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By: Michael D. McClellan\u00a0<\/strong>| It’s easy to get lost in Larry Bird’s shadow, but Scott Wedman was never about limelight or acclaim.\u00a0 The quiet Kansan\u00a0with the picture-perfect release and feathery touch may have flown under the radar during his time with the Celtics, but his contributions were never lost on those who played alongside him.\u00a0 Bird, never one to offer feint praise, long admired Wedman’s work ethic and commitment to diet and exercise, calling him the best-conditioned athlete on the team.\u00a0 Bill Walton raved about his selflessness.\u00a0 Kevin McHale called him a super sub. Head coach KC Jones compared him to the Celtics first great Sixth Man, Frank Ramsey.<\/p>\n “There were times out there when Scott Wedman was the best player on the planet and he couldn’t get in the game because Larry was playing so well,” says Walton.\u00a0 “But that is what helped make those teams so great.\u00a0 Scott sacrificed his own game for the greater good, and he was always ready when called upon.”<\/p>\n “When I arrived in Boston, everyone knew it was Larry’s team,” Wedman says.\u00a0 “Larry would\u00a0always tell me I was too short to guard him, then he\u2019d post me up, and he\u2019d score a lot in there. Then he\u2019d tell me he was going to do it again. He made me a much tougher player mentally.\u00a0 He helped to keep me sharp.”<\/p>\n As a member of two NBA World Championship teams with the Boston Celtics, Wedman earned a well-deserved reputation as both a dead-eye marksman and quintessential teammate.\u00a0 A vegetarian who drank bottled water and practiced yoga regularly, Wedman was ahead of his time in his holistic approach to fitness.<\/p>\n \u201cScott was was taking care of his body in ways that separated him from other NBA players during that era,” says KC Jones.\u00a0 “Back then, you didn’t see players meditating, or doing yoga, or eating organic food.\u00a0 That was Scott.\u00a0 And he was always ready to play.\u00a0 He was a vital piece of our team. He knew that players like Larry and Kevin were going to get their minutes, and he accepted his role without hesitation. He had the perfect attitude. As a coach, you couldn\u2019t ask for anything more.\u00a0 He was an important piece of two championship teams.”<\/p>\n Wedman’s championship journey began at his parent’s farm in Harper, Kansas, where he practiced shooting baskets on a rim nailed to the family barn.\u00a0 After relocating to Denver, Wedman became an All-State player at\u00a0Mullen High School, sparking a recruiting war between Wyoming and Colorado. Colorado won out.\u00a0 By the end of his junior season he had begun to attract the attention of NBA scouts.<\/p>\n The Kansas City Kings selected Wedman sixth overall in the 1974 NBA Draft, where he made the All-Rookie First Team.\u00a0 He played seven seasons for the Kings, becoming a two-time NBA All-Star, before signing a free agent contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.\u00a0 After a season and a half in Cleveland,\u00a0Wedman’s career experienced a much-needed reboot, and along with it, a renaissance; the January 14, 1983 trade sending Wedman to the Celtics for Darren Tillis and cash produced championships over the Lakers in ’84 and the Rockets in ’86.\u00a0 Wedman, who had been a starter and offensive focal point in both Kansas City and Cleveland, was suddenly cast as a rotation player behind Larry Bird, but the selfless super-sub could have cared less.<\/p>\n “I wanted to win,” he says with a smile.\u00a0 “Being traded to Boston was the best thing that could have happened to me.”<\/p>\n You were born on July 29th<\/sup>, 1952 in Harper, Kansas.\u00a0 Take me back to your childhood.<\/strong><\/p>\n We lived in Harper a very short time during my childhood\u2013 my parents moved to Denver when I was five years old.\u00a0 Harper was a farming community, so there were plenty of wide-open spaces for kids to play.\u00a0 Both sets of grandparents were there, so it was a good, wholesome family atmosphere.\u00a0 We moved back to Harper briefly, which was during my fourth and fifth grade years, before moving to Denver for good.\u00a0 I have fond memories of my time there, though.\u00a0 Being close to my grandparents and enjoying them are probably the memories that stand out most.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You played your high school ball in Denver.<\/strong><\/p>\n I was raised Catholic and attended Mullen, which is a Christian Brothers Catholic school.\u00a0 It\u2019s known for both academics and athletics, so the majority of the student body was there to excel in one or the other \u2013 or, in some cases, both.\u00a0 As a freshman I wasn\u2019t much athletically.