have gathered the confidence to say, "Yes, I can do that."

The result might've put Dirk Nowitzki in goal for the German Bundesleague F.C., it might've made Manu Ginobili a striker, Tim Duncan a swimmer or Yao Ming rocket scientist, instead of a Houston Rocket all-star center. And, that, would've been a shame.

PS to NBA ASW: Ground Control to Major Lebron

HOUSTON, February 19, 2013 - Ground Control to Major Lebron, Take your protein pills and put your headband on. Commence countdown, engines on. Check ignition and may God's love be with you.

This is Major Lebron to Ground Control, I'm stepping through the door and I'm floating in a most peculiar way.

Enough Bowie, right? And that's especially so, since he's dropping a new album in March, entitled "Where Are They Now?"

Is it "King" James or "Major" Lebron?

The fact of the matter is that this post is actully a "post script" to the NBA All-Star Game, as I wanted to take a quick look back at a few things that might've slipped under the radar at NASA and with the general sports world during a busy 2013 NBA All-Star Weekend which was so, thoroughly enjoyable, I might as well just list the ways in which I thought it excelled. Here we go:

1. Most importantly, in a game that is truly about a school-yard game and just having fun in the biggest spotlight of the NBA season, the players "brought it." And, that's from the viewpoint of East Coach Eric Spoelstra, the man usually at the controls of the Miami Heat, but last weekend was burdened with the honor, privilege and pleasure of being at the helm of an NBA Eastern conference team of 12 thoroughbred ball players who each can run with the likes of Affirmed or Alydar while leaping tall buildings in a single bound.

2. The 2013 NBA Legends brunch was a celebration of all things Houstonian with regard to the history of the NBA game. The NBA Legends foundation, the NBA Retired Players Association and a legion of retired players from eras long and not-so-long ago, all convened at the headquarters hotel ballroom for a trek through Houston Rockets history. From a special "Pioneer" recognition for Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy to fitting tributes to Rudy Tomjanovich, the all-time greatest and true cornerstone of the (San Diego and Houston) Rockets franchise. From a lifetime achievement award bestowed upon Houston native Clyde "The Glide" Drexler to fitting mentions of the greatness of center Moses Malone, and heartfelt messages of thanks to Houston team owners Charlie Thomas and Les Alexander.

The highlight of the entire weekend of off-court festivities were passionate, emotional and inspirational speeches from Dikembe Mutombo, the NBA's most philanthropic player of all-time, along with Rockets champions Hakeem 'Dream" Olajuwon and Robert "Big Shot" Horry, both allowing everyone in a jam-packed ballroom to count their blessings along with their riches of fond memories from times gone by, championship banners hung, but more importantly lives changed, hospitals built, and dreams fulfilled.

3. The weekend began with the announcement of the inductees and finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2013. Five "direct elect" Hall of Fame inductees include ABA great Roger Brown, little-known basketball pioneer Edward Henderson, NBA Veterans committee electee Richie Guerin and International great Oscar Schmidt. In addition, the news of the Hall of Fame recognition of former NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik was a breeze of fresh air, make it a gust, for the many behind-the-scenes contributors to the game of basketball.

Granik was a quiet, powerful workhorse behind the meteoric rise of the NBA to global prominence in the 1990s, but most importantly, he was a champion for every level of the game of basketball.  While his accolades and biography list major NBA contributions such as record-setting TV deals, resolved labor stalemates which resulted in trend-setting, progressive and Collective Bargaining and Anti-Drug Agreements with players, Granik's most significant contributions resulted from his work with the NCAAs, FIBA, the international governing body of basketball, global leagues, federations, Euroleague Basketball, and, most importantly, USA Basketball. 

Under Granik's watch, seemingly unresolvable problems with regard to mending fences, unraveling "red-tape," and creating consensus for the betterment of the overall game of basketball became everyday by-products of a career built on creating goodwill, strong relationships and dealing with people as one would just dream to be dealt with as a professional, respected and just thoroughly decent human being. Granik walked softly but carried a resume that could literally part a Sea of Red Tape and, unlike many who only barked of problems while surfacing and creating more problems, Granik would grab a No. 2 pencil, a phone and call upon years of goodwill to resolve most problems before anyone else knew they even existed.

His work in building the NBA-FIBA player pacts, his early recognition of powerful allies with the likes of FIBA Secretary General Borislav Stankovic, the late Coach Alexander Gomelski of Russia and BIG EAST Commissioner/NCAA veep/USA Basketball power-broker (the late) Dave Gavitt, might've earned him induction on its own. Certainly, without Granik's hard work, negotiating skills and willingness to give and take just the right amount, allowed for (former) Eastern Bloc European players such as Drazen Petrovic of Croatia (then Yugoslavia), Sarunas Marciulionis of Lithuania (then of the USSR) and Aleksander "Sascha" Volkov of the Ukraine (then of the USSR) to be the first true NBA global ambassadors, coming to America complete with a bevy of gold and silver Olympic medals but with "game" and a "take it to the hoop" approach never seen before on the international basketball scene.

At the time, the NBA had its Georgi Gluchkov of Bulgaria and long had Henry "Hank" Biasetti, a Canadian player of Italian descent who actually suited up in the NBA's very first game ever, an epic bout between the New York Knickerbockers and the Toronto Huskies, way back in 1946. But, the league - much because of Granik - was quickly thrust into a modern day model for immigration and exportation for talented ballplayers who wanted to travel to find a good game of hoops.

