April 11, 2022 • 41 mins
Hosted by Sarah Kustok, NBA Flashback is the podcast that takes you back to the best moments in NBA history through exclusive archival audio from the NBA vault, along with new interviews with the players and coaches who were in the building.
In this episode of NBA Flashback, we go back to April 15th, 1965 and relive Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the defending champion Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers led by Wilt Chamberlain. We talk with sportswriting legend Bob Ryan about the rivalry between Bill Russell and Wilt, the epic series, and of course the historic impact of the Johnny Most call... "Havlicek Stole the Ball!" And stick around for Bob Ryan doing his best Most impression.
NBA Flashback is available on the iHeart app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. NBA Flashback is a production of iHeartMedia and the NBA.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
NBA Flashback is a production of iHeart Radio. In the
NBA Number seventeen, John Halt check Jos Barrel through the
traffic to get a good spot for a rebound. Halt
check is a real scrambler. I would like Hali check
Hali check us three on two break what's bay about time?
(00:22):
By dropping Bod Career, putting them on a play, you
get that out for Hable check feel checklicheck three half
(00:42):
check have check. The nineteen Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics
are looking to go back to the NBA Finals for
the ninth year in her row, but standing in the
way this time is Will Chamberlain and the Sixers. The
(01:05):
game is known for one historic call, but tears so
much more. On today's episode of NBA Flashback, we go
back to April fift nine, when Bonanza was the top
TV show. Stop in the Name of Love by the
Supremes was top in the charts, the sound of music
(01:27):
was in theaters, and a ticket to the show only
cost one dollar. We relive Game seven of the Eastern
Finals between the Sixers and the Celtics, an epic series
with an epic ending. We talked with Bob Ryan about
the unthinkable mistake made by Bill Russell, the most overlooked
player on the court, and why the call have let
(01:49):
Check stole the ball became iconic, even though it wasn't accurate. Well,
we're going all the way back to April fifteenth, nineteen
sixty five, Games seven of the Eastern Conference Finals, and
we are honored to be joined by longtime Celtics beute
writer for the Boston Globe, four time National Sports Writer
(02:12):
of the Year. He wrote a book with John Havelcheck
the great Bob Ryan. Bob, thanks so much for spending
some time with us. Oh, you're welcome now. I know,
I know we're going back because you, Bob, were still
in college in nineteen sixty five when this game happened.
But I know you've done a ton of research on it.
Can you take us back set the scene for the
series between the Sixers and the Celtics. The dynamic changed
(02:36):
in January of that year when Will Chamberlain was traded
back to Philadelphia from San Francisco Warriors. He had to question.
Originally been a Philadelphia Warrior, he went with them when
they moved to San Francisco, and now he was being
traded to the old the seventies sixers who are the
reincarnation of the Syracuse Nationals. But we kindled the rivalry.
(02:57):
Not he and Russell of course, had begun this of
are in nineteen nine when Will entered the league and
it heat it up immediately with Boston and Philadelphia. And
there wasn't a fact the finals in sixty three with
with the Warriors, but somehow the he was sorry for
the fans, it wasn't quite as emotional as it was
when he was in Philadelphia. Now he's back in Philadelphia
(03:19):
and revitalizing that team and knocked down drag out series
and it's Game seven in Boston and it's once again
it's coming down to the final, the final few seconds.
So Bill Russell of all people had stood a chance
of being the goat if Philadelphia had managed to score
and win that game and win that's the series we
bob before we deep dive into that moment into exactly
(03:42):
how that all unfolded down the stretch of the game.
Can you you were talking about Russell in chamberlain Um
for younger fans who are familiar with them but not
exactly the rivalry. What was it like between the two
of those players at this point. Well there were the
two dominant big men and the big differences of course,
Well that's Russell was a rookie in nineteen fifty six
(04:04):
and and the Celtics won the championship. He was the
missing link on the team that had been a bridesmaid
but never never the groom, a groomsman, but never the groom.
Showings a and in the fifties they were high scoring team,
but but they didn't have a reboundery to get them
the ball often enough. And and and he because it
was a revolutionary player. Defensively, he was the first great
(04:25):
shot blocker. Uh he made shot blocking into an art
had never been never been that way. And then in
basketball at all lost in controls the opening sap with
the ball quickly shuttled at honey heights and in the
corner hens and fires and missus Zack Sanders rebounds and
feeds big Bill Russell, who connects from outside. He immediately
(04:45):
became the most single important force in the game. Well,
he was reigning supreme for three years and then Chamberlain
entered the league as a rookie in nineteen fifty nine.
Chamberlain is intense and his desire to win this pivotal
game seventy six or superstar as he have to play
on a championship team. Celtic coach read our back on
your left contemplates of victory for his team with Boston's
(05:06):
owner Luke Perry, Boston his WI Philadelphia ten straight times
at the Boston Guarden, and immediately there was a there
was a Dally Who rival week and the things they're
in the divisional rivals Boston Philadelphia, and it was so
geographically it was a very beneficial thing for the league,
and they immediately established what would become a one forty
(05:27):
two game competition, not including exhibitions. Boston Celtics, shooting for
an unprecedented seventh straight National Basketball Association title, meet the
Philadelphia seventy six in the seventh and deciding game of
the Eastern Division playoffs. You can expect another classic rebounding
duel between Boston's Bill Russell and Wilt chamber N of Philadelphia.
The winning is only important, At least there was to me.
(05:51):
If you beat the best, isn't that you're not just
you know, if you go out any big guys that
aren't any good, that's no big deal. But my friend
Wilt Norman. Chamberlain was far and away the best player
I've been played against for a number of reasons. First
of all, physically, he was still the most imposing physical
player that ever played in this league period. There's no
(06:14):
one who's come close to him in terms of just
physical prowess. On top of that, is a great athlete.
And the last thing that created problem is he's smart.
He goes to Tommy Heinsen in the corner, He's a
rough customer in all phases of the game, and he
hits a dead ring. The camera slew is a feverish action.
We're a better look at Chamberlain. You always need the
(06:36):
best to bring the best out in you. So I
was always fortunate to have to know that I was
gonna play against the Celtics, and uh William Felt and
Russell the other teams in the NBA always knew that
if we were to win and be winner as we
had to go into the Boston Gardens and come out
some kind of way, you know, winning, and so you
got inspired and you always got up to do to
(06:57):
do that. And how they maintained for so long, I'm
not sure, but we had to continually try to drive
ourselves to be to be just out there with them
without being embarrassed. The greatest individual matchup rivalry in the
history of basketball, just to give you boy. For example,
people talk about Magic and Bird, and they played thirty
one times as professionals against each other. Chamberlain and Russell
(07:21):
played one hundred and forty two times, not including exhibitions,
and in those days, exhibition seasons ran up with twenty games,
so I'm sure they matched up in the exhibition games
over the years as well. Rookie cornerman Luke Jackson takes
the ball, shoots and misses, and Wilt uses all of
his seven two inches to tip it in. But the
(07:41):
Celtics are having pretty much their own way so far.
How Grere's mess shot has followed up by Luke Jackson.
As Philadelphia starts to close the gap, acting as hot
and have the under both baskets, Bill Russell bites restra shot.
When the Celtics failed to capitalize on the maneuver, Chamberlain
takes chart score it two more for Chamberlain. Coach ower
(08:03):
Back is up in arms over his team's sudden collapsed
Russell promptly pumps into the plauser sounds before the seventy
sixers can make good the final shot. Philadelphia has come
from way back the lead sixty two sixty one at intermission.
But there's never been ever uh another another four and
ever since it's to have been an individual individual and
NBA individual rivalry that would match this. Now, the differences
(08:27):
and of physically, Russell was six nine and what was seven?
Well believe he said he was seven ft one six
of an inch. Um that was he was seven ft tall,
and he was bigger, taller, heavier, uh and and uh
just about every bit as athletic. Uh well, and I
shouldn't say that highly athletic, but he didn't wasn't a
quick jumper. Russell was a quick jumper. But we'll you
(08:50):
know Will was certainly a jumper. I got it up
in seventy six. There is a threat to the world
champion Boston Celtics now that Will Chamber looks back in town,
look for big things from that's extraordiny. I had no
idea about those numbers and the matchups, and that's absolutely amazing. Um.
I know there's so much focus on Bill and on Wilds,
but you wrote a book about John havltcheck Why is
(09:12):
he so beloved by the fans in Boston at that time?
