The Bob Cousy Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
February 9th, 2004
Cousy’s legend was cemented long before that first NBA title in 1957. By the 1952-53 season he was firmly in control of the Celtics’ fast-break attack, pushing the ball at every opportunity and flipping passes from almost every angle imaginable. This was also the year that Cousy won the first of eight consecutive assists titles, averaging 7.7 per game, a remarkable feat in the pre- shot clock era. Houdini was the biggest star in the league.
Magnificent during the regular season, Cousy saved his best for Game 2 of the division semifinals against bitter rival Syracuse. Playing through a painful leg injury, Cousy scored 25 points in regulation, heroically tying the game at 77 on a last-second free throw. He would tie it again in the waning seconds of the first overtime, giving him 6 of his team’s 9 points and forcing yet another extra period. In the second overtime Cousy accounted for all 4 Celtics points. The total was matched by the Nationals to force a third overtime session. In the third OT he scored 8, improbably hitting a 25-foot, game-tying jumper with just three ticks left on the clock. All appeared lost when the Nationals raced out to a 104-99 lead in the fourth overtime. Cousy had battled valiantly, but most in attendance sensed that the Celtics’ season was nearly over. Houdini, however, had other ideas. Willing his team back into the game, Cousy scored 5 straight points to tie the game at 104. The Nationals regained neither poise nor momentum, scoring just 1 more point as the Celtics prevailed in a thriller, 111-105. Cousy’s stat line for this 3-hour, 11-minute marathon included 50 points, 30 of them coming from the free throw line (where he was 30-of-32 for the game).
The 1956-57 season brought Russell and the team’s first NBA championship. It was also one of Cousy’s finest seasons. The prolific guard once again led the league in assists (7.5 APG), finished eighth in scoring (20.6 PPG), while capturing both the NBA MVP and NBA All-Star Game MVP awards. Cousy’s selection as the league’s best player was the first such honor bestowed on a member of the Boston Celtics.
With Russell triggering the fast-break and Cousy punching the throttle, the Celtics were nearly unbeatable. They defeated the St. Louis Hawks in seven games to win their first crown, needing double-overtime in the final game to walk away victorious. The Hawks got even the following season, taking advantage of a Russell ankle injury (an ironic twist, if ever there was one) to give Macauley his only NBA title. Boston then won an unprecedented eight consecutive championships, finishing with eleven in a thirteen year span. Along the way Auerbach continued to add to its cache of Hall-of-Fame talent, drafting players such as KC Jones, Sam Jones and John Havlicek. Cousy retired midway through that stretch, walking away with six titles, 13 All-Star Game appearances, ten consecutive All-NBA First Team selections, two NBA All-Star Game MVP awards, and one NBA MVP award.
Even Cousy’s retirement at age 35 was an event to be remembered. Best known as “The Boston Tear Party”, Cousy’s last regular season game was an emotional farewell that left hardly a dry eye in the house. The normally loquacious Cousy was rendered speechless by emotion during a 20-minute farewell statement – one that was scheduled to last but seven minutes. Then a voice cried out from the sold-out Boston Garden, "We love ya, Cooz." The words came from Joe Dillon, a city water worker and rabid Celtics fan. The sellout crowd exploded with heartfelt energy.
Cousy retired a champion. Boston defeated its new nemesis, the Los Angeles Lakers, in the 1963 NBA Finals. In the fourth quarter of Game 6, Cousy sprained an ankle and had to be helped to the bench. He went back in with the Lakers ahead by a point. And although he didn't score again, he provided the emotional spark that propelled the Celtics to victory, 112-109. Fittingly, the game ended with Cousy heaving the ball into the rafters.
Cousy didn’t stay away from basketball for long, accepting the head coaching job at Boston College shortly after his retirement. He wasted little time resurrecting the Eagles’ basketball program, directing the school to a 117-38 record over six years. During that span he posted four 20-plus winning seasons, reached the NCAA Regionals twice, and also guided his team to the NIT Finals. He announced after two early losses in the 1968-69 campaign that the season would be his last. The Eagles responded by winning 21 games in a row.