While some may call it a theoretical jump, without Granik's work, the Petrovic/Marciulionis/Volkov era internationals would've been sitting in their rocking chairs wondering if they could've ever driven the lane to challenge the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson or Larry Bird. The confidence instilled upon a legion of countrymen and Euro-Latin-Australian-Asian counterparts might never have gathered the confidence to say, "Yes, I can do that."

The result might've put Dirk Nowitzki in goal for the German Bundesleague F.C., it might've made Manu Ginobili a striker, Tim Duncan a swimmer or Yao Ming rocket scientist, instead of a Houston Rocket all-star center. And, that, would've been a shame.

(This is the second of a two-part blog by Terry Lyons, the Editor-in-Chief of DigitalSportsDesk.com - 

For Part One of the 2-part series, please click:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/terry-lyons/nba-allstar-game_b_2697958.html

Stern: "I did it my way!"

David Stern with the Rookies of 2012

David Stern served the NBA at the very highest level over nearly 30 years as Commissioner and some 48 years of association with league.  His ability to impact the NBA had never been contemplated before in the realm of professional sports. Without a doubt, he will retire as the greatest commissioner in league history and, I believe, the best leader and commissioner in the history of any sport at any level on any continent.  Simply put, Stern is a visionary.  He fully recognized the potential and future growth of cable TV, long before any other executive - sans Ted Turner - even thought about it.  Stern had the foresight to see where the rights fees for the league would increase under deals cultivated over decades with Turner and ESPN. He also had the vision to bring the NBA to a global audience through live NBA events and via every communications medium and that paid off in spades after '92 when the game impacted a truly global talent pool of players. 

Stern saw labor relations as an opportunity to mold the league and partner with the players to share in the future prosperity of businesses revolving around the game. All the while, Stern had the vision and the collective bargaining acumen to make the league as attractive in Charlotte, Portland, San Antonio and Utah as it was in LA, Boston, New York or Chicago. As the league became more and more competitive, the labor deal was tweaked to take the NBA to an even better place for incoming rookies and proven veteran players who wanted to sign them in true free agency.

Labor - check.

International growth - check.

Player programs - check

Building assets, protecting intellectual property, researching and acting on all forms of new technology, nurturing and developing the women's game, then even further development of the NBA talent pool - check, check and check.

From there, the canvas was only half completed, as Stern focused mightily on player relations, player programs, grassroots programs, community relations initiatives that attacked the issues everyone else was afraid to even speak of. A league , supposedly, "too" black and "too" driven by players who were experimenting with illegal substances (a.k.a. the "recreational" drugs such as cocaine and marijuana became the league with the first anti-drug program and real player development program. The HIV/AIDS epidemic? Earvin "Magic" Johnson had the confidence to walk up to a podium in 1991 and Stern was at his side right up to this very day when he supports the "right" things and helps provide a lofty pulpit to fight the HIV virus, or the SARS epidemic; the trials of education and high school drop-out rates; and a whole slew of community relations programs, many put together to counter a natural disaster (Katrina; Earthquake in Haiti; or whatever the cause of the day might've been). It was truly amazing to see him, willing to turn an entire organization on a dime and lead a league right into a controversial issue that no sports league would even touch.

Community Relations - check.

The NBA's darkest days were when Stern stood up and faced the music and the critics, with that criticism sometimes coming from the very teams he was leading towards financial stability, prosperity and, ultimately, solid ground. Tough decisions, like terminating the player contract for Michael Ray Richardson might've actually saved the man's life. Whether it was an amped up drug scandal in Phoenix, a 'third strike and you're out' anti-drug suspension of John Lucas or - the unfathomable, the Tim Donaghy criminal activity of a ref, Stern stood up and guided the league through rough waters. He even reversed courses at a 180-degree turn, when necessary such as when the rules and three-point line took steps in equally opposite directions or, god forbid, when the NBA experimented with a brand new synthetic basketball that just didn't cut it on the court as it cut the finger tips of every point guard in the league.

Confronting crisis - check

Willingness to correct course and say, "we screwed up." - check.

David Stern demands the very best from those who report to him and he expects the highest levels of performance wrought by hard work, long hours and attention to detail.  All the while, he wanted the NBA to have the touch of a family affair where those who sought the coolness, the hipness of the game were welcomed with open arms. Stern didn't have to say it, because he lived it and he did it - everyday. 

David's total dedication to the NBA and his job, his willingness to face the music and confront the unfathomable challenges or news; that was when he served the league at his best and he did it every time - he shot .999%.  Now, David isn't perfect, and God knows, he could light you up in a manner second to none, but, put simply, the guy is damn good. He demands the very best and he gave his very best each and every day.  I still can't figure out where he got the energy while we were all touring the world and spreading the NBA basketball gospel. We'd be dead tired, but he would lead the charge!  You just couldn't out-work David.

I wish Commissioner David Stern a very enjoyable and productive transition time to fully pass the torch to Adam Silver. Adam will do very, very well.  David will demand it of him.

For more coverage tonight and all day on Friday, be sure to visit: http://www.digitalsportsdesk.com/New/nba.html

Payback -- Is a bitch.

Regarding Stanley and his bro, it's funny, you know?  I come down on this ridiculous story in such another area code, meaning the 407 and the 860 rather than the 212.

JVG: Brothers in Harm

Here's a guy who literally rips a prominent Orlando citizen and the CMO of one of the most important companies to the entire Orlando-Central Florida community - a place (ALAS!) where the Walt Disney Company does just a little bit of biz-ness!

Then, the Two Santini Brothers decide there's a conspiracy at 645?