John was an all American boy type. Frankly and uh
there were no vices, There was no ifs, there was
no yea, but there were no uh, nothing not to
like he was. Style play has never been completely replicated
in terms of his his NonStop movement on the court.
(09:35):
You know a lot of people of things for moving
without the ball, but nobody more than John havltcheck number seventeen,
John havltcheck Jos Barrow through the traffic to get a
good spot for a rebound. Avlet. Jack is a real scrambler. Uh.
He had to develop skills with the ball because his
great game was running what was moving without the ball,
And he did that. He turned himself into a triple
(09:56):
double kind of guy with a who could have run
a ball club, But there wasn't the way he came
into the league. He came into the league as a
just a sheer athlete. He used to kid just running
the floor and catching passes from Cuzy from Bob Cuzy,
and and he wasn't much of a shooter. He went
home after his worst year and worked on his jump
shot and came back and was a much better shooter
to the point where as years went on and became
(10:18):
a terrific shooter. But that was all in the future.
When he first came in, the lady was strictly an athlete,
running up and down the floor on offense and then
then playing defense as well. But John John just had no,
no negative qualities that you know, it was nothing but
nothing but good. And he developed an identity about the
(10:40):
sixth man thing, of course, and and that was that
was really a luxury that only the Celtics could afford
keeping a guy like that out of the starting lineup.
It was a tremendous luxury for the Celtics. Um and
butuse the fact is as though he didn't start games,
he finished them and and and after his second year
he was the second and minutes played on the team
to Russell every single year, and yet he was still
(11:02):
considered to be a six man. That was that was
mere technicality. Wow. Wow. One player also that doesn't normally
get a ton of attention is Sam Jones. But he
average which is amazing to me because I I didn't
realize this average twenty nine points a game in this series.
And he scored thirty seven in Game seven. During the
regular season and in the playoffs, Boston's most prolific score
(11:24):
has been number twenty four. Sam Jones. Sam's in what
made Sam Jones just such a special player? If I
gave you the scouting report, if I were scouting, I
came back and I issued a report to my my boss.
I found a six four guard who's got great, incredible
first step quickness to the basket, who was a highly
(11:47):
reliable midwain shooter who specialized bank shots. He was a
master of off the glass. Sam Jones tabs a parent
for Boston. Little razzle dazzle pays off in points for Philadelphia.
Low maintenance personality, totally low maintenance personality, and when could
guide you very well as well. But uh and and
(12:10):
and was unafraid to take the big shot. You'd be
very impressed. Well, that was Sam Jones. Sam Jones didn't
and this is a world that doesn't exist anymore, obviously.
Uh he came off the bench behind Bill Sharman, who
was an all time player. Uh and patiently and waited
his turn. And when he got his turn, he merely
(12:32):
became a twenty points a game scorer. I know he
scored twenty five points a game one year. He had
such things as the fifty one point playoff game, forty
seven point playoff game. Uh. Sam was you know he was.
He was a big, big down player. But but he
had no no over ego. He didn't complain about any
way he was ever used. Uh and it was a
(12:53):
completely reliable guy. I know you talked a little bit
already about Will Chamberlain rebounds and scores with his famous fadeaway.
But he in this series he had average thirty one points,
thirty rebounds. He says he scored the last ten points
to help bring the Sixers back down the stretch of
this one. I remember one series, executive, that I scored
the last ten points we were behind, let's go ten
(13:15):
points and tied the game up. Do you remember recall
how the Celtics tried to defend Will in this series, Well,
not specifically, I mean, and any different than any other time.
And rust it was a point on one that was
not a you know, first of all, it was Russell's responsibility.
Russell sometimes he played in front of him, sometimes he
played in back home, sometimes he played on the side,
and he did as good a job, better job than
(13:37):
anyone else did. But you know, the numbers will reflected,
They will still put up the numbers that the difference
was oftentimes that among all those hundred forty two games,
there there were a lot of games in which the
Celtics one easily and Russell east up and and Will
put up a lot of points in the fourth quarter
make the you know, make his numbers look more attractive
(13:57):
than they really were. But the fact is that as
Russell said when he jokingly says, uh, he was bigger, faster, stronger,
and I had to show up and when then he
would tackle his famous laugh. But Russell was the smartest
defensive center ever played. He could neutralize the time, but
there were times when you know, even he couldn't stop
(14:19):
what was the great one, the great physical force of
his time. The only pleasure that's come along who, I
would say in his time had the same physical effect
on the game as Will had in his time was Shock.
When Shack was in his era, and I thought there
was that was the only comparable guy that Will that
we had and have a guard. But Russell was was Russell,
(14:41):
and there was nobody like Russell. But even though Selling,
but well, you know, the Wild's biggest rebound game ever,
I believe was against the Celtics. That was a but
that was a rate subplot by the way that the
game within the game was the battle of the official
scorers to see who could do more cheating to help
the rebounds on those two And you know, and I
mean that's me speaking, but I know for I I'm
(15:03):
highly maintained at Philadelphia, the famous Harvey Pollock, who was
the greatest statistician known in the history of the Lake. Uh.
You know, it was not above maybe fetching a little
bit on Will uh and uh, and the Celtics maybe
felt responded that they had to respond in kind. But
that was the great subplot. Now that you mentioned it,
we do have a funny story from Harvey about Will
(15:24):
and counting rebounds. There was another time when Will first
came with the club, he thought I was not getting
him enough rebounds, and he complained that he got lie.
He thought that I was cheating him a rebound. So
he had his friend and a friend of his name
Vince Miller uh and unbeknownst to me, at a game
(15:46):
of the Philippi Arena, Vince kept track of Will's rebounds
and I kept you the official ones. When the game
was over, Eddie Gottley walked over to Will. He said, look, well,
Vince kept rebounds this game, Harvey kept rebounds. Whose rebounds
you want, he said, Vince is. Of course, Vince had
(16:08):
less rebounds we will than I had. That was the
last time that will ever challenge my stats. The one
thing will never know, however, how many block shots he
dream had. They did not record block shots at all.
The A B. A was the first person to do it,
um and and we'll never know. Of course, when you
talk about block shots, you also have to talk about
(16:28):
intimidations and and shots that were not taken because of
the presence of a person as well. But it's suffice
it to say that there are numbers worked anywhere else's
(16:49):
The Celtics were up three with time running out. With
time running out, Chamberlain doesn't miss making two bow shots
to prem the Celtically, the one ten, one oh seven
after the like he got twenty four seconds. Chamberlain is
allowed to make an easy basket. Russell's taking the ball
out of bounds. And you talked about Russell, and we've
heard him say that he wanted to be the one
to take it out, and we've got a one point lead,
(17:12):
and then we have all that bounds. I did not
trust anybody else to take it out, but me, I
wanted to take it out because I would make sure
that I can make a good pass under his own basket.
Five seconds left, they're only up one point. Altics are
leading one ten one on nine. There are five seconds.
Walk us through what happens on that inbounds pass. Well,
(17:33):
he goes to the ball and the backboard in the
Boston Garden was secured by two long cables that ran
from the balcony to the two upper corners of the backboard.
That wasn't in a in a one piece superstructure as
it is today. And Russell's inbounds pass hit the wire
and then therefore distorted the pass and and it became
(17:55):
a turnover and gave the ball back to Philadelphia. Can
remain when Russell's inbounds pass, it's a guide wire and
no Helphia games possession in an explosive situation. So you
can picture it. Here's Halcheck on the guide wire with
an interesting thing happened. You had the basket with four
corners on and on each corner of the backboard. You
(18:17):
had a guide wire that was attached to the balcony
and it was kept in place by these brackets and wires.
Here's Red hour back the Celtics coach at the time,
cigar in hand. The guide wire wasn't there all. Yeah,
they just put it up I think that game or
a couple of games to keep the backboard steady. It
(18:49):
was that there into the court. So this meant that
the Celtics had to worry about the basket would win
the game. Philadephia had had a lot of weapons that
there are a lot of things to worry about. The
first one was Wilt, a lot some kind of a
lot passed into Wilt. Then they had a array of shooters.
How Greer was a great jump shooting guard and whilely
(19:09):
Jones was who would have a tremendous game against them
two years later and filled up the Triumph and he
was a good shooter. But chet Walker was an all
start forward who was a great shooter and also had
a big lineup to get a potential offensive rebound. Johnny
Kerr was on the floor as well, and he was
six ft and and a cop quality player. So if
(19:29):
they did take a shot and missed. They would have
two big guys and Luke Jackson who was six nine
crashing the boards going for the the Celtics had a
lot to worry about and in in a few seconds.
