The Jim Ard Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Monday, May 2nd, 2005
What do you remember most about the fabled Boston Garden?
I
was shocked the first time I played there – it was so old and decrepit, and
it was kind of shocking to see how far in disrepair that place had fallen.
But then I quickly learned that that was part of the charm of the Boston
Garden. That was part of its mystique. It was cold in the winter and hot
in the summer, and the parquet floor had all of those dead spots on it. I
learned very quickly how important that place was to the team and the city,
and how much of a home court advantage the Boston Garden really gave the
team. My favorite memory in the Garden? You might imagine it to be Game 5
against Phoenix, but it was actually the next season, when we raised that
championship banner to the rafters. It was then that I realized that I’d
contributed to something very special, and that I had joined a very elite
club in doing so.
When looking back on playing in both the ABA and NBA, who were some of your
most difficult defensive assignments, and why?
Dan
Issel. He had that great jump shot, and he was very efficient at getting to
the basket. Bob Lanier. The best footwork of any center in the league.
Like Issel, he had a great jumper. And he was so strong. I’d rather try to
take a jumper over him than try to overpower him in the paint. You couldn’t
push him around – it just wasn’t going to happen.
Final
Question: You’ve achieved great success in your life. You are universally
respected and admired by many people, both inside and outside of the NBA.
If you could offer one piece of advice on life to others, what would that
be?
Never
forget where you came from.