\u00a0 I was 5\u2019-6\u201d tall and 120 pounds, which made me one of the smallest players on the team.\u00a0 That first year I was second string on the B team, but at least I didn\u2019t get cut [laughs].\u00a0 It took me a while for my body to catch up with my skill level.\u00a0 Ny my senior year I was 6\u2019-4\u201d varsity player and made the All-State team.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Who were some of the people who helped shape your game?<\/strong><\/p>\n I was fortunate to have a good basketball foundation prior to attending Mullen.\u00a0 A gentleman named Bill Harris was my first significant coach, and he did a fantastic job of teaching me the fundamentals.\u00a0 He was a Denver policeman who volunteered his time and energy, and who provided a real calming effect as I began my career in competitive athletics.\u00a0 He coached my sixth grade team to the city championship, worked with me for more than two years, and helped to get my game on solid footing.<\/p>\n My high school coach at Mullen was Rick Egloff, who played quarterback at the University of Wyoming.\u00a0 He led the Cowboys to the 1966 Sun Bowl team.\u00a0 He was a young head coach, probably twenty-four or twenty-five at the time, and was very supportive in my development as a basketball player.\u00a0 He contacted Bill Strannigan, then the head coach at the University of Wyoming, who offered me a full scholarship to play basketball.\u00a0 The University of Colorado entered the picture at about the same time, so I had two schools from which to choose.\u00a0 I ended up choosing Colorado and went there on a partial scholarship.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At Colorado, you set the field goal percentage record by shooting 53.5% from the floor.\u00a0 As a professional, you shot above 50% for three consecutive seasons and earned a reputation as one of the NBA\u2019s most deadly shooters.\u00a0 What was the secret to such outstanding marksmanship?<\/strong><\/p>\n I think my secret was a love of the game.\u00a0 For me, practice was never laborious.\u00a0 I would practice with the team and then work out on my own, and I truly enjoyed ever moment of it.\u00a0 My goal was always the same \u2013 to make ever shot.\u00a0 This helped me to stay focused on the proper mechanics, such as squaring up, releasing the ball, and following through.\u00a0 I think enjoying basketball so much was a big advantage for me, because I wanted to learn more and I stayed longer to practice on that aspect of my game.\u00a0 Also, it really helped that I had excellent coaches and teachers along the way.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How much of an adjustment was the jump from high school to college?<\/strong><\/p>\n At Colorado, freshman weren\u2019t allowed to play on the varsity team.\u00a0 That was probably a good thing for me, because I don\u2019t think I was ready to play at that level of competition.\u00a0 Cliff Meely was on the varsity squad – he would later go on to play several years with the Houston Rockets in the NBA – and I remember going against him in practice for the first time.\u00a0 He was the most awesome player I\u2019d ever seen.\u00a0 It felt like playing against a super being [laughs].\u00a0 But those types of experiences make you better, and by my sophomore year I was ready to play major college basketball.\u00a0 The team suffered some injuries and we started the season 0-8, but we ended up having a pretty good year.\u00a0 I think I averaged 15 points-per-game.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What aspect of your game did you focus on after that first season?<\/strong><\/p>\n I concentrated on my jumping.\u00a0 I worked hard to improve my vertical leap \u2013 I\u2019d put on a weight vest and do between 100 and 200 explosive jumps \u2013 because I felt that it would help me to become a better player.\u00a0 Spring was always one of my favorite times to work on my game.\u00a0 I could play without restriction once the season was over, and this gave me the opportunity to expand on my skills.\u00a0 It became an extension of what I was doing during basketball season, and I couldn\u2019t imagine doing it any other way.<\/p>\n Russell \u201cSox\u201d Walseth was the head coach at Colorado, and he was the one who really helped to improve my defense.\u00a0 Sox was an icon at CU, where he coached both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball teams.\u00a0 I enjoyed his practices tremendously \u2013 I was usually the first to arrive and the last to leave \u2013 and his instruction was so valuable in terms of my growth as a basketball player.\u00a0 He passed away earlier this year.