And now for Sam Jones point of view, and it
came right down to the wire. Good one, Sam. And
what I say, why he's just as really the wire
(19:50):
because if you look at the film, Luke Jackson was
standing out of bounds, which forced Bill Russell to back up.
And when he backed too far, Uh, there was a
wire that was running across hole in the basket. This
is something you don't see today in the NBA. And
when Russell passed the ball, he hit the wire and
(20:12):
oh my gracious be their ball goes over to Philadelphia
and Russell's owner side says, man, I can't believe this happened.
You guys gotta save me. The fact that it was Russell,
who was a player that made a mistake was that
shocking to everyone in the arena, Shocking to the side
of Celtics fans. It was shocking to everybody, starting with
(20:33):
Bill Russell. And and and he did joke, and he
did say in the luck and in the huddle who's
gonna build me out. Somebody's gotta bail me out. We're
going to huddle, And all I could say was, guys,
we gotta do something. Yeah, I mean it would have
been how history would have been to be written. First
of all, had they lost the series, we notice Philadelphia wins,
and God noticed. You know what kind of the effect
(20:56):
that would have had going into the next season for
the Celtics and and weather Philadelphi. He would have gone
on to beat Los Angeles. Will never know, but oh yeah,
there were two indous ramifications and Russell would have for
the one time and it would have been something that
would have altered his legacy, you know that he had
made this gas and had it wound up costing him
(21:19):
the game in the series. So yeah, there are all people.
There's no question that there was the last person and
in that building that literally that anybody would have expected,
you know, would be on the hook like that, It
would be Build Russell. Sam Jones was certainly surprised. Just
just chase the whole atmosphere of this ball game. So
the game's on the line, five seconds left, Sixers have
(21:42):
the ball and a chance to win it. What do
you think, John Havlichick is thinking at this point, Well,
he told us what he was thinking. He's he's guiding
chet Walker and uh seeing Johns. You have to understand
this is so classic John. Uh, John's got it off
figured out. Okay, you know they have five seconds to
throw it in, and then he's counting. He's counting the
(22:03):
seconds in his head, and and and then he realizes
at one point where the ball has to go, and
it's got to go to Queer. Halichick told the story
of how he anticipated that pass. Red Arabic always said,
you always try and look for an edge in some situation.
I said, what kind of edge can I find out
of this situation? So I said, the only thing I
(22:23):
could think of was the official has the ball, he
hands it to how Greer. He has five seconds to
put it into play. So when he handed him the ball,
I started to count to myself one thousand one, one
thousand two. I got to one thousand three, one thousand four,
and I knew that he was having trouble finding chet Walker.
So I just gave a little peek like this, and
(22:46):
I was able to catch the ball as it came
out of his hands. I think that the good players
see the game in slow motion, and actually they see
what's going to happen before it actually happens. He think
I was gonna hapening, have to go to Greer, and
he knew how much time was left. He started to
make his move and and and the ball the test
does come into how Greer and he deflects the ball.
(23:08):
Now it was it's gone down in history as Havocheck
stole the ball. Well, he didn't steal the ball. He
deflected the ball. The reason that it went down in
history and the remains in history and will always be
in history is Johnny Most call. Johnny Most, the legendary
Celtic announcer uh in his in this legendary call one
of the most famous calls in any sport in any time.
(23:28):
I've listened to it countless nines. I think it's one
minute and four seconds of exultation by Johnny Most with
his famous uh high registered voice, Johnny Wider putting them
all on play to get it out. People to hablecheck,
(23:56):
have hiletcheck. It's hablet Zex stole the ball. But you
hear him make the call. He over to Sam Jones. Yeah,
he deflected the ball to Sam Jones. Sam Jones was
the one who dribbled the ball out of a time
doown uh? And and yet how then he goes into
(24:16):
hoo stole the ball, Johnny Halblotzeck, Johnny halblicheck, you know,
and and stole the ball. Well he didn't, but stole
the ball certainly has a better ring to it than
deflects the ball, and has a more lasting effect that
as a more the permanent sound of permanent you know.
And and it's it's it's more noble, you know, it's
it's a it's a better achievement, uh, stealing it than
deflecting it. So in history will always say deflects sole
(24:39):
the ball. But the fact is he deflected the ball,
he tipped it. Here's Wilt's version of events, as you
may recall from our Will episode, though he's not the
most reliable narrator. And we had a few seconds ago
and one of the guys, so my team through the
ball and bounce inst the famous to see hable Check
steals the ball. Well, the guy on my team just
to the ball right to hale Check. It was one
of just one of those things that happened. Ball slipped
(25:01):
off his hand. There was the right to halt check
and we lose the game on a game we could
have won. Was a seventh game, So you know that
you have the ability, you know, but the results that
we lost, you know, and that's the way it goes.
So we've got two votes for Havltcheck did not steal
the ball. We went back into game. And this is
(25:22):
the most amazing thing in my life. People don't know this.
I was guarding a seven fter in the game was
set Sanders, Casey Jones, John Haviltcheck, Bill Russell, and Sam Jones.
The other team was Hal Greer, chet Walker, Luke Jackson,
(25:43):
World Chamber, and Johnny Kerr. And I was on Johnny Kerr.
I'm six four and Johnny Kerry is a seven fter.
There was no way that he is not supposed to
get the ball, and I knew he was gonna get
the ball, but for some reason, Greer passed the ball
(26:05):
two the forward chet Walker how will check saying that
he was counting and when he made his move, he
actually didn't catch the ball. He deflected the ball and
the ball hit the court. And in guarding, when it
(26:26):
said I saw the past made I immediately turn just
to block out Johnny Curs he was behind me. The
ball hits the floor and I saw chet Walker make
his move out the corner of my eye, and I
knew that no one in that gym was gonna beat
me to that ball. And I got that ball, and
(26:54):
I was dribbling down the floor and as I across
the half court line, people began to come on the
court and I'm saying to myself, this game is not
even over. And I moved to the sidelines to the left,
down by where Philadelphier was sitting, and I passed the
ball to John Havlchick. But the game was over. And
(27:15):
he threw the ball up in the stand someplace, and
the game was over. And when we get back and
we we we hear this, Johnny havill Check stole the
ball over to Sam Jones. It was good for basketball.
I don't care what anybody's saying that particular time. It's
the best that you could have for the ending of
the game. And UH for fifty years, I just let
(27:37):
it go because I kept seeing the UH playbacks to
the movie and it was a good steal by John Havlcheck.
He didn't have a chance to steal it because he
couldn't get his hands on it. But he did deflect
that ball to the end to the court. And Uh,
I got a chance to show my speed even though
it was laid on in my life and come up
(27:59):
with that was just amazing because you said it. Sam
Jones is the one who technically sold the ball. Uh
did you ever ask Sam do you think he ever
feels a way about that or wants more credit for
Sam who has just left us not too long ago.
Um no, no, it's not a matter that he deserves
more credit. And now he was open and John just
John m He was just a logical place for John
(28:22):
to tip the ball, but he did. He didn't secure
the ball, he tipped the ball. He deflected it and
he saw Sam and knew that would be the safe haven.
And so I don't think Sam would ever have sought
any any glory for being the party of the second part,
the party who the the open guy to whom John
Howichick touched tipped the ball. Uh. Sam would never have
(28:43):
justicely Sam, he was a self effacing man. He never
would have tried to deflect or in any way take
away from John's achievement. And so no, I don't think
that was ever an issue. Now, the seventy sectors call
on chet Walker to score the winning basket, but Boston's
John Havlcheck deflects the inbounds past time runs out. With
(29:04):
Boston ahead one ten one on nine, It's bed Lehman Beantown.
As the Celtics win the bitter series earned the right
to meet the Los Angeles Lakers for the World Championship.
Austin's basketball dynasty seems assured against the Lakers. I remember
seeing somebody grabbing Hale Check and holding him up in
the end. I thought it was Bill Russell, of all people,
(29:25):
because he had called on someone to please help me Check.
I've never been hugged so hard in my life when
Russell got to me, because you know, the play was
made that saved the day. When we come back, it's
(29:46):
time for some Johnny Most impressions. Take us back with
Johnny Most, because you talked about it. Can you give
us some background on him, the Celtics radio announcer and
(30:06):
what made him so special? Well, Johnny Most, who was
in native New Yorker, by the way, and had been
recommended to the job by the famous Hall of fame
announcer Marty Klickman, who had been who was a friend
of Red our Backs, who of course was himself a
book Only native. Anyway, Johnny had no Boston connection whatsoever
prior to being recommended for this poadcast job in nine three.
