The M.L. Carr Interview
By: Michael D. McClellan | Thursday, March 22nd, 2012
For those who basketball history, the ABA faced an uphill battle against the stronger, more-established NBA. It was a league of organized chaos, one in which teams struggled to meet payroll, and one that ultimately ceased to exist following the 1975-76 season. Four teams were absorbed into the NBA, and the rest of the players were left trying to get a shot at an NBA roster spot.
Carr’s brief career in the ABA yielded season averages of 12 points and 6 rebounds, earning him a spot on the league’s All-Rookie team. It was enough to catch the eye of the Detroit Pistons, and Carr wasted little time signing his first NBA contract. He would play three seasons in a Detroit uniform, two of those for Herb Brown and one for Dick Vitale. Unfortunately for Carr, the Pistons had future Hall-of-Fame center Bob Lanier but not much else. Any shot at an NBA title would have to come elsewhere.
Enter the Celtics.
Auerbach, true to his word, continued to keep tabs on the swingman who had led Guilford College to a small college national championship. He saw Carr as a key piece in a rebuilding puzzle, and the Celtics had plenty of rebuilding to do. Boston had won two NBA Championships during the 1970s, with John Havlicek and Dave Cowens serving as the cornerstones of those titles. With Havlicek retired and Cowens breaking down, the Celtics were coming off a 29-win season, and also one of the most tumultuous in team history. Fortunately for Boston fans everywhere, Auerbach had gambled on a certain junior-eligible from French Lick, Indiana, and the wait for Larry Bird was finally over.
The Celtics would finish 61-21 that season, losing to rival Philadelphia in the 1980 Eastern Conference Finals. It was a learning experience, and one that would set the stage for a rematch with the 76ers the following season. Down 3-1 in the 1981 Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics rallied to take the epic series 4-3 and advance to the 1981 NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets. Six games later, the Celtics were champions and Carr was on top of the basketball world.
The Celtics would win another championship in 1984, defeating the hated Lakers in seven games. It was a classic series, one of the greatest ever played, and had some of the greatest storylines in the history of the game – Bird versus Magic, blue collar versus Showtime, East Coast versus West Coast. It remains one of the highest rated NBA Finals in league history. For Celtics fans of a certain age, the lasting image of Carr waving his trademark towel still reverberates. Carr, it seemed, was waving that towel for every rec league hack who had dreamed to suit up alongside Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.
Carr’s NBA career would end 47 games into the 1984-85 regular season, but his work with the Celtics was far from done. He remained connected with team ownership, and in 1994 was named general manager. He also coached the team for two seasons – 1995-96, and 1996-97. It was a dark period in team history – Bird, McHale and Parish were long gone, and the team had lost budding star Reggie Lewis to a heart attack during the summer of ’93. Still, Carr worked hard to restore glory to the once-proud franchise as GM.
Oh, and he tried like hell to lose enough games to land Tim Duncan.
While that didn’t happen – the Celtics, with two lottery picks, had the greatest statistical chance to land the Big Fundamental but still came up short – Carr does not have any regrets with his stewardship of the team during this difficult time.
His chooses instead to see the bright side of his time running the Celtics. Does he wish he’d been able to turn things around? You know it. Does he wish he could have done things differently if given a second chance?
For Carr, you persevere and make the most of the hand you’ve been dealt, and you don’t look back. No regrets. It’s a philosophy that
The man has two NBA championship rings and a lifetime of memories to show for it.
Celtic Nation is proud to bring you this interview.
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