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By:\u00a0 Michael D. McClellan |\u00a0<\/strong>Mark Acres played two nondescript seasons for the Boston Celtics, his contributions to the team accelerated by the injury-plagued retirement of backup center Bill Walton, but he remains a cult favorite among the hardcore Celtic fans of the day. To them, Acres represented hope \u2013 hope that the team had finally found a player to ease the heavy minutes logged by timeless center Robert Parish, hope that the Celtics\u2019 bench could finally compete with that of the hated Los Angeles Lakers, and hope that a 17th championship banner was just a roster tweak away. Acres was an amalgam. He was Greg Kite with a better offensive game. He was Mel Counts with more meat on his bones. He was a player who could spell either Parish or Kevin McHale at various points in the grueling marathon otherwise knows as the NBA regular season. That Acres was ordinary was of little consequence; to the hardcore Celtic fan, players such as Acres, Brad Lohaus and Conner Henry were diamonds in the rough, hidden gems to be unearthed in a valiant quest to bring yet another championship trophy to Causeway Street. And while Acres may have seemed relatively pedestrian by NBA standards, he was still good enough to compliment arguably the greatest frontline in all of basketball history.<\/p>\n Born in heart of Laker country, Acres grew up idolizing players such as Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain, all while growing into a standout player at Inglewood\u2019s Palos Verdes High School. Acres was the star on a state championship team at Palos Verdes, and his play at John Wooden\u2019s basketball camp drew comparisons to the great Bill Walton. A McDonald\u2019s High School All-American, Acres also competed in the U.S. Olympic Festival before attending Oral Roberts University. It was at ORU that Acres, playing for his father, Dick, would become a four-time All-American and catch the attention of the Dallas Mavericks. Acres led ORU to the Midwestern Collegiate Conference title as a junior, averaging 18.5 points and 9.6 rebounds, shooting 56.4% from the field, second best in school history. He starred in the post-season NCAA tournament against All-Americans Joe Kleine of Arkansas and Keith Lee of Memphis State.<\/p>\n The Mavericks selected Acres in the second round (after selecting centers Bill Wennington and Uwe Blab with the sixteenth and seventeenth picks, respectively).\u00a0 He played in Belgium for two homesick seasons, bulking up and polishing his offensive repertoire, returning to the United States more confident in his low-post game. He was no longer the timid player that Norm Sonju, then the Mavericks\u2019 president, had seen in that first training camp.<\/p>\n “At that camp he was afraid to mix it up,\u201d Sonju said at the time. \u201cHe was really pushed around. We just didn\u2019t have a place on the roster for him because he wasn\u2019t tough enough. All of that changed when he got back from Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n Acres averaged 19.5 points and 10 rebounds during his first season in Belgium, and then followed that up with 20-16 a year later. No longer rail thin, Acres was suddenly unafraid to bang against opposing centers in the post. He remained the property of the Mavericks until the 1986 NBA Draft, when the team selected Roy Tarpley with the seventh pick overall. Dallas loved Acres\u2019 potential, but it simply had too many big men on its roster. Acres was cut loose. The Celtics, in need of a big man with Bill Walton battling a foot injury, wasted little time in snatching up the big banger from Inglewood.<\/p>\n Acres\u2019 two seasons with the Celtics were loaded with memories. While the 1987-88 team failed in its bid to return to NBA Finals, succumbing to the young, hungry Bad Boys from Detroit, Acres was there for the classic Game 7 Eastern Conference Semifinals shootout between Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins. He was also there to see Reggie Lewis blossom a year later, as Bird played only six regular season games due to injury. From Boston, it was on to Orlando for the 1989-90 campaign, where he would play three seasons, before finishing with Houston (6 games) and Washington (12) during the 1992-93 season. Through it all, his time with the Celtics remains the biggest thrill of his basketball career. He treasures his time spent playing for the team he once rooted against, and smiles at the thought of his reserve role with the Big Three.<\/p>\n The rest of us should be so lucky.<\/p>\n You were born on November 15th, 1962 in Inglewood, California<\/strong>.<\/p>\n I was a Laker fan growing up \u2013 we\u2019ve got the Lakers in town here \u2013 and they were always very competitive.\u00a0 And it always seemed to come down to the Celtics and Lakers for the NBA Championship, so it was kind of interesting that I landed in Boston.\u00a0 My father was also a coach.\u00a0 He was a high school coach, and later a college coach.\u00a0 So that\u2019s pretty much how I got into basketball.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You played your high school ball at Palos Verdes.<\/strong><\/p>\n Oh boy, that\u2019s a lot of water under the bridge [laughs].\u00a0 I just remember that it was a good childhood, a good school with good kids, and not a whole lot of problems.\u00a0 It was primarily an academically-minded school.