(30:28):
I believe it was. And he was an unusual man.
He was a World War two glad he was. He was,
he was a navigator and flu missions. Uh. He had
started out of Booklin College and he then transferred and
graduated actually from Alabama after the war. But he had
done various broadcast jobs in the New York area. Uh,
(30:51):
and I said, have his approache of Marty Clickman. He
had voice that, as he used to joke, like gargle
with razor blades. And uh, it was a raspy voice
to the max. Yeah, that was he was a funny guy.
There was a raspy voice to the max. Unlike anyone
else's never be hired today. There was not the slightest
(31:11):
possibility that any any broadcasting tea in America, even a
even a twenty two what radio station and and and
uh Wilston, North Dakota would hire him today because of
the voice. But that was okay then. And he was educated. Uh,
great well rounded man. He wrote high coup on the
(31:31):
side for fun. Uh. He was a very well educated man.
He developed an incredible affinity for the Celtics because he
was the broadcaster who was there when they broke through
in one in nineteen fifty seven and remained their broadcaster
into the nineties and all those championships. Uh, there's like
it's hard to let me just say that. It fights
(31:52):
wo like death and and if you lived in Boston. Uh.
And I came to Boston the nineteen sixty four not
having been it was the Johnny Most before. And you
find out that that everybody walks around doing Johnny Most
invitations and and uh. And he had his famous his
signature calls, his signature nicknames for people. John Palachik was
(32:13):
John and John a bouncing Buckeye from Ohio State and
uh and it was Buck Shock, Barry how and uh
and uh Wayne in the Wall Embry Uh, you know.
And and that was part of the fun of Johnny
Most broadcast. Uh. He was a good announcer who embellished
it with the extreme amount of partisanship. I would say,
(32:34):
up until or so when Dave Cowen Show came up,
came around, and from that point on, I don't know
what triggered him, but he basically abandoned all hope of objectivity.
From that point on, for the rest of his career,
it was the good guys versus the bad guys, the
black hats versus the white hats. It was. It was
a passion play every night. And and it was the
(32:57):
Boston Celtics against the world. And now you have a like,
you're watching two games, the one that was taking place
in the one Johnny was inventing. And so he was
part of the deal. I mean, he was absolutely part
of the whole aura of the Boston Celtics. Havelcheck agreed
that Johnny Most's call was the secret ingredient that made
this moment so famous. It was his call that did it,
because many balls are stolen to dictate the outcome of
(33:20):
a game, but he sort of went overboard. And I'm
glad he did career of putting them all on play.
I guess that I'll people to have a Jack Dad
Jobble Zax Doll story as the story have Jax, I
(33:46):
have what Zack game? He and it was this great
counterpart and and they were friends, but they couldn't have
been more different in the way they approached it was
was chickern in a uh but but they were the
polar as the Celtic and the Lakers were arrivals, coastal
rivals in the sense. So with Johnny Most and Kern
there was I think on two different occasions they had
(34:09):
Johnny Most sound alike contests run in Boston. I would
a calm about one of them. And and and you know,
they were like they took two weeks. They had they had,
you know, people who made it to the finals, you
know from the from the first week. They went to
a bar and they had it. They did Johnny Most
sound alike contests and tell me you participated, and didn't
just tell me you participated. I wouldn't have even made
it out of the I think the winner was a
(34:32):
guy who was actually a high school basketball coach who
uh and and and the thing is they had their routines.
They had some guys had Johnny calling the game, some
guys had Johnny calling to fight, some guys had Johnny
you know doing a commercials uh you know, you know
am Amber of Famous commercials they had for for anchor
hockeing wear and and try to ask cass Elaine and
oh yeah, you know, oh yeah, but that was that's
(34:55):
that's the extent of Johnny's identity. And in Boston that
you had a perfectly logical thing to do was have
a Johnny Mosandali contest. Be careful, I'm going to have
you back on another podcast just to do impressions of
Johnny most Uh, that's amazing when when you look at
this call, though in particular it's it's been dubbed um
the most famous radio call in basketball history. How do
(35:18):
you think this call became so famous? Well, one green
run reason is locally because the station that broadcast the
games at that time was w h D the Dial,
and they had a morning man named Jess Kine who
was probably the I would say was the prime pre
eminent morning man in Boston at the time when that
(35:40):
kind of a title meant something a great deal, and
they we endlessly replayed the call in the next morning
and that helped to solidify it. And then Fleetwood Records,
a small record company in Revere, Massachusetts, put out an
album of Celtic of Highlights and was of course entitled
(36:01):
Havlet Check stole the ball, and that's where I learned
the whole. I believe it is as I said, I
made it in four seconds of a long soliloquy about
a spectacular series came to an end in spectacular fashion.
I believe that's a inaccurate quote. And and it was.
It's memorable, and and and that that locally, that's solidified.
(36:23):
And when people have the opportunity to actually purchased that record,
they could bring that home and relive it and relive it,
and they did. John Havltcheck passed away in twenty nineteen. Bob,
how did this moment in change his life? I did
a story on the twentieth anniversary of it in with
John and with Most and and John Hablet gave him
(36:46):
an identity, As Most said, they sent a sense of foreverness.
And it completely gave John hablot Checking identity and an identification.
Uh you know that that insformed him from um just
this very noteworthy sixth man into a mythical figure. I
was just thinking, I did what I was supposed to do.
(37:09):
I didn't realize it was going to become something that's
being remembered fifty years later. I never realized it would
last this long, but it seems like it's ever lasting.
I'm just proud of the fact that I was able
to be there, to do what I did and enjoy
it years and years later. This was this is to
let me think about it. This is why are we
(37:30):
talking about this, because because in the history of the NBA,
there were very few moments that have been immortalized to
the extent that this one has. Specific moments. Uh, I
can't even tell you what's the second place, frankly, but
it was a fun story to do at the time.
And John told me an anecdote that now you know
(37:51):
when the game ended in the crowd that the security,
of course was non existent. And this this was true
right up into the into the nineties. The security was
non existent to people storing the court, and it was
not scene on the court. People were so so wild
about the victory that as they came to me after
stealing the ball, they start tugging out my jersey and
(38:12):
I left the floor without my jersey. Years later, John
said he was at a party or a function, it
doesn't matter, but a function, and a woman came up
to him. She was and she had sewn and patch
and tinned onto her dress a green cloth, a piece
of green cloth, and she said to him, do you
know what this is? He said no, he said, this
is your jersey. John's jersey was whipped as he was
(38:34):
off of him as he left the court. Well, that
was part of the jersey. She had a piece of
the of the ripped jersey. About that, that's incredible. Oh
my goodness. Well, I mean, and you could understand with
with John, Um, but you were talking about that. You
could see he's carried off by fans, He's hugged by
Bill Russell. Uh. With the Celtics though, the Celtics organization
(38:58):
and fans and and everything, having won so many titles,
what made this moment so special? Um, Well, at that
point it was, Yeah, they were well into it. Uh.
I think it was the The series was really epic.
It was. It was a terrific series. It was Philadelphia.
If they don't really against anybody else, it was. If
it was against anybody other than Philadelphia or Los Angeles,
(39:19):
it wouldn't have had the same residence. There's no question
about it. For Boston fans. You know, Russell's and Wilke,
the whole thing. And it was a radio world too,
you know, with UH you know, and there was no winner.
And this is all UH radio calls to succeeds anything
to happen on television. Nobody even knows it was on
doing to TV. And I thought, I I saw it
from the other end. I wasn't home on school vacations
(39:41):
from I lived in New Jersey, and and watching from
the Philadelphia standpoint, they went so infold you can imagine,
you know, But it was a whole different matter in Boston.
I do think it's because it was it ended, it
was a game seven, that it was a spectacle, and
and and it was matching, you know, preserving victory and
(40:02):
averting a disaster. And it was against Philadelphia. And I
don't think I've been against Cincinnati and Detroit. Uh and
blame me. Even New York it wouldn't have matter as
much as it was against Philadelphia and the villainous Wilt
Well Bob. A legendary moment described by a legend himself.
I can't thank you enough for joining us here and
share sharing some of these these memories with us. Well,
(40:25):
I'm happy to do it then, uh, as I said,
I of course I was good a book with John
I was a friend to Johnson and and uh, you know,
I know how much it had admit to him, and
uh uh of course I'm we all miss him for sure.
