The Rick Robey Interview
By: Michael D. McClellan | Sunday, February 26th, 2012
Robey's performance in the 1978 Final Four also elevated his draft status, and the Indiana Pacers, in search of a big man, took a gamble on the UK star with the third overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft. It didn't take long for the Pacers to realize Robey would struggle to make the jump from college to the pros, and didn't have the luxury of waiting on a rookie to develop. So, 43 games into his first NBA season, Robey suddenly found himself traded to the Boston Celtics.
Robey's first Celtics team finished with a 29-53 record, but the once-proud franchise's fortunes would soon change, thanks to an incoming rookie named Larry Bird. With Bird leading the way, Boston would finish with a 61-21 regular-season record before falling to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1980 Eastern Conference Finals. Robey would contribute 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds and, just like that, the Boston Celtics were relevant again.
A year later Robert Parish and Kevin McHale were added to the mix, and the Big Three was born. While Robey's numbers dropped with the arrival of Parish and McHale, to 9.0 points and 4.8 rebounds, he was still a valuable member of the rotation. Boston would avenge the playoff loss to the Sixers the year before, rebounding from a 3-1 series deficit to win 4-3 and reach the NBA Finals.
Six games later, Boston had dispatched the Houston Rockets 4-2 to win the teams 14th NBA Championship. And just like that, Robey was on top of the basketball world once again.
“It was a dream come true,” Robey says, reflecting on that playoff run. “That series against the Sixers was so intense, and not many people thought we could climb out of that hole to beat them. But we did, and at that point we knew we were good enough to win the championship.”
Robey's role in the Boston rotation would continue to decline over the next two seasons, as the Celtics continued to search for the right pieces to win another title. And then, during the summer of '83, the legendary Red Auerbach would trade Robey to Phoenix for disgruntled guard Dennis Johnson. With Johnson providing lock-down defense on the perimeter, Boston would go on to reach four consecutive NBA Finals, winning two of them (1984 and 1986).
Robey would play parts of three seasons for the Suns, retiring in 1986, but his NBA career remains most closely-associated with the Celtics. And with DJ helping deliver those two titles, many Celtics fans still feel that Robey played a large part in the team's mid-80s success.
Call it addition by subtraction, if you will.
Whatever the case, Robey will always be a known as a UK Wildcat and a Boston Celtic, and he'll always be remembered for having played a hand in the resurgence of these storied basketball traditions.
Celtic Nation is honored to bring you this interview.