I don't think so.

I think the powers that be, in this case, all wear mouse ears and might be club patrons with the likes of the Amway family and some other important Central Floridians who wield an iron first when it comes to loyalty, and the opposite of loyalty and dignity that is burying - err, make that nuking - the (former) employer.

Now, I knew John Lennon, and Alex Martins is no John Lennon, but Alex and his Magicians just might be listening to "Breakfast with the Beatles" and playing this song over-and-over-and-over again.  I can't say it any better, so I'll just pass along a hymn.

It goes:

Instant Karma's gonna get you
Gonna knock you right in the head
You better get yourself together
Pretty soon your gonna be dead

What in the world you thinking of?
Laughing in the face of love
What on Earth you tryna do?
It's up to you, yeah, you

Instant Karma's gonna get you
Gonna knock you right in the face
You better get yourself together darling
Join the human race

How in the world you gonna see?
Laughing at fools like me
Who on Earth do you think you are?
A superstar? Well, right you are

And we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well, we all shine on
Everyone, c'mon

Instant Karma's gonna get you
Gonna knock you off your feet
Better recognize your brothers
Everyone you meet

Why in the world are we here?
Surely not to live in pain and fear
Why on Earth are you there
When you're everywhere
Gonna get your share

Well, we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Yeah, we all shine on
C'mon and on and on, on, on

Yeah, yeah, alright

Well, we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Yeah, we all shine on
On and on and on, on and on ...

Take a listen, if you have time, and think about it the next time you feel like you've been wronged and you want to trash a colleague. Think twice. It's another day in paradise.

Note to Stanley and Jeffrey.  And, as stated before, how about treating the game, the Commissioner and all of us who've pretty much dedicated our lives to the game of basketball with some RESPECT and dignity.  The NBA is not your toy.

Lietuva: The "Other Dream Team" Enjoys World Premiere

Lithuanian Dreams Come True

By TERRY LYONS
Column in DigitalSportsDesk.com


You've heard of Red Square, right?

If you were around in 1992, you might've heard the rallying cry of the '92 Lithuanian Olympic team, "Better Dead than Red." Surely, if you were an avid sports fan, you remember the team of vagabonds parading into the Olympics in their Grateful Dead-funded tie-dye T-shirts in the most memorable medal ceremony of all-time, held after the USA thrilled the world and accepted their gold medals.

Actually, to those in attendance in Barcelona, the bronze medalists, aka "The Other Dream Team," stole the show. They were the headliners in a post Cold War, Berlin Wall, coming out party that Olympic Games TV anchorman Jim Lampley called, "one of the cosmic turning points of the 20th century."

Thankfully, the moment in time, the important movement in world history is captured on film. Just like their United States counterparts, often called the "greatest team ever assembled," the Lithuanian dreamers have a documentary film of their own and, to many, it's a more interesting and compelling story.  At a recent premiere in New York city, all of the lucky attendees, including the Consul General of the Republic of Lithuania in New York, Mr. Valdemaras Sarapinas and his wife, Mrs. Vytė Sarapinienė, had similar thoughts as they beamed with pride after the private screening of the documentary film “The Other Dream Team." Dozens of media members applauded Mr. Marius Markevičius producer/director of the film, who flew back to his native America from the film's world premiere in Vilnius. He, along with 1992 bronze medalist Arturas Karnisovas, a multi-time European player of the year, former US collegiate star and Final Four participant with Seton Hall University, were joined by NBA officials, past and present, United Nations dignitaries and film critics at the event.

In case you haven't heard of the roaring success of the film, it's a documentary that garnered significant praise at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Simply put, the "Other Dream Team" is the amazing story of the 1992 Lithuanian Olympic basketball team, a group of trail blazing athletes who won the bronze at the Barcelona Olympics and left an indelible mark on the history books while becoming the highest grossing documentary film in Lithuanian history after only two weeks in theaters. The film topped the charts among indie films in the USA over its first weekend on screens in just two cities, New York and Los Angeles.  This week, the "Other Dream Team" premieres in Washington DC, Philadelphia, San Diego and Orange County, California before it goes to dozens of cities nationwide.

Led by the impressive and aggressive skills of guard Sarunas Marciulionis and the legendary Hall of Fame center Arvydas Sabonis, along with many other familiar names, the '92 team helped inspire their country's break from the shackles of Soviet rule and Communism. Many of the Lithuanian players - including four of the starting five -  led the (former) USSR to a gold medal, and victory over the USA, at the '88 Seoul Olympics, But, only four years later, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the Lithuanian hoopsters emerged as symbols of freedom and democracy, literally willing newly-independent Lithuania to the medal stand in Barcelona after an emotional victory over the former USSR, who competed as the "Unified" team. The film documents the Lithuanians' experiences behind the Iron Curtain.

Throughout their ordeal, Lithuania's basketball stars always shared a common goal—to utilize their athletic gifts to help their nation bloom. The '92 Lithuanian team won fans around the world for its hard-nosed play, and also with its amazing connection with the Grateful Dead.

Band leader Jerry Garcia, inspired by the team's message of freedom and coaxed by the late Larry "RamRod" Shurtliff who was the "heart and soul" of the band, provided a hefty dose of financial assistance and authorized a distinctive tie-dye warm-up for their friends, complete with the Dead's symbolic icon skeleton, creatively drawn dunking a basketball. My buddy, the late, great "Ramrod" had often watched Marciulionis at Golden State Warriors games and was a regular at the All-Star Game and NBA Finals, riding shotgun alongside the great Bill Walton, Basketball Hall of Famer and self-proclaimed "Deadhead."

