The Mel Counts Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Friday, May 20th, 2005
Please tell me about the heart-and-soul of the Celtic Dynasty: Bill Russell and
Sam Jones.
Bill
Russell is the greatest team player to ever play the game, and one of the
greatest individual players to ever play it as well. I think he really brought
to the forefront the importance of defense in winning. The guy would not only
block shots, but he would try to block them to a teammate, or to himself, which
helped initiate that great Celtic fast break. There have been other great shot
blockers, but not with his ability. Russell was extremely intelligent, one of
the smartest players that I’ve ever played with or against. He was also one of
the fastest. Even back then he was somewhat undersized for a center, but he was
probably one of the most mentally tough and mentally prepared players to ever
play the game. He was 6’9” and weighted about 210, and when you go up against
guys like Wilt Chamberlain, who was 7’1”, 285, there was quite a bit of
difference there. But Russell always rose to the occasion. I remember one
time, when he was under the basket and we were playing the Lakers, and Archie
Clark was at midcourt with the basketball. And as Archie reached the basket, he
decided to go under for a reverse. It didn’t matter, because Russell had chased
him down and was able to block the shot. I thought, ‘This is unbelievable –
Russell’s a half a court away, and he’s still able to catch this guy.’ What
made it so special was that Archie knew Russell was coming. That’s why he went
under the basket, to keep Russell from blocking the shot. Like I said, it
didn’t matter. Even after all of these years, it’s still one of the greatest
plays I’ve ever seen.
Don’t get me wrong; Michael Jordan was a great player, one of the greatest ever. But even today, if I had to choose one player to start a team, it would be Bill Russell. He epitomized the term ‘team player’. And just look at the results – thirteen seasons, eleven championships. There aren’t many other players in any sport that can compare to that. And the schedule was so grueling – back then there were only nine teams when I started, so the rosters were filled with quality from top-to-bottom. Today there are more than thirty teams, so the league has been watered down in some respects. I’m not disparaging the guys playing today, because there are some really great players out there. But when you have fewer teams, that means more quality players have to step up. And Russell was able to consistently outshine the best of the best. He faced great players almost every time he stepped out on the court, and he was always at his best with a championship on the line.
Sam Jones was a tremendous clutch shooter, and one of the greatest bank shooters in the game. He had deceptive speed – just when you thought he was running his fastest, he would kick it into another gear and just take off. It was almost like he had another gear, or afterburners [laughs]. His speed and shooting ability were huge components of Red’s fast break attack. Russell would block the shot, get the ball to the point, and Sam would be sprinting downcourt on the wing, ready to take the shot.
Red
Auerbach would bow out the following season with yet another championship,
the team's eighth in a row. The starting five had an average age of 31 that
season, and many experts felt the team was too old to win again. How were
the Celtics able to overcome the age factor and send Red off a winner?
Two
words: Bill Russell [laughs]. You know, I was a member of the Lakers when
Los Angeles played Boston during the 1969 NBA Finals. That was Russell’s
last season in the league. It came down to Game 7 in Los Angeles, and one
of the shots that killed us in that game was Don Nelson’s shot that hit the
rim, went about ten feet straight up in the air, and then dropped into the
basket. That was a backbreaker, because the Celtics raced out to a huge
lead – I think it was eighteen points – before we were able to cut it down
to one. You know, there’s no substitute for tradition, for believing in
yourself, for reaching down for that little bit extra – it doesn’t matter
what the sport is…basketball, golf, whatever the case may be. And the
Celtics had that. They had tradition. They were used to being successful.
They believed in themselves, even when they were down, and that’s how they
were able to overcome adversity and win year-after-year. And it all
revolved around Russell. The Celtics were an average team before he
arrived, and they immediately won a championship with him on the team. He
gave the team tremendous confidence. A swagger. It carried the team to a
bunch of championships.
If my memory is correct, the Celtics finished the 1968-69 regular season in fourth place. They won a few more games than they lost, but not many – just enough to get into the playoffs. They were considered old, and everyone was saying that the dynasty was over. They were used to winning their division, even though they always had those great battles with Philadelphia when Wilt was there. So the writers were all predicting a quick playoff exit, but Russell played like a great warrior in the playoffs. He willed them to win in many cases. That seventh game against us is a prime example. I think Russell played all forty-eight minutes in that game. The Celtics, of course, came out on top.
In 1966,
you were traded to the Baltimore Bullets in exchange for the versatile
Bailey Howell, and from there you were traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
What was it like to be on the other side of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry?
I
thought it was great. It was a challenge being on the other side, because I
had the opportunity to be in a championship situation with the Celtics. I
knew what they were all about. I thought it would really be special to be
duplicate that with the Lakers. I played the Celtics the only way I knew
how – I took pride in what I did, I played hard, and I believed in myself.
I also trusted my teammates and my coaches, knowing that together we could
do whatever necessary to be successful and to be a champion. So I looked at
it as just another challenge.
Please
tell me about Jerry West.
He
was unbelievable. I remember I was in the game when we were playing New
York, and he hit that famous, 65-foot shot to tie the game. That would have
won it now, with the three-pointer. He was not only one of the greatest
clutch shooters, but he was also a great defensive ballplayer. Quick
hands. I saw Jerry steal the ball from Pistol Pete [Maravich] – picked him
clean. And Pete was one of the best ball handlers in the game.
Jerry was also a smart, smart player. I’d put him in the category with Bill Russell as far as intelligence goes, and as far as seeing the whole floor, and seeing what he needed to do. When he played with Wilt and Elgin Baylor, he would do a phenomenal job of distributing the basketball. As the game got tighter, then he’d start taking his shots. He believed in himself so much that he never shied away from the big shot. And on top of everything else, Jerry was just a class guy.
