Roots of this Celtics title were planted by Red
by Jason Whitlock
Jason Whitlock brings his edgy and thought-provoking style to FOXSports.com. Columnist for the Kansas City Star, he has won the National Journalism Award for Commentary for "his ability to seamlessly integrate sports and social commentary and to challenge widely held assumptions along the racial divide."
Updated: June 19, 2008, 11:45 AM EST add this RSS blog email print There appeared to be nothing muted about the celebration in Boston. TD Banknorth Garden shook with energy and emotion Tuesday night when the Celtics claimed their 17th championship.
Even when Kevin Garnett howled at the top of his lungs, in an apparent audition for the remake of Bad Moon, Celtics fans did not stop their delirious rejoicing.
A Finals roster composed of a dozen black men, led by a black head coach provoked pride, ecstasy and pandemonium in a city and a fan base that are often accused of bigotry. For a moment, Boston seemed to love this collection of last-minute-thrown-together Celtics as much as the Larry Bird squads that were pieced together and groomed over a decade.
Obviously, this does not mean that Boston is without racial flaw. It is no different than any other ethnically diverse American city. Our history shows that when things go well, we enthusiastically come together; and when things go bad, we retreat and point fingers, often along color lines.
What gets us through the good times and the bad times are our leaders, the men and women wise enough, bold enough and confident enough to recognize our differences, conceptualize our potential and act without fear of failure.
This is not news to people who know basketball in Boston, but Red Auerbach was just as responsible for No. 17 as he was for No. 1. Strong leadership endures.
Because of Auerbach, the Celtics are one of America's most racially liberated institutions. Because Auerbach's thinking and approach were so ahead of their time, the Celtics are still to this day completely misunderstood.
Some of us still foolishly believe the franchise is anti-black solely because the Larry Bird teams were primarily white during an era when black players dominated the league.
The truth is the Bird teams were primarily white because it was the right thing to do at the time. No different than Boston drafting the first African-American player in 1950. No different than the Celtics starting the NBA's first all-black lineup in 1964. No different than Bill Russell being the NBA's first African-American head coach.
A free mind is such a beautiful thing. You can say and do things others can't imagine.
Long before it was popular, Auerbach supported his once-in-a-lifetime center with a roster that made it easy for Bill Russell to lead and command most of the attention. When Larry Bird came along, Auerbach did the exact same thing, stocking the Boston roster with players who easily fit into an environment Bird enjoyed.
Locker-room and on-court chemistry are difficult to find and even harder to maintain. Auerbach understood this. Bird was a hick from French Lick capable of saying and doing things that French Lick hicks do naturally and without malice.
When you're trying to win championships in a league at its competitive zenith, you don't have time to preach hourly diversity lessons.
Larry Bird spending his career on an NBA team with an overwhelmingly black roster would've made no sense. Just as Bill Russell on an all-white team would've been stupid. We're talking about two highly unique basketball talents and personalities.
The world might be a better place if everyone was as colorless as Barack Obama (and I'm not trying to insult Obama by calling him colorless). But the reality is Bird, raised in southern, rural Indiana, and Russell, raised in segregated Monroe, La., are more representative of America.
We all come from different places and require distinctive support.
Now, the latest Celtics team isn't all-black for any particular reason other than general manager Danny Ainge had the freedom to construct his roster without consideration of race because of Auerbach's legacy.
Good leadership is so liberating and necessary and uplifting.
The Celtics have been so out front on the issue of race that it turned their all-African-American roster into a non-issue. It wasn't even really discussed during this Finals series despite the fact the Lakers countered with a roster littered with international and white players.
Miraculously, Red Auerbach's legend grew even more immense during these Finals. Some of us in the media have focused our attention on blasting Kobe Bryant and crapping on any and all Kobe-Jordan comparisons.
What about the Auerbach-Phil Jackson comparisons? Those should stop, too. Phil is a manager, more Tony La Russa than Red Auerbach. Phil quietly sits in his dugout and sends out Zen-gnals hoping they reach his players. The tactic works great when you have Jordan and Pippen, Shaq and Kobe interpreting the Zen-gnals. Gasol and Odom, Radmanovic and Vujacic desperately needed translators and kicks in their asses.
They would've heard and understood Red.
