Tom Heinsohn’s quote on the back of my book says it all: “A nearly all-black Celtic team just won a championship, and all of Boston cheered.” Boston is forever a blue-collar town, and people will embrace anyone who is sincere and works hard, whether that’s Mo Vaughn, David Ortiz, or Larry Bird. Kevin Garnett is a love affair right now. Russell went through a very difficult time here. He suffered a lot of the consequences of a city that was struggling to find its identity. You don’t have to look any further than the last presidential election to see that Boston and the country continue to evolve.

Q

What are some of your memories of Larry Bird’s arrival in Boston?

Seeing him play for Indiana State on national television — his passing work, his team spirit, his dives on the floor — I thought he really embodied what we love in Boston. Then he arrived and rescued the Celtics with the greatest turnaround in NBA history in 1979-1980, and it’s the same thing: He makes people around him better, pushes himself, and exceeds what he should be able to do. He can’t run, he can’t jump — but he’s got double-digit rebounds and steals. So Bird, for me, was idol worship at its best or worst, however you want to put it.

You interviewed around 50 people for this book. Are there a few who
Q
stand out as especially memorable?

[Former Celtic] Gerald Henderson was great. I tell the story in the book’s preface of how I conducted the entire interview with him while standing at an ATM in a bank lobby, transcribing the discussion on the back of deposit envelopes with a pen chained to the countertop. Henderson heard all of these beeps in the background from people using the machines. I also had a breakfast with four prominent black leaders — Deputy Mayor Clarence “Jeep” Jones, the Reverend Michael Haynes, civic leader Paul Parks, and South Boston High School Assistant Headmaster Al Holland — that was spectacular. For a white Irish kid from West Roxbury to sit and get a perspective that I didn’t fully understand was really special.

Q

Has the experience of going to a Celtics game changed for you
over the years?

When I talked to Pat Williams, the general manager of the 76ers, he said you could smell the passion coming out of the parquet floor at the old Boston Garden. It was old and grungy and didn’t have any of today’s luxuries, but there was something special and community-like about the building. To sit in the first balcony and look over the floor . . . there were no better seats in sports. Now we’ve gone to a somewhat sterile arena where only the highest level of winning brings passion to the space. Fortunately, we got this gift of last year. It’s the second resurrection of the Celtics or maybe the third. Auerbach took over in the 1950s and brought the team back to life, then Bird showed up in 1979, and now here we are with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.

Q

Do you like the team’s chances for a repeat championship this season?

I did wonder if veterans, after winning their rings, could keep up the intensity. But it appears that they’re going to compete again. We could have another Celtics–Lakers three- or four-year period of competition, which would be great.

Caleb Cochran talked with Michael Connelly for Observer.

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