\u00a0 I just have very good memories of my time there.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 1981, you were selected to the McDonald’s All-America Team.\u00a0 What does that honor mean to you now?<\/strong><\/p>\n It was an honor.\u00a0 Being chosen for that puts you in about the top twenty-five players or so in the entire country.\u00a0 It was very special to be selected, even though a few were left off that probably should have been there.\u00a0 I still cherish it today \u2013 I still have my McDonald\u2019s All-America ring, and some booklets from the games.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You played collegiate basketball at Oral Roberts.\u00a0 What was it like playing for your father, Dick Acres?<\/strong><\/p>\n It was a pretty natural transition, since he\u2019d been my basketball coach pretty much my whole life.\u00a0 So that part was easy.\u00a0 I was used to his system, and the way that he coached.\u00a0 I knew what he expected out of me both on and off the court as well.\u00a0 It was a great experience.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You were a four-time All-American.\u00a0 Which season was the most satisfying for you, and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n Probably my junior year.\u00a0 We went to the NCAA tournaments, which was only the second time in school history \u2013 I think it\u2019s still only the second time that that has happened.\u00a0 So that was probably my most rewarding season.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Playing well during the NCAA Tournament always draws attention.<\/strong><\/p>\n I played against some pretty good competition during my junior and senior year, and it was always an honor to match up with the top talent that was out there.\u00a0 It was always good to see how you stacked up against the best players in the country, players like Joe Kleine of Arkansas and Keith Lee of Memphis State.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You were drafted in the second round by the Dallas Mavericks, but decided to play two seasons in Europe first.\u00a0 What was that experience like?<\/strong><\/p>\n My first year in Europe was not a very pleasant one.\u00a0 I was homesick, and I missed my family, and it just seemed like I was missing a whole lot back here in the United States.\u00a0 But I eventually got used to it and learned what to expect, and it became a lot easier for me the second time around.\u00a0 I really enjoyed it that second season.\u00a0 Actually, if I had time I wish I could get back to Europe every year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Signing with the Celtics presented an interesting problem \u2013 you were able to learn from Hall-of-Fame talent like Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale and Bill Walton, but you also had to compete with them for playing time.\u00a0 With Walton and McHale injured, did you like your chances of making the team?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes I did \u2013 I liked my chances very much.\u00a0 And that was one of the reasons I left Dallas to play in Europe, because they had my rights for two years.\u00a0 They had three first round draft picks in 1985, and they selected three big men with them.\u00a0 It quickly became a numbers game there, and I really didn\u2019t see myself fitting into that equation.\u00a0 With the Boston Celtics there was a real opportunity, and it was the first time that I\u2019d been able to stick it out and make it through all of the camps, including veteran camp.\u00a0 I\u2019d never went to veteran camp in Dallas.\u00a0 I\u2019d always left early to go to Europe.\u00a0 So it was an exciting challenge.\u00a0 It was also a physical and mental drain, because you\u2019d just go out and play, play, play.\u00a0 You just kept going.\u00a0 And as a young player trying to make the team, you just want to do your best and try not to leave anything off the court.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Celtics played the McDonald’s Tournament in Madrid, Spain.\u00a0 What memories stand out about that trip after all these years?<\/strong><\/p>\n Well that was still when no foreign team had beaten a team comprised of NBA players.\u00a0 And when you have that, there is always a lot of pressure on your shoulders.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter whether the game is considered a preseason matchup or not, you feel as though you have a standard to uphold when you step out on that court.\u00a0 You want to do your best, and you want to make sure that you\u2019re not the ones who end up being the answer to a trivia question [laughs].\u00a0 We went in there, and there was good competition.\u00a0 We had to play hard to win.\u00a0 We did win.\u00a0 I just remember getting police escorts to the arena and to the hotel.\u00a0 It was almost a rock star atmosphere.\u00a0 It was quite a show.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Larry Bird averaged a career-high 29.9 points-per-game during the 1987-88 season.\u00a0 What was it like trying to guard him in practice?<\/strong><\/p>\n Always a challenge [laughs].\u00a0 He was a fantastic scorer, and a great basketball player.\u00a0 It was always a challenge to see if you could get a hand on the ball, or deny him a pass, or just keep the ball out of his hand.\u00a0 Larry was an unbelievable player.