Thank you, Bob, Thank you for sharing those moments. As
Johnny Most would say, all right, take it easy. I'm
(40:47):
telling you these impressions. This is that's where it's at.
We're gonna need a whole podcast of impression. NBA Flashback
is a production of I Heart Radio and the NBA.
For more podcasts from Heart Radio, visit the I heart
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast
(41:09):
m
NBA Flashback is a production of iHeart Radio. In the
NBA Number seventeen, John Halt check Jos Barrel through the
traffic to get a good spot for a rebound. Halt
check is a real scrambler. I would like Hali check
Hali check us three on two break what's bay about time?
(00:22):
By dropping Bod Career, putting them on a play, you
get that out for Hable check feel checklicheck three half
(00:42):
check have check. The nineteen Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics
are looking to go back to the NBA Finals for
the ninth year in her row, but standing in the
way this time is Will Chamberlain and the Sixers. The
(01:05):
game is known for one historic call, but tears so
much more. On today's episode of NBA Flashback, we go
back to April fift nine, when Bonanza was the top
TV show. Stop in the Name of Love by the
Supremes was top in the charts, the sound of music
(01:27):
was in theaters, and a ticket to the show only
cost one dollar. We relive Game seven of the Eastern
Finals between the Sixers and the Celtics, an epic series
with an epic ending. We talked with Bob Ryan about
the unthinkable mistake made by Bill Russell, the most overlooked
player on the court, and why the call have let
(01:49):
Check stole the ball became iconic, even though it wasn't accurate. Well,
we're going all the way back to April fifteenth, nineteen
sixty five, Games seven of the Eastern Conference Finals, and
we are honored to be joined by longtime Celtics beute
writer for the Boston Globe, four time National Sports Writer
(02:12):
of the Year. He wrote a book with John Havelcheck
the great Bob Ryan. Bob, thanks so much for spending
some time with us. Oh, you're welcome now. I know,
I know we're going back because you, Bob, were still
in college in nineteen sixty five when this game happened.
But I know you've done a ton of research on it.
Can you take us back set the scene for the
series between the Sixers and the Celtics. The dynamic changed
(02:36):
in January of that year when Will Chamberlain was traded
back to Philadelphia from San Francisco Warriors. He had to question.
Originally been a Philadelphia Warrior, he went with them when
they moved to San Francisco, and now he was being
traded to the old the seventies sixers who are the
reincarnation of the Syracuse Nationals. But we kindled the rivalry.
(02:57):
Not he and Russell of course, had begun this of
are in nineteen nine when Will entered the league and
it heat it up immediately with Boston and Philadelphia. And
there wasn't a fact the finals in sixty three with
with the Warriors, but somehow the he was sorry for
the fans, it wasn't quite as emotional as it was
when he was in Philadelphia. Now he's back in Philadelphia
(03:19):
and revitalizing that team and knocked down drag out series
and it's Game seven in Boston and it's once again
it's coming down to the final, the final few seconds.
So Bill Russell of all people had stood a chance
of being the goat if Philadelphia had managed to score
and win that game and win that's the series we
bob before we deep dive into that moment into exactly
(03:42):
how that all unfolded down the stretch of the game.
Can you you were talking about Russell in chamberlain Um
for younger fans who are familiar with them but not
exactly the rivalry. What was it like between the two
of those players at this point. Well there were the
two dominant big men and the big differences of course,
Well that's Russell was a rookie in nineteen fifty six
(04:04):
and and the Celtics won the championship. He was the
missing link on the team that had been a bridesmaid
but never never the groom, a groomsman, but never the groom.
Showings a and in the fifties they were high scoring team,
but but they didn't have a reboundery to get them
the ball often enough. And and and he because it
was a revolutionary player. Defensively, he was the first great
(04:25):
shot blocker. Uh he made shot blocking into an art
had never been never been that way. And then in
basketball at all lost in controls the opening sap with
the ball quickly shuttled at honey heights and in the
corner hens and fires and missus Zack Sanders rebounds and
feeds big Bill Russell, who connects from outside. He immediately
(04:45):
became the most single important force in the game. Well,
he was reigning supreme for three years and then Chamberlain
entered the league as a rookie in nineteen fifty nine.
Chamberlain is intense and his desire to win this pivotal
game seventy six or superstar as he have to play
on a championship team. Celtic coach read our back on
your left contemplates of victory for his team with Boston's
(05:06):
owner Luke Perry, Boston his WI Philadelphia ten straight times
at the Boston Guarden, and immediately there was a there
was a Dally Who rival week and the things they're
in the divisional rivals Boston Philadelphia, and it was so
geographically it was a very beneficial thing for the league,
and they immediately established what would become a one forty
(05:27):
two game competition, not including exhibitions. Boston Celtics, shooting for
an unprecedented seventh straight National Basketball Association title, meet the
Philadelphia seventy six in the seventh and deciding game of
the Eastern Division playoffs. You can expect another classic rebounding
duel between Boston's Bill Russell and Wilt chamber N of Philadelphia.
The winning is only important, At least there was to me.
(05:51):
If you beat the best, isn't that you're not just
you know, if you go out any big guys that
aren't any good, that's no big deal. But my friend
Wilt Norman. Chamberlain was far and away the best player
I've been played against for a number of reasons. First
of all, physically, he was still the most imposing physical
player that ever played in this league period. There's no
(06:14):
one who's come close to him in terms of just
physical prowess. On top of that, is a great athlete.
And the last thing that created problem is he's smart.
He goes to Tommy Heinsen in the corner, He's a
rough customer in all phases of the game, and he
hits a dead ring. The camera slew is a feverish action.
We're a better look at Chamberlain. You always need the
(06:36):
best to bring the best out in you. So I
was always fortunate to have to know that I was
gonna play against the Celtics, and uh William Felt and
Russell the other teams in the NBA always knew that
if we were to win and be winner as we
had to go into the Boston Gardens and come out
some kind of way, you know, winning, and so you
got inspired and you always got up to do to
(06:57):
do that. And how they maintained for so long, I'm
not sure, but we had to continually try to drive
ourselves to be to be just out there with them
without being embarrassed. The greatest individual matchup rivalry in the
history of basketball, just to give you boy. For example,
people talk about Magic and Bird, and they played thirty
one times as professionals against each other. Chamberlain and Russell
(07:21):
played one hundred and forty two times, not including exhibitions,
and in those days, exhibition seasons ran up with twenty games,
so I'm sure they matched up in the exhibition games
over the years as well. Rookie cornerman Luke Jackson takes
the ball, shoots and misses, and Wilt uses all of
his seven two inches to tip it in. But the
(07:41):
Celtics are having pretty much their own way so far.
How Grere's mess shot has followed up by Luke Jackson.
As Philadelphia starts to close the gap, acting as hot
and have the under both baskets, Bill Russell bites restra shot.
When the Celtics failed to capitalize on the maneuver, Chamberlain
takes chart score it two more for Chamberlain. Coach ower
(08:03):
Back is up in arms over his team's sudden collapsed
Russell promptly pumps into the plauser sounds before the seventy
sixers can make good the final shot. Philadelphia has come
from way back the lead sixty two sixty one at intermission.
But there's never been ever uh another another four and
ever since it's to have been an individual individual and
NBA individual rivalry that would match this. Now, the differences
(08:27):
and of physically, Russell was six nine and what was seven?
Well believe he said he was seven ft one six
of an inch. Um that was he was seven ft tall,
and he was bigger, taller, heavier, uh and and uh
just about every bit as athletic. Uh well, and I
shouldn't say that highly athletic, but he didn't wasn't a
quick jumper. Russell was a quick jumper. But we'll you
(08:50):
know Will was certainly a jumper. I got it up
in seventy six. There is a threat to the world
champion Boston Celtics now that Will Chamber looks back in town,
look for big things from that's extraordiny. I had no
idea about those numbers and the matchups, and that's absolutely amazing. Um.
I know there's so much focus on Bill and on Wilds,
but you wrote a book about John havltcheck Why is
(09:12):
he so beloved by the fans in Boston at that time?
John was an all American boy type. Frankly and uh
there were no vices, There was no ifs, there was
no yea, but there were no uh, nothing not to
like he was. Style play has never been completely replicated
in terms of his his NonStop movement on the court.
(09:35):
You know a lot of people of things for moving
without the ball, but nobody more than John havltcheck number seventeen,
John havltcheck Jos Barrow through the traffic to get a
good spot for a rebound. Avlet. Jack is a real scrambler. Uh.
