Red Auerbach: The Esquire Interview (Part III)

"What about Cousy versus Isiah Thomas?"

"Cousy," Red Auerbach says. "Isiah had better all-around skills; Cousy was better at making the other guys better. And people forget, he was bigger than Isiah."

The other two guards we settle on are Jerry West and Oscar the Robertson.

"Because if I don't pick them," he says, "I'm nuts. They could have played at any time, for anybody.

"This game wasn't invented five minutes ago," Auerbach says, "despite what the kids think."

"Charles Barkley?" I ask when we get to the forwards.

"No," Red Auerbach says.

"Why not?"

"There were too many times when he didn't have his head in the game."

"He put up some amazing numbers.

"I don't care, I hate that shit."