NBA – On March 17, 1963, during a heartbreaking ceremony at Boston Garden, Bob Cousy, then 34 years old, bid farewell to Celtics fans.
He begins his speech… with an apology, explaining that he prepared his notes in the afternoon. “ This perhaps lacks a little sincerity and warmth… “, coward Bob Cousy in the middle of the field at the Boston Garden. But the legendary Celtics leader had so much to say that day that he preferred to put it all down on paper.
It is March 17, 1963 and the Celtics host the Syracuse Nationals for the last game of the regular season. Then aged 34, the New York native is reaching the end of his 13th season with Boston. He is preparing to begin his last playoff campaign, which will end with a sixth title, before bowing out.
« I’ve been asked many times this year what I’m going to miss most about not playing anymore. », continues Bob Cousy who chokes again, overwhelmed by emotion. While his wife and one of his daughters, who had just handed him a tissue, approached him, a fan said: “ We love you Cooz. » A few words that will go down in history and sum up the feelings of the fans.
With his towel around his neck, wet from his tears, Bob Cousy continues: “ This is the simplest question I’ve ever had to answer. How I feel about leaving Red (Auerbach) and my teammates, cannot be recorded on paper, nor expressed in words. »
The strongest moment of his career
He stops again, turns to look at his bench and says: “ I would simply say that I will no longer be able to share this camaraderie, this esprit de corps, this common bond for competition, and the inspiration that I received from being captain of this team. I would have felt it even if we hadn’t won a single game.
»
That evening, alongside Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Sam Jones and others, the playmaker contributed 8 points and 9 assists, in 18 minutes, during his team’s victory. He will play a bigger role in the coming weeks, first facing the Cincinnati Royals and then the Lakers in the NBA Finals.
Twenty-five years later, the Hall of Famer will tell the New York Times that it was the day “ Most important » of his career, the kind of moment « that you can only live once ». « I have been very lucky. My first six years we didn’t win anything. Then we won titles six of my last seven seasons “, recalled the player invited to the All-Star 13 times, also considering himself lucky to have had the same coach and the same partners for 13 years.
A few years later, during the 1969/70 season, Bob Cousy, 41, then coach of the Royals, made a return at the end of the season as a player, for seven games. But in Massachusetts, everyone probably still had in mind what is familiarly known under the name of the “Boston Tear Party” of 1963.
2024-03-17 15:38:45
#March #Celtics #fans #shouted #love #Bob #Cousy