\u00a0 It was a great loss \u2013 Sox meant a great deal to me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sounds like you were a gym rat.<\/strong><\/p>\n I never stopped shooting.\u00a0 While with the Celtics, I remember Danny Ainge giving me a hard time for shooting so much.\u00a0 He used to tell me that I was going to wear myself out, and that I needed to save myself for the games.\u00a0 He was probably right [laughs], but I really enjoyed shooting the basketball.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When did you start thinking about the pro game as a career?<\/strong><\/p>\n The prospect of playing professional basketball came as quite a shock, especially for someone still learning to play the college game.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t think about the NBA until after my junior season.\u00a0 I was surprised to learn that some scouts had watched me play, and that they\u2019d shown some interest in drafting me.\u00a0 The Kings sent scouts to watch me play in the Big Eight Tournament.\u00a0 Until then, the NBA \u2013 or the ABA, for that matter \u2013 seemed too far-fetched for me to take seriously.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Did the prospect of a pro career change how you approached the game?<\/strong><\/p>\n Not really.\u00a0 I just kept working hard and getting ready for my senior season, and I always went out onto the court determined to do my best.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You suffered an injury late in your senior season.<\/strong><\/p>\n I tore my ankle with three or four games left on our schedule.\u00a0 I was sure that the injury would hurt my chances of being drafted, but the Kings flew a doctor in to examine my ankle.\u00a0 I passed the physical \u2013 they cut the cast off, the doctor checked me out, and they put another cast back on.\u00a0 Shortly after that, the Kings drew up a contract and I decided to play in the NBA.\u00a0 My only concern at that point was being introduced at the press conference.\u00a0 I wanted to walk in without limping, so I rehabbed the ankle around the clock [laughs].<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You were selected sixth overall by the Kansas City Kings, in the 1974 NBA Draft.\u00a0 That same year, you were also drafted by Memphis of the American Basketball Association.\u00a0 Did you ever consider signing with Memphis?<\/strong><\/p>\n I considered Memphis.\u00a0 My heart was in the NBA \u2013 it was the established league, and I wanted to play against the best competition \u2013 but I wanted to look at all of the possibilities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Your first season in Kansas City was a success.\u00a0 The Kings won 44 games, finishing three games out of first place.\u00a0 You averaged 11 points-per-game and was named to the NBA All-Rookie team.\u00a0 What was it like to play NBA ball?<\/strong><\/p>\n I didn\u2019t really have to make any adjustments as far as my game was concerned.\u00a0 It was more of a mental challenge.\u00a0 Those first few games I didn\u2019t play much, and I was despondent because of that.\u00a0 It bothered me to sit on the bench and not contribute.\u00a0 I was young, and I didn\u2019t realize the importance of playing a role on a team, especially if that role involved a lot of sitting [laughs].\u00a0 Eventually I began to understand what was expected of me.\u00a0 I kept working hard in practice.\u00a0 I kept myself ready.\u00a0 It paid off, because I got my opportunity in a game against the Houston Rockets.\u00a0 [Kings head coach] Phil Johnson put me in and I was doing anything to help the team win.\u00a0 I had blood on both knees from diving for loose balls.\u00a0 After the game he singled me out, and said that he wished he had more guys playing defense the way I played it that night.<\/p>\n After getting playing time, the biggest adjustment was probably on defense.\u00a0 Back then there were plenty of talented forwards to contend with on a nightly basis \u2013 guys like Rick Barry, Bingo Smith, Sydney Wicks, Chet Walker and Curtis Rowe.\u00a0 You had to be prepared to play solid defense every time you stepped onto the court against those guys.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tiny Archibald was your teammate during your first two seasons in Kansas City.<\/strong><\/p>\n Tiny was very quiet.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t communicate a lot back then, and I was somewhat quiet as well.\u00a0 So neither of us really said a whole lot during my rookie year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What kind of player was he?<\/strong><\/p>\n Tiny was a great basketball player.\u00a0 His speed and quickness was right there for everyone to see.\u00a0\u00a0He was a 6\u2019-1\u201d left-handed guard with explosiveness, and yet he made everything look almost effortless.