The Frank Challant Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan | Wednesday, April 6th 2005
John Havlicek suffered a shoulder injury that hindered
him during the 1972-73 Eastern Conference Finals against
the New York Knicks. How did that injury effect the
series, and what adjustments did Tommy Heinsohn make as
a result?
 Hey, it
effected me – it cost me $21,000, which would
have been my share of the championship money [laughs]!
I remember Bill Bradley set a pick for New York, and no
one called it out. John hit Bradley and he went down
holding his shoulder. I don't think they took X-rays
immediately. We treated it conservatively, with ice and
heat, but we soon found out that it was an A/C shoulder
separation. The next morning, John couldn't comb his
hair or brush his teeth with that arm – he just couldn’t
raise his arm at all.
You were there for the triple-overtime game against the
Phoenix Suns in the 1976 NBA Finals. Please take me
back to that game. What stands out after all of these
years?
The
Celtics traded Paul Westphal to Phoenix before the
season, getting Charlie Scott in return. Westy knew the
strategies that Tom and Killilea liked to employ, and
their tendencies in certain game situations. It really
paid off in Game 5, because he called that phantom
timeout in the second overtime – right after Hondo had
hit that dramatic shot to give us the one-point lead.
Jo Jo hit the penalty foul shot, but Westy's timeout
meant that Phoenix would get to inbound the ball at half
court. That's when Gar Heard hit that big shot to force
the third overtime. It was a great, great contest, but
I'll be honest with you – I don't remember much about
the first five games of that series. They were a blur.
Game 6 was back in Phoenix, and I do remember that one
very well. No one expected the Suns to make it that far
in the series, including CBS. They were shocked to find
out that Phoenix's stadium was rented out to the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The church was
holding a convention, with a full schedule for that
Sunday. CBS went into emergency negotiations in an
effort to get the facility for Game 6. The church
initially refused, but then said that the game could be
played early that morning – Phoenix time – but that the
place had to be cleared by 2PM that afternoon. CBS had
its back against the wall, so they agreed. The NBA also
had to agree to pick up the tab on all expenses. Tipoff
was at 10AM, which made it 8AM for our internal clocks.
We had to get up at 6:30 and leave by 7, so we were
really screwed up.
I was surprised at how well we played, despite the
jetlag and the change in the schedule. Winning that
title was just as exciting as winning it in '74, but the
stress level was as great as it was two years before.
We were more relaxed. We partied in Phoenix afterwards,
then flew back home the next day. We had a reception at
the mayor's office, and at the government center
downtown. There must have been 250,000 people out for
the parade. It was a great day.
Final Question: You’ve achieved great success in your
life. You are universally respected and admired by many
people, both inside and outside of the NBA. If you
could offer one piece of advice on life to others, what
would that be?
Have
pride in yourself and your family. Work hard, and work
together as a team.
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