Go Up for Glory – Bill Russell’s precursor to Second Wind (a frank and honest account of sport and life that I thoroughly enjoyed) and Russell Rules (a seemingly clichéd book about leadership that I hope to avoid as long as possible) – is a fascinating account of his youth and career with Red Auerbach’s Boston Celtics.
One particularly remarkable theme is the idea of an incredibly thin line between success and failure: choosing a collegiate scholarship instead of a job in a shipping year because of a chance encounter with a scout, focusing on the game of basketball skills instead of juvenile delinquency because a coach made Russell the sixteenth member or his fifteen player team.
This theme is exemplified by Russell’s account of the 1965 Eastern Conference Final seventh game. Leading Wilt Chamberlain’s 76ers 110-109, Russell simply needed to inbound the ball for the Celtics to run out the clock and win. However, the inbounds pass deflected off of one of the support wires connecting the basket to the ceiling of the Boston Garden and Philadelphia was awarded possession.
Russell fronted Chamberlain in the post, forcing Hal Greer to chose another target. John Havlicek rotated down and stole the inbounds pass, guaranteeing the Celtics a trip to the Association finals. Boston had gone for a comfortable position, to dire straits, back to victory in a matter of moments, all based on one or two inches.
Another popular concept with Russell is the desire to win. Russell has won two N.C.A.A. championships, eleven Association titles, and an Olympic Gold Medal. Everything that Russell, Auerbach or the rest of the Celtics did was designed to help win another title. Despite their serious goals, there was also a sense of humour in the Celtics’ locker room and this helped relieved the tension of a long season immensely.
Obviously, Auerbach also possessed a phenomenal ability to motivate the team with his intensity and his basketball knowledge enable him to able to meld a diverse group of players into a solid unit. Since every player accepted their role and stayed within it, the 1956-69 Boston Celtics were the definition of a successful team.