\u00a0\u00a0He had the nickname \u201cNate the Skate\u201d because he looked so smooth dribbling the basketball.\u00a0 I quickly learned where to be when he had the ball, because if you were open the pass was coming.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t matter if it were baseline or perimeter; he drew so much attention that could penetrate and then kick the ball out for an open shot.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In January, 1980, you had a career night against Utah.\u00a0 You scored 45 points on 19-of-31 shooting, many of which came against NBA star Adrian Dantley.\u00a0 You also had 12 rebounds and seven assists in that game.<\/strong><\/p>\n That night I didn\u2019t think I could miss \u2013 obviously I did miss, but every shot felt good when it left my hands.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to describe.\u00a0 I was in a pretty good groove that season.\u00a0 I remember going back to Utah later that year and hitting my first seven field goals.\u00a0 I was so hot that night that I took shots that I normally wouldn\u2019t have taken.\u00a0 But that\u2019s the way it works when you feel it.\u00a0 Over the course of my career I had four or five games where I didn\u2019t miss a shot.\u00a0 I just got going good and didn\u2019t let up.\u00a0 The superstars \u2013 the Larry Birds of the world \u2013 are able to step onto the court and recreate those moments almost at will.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You helped the Kings reach the Western Conference finals in 1981, battling Moses Malone and the Houston Rockets.<\/strong><\/p>\n We didn\u2019t shoot as well as we should have in that series.\u00a0 As a team, our percentage was down from our season average.\u00a0 We beat the Portland Trail Blazers and the Phoenix Suns to reach the Conference Finals, and we felt good about our chances against the Rockets.\u00a0 But Phil Ford and Otis Birdsong got hurt, and that forced us to change our rotation.\u00a0 Ernie Grunfeld had to play more forward than he was used to, and I was also out of position a bit.\u00a0 As a team, we were out of our flow.\u00a0 The Rockets had Moses, Calvin Murphy, Robert Reid, Rudy Tomjanovich and Mike Dunleavy.\u00a0 Quality guys.\u00a0 So they were a very good team.\u00a0 It was a great disappointment to lose, because I\u2019ve always felt that we matched up better with the Celtics that year.\u00a0 The Rockets fell 4-2 in the 1981 NBA Finals.\u00a0 I\u2019ve always wondered how we would have done against Larry Bird, Kevin [McHale] and Robert [Parish].<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kings ownership broke up the team following the loss to the Rockets, and you signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.<\/strong><\/p>\n To be honest, I expected to stay in Kansas City my entire career.\u00a0 It felt good \u2013 I knew the offense, the system, and everything about the situation just fit.\u00a0 But ownership wasn\u2019t looking to spend, and Cleveland was aggressive.\u00a0 From a basketball standpoint it may not have been the best fit for me, but that was an unknown at the time.\u00a0 When I got there I quickly realized how much was different.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You arrived in Boston following a <\/b>mid-season<\/b>\u00a0trade between the Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers.<\/b><\/p>\n I vividly remember the day that I was traded \u2013 it was January 16th, 1981.\u00a0 Ironically, my first game as a Boston Celtic was against the Cavaliers in Cleveland.\u00a0 I remember how strange it felt to dress in the road locker room.\u00a0 Back then the players carried their own shoes and uniforms.\u00a0 I had my road uniform and a pair of white basketball shoes with me, which posed something of a problem.\u00a0 The Celtics either played in black or green basketball shoes.\u00a0 So I had to paint my shoes green for the game [laughs].<\/p>\n I remember going out on the court for warm-ups \u2013 running the drills and shooting the ball \u2013 and I don\u2019t think I missed a shot.\u00a0 I felt really good \u2013 I was excited to be a part of Boston Celtics, and to be playing with such a talented group of players.\u00a0 And then the reality of the situation set in; I didn\u2019t get into the game, and I quickly learned that I was going to spend a lot of time sitting behind Bird.\u00a0 It was very disappointing.\u00a0 But by the end of that game I understood how close-knit that team was, and that it was going to take some time to figure out where I fit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How quickly were you accepted by your new teammates?