Insightful Tommy Heinsohn Interview

Thought I'd pass this interview with Tommy along - always interesting to hear his take on basketball philosophy (spoiler alert: he prefers an up-tempo game...), but he also says a few interesting things about nba coaches and how JG could make the most of his gifts. Anyhow, enjoy the wisdom of Tommy:

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/conversation-tommy-heinsohn

Great find. Thanks for posting the link. Reading this article evokes so many thoughts. Just a few.

• One reason I call those days the "primitive" NBA days is that the fans could relate so much to the players. The game represented supplemental income to so many of them, so a combination on the floor might include a couple of insurance salesmen, an advertising salesman, a former driving instructor, a teacher, etc., etc., etc. To a large extent, they had the same range of jobs the fans had (and with pretty similar incomes). Since people are so frequently identified by their occupations, it was easy to view players as regular guys rather than aloof entertainers.

• I've always thought it remarkable that, as one of the slowest Celtics, Tommy has always been such a fierce proponent of the fast break. And one reason is that he has always realized that, on a 94-foot floor, sheer foot speed is easily neutralized by factors such as great anticipation, passing instead of dribbling, and pinpoint outlet passes. And it didn't hurt to have a super defensive player and rebounder to back you up if you cheated downcourt when an opponent's shot went up. That's why guys like Heinsohn, Nellie and Ramsey had so many fast break buckets. Sam was exceptional because he seized upon all of the above-mentioned advantages plus he could flat-out outrun everybody else.

• The fast break is not simply a weapon; it signifies a mentality that's constantly capitalizing on outquicking the opponent in the offensive end and removing the ball from danger on the defensive end. When they think about Havlicek's monumental steal, most fans stop at the steal itself. But think about what happened immediately after the steal. Havlicek tipped the ball to Sam, who took a couple of stabilizing dribbles toward the other end of the court but then passed the ball completely out of trouble to the baseline behind the Celtics's offensive basket. And catching that pass was none other than John Havlicek, who hadn't stood on his laurels but had instantly broken upcourt as soon as he tipped the ball. In fact, just slightly before time expired, Havlicek actually took a shot from the left corner. The shot missed, but it kept the ball out of any slim danger that it might somehow be stolen back. Outquick on offense. Elude on defense. What a combination!

• Hook shots (especially the very few taken nowadays) are generally associated with big men. But I believe they're actually better suited to small men—especially against taller opponents. The act of extending the arm away from the body means that a defender has to overcome both the width of the hook shooter's body and the length of the hook shooter's arm in order to have any remote chance of blocking the shot. Moreover, one of the reasons hook shooting is not popular is because, when big guys shoot a hook, they tend to fire it in more of a straight line than with an arc. When a little guy shoots a hook, an arc is his only chance to make the shot—and the dynamics of the shot are more conducive to success. At 5' 7" I loved the hook shot because it was the best possible weapon against a double team or a taller adversary. Only the 25-footer rivals the hook in my book.

• When you get right down to it, Tommy's not espousing rocket science in this interview. What he says makes plain sense and is backed up by great rationale.

Now, if the Celtics can only adopt the fast break as their signature offensive strategy, then dboss and I can go riding off in the sunset with smiles on our faces.

Sam