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals produced one of the most memorable games in NBA history \u2013 the shootout between Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins.\u00a0 Please take me back that series in general, and that game in particular.<\/strong><\/p>\n The series in general came down to Game 6 in Atlanta, with the Hawks up 3-2 and having a chance to close us out on their home floor.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t happen.\u00a0 We played big in a hostile environment, and we were able to steal the game and even the series.\u00a0 That put the make-or-break game back in Boston.\u00a0 Larry was talking quite a bit after Game 6.\u00a0 He said, \u2018The Hawks had their chance and they blew it.\u00a0 They had their chance to close us out and they choked.\u00a0 Now we\u2019re going back to the Boston Garden and we\u2019re going to show them how to close out a series.\u2019\u00a0 It was all over the news.\u00a0 And then we went back to Boston for Game 7, and he and Wilkins were just going at it.\u00a0 That one half was just unbelievable.\u00a0 Basket-for-basket, shot-for-shot, those two guys just couldn\u2019t miss.\u00a0 It was almost like they were playing one-on-one at\u00a0 the local playground, and there was no one else on the court.\u00a0 It was unbelievable.\u00a0 After the game I walked up to Larry and asked, \u2018Is that the greatest half of basketball you\u2019ve ever played in your life?\u2019\u00a0 He just looked at me and smiled, and then he simply said \u2018Yep.\u2019<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Please share some of your thoughts and memories on the late Reggie Lewis.<\/strong><\/p>\n Reggie Lewis hadn\u2019t quite come into his prime yet, while I was there.\u00a0 But he was a very good talent even then.\u00a0 You could see that he had All-Star potential.\u00a0 He was a quiet, well-mannered guy, and a lot of fun to be around.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tell me a little about Danny Ainge.<\/strong><\/p>\n Danny just kept everybody loose.\u00a0 He was a good guy to have on the team.\u00a0 Unless you were playing with him, he was a player that everybody loved to hate.\u00a0 He was getting booed wherever he went, and he just absolutely loved it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Everyone, it seems, has a favorite Red Auerbach story.\u00a0 Do you have one that stands out?<\/strong><\/p>\n Before you could even see him, you could smell him [laughs].\u00a0 You always knew when he was around because of all that cigar smoke.\u00a0 I found that kind of interesting.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 2003 you were inducted into the Oral Roberts Athletic Hall of Fame.\u00a0 What does this mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s special.\u00a0 For the school to recognize my accomplishments means a lot.\u00a0 It\u2019s always nice to be recognized.\u00a0 Being a chosen athlete of my era is always something I can cherish.\u00a0 Down the road I can reflect, pat myself on the back, and know that my efforts were not in vain.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Of your time spent with the Boston Celtics, do you have a fond memory or an amusing story that stands out most?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes \u2013 it goes back to that story about Larry Bird and the shootout with Dominique Wilkins.\u00a0 After the game, he came into the locker room, and the place was very festive.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to the Eastern Conference Finals, so there is a lot of celebrating going on.\u00a0 Larry said to Bill Walton, \u2018Hey, Bill, I bet you thought that you were the best white boy to ever play this game.\u2019\u00a0 And Larry just looked at him as if to say, \u2018Well, might have been once, when your feet were able to hold you up, but you aren\u2019t anymore.\u2019\u00a0 And as hard as it might be to believe, Bill was actually speechless.\u00a0 We all lost it.\u00a0 We were doubled over laughing so hard, because Larry had finally gotten Bill\u2019s goat.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Final Question:\u00a0 You\u2019ve achieved great success in your life.\u00a0 If you could offer one piece of advice on life to others, what would that be?<\/strong><\/p>\n Never quit \u2013 you\u2019re never beat until you quit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By:\u00a0 Michael D. McClellan |\u00a0Mark Acres played two nondescript seasons for the Boston Celtics, his contributions to the team accelerated by the injury-plagued retirement of backup center Bill Walton, but he remains a cult favorite among the hardcore Celtic fans of the day. To them, Acres represented hope \u2013 hope that the team had finally […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16322,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","iawp_total_views":12,"footnotes":""},"categories":[773,776],"tags":[359],"class_list":["post-7975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-interview","category-bird-era","tag-mark-acres"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7975","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=7975"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7975\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.celtic-nation.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/basketball.png\")
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