In addition to the obvious endorsement of Walton and the remaining band members of the Dead, the film has been championed by some of the greatest names in professional basketball, all who appear in the film.

"Freedom," exclaimed Walton. "Let's go!"

After premieres in NYC and LA, the "Other Dream Team" open in theaters across the country this week. For information, please visit the Facebook page for the film at: https://www.facebook.com/otherdreamteam?ref=ts    or visit the official site of the film at:  http://otherdreamteam.thefilmarcade.com

See the official movie trailer, posted as a DigitalSportsDesk salute to "The Other Dream Team"

Si Gourdine ... One of the True Good Guys

Simon Peter Gourdine 1940-2012

BOSTON- When I started as an intern at the NBA league office in December of 1980, Lawrence F. O'Brien, the famous political figure, Kennedy campaign manager, former Democratic National Chairman and high-ranking knight of the JFK-RFK Camelot era, was the NBA Commissioner.  His deputy was Simon "Si" Gourdine, then the head of the NBA's legal and basketball-related operations.  Gourdine was a legend to anyone with a bit of knowledge of the sports management industry.  I was a first-year intern.

Si Gourdine treated me like I was the most important person in the room.  He treated everyone like that and I will never forget it. Gourdine was the definition of a class act.  First class, all the way.

Gourdine moved on to public service in high-ranking positions in New York City government, then returned to basketball to help the NBA Players Assn. through one of its toughest times.

His place in history is very well documented in today's New York Times by Richard Goldstein.  It is a MUST READ for everyone. 

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Simon P. Gourdine, Pioneer in 

Sports Management, Dies at 72

By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN

Simon P. Gourdine, who became the highest-ranking black executive in professional sports in the 1970s when he was named the N.B.A.’s deputy commissioner and who later served as executive director of the league’s players union, died Thursday in Englewood, N.J. He was 72.

Mr. Gourdine, who lived in the Bronx, died at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center after having back surgery earlier in the day, his family said. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Although he was a groundbreaking basketball executive, Mr. Gourdine (pronounced gore-DEAN) had no athletic background. He was a lawyer, and he went on to hold many posts in New York City government, including commissioner of consumer affairs under Mayor Edward I. Koch, deputy police commissioner and chairman of the city’s Civil Service Commission.

Mr. Gourdine joined the N.B.A. as its legal counsel in 1970 under Commissioner Walter Kennedy. He became a vice president for administration in 1972; was named to the league’s No. 2 post, as deputy commissioner, in 1974; and hoped to become commissioner after Mr. Kennedy stepped down.

When Mr. Kennedy named Mr. Gourdine his deputy, he cited Mr. Gourdine’s legal work for the N.B.A. and his running of the college draft. “And he’s not a yes man,” Mr. Kennedy told The New York Times. “He’s never hesitated to tell me he didn’t totally agree with me.”

But when Mr. Kennedy retired in 1975, Larry O’Brien, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, succeeded him. Mr. O’Brien’s political background was potentially valuable in confronting antitrust suits against the league filed by its competitor, the American Basketball Association, and the players union.

Mr. Gourdine stayed on as deputy commissioner and worked out the framework for settlements of the litigation. He also helped forge collective bargaining agreements with the players union in 1976 and 1979.

He resigned from the N.B.A. at the end of 1981, when his contract was expiring. “There were never any barriers against me,” he said. “It’s just, How long do you want to stay after being passed over?”

Mr. Gourdine returned to pro basketball as the N.B.A. players union counsel in 1990. He then became its executive director in April 1995, replacing Charles Grantham, who resigned in the midst of stalled contract talks.

“I can be accommodating, but if that means I’m easy or overly flexible, I reject that,” Mr. Gourdine told Sports Illustrated at the time in dismissing any suggestion that he would soften player demands in view of his background in N.B.A. management. “I grew up in the middle of the civil rights struggle. A moderate was someone who maybe was too accommodating, who wasn’t pushing hard enough.”

Mr. Gourdine negotiated a tentative long-term collective bargaining agreement in the summer of 1995, and he was awarded a two-year contract as executive director by the union’s executive board late that year. But player representatives rejected the deal, and he was ousted early in 1996. An arbitration panel later awarded him nearly $900,000 in unpaid salary.

Simon Peter Gourdine was born in Jersey City on July 30, 1940, one of seven children. His father was a laborer in a chemical plant. He grew up on the Upper West Side in Manhattan and in the Bronx, graduated from City College in 1962 and received a law degree from Fordham in 1965.

He served as an Army captain in Vietnam, doing investigative work; was an assistant United States attorney in New York; and worked as a lawyer for the Celanese Corporation before going to the N.B.A.

After leaving his post as deputy commissioner, he was named commissioner of consumer affairs by Mayor Koch and remained in the post for two years. He spent another two years as secretary of the Rockefeller Foundation and then became labor relations director for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority before being hired as the N.B.A. union’s lawyer.

Mr. Gourdine became general counsel for the New York City Board of Education after he was ousted by the players union. He was the Police Department’s deputy commissioner for trials from 2002 to 2006, overseeing internal disciplinary hearings, and then served as chairman of the New York City Civil Service Commission until 2008.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia; his sons, David and Peter; his daughter, Laura Gourdine; one grandchild; his sisters Dorothy, Sarah and Grace; and a brother, Henry.

