Mike Gorman shares great Boston Celtics stories, including how Paul Pierce started a longstanding pregame ritual

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2016/03/mike_gorman_shares_great_bosto.html



Mike Gorman shares great Boston Celtics stories, including how Paul Pierce started a longstanding pregame ritual




Boston Celtics broadcasters Tommy Heinsohn, left, and Mike Gorman in 2011. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com



on March 12, 2016 at 11:30 AM




Boston Celtics play-by-play legend Mike Gorman joined the Rainin' Js podcast Saturday morning to discuss his career, the team's path and some of his most memorable moments from 30-plus years of calling the games.

Among other topics, Gorman discussed his favorite Celtics player ever, the time he finally stopped being star-struck by Red Auerbach, and what it was like for a kid from Dorchester who used to sneak into the Garden to develop into the voice of his hometown team.

One story shared was how Paul Pierce started the ritual of players bumping fists with Gorman before games.

"The reason I kind of fist bump the players before the game," Gorman explained, "all started with Paul Pierce because Paul Pierce came up to me about seven or eight years ago -- easily that long ago, maybe 10 years ago -- and said, 'Hey, would you mind doing me a favor?' And I said, 'Sure.' He said, 'Before every game when I come through the layup lines, I'll come up and give you a hug, and when I give you a hug, you tell me the names of the officials so I can turn around and say hey Jay, hey John, how are you doing?'

"So Paul would come up every time, give me a little hug. I'd tell him it was John, Eli, Jack tonight or whatever it was, and Paul would then go trot off. The other players would all kind of see this, and the next thing you know Ray (Allen) would come by and give me a little pat. The next thing you know, somebody else came by, and (Rajon) Rondo came by and gave me a little pat. And the next thing, it turns into this whole routine with everybody, which was solely based off Paul.

"Well, flash forward to Paul coming back into the Garden with the Clippers there a couple of weeks ago. And he comes out through the layup lines and he's standing on the court, and he starts to go through the layup lines. He looks up and he sees me, and he keeps coming toward me with this big smile, and he wraps me up with this big hug, and he says, 'Who we got tonight?'"

Just like the old days.

On the weekly podcast with me and Red's Army's John Karalis, Gorman shared a lot of great tales dating back to the times he would bang on a back door at the old Garden until someone would let him in to see Celtics games.

Listen to the episode below. You can also go to the show page on Audio Boom, download the Audio Boom app for your phone, and subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

https://audioboom.com/boos/4293832-rainin-j-s-boston-celtics-podcast-ep-24-with-mike-gorman?t=0


bob



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Any story Mike Gorman tells is worth listening to.

Something even many of the staunchest fans of rival teams will agree with; Mike Gorman is among the finest, if not perhaps the absolute finest play-by-play announcer in the NBA.

I don't think he's quite near retirement yet, but he's someone we should enjoy listening to while we can.  Mike Gorman is up there near Johnny Most at the top of the mountain in Celtics broadcast history.

I can remember in the 60s, the Celtics would come out for shootaround before the game started. All the players would shoot, do whatever to warm up, and at the end, one player, Cousy, Jones, Havlicek, would take two layups. If someone came and shot in that basket, the ritual would start again. I do not remember Bird, McHale or even Maxwell doing this once Havlicek was gone. But I always watched. It had to be a superstition that carried on during that era.

Gorman was funny, It was unbelievable that he had hardly any relationship with the guys from the 80's, they were all strange characters Nice to hear that he is appreciated more since Paul Pierce was here. These guys work hard, they deserve any credit they get.

One of the good guys in sports announcing, never looking to make a loud noise for himself,
And, they are right, Grande is waiting in the wings to take over when Mike makes the decision to call it a career.

Rosalie