He had to develop skills with the ball because his
great game was running what was moving without the ball,
And he did that. He turned himself into a triple
(09:56):
double kind of guy with a who could have run
a ball club, But there wasn't the way he came
into the league. He came into the league as a
just a sheer athlete. He used to kid just running
the floor and catching passes from Cuzy from Bob Cuzy,
and and he wasn't much of a shooter. He went
home after his worst year and worked on his jump
shot and came back and was a much better shooter
to the point where as years went on and became
(10:18):
a terrific shooter. But that was all in the future.
When he first came in, the lady was strictly an athlete,
running up and down the floor on offense and then
then playing defense as well. But John John just had no,
no negative qualities that you know, it was nothing but
nothing but good. And he developed an identity about the
(10:40):
sixth man thing, of course, and and that was that
was really a luxury that only the Celtics could afford
keeping a guy like that out of the starting lineup.
It was a tremendous luxury for the Celtics. Um and
butuse the fact is as though he didn't start games,
he finished them and and and after his second year
he was the second and minutes played on the team
to Russell every single year, and yet he was still
(11:02):
considered to be a six man. That was that was
mere technicality. Wow. Wow. One player also that doesn't normally
get a ton of attention is Sam Jones. But he
average which is amazing to me because I I didn't
realize this average twenty nine points a game in this series.
And he scored thirty seven in Game seven. During the
regular season and in the playoffs, Boston's most prolific score
(11:24):
has been number twenty four. Sam Jones. Sam's in what
made Sam Jones just such a special player? If I
gave you the scouting report, if I were scouting, I
came back and I issued a report to my my boss.
I found a six four guard who's got great, incredible
first step quickness to the basket, who was a highly
(11:47):
reliable midwain shooter who specialized bank shots. He was a
master of off the glass. Sam Jones tabs a parent
for Boston. Little razzle dazzle pays off in points for Philadelphia.
Low maintenance personality, totally low maintenance personality, and when could
guide you very well as well. But uh and and
(12:10):
and was unafraid to take the big shot. You'd be
very impressed. Well, that was Sam Jones. Sam Jones didn't
and this is a world that doesn't exist anymore, obviously.
Uh he came off the bench behind Bill Sharman, who
was an all time player. Uh and patiently and waited
his turn. And when he got his turn, he merely
(12:32):
became a twenty points a game scorer. I know he
scored twenty five points a game one year. He had
such things as the fifty one point playoff game, forty
seven point playoff game. Uh. Sam was you know he was.
He was a big, big down player. But but he
had no no over ego. He didn't complain about any
way he was ever used. Uh and it was a
(12:53):
completely reliable guy. I know you talked a little bit
already about Will Chamberlain rebounds and scores with his famous fadeaway.
But he in this series he had average thirty one points,
thirty rebounds. He says he scored the last ten points
to help bring the Sixers back down the stretch of
this one. I remember one series, executive, that I scored
the last ten points we were behind, let's go ten
(13:15):
points and tied the game up. Do you remember recall
how the Celtics tried to defend Will in this series, Well,
not specifically, I mean, and any different than any other time.
And rust it was a point on one that was
not a you know, first of all, it was Russell's responsibility.
Russell sometimes he played in front of him, sometimes he
played in back home, sometimes he played on the side,
and he did as good a job, better job than
(13:37):
anyone else did. But you know, the numbers will reflected,
They will still put up the numbers that the difference
was oftentimes that among all those hundred forty two games,
there there were a lot of games in which the
Celtics one easily and Russell east up and and Will
put up a lot of points in the fourth quarter
make the you know, make his numbers look more attractive
(13:57):
than they really were. But the fact is that as
Russell said when he jokingly says, uh, he was bigger, faster, stronger,
and I had to show up and when then he
would tackle his famous laugh. But Russell was the smartest
defensive center ever played. He could neutralize the time, but
there were times when you know, even he couldn't stop
(14:19):
what was the great one, the great physical force of
his time. The only pleasure that's come along who, I
would say in his time had the same physical effect
on the game as Will had in his time was Shock.
When Shack was in his era, and I thought there
was that was the only comparable guy that Will that
we had and have a guard. But Russell was was Russell,
(14:41):
and there was nobody like Russell. But even though Selling,
but well, you know, the Wild's biggest rebound game ever,
I believe was against the Celtics. That was a but
that was a rate subplot by the way that the
game within the game was the battle of the official
scorers to see who could do more cheating to help
the rebounds on those two And you know, and I
mean that's me speaking, but I know for I I'm
(15:03):
highly maintained at Philadelphia, the famous Harvey Pollock, who was
the greatest statistician known in the history of the Lake. Uh.
You know, it was not above maybe fetching a little
bit on Will uh and uh, and the Celtics maybe
felt responded that they had to respond in kind. But
that was the great subplot. Now that you mentioned it,
we do have a funny story from Harvey about Will
(15:24):
and counting rebounds. There was another time when Will first
came with the club, he thought I was not getting
him enough rebounds, and he complained that he got lie.
He thought that I was cheating him a rebound. So
he had his friend and a friend of his name
Vince Miller uh and unbeknownst to me, at a game
(15:46):
of the Philippi Arena, Vince kept track of Will's rebounds
and I kept you the official ones. When the game
was over, Eddie Gottley walked over to Will. He said, look, well,
Vince kept rebounds this game, Harvey kept rebounds. Whose rebounds
you want, he said, Vince is. Of course, Vince had
(16:08):
less rebounds we will than I had. That was the
last time that will ever challenge my stats. The one
thing will never know, however, how many block shots he
dream had. They did not record block shots at all.
The A B. A was the first person to do it,
um and and we'll never know. Of course, when you
talk about block shots, you also have to talk about
(16:28):
intimidations and and shots that were not taken because of
the presence of a person as well. But it's suffice
it to say that there are numbers worked anywhere else's
(16:49):
The Celtics were up three with time running out. With
time running out, Chamberlain doesn't miss making two bow shots
to prem the Celtically, the one ten, one oh seven
after the like he got twenty four seconds. Chamberlain is
allowed to make an easy basket. Russell's taking the ball
out of bounds. And you talked about Russell, and we've
heard him say that he wanted to be the one
to take it out, and we've got a one point lead,
(17:12):
and then we have all that bounds. I did not
trust anybody else to take it out, but me, I
wanted to take it out because I would make sure
that I can make a good pass under his own basket.
Five seconds left, they're only up one point. Altics are
leading one ten one on nine. There are five seconds.
Walk us through what happens on that inbounds pass. Well,
(17:33):
he goes to the ball and the backboard in the
Boston Garden was secured by two long cables that ran
from the balcony to the two upper corners of the backboard.
That wasn't in a in a one piece superstructure as
it is today. And Russell's inbounds pass hit the wire
and then therefore distorted the pass and and it became
(17:55):
a turnover and gave the ball back to Philadelphia. Can
remain when Russell's inbounds pass, it's a guide wire and
no Helphia games possession in an explosive situation. So you
can picture it. Here's Halcheck on the guide wire with
an interesting thing happened. You had the basket with four
corners on and on each corner of the backboard. You
(18:17):
had a guide wire that was attached to the balcony
and it was kept in place by these brackets and wires.
Here's Red hour back the Celtics coach at the time,
cigar in hand. The guide wire wasn't there all. Yeah,
they just put it up I think that game or
a couple of games to keep the backboard steady. It
(18:49):
was that there into the court. So this meant that
the Celtics had to worry about the basket would win
the game. Philadephia had had a lot of weapons that
there are a lot of things to worry about. The
first one was Wilt, a lot some kind of a
lot passed into Wilt. Then they had a array of shooters.
How Greer was a great jump shooting guard and whilely
(19:09):
Jones was who would have a tremendous game against them
two years later and filled up the Triumph and he
was a good shooter. But chet Walker was an all
start forward who was a great shooter and also had
a big lineup to get a potential offensive rebound. Johnny
Kerr was on the floor as well, and he was
six ft and and a cop quality player. So if
(19:29):
they did take a shot and missed. They would have
two big guys and Luke Jackson who was six nine
crashing the boards going for the the Celtics had a
lot to worry about and in in a few seconds.
And now for Sam Jones point of view, and it
came right down to the wire. Good one, Sam. And
what I say, why he's just as really the wire
(19:50):
because if you look at the film, Luke Jackson was
standing out of bounds, which forced Bill Russell to back up.