<\/strong><\/p>\n The guys didn\u2019t exactly welcome me with open arms, but I can understand their point-of-view; no one wants to see his minutes go down, and suddenly another player is thrown into the mix.\u00a0 After the Cleveland game I doubted whether Boston was the ideal situation for me.\u00a0 Confidence-wise, it was a very tough three-or-four month period because [Bill] Fitch had a set rotation.\u00a0 Cedric Maxwell was a starter, and McHale was the sixth man.\u00a0 Danny Ainge was slotted behind Gerald Henderson in the backcourt.\u00a0 Looking back, I think my biggest contributions those first few months came in the practices.\u00a0 I think I was brought in to push Larry in practice, to help keep him focused and motivated.\u00a0 Larry was very hard on me \u2013 he was always testing me, and challenging me the whole way.\u00a0 He\u2019d talk so much trash.\u00a0 He\u2019d try to show me up.\u00a0 It was a very difficult adjustment to make, because I wasn\u2019t used to that type of environment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For a team used to winning championships, your first season in a Celtic uniform was a disappointment.<\/strong><\/p>\n The team played well after the trade, but Larry ended up getting hurt and we were swept out of the playoffs by Milwaukee.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Larry Bird was famous for working on his game during the summer.\u00a0 What wrinkles did yo work on?<\/strong><\/p>\n I used the summer to regroup.\u00a0 I worked with a personal trainer to improve my strength and conditioning, and when training camp opened I went right at Larry.\u00a0 He\u2019d dish it out, and I\u2019d give it right back.\u00a0 I wanted to prove that I belonged, and that I could fit into a productive role on the team.\u00a0 I became a contributor.\u00a0 I felt I was a key piece of the puzzle.\u00a0 At the same time, Larry began his run as the league\u2019s Most Valuable Player.\u00a0 He was the MVP from 1984 to 1986, and I like to think I had a little to do with that.\u00a0 We had some great battles in practice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Following that sweep by the Bucks, Red Auerbach fired Bill Fitch and replaced him with KC Jones.<\/strong><\/p>\n KC was the assistant coach when I arrived from Cleveland.\u00a0 He was a quiet, soft-spoken man, but he was also very humorous.\u00a0 As an assistant, you knew you had a friend you could trust and lean on.\u00a0 He could be a great buffer.\u00a0 To be a successful NBA coach, you have to possess a certain degree of honesty, loyalty and integrity.\u00a0 KC had those qualities.\u00a0\u00a0KC was the perfect person for the head coaching job \u2013 we were a veteran team, so the X\u2019s and O\u2019s weren\u2019t the most important factors for us.\u00a0 We needed someone who would let us go out there and play.\u00a0 It was a great move.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Auerbach also acquired Dennis Johnson in a trade with Phoenix.\u00a0 Tell me about Dennis.<\/strong><\/p>\n Dennis was very unusual.\u00a0 He was so casual and relaxed, and was always having fun.\u00a0 He was a true junkyard dog in many respects, a player who would do whatever the situation called for, and someone who \u00a0always rose to the occasion.\u00a0 And he was such a great defensive player.\u00a0 He drew the tough assignments, always did great work defensively, and then was so dangerous on the other end of the court.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n DJ came to Boston with a reputation.<\/strong><\/p>\n There were some questions about Dennis when the trade was made.\u00a0 There had been reports of run-ins with coaches in Seattle and Phoenix, and speculation that his personality was going to make him a problem.\u00a0 We welcomed him with open arms.\u00a0 He had a clean slate in Boston, and we were all determined to form our own opinions about Dennis Johnson.\u00a0 Larry and Dennis bonded almost immediately.\u00a0 There was a great deal of mutual respect between them.\u00a0 Three or four games into the exhibition season Larry made his famous statement to the press, saying that DJ was the best basketball player he\u2019d ever played with.\u00a0 It was a great move by Larry, who was a master communicator and one of the best at working the press.\u00a0 He paid a great amount of respect to DJ, and DJ responded by fitting in perfectly.\u00a0 Larry was sincere when he made that comment, because he was never one to offer compliments easily.\u00a0 He quickly saw qualities in DJ that he liked, and he made no secret of his feelings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Celtics beat the Lakers for the 1984 NBA Championship.\u00a0 What was that like for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n Greatest feeling in the world.