The Kevin Gamble Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Monday, May 9th, 2005
By
the following season you were firmly established as a member of the Boston
Celtics. What was it like to go through training camp with the rest of the
team?
It
was fun. It’s hard to remember now, but just going through a full training and
getting ready for the regular season was a luxury. It helped in terms of
getting my timing down with my teammates, because Larry was coming back and we
had some adjustments to make. It was fun being around the guys, and getting the
chance to play with some of the best basketball players in the world. You learn
something everyday. You pick up so many little things about the game. So it
was an exciting time for me; going through the preseason games, going on the
flights with the team...it was a lot of hard work, but I came away from it with
a lot of great memories. It also made me a better basketball player.
The
'89-'90 season ended with heartbreak, as the Celtics were eliminated from
the first round for the second consecutive season. For a team and a city
accustomed to playing in June, this was a bitter pill to swallow. What
happened in that series against New York, and how were the Knicks able to
win that decisive game in the Boston Garden?
I
didn’t play a lot that series – they were a bigger team, so they went big
and we countered by going with a big rotation. Patrick [Ewing] had a great
series against us. Gerald Wilkins had a great series. The Knicks played
good team basketball and had us on our heels. If a team gets hot in a five
game series, then it can definitely make things difficult for the opponent,
and that’s basically what happened. The Knicks tied the series in New York,
and then came into Boston and won that deciding game in the Garden. We had
no one to blame but ourselves; if you don’t take care of homecourt, then
you’re usually not going to win a playoff series. The Knicks were a young
team coming up, and Patrick was hungry. They were able to do it. You have
to give them credit.
The '91
playoff series against the Indiana Pacers is a classic, in large part due to
Game 5 in the Boston Garden. Larry Bird returns from banging his head on
the Garden floor, and leads the Celtics over Chuck Person and the Pacers.
Please take me back to the Garden on May 5th, 1991. What was the energy
like when Larry returned from his injury?
You
just knew he was going to return, but you didn’t start getting excited until
the fans saw him walk out of that locker room. So we knew he was going to
come back – he’d done so many amazing things during his career, and he’d hit
so many big shots. He was the master of taking over a game. So it was one
of those times when you’d just sit back and watch, and that you were just
glad to be a part of it.
Larry
Bird retired following the '91'92 season. By then you were in integral part
of the team, earning your reputation and playing time with solid defense.
With Larry gone and the rest of the Big Three in decline, did you assume
more of a leadership role with the Celtics?
Yes
and no – I just tried to go to work every day and put up my normal numbers.
I wasn’t a vocal leader. I tried to lead by example, so I guess you could
say that I was a lunch pail type of player. I worked hard in practice every
day, and gave my all on the court. I tried to defend my man with maximum
intensity. I used to watch Chief [Robert Parish], and he always came to
work. And he worked hard. I tried my best to emulate that, because I
always felt that Robert set a good example of the younger players on the
team. To me, he was the consummate pro. Whether it was in practice or in a
game, you knew that Robert was going to give his best at all times. So I
tried to imitate the things that he tried to do.