When Mr. Gourdine became the N.B.A.’s deputy commissioner, he noted that he came from a working-class family. And although he lived in the affluent Riverdale section of the Bronx, he told The Times, “Most people in Riverdale don’t call it the Bronx, they call it Riverdale, but I call it the Bronx.”

He said that although the majority of the N.B.A. players were black, they were mainly concerned with his approach to their problems, not his race.

“I remember the first time I dealt with a players association committee,” he said. “Oscar Robertson was on it. He was glad to see me, but then it was time to get on with it. Players, black or white, just want you to be fair.”

Cuban: All Dollars, no Sense - Redux

NEW YORK, June 21, 2012 -- The story won't quit, it won't go away.

Just this week, the powers that be in world basketball, minus any comments or input from FIBA, the international governing body for the sport, spoke about changing the landscape of the two biggest international tournaments in the sport, the men's basketball competition at the Olympic Games and the FIBA World Championship of Basketball.

Of course, the "powers that be" were the voices of NBA Commissioner David Stern and Dallas Mavericks team owner Mark Cuban.  In a nutshell, Stern key-noted to the assembled scribes, hacks and TV types at the NBA Finals that the NBA was planning to meet with FIBA's head-honcho, Patrick Baumann, to discuss limiting eligibility in the future Olympic competitions to players 23 years of age and under, following a concept employed by FIFA, the governing body for football or soccer, as it is known in one small spot on the map.

Instead, the NBA and FIBA would work together to put more emphasis on a new "World Cup" of Basketball where all players, any age and any level, would be eligible to play for their countries.  Soon after the news broke, Yahoo Sports ran a column that the impetus of such a move was a financial windfall to be "shared" by both the NBA and FIBA, coming at a loss to the organizers of the Olympic Games and their many TV partners and future organizing committees.

Cuban told Yahoo Sports, ""The question is: Why would we partner with a current tournament rather than start our own?" Cuban said. "If done correctly, it can be NBA-owned and operated and have the potential to be just as large as the World Cup of soccer. That is a product, in my opinion, we want to own, not share. I don’t know what the NBA plan is, but the above is what I will be pushing for.

 "I do know that USA Basketball should have no say in the matter," Cuban stressed to a prominent Yahoo columnist. "It’s completely separate from the NBA. They are a different financial entity. They would just be another country that could play in our tournament. Just like FIFA does the World Cup, the NBA could do a global tournament. There’s no more reason to deal with USA Basketball than there is to work with the Peruvian Basketball or Kazakhstan Basketball Committee."

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The story reminded me of a blog I wrote in January which I've updated (slightly) and have re-posted with this missive.

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I love reading the opinions put forth by Mark Cuban.  He plays the NBA media like a fiddle.  He plays his loyal Mavericks fan-base like the pied piper of propaganda.  He purports to have deep basketball knowledge from his days as a student with a nose pressed p against the gym at Indiana and years of holding seasons tickets at Dallas which was long before he timed the market and the dot.com boom and cashed in his lottery ticket, then called Broadcast.com, for billions in Yahoo's stock.

Congratulations and may God bless him for that stroke of business genius and his timing.  Aside from Bill Gates, Cuban made the play of our lifetime by identifying an opportunity, grabbing online broadcast rights before many realized their value, timing the Internet boom, selling and cashing in.

Ever since his found fortune and the purchase of one of the three NBA teams in Texas, Cuban loves to speak from his pulpit as the owner of the Dallas Mavericks.  Very few businesses in this world other than pro sports have more media assigned as beat writers or broadcasters, all needing to file reports on a daily basis.  The NFL and Baseball have legions of such media that even outnumber those who cover the White House and the NBA is not far behind. The basketball media feed off Cuban the way the New York tabloid media feed off Donald Trump.  Meanwhile, most executives in the 'real' business world avoid the headlines like the plague, except when The Wall Street Journal might talk-up  their favorable quarterly reports.

Cuban takes full advantage of his position and loves to control his interviews by limiting most of them to e-mail exchanges.  He rarely gives interviews in person, except for his "availability" while riding a stationary bike prior to most Mavericks home games, and that is his right.  However, as we all know, much is lost in electronic transmission and translation or the lack of candor in group interviews gathered around a bike workout, may Edward R. Murrow not do a cartwheel in his grave.  I believe Cuban doesn't care about that very much, as he looks at the media as pawns in his chess game and his emailed quotes to national media outlets are the messages that end up in print because the reporters have little chance to challenge him and they dare not misquote him or they will be mocked in his webblog, aptly entitled, Blog Maverick.

Just like ESPN's Sports Guy blogger, Bill Simmons, Cuban walks like a fan, talks like a fan, writes like a fan, dresses like a fan, screams at refs like a fan and he relates with the fans like no owner in team sports before him. His popularity soared because of his fan-like antics when he bought the Mavericks, a team that had nowhere to go but up. Fans adored the fact he was accessible (by email), was outspoken, sat by the team, shot with the team, spent money on the team and was truly living a dream.  What fan in the world hasn't dreamed of hitting the lottery and owning his local team?

He doubled his popularity when he began his tete-a-tete with NBA Commissioner David Stern and attacked the Achilles heel of every sports league - officiating.  Then a rookie owner, Cuban kept harping to the press and the public about the NBA's officiating woes and the NBA responded with fine after fine after fine, totally some $1 million.  Cuban kept pressing and claiming that every fine was well worth the money.  He found the many hot-buttons for the league and he kept pressing them, time after time, which fueled his ego as it did his growing global popularity while only draining some $250,000 a pop.