Also, it goes without saying that Jackson will never be as important and as influential as Auerbach.
by Jason Whitlock
Jason Whitlock brings his edgy and thought-provoking style to FOXSports.com. Columnist for the Kansas City Star, he has won the National Journalism Award for Commentary for "his ability to seamlessly integrate sports and social commentary and to challenge widely held assumptions along the racial divide."
Updated: June 19, 2008, 11:45 AM EST add this RSS blog email print There appeared to be nothing muted about the celebration in Boston. TD Banknorth Garden shook with energy and emotion Tuesday night when the Celtics claimed their 17th championship.
Even when Kevin Garnett howled at the top of his lungs, in an apparent audition for the remake of Bad Moon, Celtics fans did not stop their delirious rejoicing.
A Finals roster composed of a dozen black men, led by a black head coach provoked pride, ecstasy and pandemonium in a city and a fan base that are often accused of bigotry. For a moment, Boston seemed to love this collection of last-minute-thrown-together Celtics as much as the Larry Bird squads that were pieced together and groomed over a decade.
Obviously, this does not mean that Boston is without racial flaw. It is no different than any other ethnically diverse American city. Our history shows that when things go well, we enthusiastically come together; and when things go bad, we retreat and point fingers, often along color lines.
What gets us through the good times and the bad times are our leaders, the men and women wise enough, bold enough and confident enough to recognize our differences, conceptualize our potential and act without fear of failure.
This is not news to people who know basketball in Boston, but Red Auerbach was just as responsible for No. 17 as he was for No. 1. Strong leadership endures.
Because of Auerbach, the Celtics are one of America's most racially liberated institutions. Because Auerbach's thinking and approach were so ahead of their time, the Celtics are still to this day completely misunderstood.
Some of us still foolishly believe the franchise is anti-black solely because the Larry Bird teams were primarily white during an era when black players dominated the league.
The truth is the Bird teams were primarily white because it was the right thing to do at the time. No different than Boston drafting the first African-American player in 1950. No different than the Celtics starting the NBA's first all-black lineup in 1964. No different than Bill Russell being the NBA's first African-American head coach.
A free mind is such a beautiful thing. You can say and do things others can't imagine.
Long before it was popular, Auerbach supported his once-in-a-lifetime center with a roster that made it easy for Bill Russell to lead and command most of the attention. When Larry Bird came along, Auerbach did the exact same thing, stocking the Boston roster with players who easily fit into an environment Bird enjoyed.
Locker-room and on-court chemistry are difficult to find and even harder to maintain. Auerbach understood this. Bird was a hick from French Lick capable of saying and doing things that French Lick hicks do naturally and without malice.
When you're trying to win championships in a league at its competitive zenith, you don't have time to preach hourly diversity lessons.
Larry Bird spending his career on an NBA team with an overwhelmingly black roster would've made no sense. Just as Bill Russell on an all-white team would've been stupid. We're talking about two highly unique basketball talents and personalities.
The world might be a better place if everyone was as colorless as Barack Obama (and I'm not trying to insult Obama by calling him colorless). But the reality is Bird, raised in southern, rural Indiana, and Russell, raised in segregated Monroe, La., are more representative of America.
We all come from different places and require distinctive support.
Now, the latest Celtics team isn't all-black for any particular reason other than general manager Danny Ainge had the freedom to construct his roster without consideration of race because of Auerbach's legacy.
Good leadership is so liberating and necessary and uplifting.
The Celtics have been so out front on the issue of race that it turned their all-African-American roster into a non-issue. It wasn't even really discussed during this Finals series despite the fact the Lakers countered with a roster littered with international and white players.
Miraculously, Red Auerbach's legend grew even more immense during these Finals. Some of us in the media have focused our attention on blasting Kobe Bryant and crapping on any and all Kobe-Jordan comparisons.
What about the Auerbach-Phil Jackson comparisons? Those should stop, too. Phil is a manager, more Tony La Russa than Red Auerbach. Phil quietly sits in his dugout and sends out Zen-gnals hoping they reach his players. The tactic works great when you have Jordan and Pippen, Shaq and Kobe interpreting the Zen-gnals. Gasol and Odom, Radmanovic and Vujacic desperately needed translators and kicks in their asses.
They would've heard and understood Red.
Also, it goes without saying that Jackson will never be as important and as influential as Auerbach.
