An Exclusive Interview with Jamie Most and Mike Carey
By:
Michael D. McClellan | Monday, February 21st 2005
“Havlicek stole the ball” is arguably the greatest
single call in the history of professional sports. The
companion CD contains this classic moment, as well as a
treasure-trove of other gems. Of all the great moments
called, what were some of Mr. Most’s personal favorites?
JM
That’s a good question – I don’t know that I’ve ever
asked him that. We talked about the great games, but we
never really talked about his favorite moments as a
broadcaster. I know that he was most proud of “Havlicek
stole the ball”, because that was the call that really
generated national exposure. Bird’s steal is another
one of his favorites. “Voices of the Celtics” has a
section about various Johnny Most stories, and the 1988
McDonald’s Classic stands out. Dad couldn’t pronounce
the names of the Yugoslavians. It was really humorous,
and the fans really got a kick out of it. Dad wasn’t
embarrassed by it at all. He could poke fun at himself
as well as anyone, and I think he saw the humor in that
broadcast.
MC
I agree with Jamie – “Havlicek stole the ball” is
Johnny’s signature call, the one that really put him on
the map. Bird’s steal of Isiah’s inbounds pass is also
right up there. He was also proud of his call during
the 1984 NBA Finals, when Gerald Henderson stole the
ball from James Worthy. So although he tried not to
rank his calls or choose favorites, I think that these
are the three that made him most proud.
In 1953, Johnny Most accepted team owner Walter Brown’s
offer to become the Celtics’ play-by-play announcer.
Mr. Brown’s generosity was legendary, even as the team
struggled during those early years. Please tell me a
little about Mr. Brown, his family, and his relationship
with Johnny Most?
JM
I barely new Mr. Brown because I was so young when he
passed away, but even today I feel like I know him. And
that’s because dad spoke so highly of him. Walter Brown
poured everything he had into making the Boston Celtics
successful, and in that respect my dad was a lot like
him. They were both very passionate about the Celtics.
Everyone who worked for Walter Brown knew how much he
loved his team. Everyone who listened to dad on the
radio knew how much he cared about the players.
Because he was such an integral piece of the Boston
Celtics, we decided to include a chapter on Walter Brown
in the book. It seemed like the perfect way to remind
fans of how great he was. Dad had a tremendous amount
of respect for him, and he would have insisted on
including him in “Voice of the Celtics”.
MC
To a man, the players thought the world of the guy. He
helped Johnny financially on a couple of occasions, and
he did the same for many of the players as well. He was
a man of his word, which meant a great deal to everyone
– the players, the businessmen that he dealt with, and
the other owners in the league. In many ways he was
ahead of his time.
Johnny Most coined many great nicknames, from “Jungle”
Jim in honor of Celtic great Jim Loscutoff, to
“McFilthy” and “McNasty”, the not-so-subtle jabs at
Washington’s Rick Mahorn and Jeff Ruland. Which Celtic
players were among Mr. Most’s most revered, and which
opponents were among his most reviled?
JM
When it came to the Celtics, dad would never name his
five favorite players. He would never go there. He
didn’t revere one more than the other – he rooted for
them all, and he considered all of them his buddies. He
would root just as hard – if not harder – for the player
on the end of the bench as he would a star like Larry
Bird or Bill Russell. To him, he took a great interest
in all of the players and not just the ones who made the
headlines, so he would never name an all-Celtics team.
In terms of villains, Bill Laimbeer certainly ranks at
the top of the list. Dad thought he was a dirty player,
and he hated the way he flopped to get calls. Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar wasn’t a favorite, either, but he didn’t
come close to Wilt Chamberlain in the villain
department. He thought Wilt was soft, and that he was
more concerned with getting his points than winning
championships. I think part of it was dad’s respect for
Russell; Bill Russell was incomparable, and I think dad
resented the publicity that Wilt got for all of those
points and rebounds.
Almost everyone who played against the Celtics were
villains, but dad definitely had no love for Rudy
LaRusso, Dennis Rodman, Ralph Sampson and Rick Barry.
He hated Rodman’s showmanship, and thought he was hot
dog. Ralph got into that fight with Jerry Sichting
during the 1986 NBA Finals. Dad hated Barry as a
player, but the two of them got along really well off of
the court.
MC
I think Johnny hated Isiah Thomas the most. Johnny
thought he was a phony, and he thought he was as dirty
as any of the Bad Boys on those Pistons teams. So there
was a genuine dislike for Isiah Thomas. He thought
Isiah put on this fake act, with that impish grin and
humble persona, and he thought that it was put to use on
the officials.
Wilt is definitely on the list. Johnny knew Wilt very
early on. He later offered him advice on how to succeed
in the NBA, but Wilt acted like he didn’t know him.
That hurt Johnny, and I don’t think he never forgave
Wilt for it.
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