And when he backed too far, Uh, there was a
wire that was running across hole in the basket. This
is something you don't see today in the NBA. And
when Russell passed the ball, he hit the wire and
(20:12):
oh my gracious be their ball goes over to Philadelphia
and Russell's owner side says, man, I can't believe this happened.
You guys gotta save me. The fact that it was Russell,
who was a player that made a mistake was that
shocking to everyone in the arena, Shocking to the side
of Celtics fans. It was shocking to everybody, starting with
(20:33):
Bill Russell. And and and he did joke, and he
did say in the luck and in the huddle who's
gonna build me out. Somebody's gotta bail me out. We're
going to huddle, And all I could say was, guys,
we gotta do something. Yeah, I mean it would have
been how history would have been to be written. First
of all, had they lost the series, we notice Philadelphia wins,
and God noticed. You know what kind of the effect
(20:56):
that would have had going into the next season for
the Celtics and and weather Philadelphi. He would have gone
on to beat Los Angeles. Will never know, but oh yeah,
there were two indous ramifications and Russell would have for
the one time and it would have been something that
would have altered his legacy, you know that he had
made this gas and had it wound up costing him
(21:19):
the game in the series. So yeah, there are all people.
There's no question that there was the last person and
in that building that literally that anybody would have expected,
you know, would be on the hook like that, It
would be Build Russell. Sam Jones was certainly surprised. Just
just chase the whole atmosphere of this ball game. So
the game's on the line, five seconds left, Sixers have
(21:42):
the ball and a chance to win it. What do
you think, John Havlichick is thinking at this point, Well,
he told us what he was thinking. He's he's guiding
chet Walker and uh seeing Johns. You have to understand
this is so classic John. Uh, John's got it off
figured out. Okay, you know they have five seconds to
throw it in, and then he's counting. He's counting the
(22:03):
seconds in his head, and and and then he realizes
at one point where the ball has to go, and
it's got to go to Queer. Halichick told the story
of how he anticipated that pass. Red Arabic always said,
you always try and look for an edge in some situation.
I said, what kind of edge can I find out
of this situation? So I said, the only thing I
(22:23):
could think of was the official has the ball, he
hands it to how Greer. He has five seconds to
put it into play. So when he handed him the ball,
I started to count to myself one thousand one, one
thousand two. I got to one thousand three, one thousand four,
and I knew that he was having trouble finding chet Walker.
So I just gave a little peek like this, and
(22:46):
I was able to catch the ball as it came
out of his hands. I think that the good players
see the game in slow motion, and actually they see
what's going to happen before it actually happens. He think
I was gonna hapening, have to go to Greer, and
he knew how much time was left. He started to
make his move and and and the ball the test
does come into how Greer and he deflects the ball.
(23:08):
Now it was it's gone down in history as Havocheck
stole the ball. Well, he didn't steal the ball. He
deflected the ball. The reason that it went down in
history and the remains in history and will always be
in history is Johnny Most call. Johnny Most, the legendary
Celtic announcer uh in his in this legendary call one
of the most famous calls in any sport in any time.
(23:28):
I've listened to it countless nines. I think it's one
minute and four seconds of exultation by Johnny Most with
his famous uh high registered voice, Johnny Wider putting them
all on play to get it out. People to hablecheck,
(23:56):
have hiletcheck. It's hablet Zex stole the ball. But you
hear him make the call. He over to Sam Jones. Yeah,
he deflected the ball to Sam Jones. Sam Jones was
the one who dribbled the ball out of a time
doown uh? And and yet how then he goes into
(24:16):
hoo stole the ball, Johnny Halblotzeck, Johnny halblicheck, you know,
and and stole the ball. Well he didn't, but stole
the ball certainly has a better ring to it than
deflects the ball, and has a more lasting effect that
as a more the permanent sound of permanent you know.
And and it's it's it's more noble, you know, it's
it's a it's a better achievement, uh, stealing it than
deflecting it. So in history will always say deflects sole
(24:39):
the ball. But the fact is he deflected the ball,
he tipped it. Here's Wilt's version of events, as you
may recall from our Will episode, though he's not the
most reliable narrator. And we had a few seconds ago
and one of the guys, so my team through the
ball and bounce inst the famous to see hable Check
steals the ball. Well, the guy on my team just
to the ball right to hale Check. It was one
of just one of those things that happened. Ball slipped
(25:01):
off his hand. There was the right to halt check
and we lose the game on a game we could
have won. Was a seventh game, So you know that
you have the ability, you know, but the results that
we lost, you know, and that's the way it goes.
So we've got two votes for Havltcheck did not steal
the ball. We went back into game. And this is
(25:22):
the most amazing thing in my life. People don't know this.
I was guarding a seven fter in the game was
set Sanders, Casey Jones, John Haviltcheck, Bill Russell, and Sam Jones.
The other team was Hal Greer, chet Walker, Luke Jackson,
(25:43):
World Chamber, and Johnny Kerr. And I was on Johnny Kerr.
I'm six four and Johnny Kerry is a seven fter.
There was no way that he is not supposed to
get the ball, and I knew he was gonna get
the ball, but for some reason, Greer passed the ball
(26:05):
two the forward chet Walker how will check saying that
he was counting and when he made his move, he
actually didn't catch the ball. He deflected the ball and
the ball hit the court. And in guarding, when it
(26:26):
said I saw the past made I immediately turn just
to block out Johnny Curs he was behind me. The
ball hits the floor and I saw chet Walker make
his move out the corner of my eye, and I
knew that no one in that gym was gonna beat
me to that ball. And I got that ball, and
(26:54):
I was dribbling down the floor and as I across
the half court line, people began to come on the
court and I'm saying to myself, this game is not
even over. And I moved to the sidelines to the left,
down by where Philadelphier was sitting, and I passed the
ball to John Havlchick. But the game was over. And
(27:15):
he threw the ball up in the stand someplace, and
the game was over. And when we get back and
we we we hear this, Johnny havill Check stole the
ball over to Sam Jones. It was good for basketball.
I don't care what anybody's saying that particular time. It's
the best that you could have for the ending of
the game. And UH for fifty years, I just let
(27:37):
it go because I kept seeing the UH playbacks to
the movie and it was a good steal by John Havlcheck.
He didn't have a chance to steal it because he
couldn't get his hands on it. But he did deflect
that ball to the end to the court. And Uh,
I got a chance to show my speed even though
it was laid on in my life and come up
(27:59):
with that was just amazing because you said it. Sam
Jones is the one who technically sold the ball. Uh
did you ever ask Sam do you think he ever
feels a way about that or wants more credit for
Sam who has just left us not too long ago.
Um no, no, it's not a matter that he deserves
more credit. And now he was open and John just
John m He was just a logical place for John
(28:22):
to tip the ball, but he did. He didn't secure
the ball, he tipped the ball. He deflected it and
he saw Sam and knew that would be the safe haven.
And so I don't think Sam would ever have sought
any any glory for being the party of the second part,
the party who the the open guy to whom John
Howichick touched tipped the ball. Uh. Sam would never have
(28:43):
justicely Sam, he was a self effacing man. He never
would have tried to deflect or in any way take
away from John's achievement. And so no, I don't think
that was ever an issue. Now, the seventy sectors call
on chet Walker to score the winning basket, but Boston's
John Havlcheck deflects the inbounds past time runs out. With
(29:04):
Boston ahead one ten one on nine, It's bed Lehman Beantown.
As the Celtics win the bitter series earned the right
to meet the Los Angeles Lakers for the World Championship.
Austin's basketball dynasty seems assured against the Lakers. I remember
seeing somebody grabbing Hale Check and holding him up in
the end. I thought it was Bill Russell, of all people,
(29:25):
because he had called on someone to please help me Check.
I've never been hugged so hard in my life when
Russell got to me, because you know, the play was
made that saved the day. When we come back, it's
(29:46):
time for some Johnny Most impressions. Take us back with
Johnny Most, because you talked about it. Can you give
us some background on him, the Celtics radio announcer and
(30:06):
what made him so special? Well, Johnny Most, who was
in native New Yorker, by the way, and had been
recommended to the job by the famous Hall of fame
announcer Marty Klickman, who had been who was a friend
of Red our Backs, who of course was himself a
book Only native. Anyway, Johnny had no Boston connection whatsoever
prior to being recommended for this poadcast job in nine three.
(30:28):
I believe it was. And he was an unusual man.