Aside from officiating, Cuban's other constant gripe has been about the fact that the NBA and its Players Association allow the NBA players to participate in the Olympic Games and the World Championship (and sometimes other international competitions, like the various qualifying tournaments, Asian Games, etc.).  Cuban's stock quote to media is, "We take all the risk and get none of the upside." His other recent quotes to CBS Sports' Ken Berger which can be found by clicking HERE are so ridiculous that I am surprised Cuban would tap them into his smartphone.  Sadly, many of Cuban's views screamed of the ugly Americanism that rubs the world the wrong way, nevermind his misguided and hypocritical views.

Why is his viewpoint hypocritical, you ask?

Exhibit 1-A is Dirk Nowitzki of Wurzburg, Germany. Nowitzki is the Mavericks' 7-foot power forward who has one of the sweetest jump shots in basketball history.  Cuban's Mavericks have been riding Dirk's coat-tails for more than a decade.  Dirk often plays for the German national team during the Olympics, the European Championships and FIBA World Championship.

Exhibit 1-B is Steve Nash of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Nash was the starting point guard for the Mavericks from 1998 to 2004. Nash played for Canada's national basketball team at several Olympic qualifying tournaments and the 2000 Olympic Games. Nash, then on the Mavericks, helped transform the Mavericks before he moved on to his MVP years with the Phoenix Suns.

While Cuban claims there is "no upside" for the NBA or his Mavericks, it is very clear to those who follow the sport of basketball that Cuban was grossly overlooking his own team roster as both Nowitzki and Nash benefited greatly from their experiences with their national teams and growing up within the national basketball programs of their native countries.  Cuban seems to dismiss the fact that two of his best players rose to the level of the NBA's elite because of their practice time and experiences on the international stage. While Cuban erroneously moans about General Electric (NBC's former parent company before NBC was purchased by Comcast) making all the money because of NBA players participating in the Olympic Games (broadcast in the USA by NBC Sports), he conveniently overlooks the fact that the two players who put the Mavericks on the map are products of the international game, although Nash took off for Phoenix long before Dirk was able to will the Mavericks to an NBA title.

Cuban likes to talk business when it comes to the world of sports and the NBA.  He is all about the bottom line. He only likes his stock-holdings when they pay dividends and he's long been screaming from the mountaintop, calling for the NBA or his Mavericks to benefit in some monetary way from any and all NBA assets, especially the players who hold valid NBA contracts.  To some extent, he is right.  The NBA's rules from its Collective Bargaining Agreement with its Players Association call for a team to pay star players a ton of money which is guaranteed to the player in case of injury.  When players compete for their national teams, the NGB (national governing body) or basketball federation must secure expensive insurance policies to cover the player salaries in case of injury. The players' NBA team is at risk of losing the player to injury, although the player's contract would be insured.  A loss of an All-Star player because of injury might hurt a team greatly in the season (or multi-seasons) following the Olympics or Worlds. Cuban might look at the fine lines of those nasty player contracts, rather than complain about the Olympics, but that is a story for another day.

There is another simple side to the discussion, though, and it has been overlooked by Cuban because he likes to think he is the smartest guy in the room or the only guy in the room and he certainly doesn't take a liking to things that are bigger and more important than he is. The Olympic Games are bigger and more important than Cuban.  They are bigger than the NBA, any team or any player.  The Olympics are not bigger or more important because of money, contracts, NBA championships or NBC Sports.  They are more important because of the fact they place competing for one's country over competing for money. The Olympics exist because of an athlete's right and desire to wear his/her country's colors and compete for a medal of gold, silver or bronze.

Now, don't get me wrong, the Olympics are not only about national pride and they are not without major blemishes.  The Olympics and the so-called Olympic ideal have suffered greatly in modern times with IOC corruption, drug scandals, inept or corrupt officiating - you name it. If the IOC were to adopt a rule that every sport in the Games were only open to players aged 16-21 or even 23, I would applaud the decision. But that is not the case.

Then why is competing in the Olympics at risk of injury or worse so important to sportsmen?  To explain properly, my point of view can best be illustrated when Magic Johnson or Charles Barkley gush over the fact the 1992 Olympics Games in Barcelona were, by far, the best and most important experience of their basketball careers and maybe their lives.  My point can be illustrated by the fact that Steve Nash became an NBA most valuable player candidate after he put Team Canada on his shoulders in the 1999 Olympic qualifying tournament in San Juan and beat Puerto Rico on its home court to take one of the two berths available to move on to Sydney.  At the 2000 Olympic Games, Nash again lead Canada and played well until an upstart team from France that finished fourth in the knock-out round upset the top-seeded Canadians.

What price can you put on the improvement of Nash and Nowitzki -- and scores of other players, American and non American -- because of their experience with their national teams at the Olympics?  Tell me Australia's Andrew Gaze's contract with the NBA's San Antonio Spurs or his NBA championship was more important to him than his international career?  Tell me if Gaze or China's Yao Ming would place their NBA experience over that of carrying their country's flag into the Olympic opening ceremony on their own home soil? How much is the added pride, confidence, success and high level competition worth?

Colangelo and Coach K

What price can you put on the entire 2006-2008 Olympic experience for USA Basketball, led by Jerry Colangelo and Coach Mike Krzyzewski?  Every player on the USA Basketball senior national team benefited in ways that are impossible to measure. In fact, at the very first team meeting, Coach K said to all, "This is about being part of something that is bigger than all of us, something bigger than anything we've ever been a part of."

