The Jo Jo White Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Monday, April 7th, 2003
Your
first Celtic training camp – please tell me about that
experience.
Was it as hard or as difficult as I thought it would
be? It was
a tough camp, very demanding, but I was ready for it.
I was a Marine, so I had been through all the
physical and mental challenges that comes with military
training. Plus
I was in excellent condition because of my military
obligation, so I feel that this gave me an added
advantage.
What
was it like to meet Red Auerbach for the first time?
Until you actually meet a legend like Red you can
only go on what you hear.
Then you spend time with him and realize that he
understands the game, that he’s one of the most
knowledgeable basketball minds in the game. I have the utmost respect for Red. He’s outlasted players, coaches, general managers and just
about everyone else in this league.
Red Auerbach is a true genius.
The
rebuilding process continued in 1970, with the selection
of Florida State center Dave Cowens in the first round,
number four overall.
What did Cowens mean to the team in terms of
rejoining the NBA’s elite?
There was so much to like about Dave’s game.
He played with a tremendous amount of tenacity,
which I think was a huge key to his success.
He also brought a lot to the table in terms of
his versatility. For
example, he was able to utilize his quickness to full
advantage against the other centers in the league, while
also using his speed to jump outside and guard the
little guys when the situation called for it.
Dave was tall, but he certainly wasn’t the tallest
player at the center position.
He was 6’-9” and a fiery rebounder.
He had an excellent outside shot. His desire was
unmatched. When
you take all of these things together you realize what
made him so special.
The
Celtics won a franchise record 68 games during the
1972-73 season. However,
the team suffered a heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the
Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Please take me back to that series.
John (Havlicek) hurt his shoulder and we fell behind
3-1 in that series.
Heinsohn adjusted the rotation by giving Don
Nelson and Paul Silas more minutes, a move that
significantly reduced Bill Bradley’s effectiveness. The strategy worked to perfection and allowed us to tie the
series at 3-3.
Game seven was back in the Boston Garden, and Tommy
decided to start John instead of staying with the hot
lineup. I
can certainly understand the logic because John was our
go-to guy, but I didn’t feel that it was a wise move
given the shoulder injury.
John gave it everything he had but he just
wasn’t the same player.
It was a tough loss for us, especially after
having such a successful season.
