Boston Celtics: Where Have You Gone?When the Boston Celtics were running-and-gunning their way to 16 world championships, New England fans displayed their approval of the team's effort and heart by rooting especially hard for the bench players. It didn't matter whether a particular favorite was the sixth man or the twelfth. As long as the chosen player possessed determination, guts, emotion and, above all hustle, the Celtics faithful would reward that player with cascades of applause and chants. Fringe players--don't call them scrubs--became cult heroes. Yes, the Garden crowds were in absolute heaven when subs such as High Henry Finkel, Greg Kite, Eric Fernsten, Terry Duerod, Kevin Oscar Gamble, Wayne Kreklow, and Charles Bradley shed their warm-ups and scampered down to the scorer's table to enter a game. Seldom did these players spend more than a couple of years in green-and-white uniforms before they were either waived or nabbed in an expansion draft. Still, to this day, their names and contributions have not been forgotten. Likewise, fans have not forgotten the dark days when Marvin Bad News Barnes, Sidney Wicks, Curtis Rowe, Bob McAdoo, Shammond Williams and Acie Earl aimlessly roamed on the parquet floor as the Celtics embarrassed themselves in defeat after defeat. Some players achieved star status in the face of long odds thanks to the results of one game in particular. What long-time Boston fan can ever forget Glenn McDonald's crucial string of clutch jumpers in the third overtime of Boston's 1976 playoff victory over the Phoenix Suns? Boston Celtics: Where Have You Gone? catches up with these long-remembered players and relives their impact (good or bad) on their Celtic teams. No longer will you have towonder, Whatever happened to...? |
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS | 1 |
THE GOOD LIFE | 18 |
DREAM JOB | 36 |
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOUR | 50 |
WILD LIFE | 64 |
THE NATURAL | 84 |
Common terms and phrases
Acres All-America All-Star AP/WWP athletic averaged Bach ball Barnes Barrett basket basketball basketball player bench Bill Russell Bill Sharman Bonham Boston Celtics Boston Garden career championship team Charlie Scott Clark court Cousy Dave Cowens defensive Detroit draft choice Duerod Embry fans Finkel Fitch former Celtics Forte franchise Gamble Gilmore going guard guys Hall of Fame head coach Heinsohn Henry high school honor Howell John Havlicek Johnny jumper Kareem Kevin McHale kids knew Lakers Larry Bird league McDaniel McDonald Mel Counts Nate Archibald NBA championship NBA draft NBA's NCAA never Paul Westphal Phoenix pick play playoffs points Position Radja rebounds recalls Red Auerbach retired Rick Robert Parish Robey rookie roster says scoring Scott senior Sharman shooting shot starter talent talk team's teammate things told Tommy Heinsohn traded training camp wanted Wayne Embry Weight Weitzman Westphal