What price can you put on the images of Doug Collins on the free throw line in Munich in 1972 or with tears welling in his eyes as he talked of the 2008 Olympic experience as a broadcaster and how he felt when he spoke to the group of NBA players as they began to train for their competition in Las Vegas, then won a couple months later in Beijing?

The answer is simple.  You cannot put a dollar figure on any of the examples that come to mind as I write this blog entry.  All of the experiences are priceless.  They are worth much more than Cuban's billions can buy.  However, Cuban will never understand that fact and he yells "Moron" towards anyone who disagrees with him. But, he wasn't in the gym in San Juan in 1999 when Nash turned into an MVP and he didn't grow up in Germany with Dirk, in Australia with Gaze, in Shanghai with Yao, or in Lansing with Earvin "Magic" Johnson.  He grew up in Pittsburgh in the United States of America with an American dream to be a successful business man.  He realized that dream to an unbelievable extent but, for some reason, he wants to quash the dreams of young basketball players in the USA, Canada and around the world.  He doesn't want players with NBA contracts to compete for their country.  He wants his own selfish business dealings to be more important than the rights of a citizen of a country to represent his or her country in an international sports competition that draws millions of fans to watch in person or on their TVs.  Cuban doesn't believe that his Mavericks or the NBA benefit from the global exposure of the Olympics (off court) or the global basketball competition (on the court). He doesn't realize that hundreds of highly rated, over-the-air networks from all over the world are airing the basketball games that feature the NBA players. He is only focused on a very small and short-sighted view regarding NBC and the viewers in the United States.  I don't think Cuban knows the difference between being on BBC-1 in primetime or on cable or satellite TV at 3 o'clock in the morning.  He should think about doing some research and focus groups while attending the 2012 games in London where the popularity of basketball is a bit like the popularity of the sport of cricket here in the USA.

And, as long as I'm on a roll, I guess Cuban doesn't believe that Kevin Durant, Kevin Love or Russell Westbrook and the majority of the USA 2010 team are far better NBA players today than they were before they put on a USA jersey and won gold medals in Istanbul, Turkey and after they competed against the very best players from 24 other countries while also being coached by some of the best basketball minds in the world -- especially Coach K.

No.  To Cuban, it's all about his own selfish viewpoint, his own pocket money, his own team and the zero-sum game of global business.  It's too bad because until he stops, listens and learns -- just the way the players on the USA teams of 2008 and 2010 did -- he is not likely to win another NBA title without the aide of his German-born, bred and nurtured, 7-foot sharp-shooting, rebounding machine Nowitzki.

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A few notes on the suggestions for an NBA owned international tournament proposed by Cuban to CBS Sports' Ken Berger:

- Cuban has proposed to 'buy out' the BCS and the IOC/FIBA within the past few months, however, the events the organizations run are not on the market for sale.  To obtain the rights for (just) football, Cuban would need to buy-out and fund all NCAA sports - men's and women's for all the schools involved.  There is no way he can skim-off football.

- In regard to the IOC and FIBA, the IOC isn't going slice-off the men's basketball event at the Olympics and sell it off to the highest bidder.  That is absurd.  As for FIBA, the men's and women's world championship is their #1 event. All of the federations that belong to FIBA, the international governing body for basketball, would have to be bought out as well for both the men's and women's events at all levels of play (juniors, U17, U18 etc.)

- Cuban, himself, noted FIFA and its role in the World Cup, the most popular and profitable sports venture in the world.

- He said to CBS Sports: He'd tell his fellow basketball nations, "We'll split it with all of you. And we'll sell the TV rights. And we'll own it. And so then it's owned by the NBA or whoever, and GE doesn't make all the money."

- Sure, no problem.  (Mark, have you ever met people like Aldo Vitale of Italy or Yvan Mainini of France, among many others on the FIBA board?) They care as much about the NBA and Mark Cuban as Cuban does about Patrick Baumann. the head of FIBA.

- Even if the rights were to be sold, for a select period of time (say 4, 8, 12 or 16 years) or in perpetuity, those rights would be worth far more than the NBA or Cuban are worth.

- Believe it or not, the NBA and FIBA actually worked together to create a world championship of club teams.  It was called the McDonald's Open from 1988 through 1993 and the McDonald's Championship from '95 (Hou), '97 (Chi) and '99 (SAS) when the NBA champions represented the league vs. champs from the likes of Europe, Australia and South America.  The event barely broke even, was viewed as contrived and a preseason exhibition and it went nowhere, even though it included the reigning NBA champs and dozens of world class pro players on their club teams.

- Let's turn this discussion on another side and use Baseball as an example:  If the powers that be and one team owner from Japan's pro baseball league decided to buy-out MLB's World Series and run their own baseball tournament for pro players, would American baseball fans suddenly change their viewpoint and viewing habits to recognize that competition as Numero Uno?

- How can Cuban dish this garbage out and have an iota of credibility left?

- NBA players can be injured at anytime in the off-season.  Ask former Duke guard Jay Williams. NBA players scrimmage and work-out all summer long to stay in condition. The odds of being injured in the work-outs is similar to or greater than the odds of being injured at the Olympics.

DigitalSportsDesk.com on the (Near) Perfect NBA Playoff Game

NBA Refs and Rajon Rondo Redeemed Themselves

BOSTON - MAY 6, 2012 -  A funny thing happened at an NBA Playoff game this weekend and it wasn't even noticed.  No, it wasn't Oklahoma City's impressive sweep over the defending champion Dallas Mavericks or the San Antonio Spurs handling of the formidable Utah Jazz in four straight games. It wasn't accounting firm Ernst & Young screwing up the ballot count for the NBA's Most Improved Player award nor the impressive play of David West for the Indiana Pacers. What happened this weekend went unreported, un-posted, un-blogged, un-tweeted.  One of the greatest feats in NBA Playoff history and the story never even made the ESPN highlight reel.

