Everything Else is Gavy

April 6, 1980

EVERYTHING'S GRAVY FOR CELTICS

What were your preseason expectations for the Celtics? While you're gathering your thoughts, I'll tell you mine. I thought that Dave Cowens would have a good year - not, perhaps a 1974 year, but something that approximated the old Dave Cowens more than the stranger who inhabitated uniform No. 18 last season. I liked what I had seen of Rick Robey, and I thought he would develop into a useful Kupchakian frontcourt performer.



The backcourt concerned me. I figured that Chris Ford, who had proved some individual things last year, had some good years left, but I wasn't sure that a Ford-Archibald tandem could work, even if the latter demonstrated improvement over his oft-pathetic efforts of a year ago. I thought Jeff Judkins would help. I had thoroughly, completely, misjudged Gerald Henderson, who turned out to be far better than I would have expected after watching him in rookie and training camps. At any rate, I did not consider the backcourt a strength.

Cedric Maxwell was a matter of some concern, for after playing exceptionally well during the first two-thirds of the 1978-79 season, he became a less-than-laudable figure almost the day Bob McAdoo arrived. I thought there were simply too many good things about him, and that the real Maxwell was the one we had seen in December and not the one we had seen in March.

Happily, that conclusion was correct. We all knew that M.L. Carr would help. As for Larry Bird, I had no doubts that he would be a truly great player. But until any of us had a chance to see how his teammates would learn to play with him, and he with them, and exactly how Bill Fitch would use him, it was difficult to predict his total impact.

Fitch? I must confess that when he was hired, I was ambivalent. When he had his better Cleveland teams, I often wondered how good a coach he was. The lasting image of Bill Fitch was still that of Henny Youngman with a clipboard. What else can I say now, other than that Red Auerbach had obviously done his homework?

Remember that last year's team had won 29 games. Reaching .500 would therefore represent a 12-game improvement. Philadelphia looked tough. Washington figured to be strong. New Jersey had been a playoff team. The Knicks would obviously be better. Houston and San Antonio were solid. Oh, yes, 41-41 would have been nice, and if that would be enough to make the playoffs - great.

I suspect your thinking paralleled mine, so I am therefore asking you to retain your enthusiasm while not abandoning your reason. The Celtics' season is already a success, and should they reach the conference final, they will have done something none of us would have thought possible back in October. Don't be fickle. Don't turn on these people if something should go wrong. They've given us all too much.