\u00a0 It was the culmination of everything that I’d worked for as a basketball player.\u00a0 That series was the biggest thing in the sporting world that year – everybody was talking about Bird playing against Magic in the Finals before the season even started.\u00a0 The hype was incredible.\u00a0 There were so many reporters covering that series, and there were so many storylines.\u00a0 Iconic franchises.\u00a0 Bird versus Magic.\u00a0 The Big Three.\u00a0 Kareem and Worthy.\u00a0 To be a part of that chapter of Celtics history is hard to describe.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The 1985 NBA Finals featured a rematch with the Lakers.\u00a0 The Celtics won Game 1 on Memorial Day, 148-114, and you were a perfect 11-for-11 from the floor including four three-pointers.<\/strong><\/p>\n As a professional basketball player, your performance on the court is partly a reflection of where you are emotionally and spiritually.\u00a0 It\u2019s also directly impacted by your relationship with family and friends.\u00a0 All of those things were very positive for me when we played the Lakers that day.\u00a0 I was in a really good place mentally.\u00a0 I had good friends around me, and all of the elements were right for a strong performance.\u00a0 I remember that Ainge had a great game, and that I was mentally focused to come off of the bench.\u00a0 If I\u2019d learned anything from the previous season, it was that I needed to be prepared to contribute when my number was called.\u00a0 I\u2019d learned to cheer the team when I wasn\u2019t playing, and to keep myself in a very positive frame of mind.\u00a0 And that day there were no negative thoughts at all.\u00a0 My first shot didn\u2019t feel good when I released it, but it went in and I knew immediately that I was going to have a good game.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Lakers bounced back in Game 2, and ultimately won the championship.<\/strong><\/p>\n It was extremely disappointing.\u00a0 We wanted to be the first team since the ’69 Celtics to repeat as champions.\u00a0 Kareem was suffering from migraines in the first game, but he bounce back and had a great series.\u00a0 The Lakers were an excellent team, very talented.\u00a0 They scored a lot of fast-break points in that series, and Kareem really took it to us.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Celtics made a major trade for Bill Walton following the loss to the Lakers.<\/strong><\/p>\n We were really disappointed to lose Cedric Maxwell.\u00a0 He was quite a player, and he had a great personality.\u00a0 He\u2019d limped through the season with a knee injury, which was tough, and then Red decided to make the trade with the Clippers.\u00a0\u00a0Bill was like a kid in a candy store.\u00a0 He was thrilled to be a Boston Celtic, thrilled to be playing with Larry Bird, but also aware of how he might be perceived by his teammates \u2013 especially Robert Parish.\u00a0 So one of the first things he did was to call Robert, and to assure him that he was still the starter.\u00a0 It was a smart move, because it made Robert very receptive to the trade.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What was it like having Bill join you on the second unit?<\/strong><\/p>\n Bill made our practice team much, much better.\u00a0 Those practices were so intense.\u00a0 Everyone talked trash.\u00a0 There was a lot of pride at stake.\u00a0 And it made the team better \u2013 we were 40-1 at home that season, and a lot of that had to do with the nature of our practices.\u00a0 They were as competitive as many of the games we played that season, because everyone wanted to perform at a high level.\u00a0 The Big Three set the tone, but the practice team always wanted to take it to them.\u00a0 And we won our fair share of games [laughs].<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The 1985-86 Boston Celtics won 67 games on its way to the NBA championship.\u00a0 Where do you think it ranks in terms of the best teams ever?<\/strong><\/p>\n I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 When you look at all of the great players on our team, you have to look at McHale and ask yourself who would have to guard him.\u00a0 You might find someone to match up with Robert or Larry to some degree, but then who would take care of Kevin?\u00a0 He was such an incredible low-post player \u2013 how many teams would have someone capable of stopping him?\u00a0 And our bench strength was so great that year that we had depth at all positions.\u00a0 Jerry Sichting could come in for Ainge and bring incredible shooting accuracy.\u00a0 Bill brought that trademark intensity, not to mention great passing in the low-post.