So what the hell happened?

On Friday night at the TD Boston Garden in front of a sellout crowd of 18,624 which included a heavy dose of NBA brass, the officiating crew of #10 Ron Garretson, #13 Monty McCutchen and #33 Zach Zarba called a (near) perfect game.  

Every referee worth his whistle swears the perfect game in an unattainable goal.  At the highest level of basketball, an official doesn't stand a chance of getting them all right because the players are just too big, too quick, too strong.  They are so talented and athletic, they're just too everything.  They play so far above the rim and they can contort their bodies in midair to avoid contact or collision that the naked eyes can't compute the optical illusion occurring before them.  The NBA game cannot be compared to hoops at any other level.  It's even more impossible to compare officiating.  To the novice fans, comparing NBA ball to college basketball or, even Euroleague Basketball, is worse than trying to compare apples and oranges or The Rolling Stones to The Who to The Beatles.  It just can't be done. 

As the red carpet was rolled out on Friday, plush with NBA Commissioner David Stern seated near his trusty deputy, Adam Silver, they both witnessed the feat alongside a bonafide CNN anchorman, John King, who could've broke into programming to report the news.  However, not a single news bulletin, nor a word of congratulations was spoken to the men ultimately responsible for how their game is called.  In the post-game press conferences, nobody brought up the subject of officiating. There were no kind words. No headlines written.  World Series perfectionist Don Larson's name never came up when the Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 90-84, in overtime, and the NBA registered the best officiated game of the year.  It might've been the best officiated game of the the century.

An unofficial review of the game brought about four or five "possible" missed calls or miscues, none of them even close to being significant.  The only blip on the screen was a moment when Boston Coach Doc Rivers sauntered way out onto the court but he wasn't arguing a call and the referring crew let it go, as they should. Rivers was trying to get the attention of his point guard Rajon Rondo who was not on the same page as his coach's playbook required when he returned to play in Game 3 after being suspended for a single playoff date for bumping NBA ref Marc Davis in Game 1 of the series.  After that contest, there was quite a bit of focus on the officiating and, after the game, there was a constant banter on the steps the NBA would take to discipline Rondo for his obvious disregard of the sacred personal space around an official.

Rightfully so, the NBA suspended Rondo a single game for his indiscretion but Avery Bradley, Sasha Pavlovic, Keyon Dooling and Marquis Daniels all stepped up quite nicely for the Celtics as they tied the series 1-1 with an 87-80 win over the Hawks at Atlanta. The Celtics' win brought the series to Boston for the "so-called" pivotal Game 3 where the stakes were raised so high, the people of Kentucky would start singing "My Old Kentucky Home." The game was important and the players delivered a hard-fought, entertaining, defensive chess match that saw Boston hold Atlanta to 38-percent shooting from the field and 20-percent from three-point land. Much of that defensive intensity is credited to the amazing play of Kevin Garnett who has played with the youthful exuberance of the high schooler who entered the league in 1995. While Garnett, switched to center after teammate Jermaine O'Neal went down to injury and had season-ending surgery on his left wrist in March.

Out on Daniels the perimeter where real defense happens in game of basketball, Bradley has become the stopper.  Complemented by the speedy Rondo, the consistent Paul Pierce, the hard-working and the deep bench of, Dooling, Mickael Pietrus and important minutes being played by Ray Allen, now as a reserve the past two games, Bradley has become the difference maker for the Boston Celtics as they plot their way through the 2012 NBA Playoffs with the window of opportunity showing a shade pulled three-quarters of the way down.  This might be it for this era of Celtics basketball and the NBA's cut-down season provides an opportunity to hang banner No. 18 in the rafters of TD Boston Garden.

In this year when NCAA officiating was a downright disgrace to the game and when NBA bad boy Metta World Peace earned a seven-game suspension for nearly decapitating Oklahoma's James Harden, the whistle blowers are always the visiting team. It was once said that officiating is the only profession in the world where the ultimate compliment is silence. That is certainly true. No news is good news when the refs are escorted off the court by a security detail that rivals the US Secret Service presence in a Colombian strip joint. The attention brought upon NBA referees in the past five or six years largely revolved around the criminal activities of one Tim Donoghy and the sniping by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and his "couldn't run a Dairy Queen viewpoint of the dedicated group of professional refs who call the game at the very highest level.  They run, they pivot, they get screened by giants on the court, they peek around bodies, scramble for better position, work their rotations all in an attempt to "just get it right."  Then, they have their judgements reviewed by partisan television commentators who make their references from observing 12 high-definition television cameras situated so far away from the court, they create bad angles and optical illusions which often prompt erroneous reporting or legions of fans scowling when the replays are shown on jumbo in-arena screens.

On Friday night, the crew of Garretson, McCutcheon and Zarba, a young rising superstar official, got it right.  No one noticed, but that's alright.  They reviewed the game themselves and probably second-guessed a judgement call or two.  They showered, dressed, then left the building without so much as a pat on the back or a single cheer from the fans.

Only the funeral directors, morticians and undertakers could relate.

Terry Lyons does The Blog at TerryLyons.com and is editor in chief of DigitalSportsDesk.com (@DigSportsDesk).  His work is also featured in the Huffington Post collection of sports columns.