Who is red auerbach

I started as a coach, and while I was coaching I was also the general manager, the road secretary, and the scout. I was working 16, 17 hours a day. We had no movies, no video. Today we have six guys doing what I used to do. Is there Celtics pride after Red Auerbach? Are you the center of the whole thing? Everybody right now is a cog in the machine. If you take out one part, you just do the best you can until you can replace it.

There was a Celtics team before me, and there will be a Celtics team after me. And after a while they believe in this. Take Bill Walton. He contacted me when he was a free agent and asked if I could possibly get him.

So I asked him why he wanted to play with the Celtics. He said it was not only because we had a team that was a contender and he could get along tremendously with the guys we had. In fact, when he was with San Diego, he came up here to my office to see me. He wanted some Celtics T-shirts for his kids because to him this was what a sports franchise should be.

So it worked out that we got him. And one day he told me that he was down in the dumps. All we were interested in was what he contributed. Did he roll down?

Did he play defense? Did he run the court? Did he pass? You could see his face light up. And from that point on, he was a different guy. He was always great to begin with, but this made him even better. He became loose. And he never looked to see what he scored. All he looked at was, did we win. You have 1 free article s left this month. You are reading your last free article for this month.

Subscribe for unlimited access. Create an account to read 2 more. Red Auerbach on Management. For 36 years, as […] by Alan M. Prior to Boston's season opener against the Wizards, his signature was officially placed on the parquet floor near center court, thereby naming the court as "Red Auerbach Parquet Floor. Among Auerbach's accomplishments during his year professional coaching career were eleven Eastern Division titles including nine in a row from , eleven appearances in the finals including ten in a row from , and nine NBA championships.

With a total of 16 NBA championship rings in a span of 29 years as the Celtics coach, general manager, and team president, Auerbach is the most successful official in NBA history. As Celtics general manager, he created championship-winning teams around Hall-of-Famers Dave Cowens in the s and Larry Bird in the s. In addition to coaching, Auerbach was a highly effective mentor; several players coached by Auerbach would become successful coaches themselves.

Bill Russell won two titles as Auerbach's successor, Tom Heinsohn won a pair of championships as a Celtics coach in the s, K.

Jones led the Celtics to two further titles in the s, and Bill Sharman coached the Los Angeles Lakers to their first title in In addition, prototypical sixth man Don Nelson had a highly successful coaching career and joined his mentor Auerbach as one of 10 Greatest Coaches in NBA history. From his early days, Auerbach was convinced that the fastbreak, in which a team used a quick outlet pass to fast guards who run downcourt and score before the opponent had re-established position, was a potent tactical weapon.

This new strategy proved lethal for the opposition. We have never had the league's top scorer. In fact, we won seven league championships without placing even one among the league's top 10 scorers. In , an excellent instructional video entitled Winning Basketball became available to the public featuring the insight, thoughts, and philosophy of Red and three-time NBA Most Valuable Player and Celtics' captain Larry Bird. In , he was recognized as an Honorary Master Chief of the U.

Coast Guard. He played three years of college basketball at GW, and was the team's leading scorer and a defensive specialist. Joined the Celtics in as a head coach and remained with the team until his death in Skip to main content. Related Content Celtics. Keys to the Game: Celtics , Raptors Replay Play Next. The board's conclusion: Auerbach was the best coach available. Auerbach's areas of expertise were spotting talent and getting the most of his players. He said that his kind of player had the ability to absorb coaching.

He wanted a kid "who was great yet never stopped being nice. John Havlichek was one of Auerbach's most successful players in the sixth man role. Auerbach didn't focus on the individuals on his teams. He looked at the "whole package. Most coaches view the starting five as their best players.

Auerbach looked to his finishers - those who played when the game was on the line. The "sixth" man the first player off the bench was another Auerbach tactic. While other teams' players were getting tired, Auerbach's fresh reserve was expected to provide a boost. The sixth man became a prestigious assignment in Boston, with Ramsey being the first to star in the assignment. Auerbach said that the Celtics represent a philosophy that in its simplest form maintains that victory belongs to the team.

In fact, we won seven league championships without placing even one among the league's top 10 scorers. Our pride was never rooted in statistics. In his first six seasons the Celtics, led by Cousy's playmaking, were entertaining and good but not great.