\u00a0 I felt I could shoot the ball and defend.\u00a0 It was a great team, but it\u2019s so hard to compare teams from different eras.\u00a0 I still like our chances against any team in NBA history.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How did the death of Lenny Bias alter the state of the franchise?<\/strong> <\/p>\n You are close friends with Larry Bird.\u00a0 Please tell me a little about your former teammate, perhaps a side that the public doesn\u2019t see all that often.<\/strong><\/p>\n I can tell you a story about him that not many people know.\u00a0 I liked to run after practice, and Larry used to give me a hard time about it.\u00a0 But then one day I saw Larry running around the court after we\u2019d finished up our drills, and the next thing you know it had become a part of his routine.\u00a0 Well, I had an aerobic instructor named Louise Bollen who also happened to be a marathoner.\u00a0 She was going to run in a charity 10K that spring, and it fell during a break in our playing schedule.\u00a0 She wanted me to run it with her, so I asked Larry if he wanted to join us.\u00a0 Larry talked to K.C. about it, who was a little concerned that we might pull a hamstring and spend some time on injured reserve.\u00a0 But he was somehow able to get K.C.\u2019s blessing to let us run.\u00a0 The race started in front of the Boston Garden.\u00a0 It was a beautiful day, and I was surprised to see so many people show up for a 10K.\u00a0 At that point I realized that we\u2019re in a legitimate race.<\/p>\n We started out in the middle of the pack, with Louise setting a comfortable pace.\u00a0 Most of the people were very respectful.\u00a0 They would offer a kind word or wave as they passed us.\u00a0 But as the race went on, we heard more than one person say \u201cHey, I\u2019m passing Larry Bird!\u201d, and I could tell that it was starting to bother Larry.\u00a0 Finally, we\u2019re one mile away from the finish line.\u00a0 It\u2019s downhill.\u00a0 Larry said, \u201cThat\u2019s it, nobody else is passing me.\u201d\u00a0 And off he went, hitting that last mile in a dead sprint.\u00a0 For me, it was a chance to see the heart of a champion in an arena other than basketball.\u00a0 \u00a0I was able to fully experience Larry\u2019s drive, and his will to win.\u00a0 It was an incredible sight \u2013 although I\u2019m not sure that K.C. would have been happy with Larry going all-out like that [laughs].<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kevin McHale was known as a big practical joker.\u00a0 Were you ever on the receiving end of his pranks?<\/strong><\/p>\n I only drank bottled water, and Kevin claims that he poured it out on many occasions and replaced it with tap water.\u00a0 He teased me about it many times back then, and still sticks to his story.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You were a two-time NBA All-Star.\u00a0 Looking back, how does it feel to be recognized in such a way?<\/strong><\/p>\n It was an honor to be recognized in that way, but I\u2019m more proud of my selection to the All-Defensive second team.\u00a0 Because of injury I was only able to play in one All-Star game, but it was a very rewarding experience.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Final Question:\u00a0 If you could offer one piece of advice on life to others, what would that be?<\/strong><\/p>\n Follow your heart.\u00a0 It\u2019s the surest way to realize true happiness in life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By: Michael D. McClellan\u00a0| It’s easy to get lost in Larry Bird’s shadow, but Scott Wedman was never about limelight or acclaim.\u00a0 The quiet Kansan\u00a0with the picture-perfect release and feathery touch may have flown under the radar during his time with the Celtics, but his contributions were never lost on those who played alongside him.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16167,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","iawp_total_views":5,"footnotes":""},"categories":[773,776],"tags":[343],"class_list":["post-16166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-interview","category-bird-era","tag-scott-wedman"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16166"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16166\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/basketball-300x50.png\")
<\/p>\n
\nLenny was going to be an impact player for twelve to fifteen years.\u00a0 I saw him play while he was at the University of Maryland, but I never had the opportunity to play against him.\u00a0 It was devastating to the Celtics, because he was going to be the team\u2019s future.\u00a0 A player of that caliber was also going to extend Larry\u2019s career, so it was tremendous blow to the organization.<\/p>\n