He was a World War two glad he was. He was,
he was a navigator and flu missions. Uh. He had
started out of Booklin College and he then transferred and
graduated actually from Alabama after the war. But he had
done various broadcast jobs in the New York area. Uh,
(30:51):
and I said, have his approache of Marty Clickman. He
had voice that, as he used to joke, like gargle
with razor blades. And uh, it was a raspy voice
to the max. Yeah, that was he was a funny guy.
There was a raspy voice to the max. Unlike anyone
else's never be hired today. There was not the slightest
(31:11):
possibility that any any broadcasting tea in America, even a
even a twenty two what radio station and and and
uh Wilston, North Dakota would hire him today because of
the voice. But that was okay then. And he was educated. Uh,
great well rounded man. He wrote high coup on the
(31:31):
side for fun. Uh. He was a very well educated man.
He developed an incredible affinity for the Celtics because he
was the broadcaster who was there when they broke through
in one in nineteen fifty seven and remained their broadcaster
into the nineties and all those championships. Uh, there's like
it's hard to let me just say that. It fights
(31:52):
wo like death and and if you lived in Boston. Uh.
And I came to Boston the nineteen sixty four not
having been it was the Johnny Most before. And you
find out that that everybody walks around doing Johnny Most
invitations and and uh. And he had his famous his
signature calls, his signature nicknames for people. John Palachik was
(32:13):
John and John a bouncing Buckeye from Ohio State and
uh and it was Buck Shock, Barry how and uh
and uh Wayne in the Wall Embry Uh, you know.
And and that was part of the fun of Johnny
Most broadcast. Uh. He was a good announcer who embellished
it with the extreme amount of partisanship. I would say,
(32:34):
up until or so when Dave Cowen Show came up,
came around, and from that point on, I don't know
what triggered him, but he basically abandoned all hope of objectivity.
From that point on, for the rest of his career,
it was the good guys versus the bad guys, the
black hats versus the white hats. It was. It was
a passion play every night. And and it was the
(32:57):
Boston Celtics against the world. And now you have a like,
you're watching two games, the one that was taking place
in the one Johnny was inventing. And so he was
part of the deal. I mean, he was absolutely part
of the whole aura of the Boston Celtics. Havelcheck agreed
that Johnny Most's call was the secret ingredient that made
this moment so famous. It was his call that did it,
because many balls are stolen to dictate the outcome of
(33:20):
a game, but he sort of went overboard. And I'm
glad he did career of putting them all on play.
I guess that I'll people to have a Jack Dad
Jobble Zax Doll story as the story have Jax, I
(33:46):
have what Zack game? He and it was this great
counterpart and and they were friends, but they couldn't have
been more different in the way they approached it was
was chickern in a uh but but they were the
polar as the Celtic and the Lakers were arrivals, coastal
rivals in the sense. So with Johnny Most and Kern
there was I think on two different occasions they had
(34:09):
Johnny Most sound alike contests run in Boston. I would
a calm about one of them. And and and you know,
they were like they took two weeks. They had they had,
you know, people who made it to the finals, you
know from the from the first week. They went to
a bar and they had it. They did Johnny Most
sound alike contests and tell me you participated, and didn't
just tell me you participated. I wouldn't have even made
it out of the I think the winner was a
(34:32):
guy who was actually a high school basketball coach who
uh and and and the thing is they had their routines.
They had some guys had Johnny calling the game, some
guys had Johnny calling to fight, some guys had Johnny
you know doing a commercials uh you know, you know
am Amber of Famous commercials they had for for anchor
hockeing wear and and try to ask cass Elaine and
oh yeah, you know, oh yeah, but that was that's
(34:55):
that's the extent of Johnny's identity. And in Boston that
you had a perfectly logical thing to do was have
a Johnny Mosandali contest. Be careful, I'm going to have
you back on another podcast just to do impressions of
Johnny most Uh, that's amazing when when you look at
this call, though in particular it's it's been dubbed um
the most famous radio call in basketball history. How do
(35:18):
you think this call became so famous? Well, one green
run reason is locally because the station that broadcast the
games at that time was w h D the Dial,
and they had a morning man named Jess Kine who
was probably the I would say was the prime pre
eminent morning man in Boston at the time when that
(35:40):
kind of a title meant something a great deal, and
they we endlessly replayed the call in the next morning
and that helped to solidify it. And then Fleetwood Records,
a small record company in Revere, Massachusetts, put out an
album of Celtic of Highlights and was of course entitled
(36:01):
Havlet Check stole the ball, and that's where I learned
the whole. I believe it is as I said, I
made it in four seconds of a long soliloquy about
a spectacular series came to an end in spectacular fashion.
I believe that's a inaccurate quote. And and it was.
It's memorable, and and and that that locally, that's solidified.
(36:23):
And when people have the opportunity to actually purchased that record,
they could bring that home and relive it and relive it,
and they did. John Havltcheck passed away in twenty nineteen. Bob,
how did this moment in change his life? I did
a story on the twentieth anniversary of it in with
John and with Most and and John Hablet gave him
(36:46):
an identity, As Most said, they sent a sense of foreverness.
And it completely gave John hablot Checking identity and an identification.
Uh you know that that insformed him from um just
this very noteworthy sixth man into a mythical figure. I
was just thinking, I did what I was supposed to do.
(37:09):
I didn't realize it was going to become something that's
being remembered fifty years later. I never realized it would
last this long, but it seems like it's ever lasting.
I'm just proud of the fact that I was able
to be there, to do what I did and enjoy
it years and years later. This was this is to
let me think about it. This is why are we
(37:30):
talking about this, because because in the history of the NBA,
there were very few moments that have been immortalized to
the extent that this one has. Specific moments. Uh, I
can't even tell you what's the second place, frankly, but
it was a fun story to do at the time.
And John told me an anecdote that now you know
(37:51):
when the game ended in the crowd that the security,
of course was non existent. And this this was true
right up into the into the nineties. The security was
non existent to people storing the court, and it was
not scene on the court. People were so so wild
about the victory that as they came to me after
stealing the ball, they start tugging out my jersey and
(38:12):
I left the floor without my jersey. Years later, John
said he was at a party or a function, it
doesn't matter, but a function, and a woman came up
to him. She was and she had sewn and patch
and tinned onto her dress a green cloth, a piece
of green cloth, and she said to him, do you
know what this is? He said no, he said, this
is your jersey. John's jersey was whipped as he was
(38:34):
off of him as he left the court. Well, that
was part of the jersey. She had a piece of
the of the ripped jersey. About that, that's incredible. Oh
my goodness. Well, I mean, and you could understand with
with John, Um, but you were talking about that. You
could see he's carried off by fans, He's hugged by
Bill Russell. Uh. With the Celtics though, the Celtics organization
(38:58):
and fans and and everything, having won so many titles,
what made this moment so special? Um, Well, at that
point it was, Yeah, they were well into it. Uh.
I think it was the The series was really epic.
It was. It was a terrific series. It was Philadelphia.
If they don't really against anybody else, it was. If
it was against anybody other than Philadelphia or Los Angeles,
(39:19):
it wouldn't have had the same residence. There's no question
about it. For Boston fans. You know, Russell's and Wilke,
the whole thing. And it was a radio world too,
you know, with UH you know, and there was no winner.
And this is all UH radio calls to succeeds anything
to happen on television. Nobody even knows it was on
doing to TV. And I thought, I I saw it
from the other end. I wasn't home on school vacations
(39:41):
from I lived in New Jersey, and and watching from
the Philadelphia standpoint, they went so infold you can imagine,
you know, But it was a whole different matter in Boston.
I do think it's because it was it ended, it
was a game seven, that it was a spectacle, and
and and it was matching, you know, preserving victory and
(40:02):
averting a disaster. And it was against Philadelphia. And I
don't think I've been against Cincinnati and Detroit. Uh and
blame me. Even New York it wouldn't have matter as
much as it was against Philadelphia and the villainous Wilt
Well Bob. A legendary moment described by a legend himself.
I can't thank you enough for joining us here and
share sharing some of these these memories with us. Well,
(40:25):
I'm happy to do it then, uh, as I said,
I of course I was good a book with John
I was a friend to Johnson and and uh, you know,
I know how much it had admit to him, and
uh uh of course I'm we all miss him for sure.
Thank you, Bob, Thank you for sharing those moments. As
Johnny Most would say, all right, take it easy. I'm
(40:47):
telling you these impressions. This is that's where it's at.
We're gonna need a whole podcast of impression. NBA Flashback
is a production of I Heart Radio and the NBA.
For more podcasts from Heart Radio, visit the I heart
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast
(41:09):
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