The Bill Sharman Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Monday, March 20th,
2006
You
were the MVP of the 1955 All-Star Game. Please tell me a little about that
experience.
Winning
the MVP award in the 1955 NBA All-Star Game, which was held in Madison Square
Garden, certainly ranks as one of my all-time career highlights – and remains
somewhat unusual in the way that it happened. As I recall it, the game was very
close going into the fourth quarter – and I had only scored 5 points at the
time. But I got hot during the middle of the period, and then scored 10 points
near the end of the game. That was a big reason that we won, and why I was
voted as the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.
Unbeknownst to me, there was also a lot of irony surrounding what had happened – and Al Cervi, the coach of the East during that game, didn’t talk to me about it until many years later. He said that he had tried to substitute for me during the fourth quarter, because the game was close and I hadn’t been particularly effective up until that point. However, before any of the action on the floor was stopped, I had managed to score a couple of quick baskets! So he decided to call the player back from the scorer’s table – I believe that it was Dick McGuire – and let me finish out the game. Had there been a dead ball foul or anything to stop the clock, I would have come to the bench and watched the rest of the game with everyone else!
After
several seasons of modest success, the Celtics traded “Easy” Ed Macauley to
the St. Louis Hawks for the rights to Bill Russell. The trade provided
immediate dividends, as the Celtics won the 1957 NBA Championship. Please
tell me about that thrilling seven game series win over the Hawks.
It
seems like the trade the Boston Celtics made to acquire Bill Russell was
probably the biggest and most prolific deal ever made in the history of the
NBA. The Celtics won 11 championships because of Russell, and the St. Louis
Hawks won their only championship with Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan, whom
they received in the deal.
I had the unique perspective of playing for the Boston Celtics in those years leading up to the trade for Russell. I know, firsthand, how we struggled underneath the basket, and how other teams in the NBA would pound away at us – especially in the playoffs. We just didn’t have any size. We couldn’t intimidate our opponents. We were a good offensive team, but we just didn’t rebound especially well. All of that changed with Russell. He gave us the piece that had been missing, the piece that put us over the top. Macauley was a fine player in his own right, but he just wasn’t very big. He was thin and he couldn’t put on weight, no matter how hard he tried. [Team owner] Walter Brown loved him, but he knew that the Celtics weren’t going to win a championship unless something changed. Ed was from St. Louis, and he had a very sick son that needed constant medical attention. So, when Red and Walter Brown approached Ed about the trade to St. Louis, he was very receptive to the possibility. He could live in St. Louis all year long, and be there to help take care of his son. It really worked out the best for all parties involved.
The series between the Celtics and the Hawks was very special for me. It was my first championship, and the seventh game – played in the Boston Garden – went into double-overtime. The Hawks had Macauley and Hagan, and they also had the great Bob Pettit. I remember that Bob Cousy and myself struggled to hit shots in that game, which was uncharacteristic of us. It was just one of those days where we were both out of synch, so we had to find other ways to help the team. And I remember Bill Russell and Tommy Heinsohn, both rookies that season, having great games. Tommy scored 37 points and pulled down 23 rebounds. Russell rebounded and had several big blocks. It was a great win, and a thrill to be a part of it!
You just
mentioned the late Walter Brown. Please tell me a little about him.
Walter
Brown was one of the nicest, kindest people that I have ever known. He was
a true sportsman, and a true gentleman. He invested just about every dollar
he had to help keep the NBA from going under – and I was also told that he
even lost money during some of those championship years, just to help keep
the league and its players happy. Plus, he was one of the key founders of
the NBA, and without him the league might have gone under during the early
stages.
You are
still regarded as one of the greatest free throw shooters of all-time. What
was the key to your success at the foul line?
Hard
work and proper technique. It all began when my father nailed a basketball
hoop on one of our barns in the backyard. And that’s where I’d be most of
the time, at least when I didn’t have other family functions or duties which
needed my attention. Also, I was very fortunate to start shooting the
basketball with the basic fundamentals at a very early age – and, not
coincidentally, that’s when I found my love and passion for basketball.
That, along with a lot of hard work, training, and proper coaching as I grew
older.
When I played for the Boston Celtics and we went out onto the court, the first thing I did was get to the free throw line and I’d shoot until I made three or four in a row. If I couldn’t do that, then I wasn’t going to walk away from the foul line. It was that important for me to establish a consistent shooting motion. I wanted my mechanics to be as close to perfect as possible. And then, at halftime, I‘d go out and repeat the process. The image of the ball going into the hoop was very powerful. It gave me confidence that, in a game situation, I could step to the line and repeat what I had practiced. It really helped me.
Today, I just don’t see the same commitment to converting free throws. In my opinion, the focus has gone to the other aspects of the game – especially dunking. Players tend to concentrate on the flashy moves or the powerful dunk, and they don’t spend the time needed to become a very good free throw shooter. In fact, I see players today who come out for the pre-game shoot-around and don’t practice free throw shooting!