The Ron Bonham Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Tuesday, May 17th, 2005
The
Boston Celtics retired the honorary "Number 1" in honor of Mr. Brown during a
Boston Garden ceremony on October 17th. What memories do you have of this
emotional event?
There
was a lot of sorrow, and there was a lot of support for the man who had given so
much of himself through the years. I remember that Red just thought the world
of him – he talked so highly of Mr. Brown, and I know it really hurt Red when
Mr. Brown passed away. We all missed him, that’s for sure.
The
Celtics won 62 games that season, a club record. What was it like to be a
part of such a successful campaign?
I
used to follow the Boston Celtics because of their winning tradition. The
players amazed me, especially Bill Russell. Today you see players block a
shot, and knock it five rows into the stands. Russell would block a shot to
start the fast break. His coordination was unbelievable. The way he passed
off, things like that. That team had Sam [Jones] and KC [Jones], Heinsohn
and Havlicek…it was truly a special place to be.
You come out of high school and college, and you think you’re a hotshot, and then you play with the best players in the world. It’s humbling. My second year in Boston, I saw the leading scorer in the nation try out for the Boston Celtics and he didn’t even make the team. Satch Sanders made him look ridiculous. So for me, it was humbling to come in and see that type of talent, and play against that type of talent in practice. You learn a lot. They were great mentors.
The '65
playoffs produced one of the most dramatic moments in NBA history, as Johnny
Most makes his legendary radio call: "Havlicek stole the ball! Havlicek
stole the ball!" Please take me back to that series in general, and that
game in particular.
That
whole series was a knockdown, drag out fight. I can remember Bill trying to
throw the ball in and it hitting the guide wire. We were all going crazy on
the sidelines. And for Havlicek to make that play, it was just fantastic.
I can still remember Johnny Most and that voice of his – Johnny and I used
to spend a lot of time together on the road, talking, and I respected him so
much. And like I’ve said, every game in that series was tough. Philly had
great talent as well, but when it was over you saw who the champs were.
The
Celtics dismantled the Lakers 4-1 to secure the team's seventh consecutive
title - and eighth overall. While old hat to players like Bill Russell and
Sam Jones, it was a new experience for you. What was it like win your first
NBA championship?
It
was bedlam when we won that final game. Fans streamed onto the court.
Havlicek and I got off the beaten path going back to the dressing room, so
to speak, and it was just crazy. Our warm-up jackets get ripped off, our
jerseys get ripped off our back, and then I felt someone get hold of my
trunks – I thought those were coming off next [laughs]. Luckily, some
security people found us and got us into the dressing room. But we thought
we were going to lose all of our clothes [laughs]. What an environment to
play basketball – the fans were the best anywhere, and they really supported
the team. And that parquet floor – what a beautiful floor. It was also a
great shooting floor. There wasn’t a better place to place basketball than
the Boston Garden.
