The KC Jones Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Sunday, August 4th, 2002
The
’63-’64 Celtics have been called one of the greatest
defensive teams of all time – not coincidentally, your
first year as a starter. If Cousy was the
offensive genius in the Celtics’ backcourt, then your
were his answer on the defensive end. How did your
defensive greatness alter Red’s approach to attacking
opponent’s?
Red was a genius. He knew his
personnel, and he knew what it took to win. I’d
played 5 minutes a game for five years (as a reserve),
but he knew how to handle the situation when Cousy
retired. In Red’s mind it was either myself or
John Havlicek, and it could have gone either way.
He selected me as the starting point guard. I knew
that I’d have to go out and play good, solid
basketball. I had to go out there and prove myself
worthy of the job. I had to work for it.
Walter Brown passed away
in the middle of the Celtics’ great title run.
Were you at the ceremony when the honorary Number 1 was
raised to the rafters? If so, what were your
emotions at the time, and what do you remember most?
It
was a sad occasion. There was a lot of
sadness and sorrow at the time. Walter
Brown was a person who always smiled and
cared, so his passing was difficult.
And naturally, it was also hard on his wife.
The ceremony itself was a very emotional
experience.
You were there as a
player when Havlicek made his famous steal against
Philadelphia, and you were there as a coach for
Larry’s unbelievable theft against Detroit. What
was it like to be a part of two such historic events,
and can you take me back to each of those moments?
I was on the floor for the first one (Havlicek’s
steal). There were five seconds left, and Russell
lost the ball off of the guide wire support. Hal
Greer was the inbounder, and he was going to pass the
ball to either Johnny Kerr or Chet Walker. Kerr
made his move and then I suddenly realized where the ball
was going – deep to Walker. I was scared to death
because of the positioning on the floor. I thought
my mistake might end up putting the ball in Wilt’s
hands down low. Fortunately, Havlicek smelled a
rat. He read it perfectly and intercepted the
ball, preserving the victory.
Larry’s steal was one of the greatest plays of all
time. He was a snake in the grass on that play.
We needed that steal or we would have been in very
serious trouble – we would have been going back to
Detroit down 3-2. It was an incredible play.
And what about Dennis
Johnson on that play? When you see the replay it
was a smart move on his part as well – and not an easy
shot.
It was instinctive on his part – the instincts of a
veteran player. Larry Bird has a tremendous amount
of respect for Dennis Johnson.
In 1972,
you won
an NBA championship as an assistant coach to Bill
Sharman with the Los Angeles Lakers. Did it feel
strange being on the other side of the great
Celtics-Lakers rivalry?
No, not at all. It was a happy time for me,
and a very good experience. In spite of all the
battles, we were close to each other for the most part.
Jerry
West was on that team, and he is probably the most
identifiable Laker of all. What was it like to be
involved so closely with Jerry West?
Jerry West is one of my favorite people. I've
always admired both his playing ability and his
front-office savvy. I have a
lot of respect for Jerry.
