Having been raised in Syracuse, when the Nats reigned supreme, one was imbued with a serious dislike for the Celtics. Despite that, I always admired Cousy, Sharman, Russell, and KC Jones. It was their goons I couldn't stand: Bob Brannum, then Jim Luscatoff. Their major role was to start a fight with the opposing team's best player. Brannum took out Dolph Schayes in the final game of one playoff series; Jungle Jim went after Schayes, Johnny Kerr, etc. One night at the War Memorial, my friends and I got on Jungle Jim from our seats behind the Celtics bench. He turned around and vaulted about three rows and came after us. I moved up the stairs quicker than I'd ever moved in my life. That guy was a muscle-bound animal.
Another sweet memory was one huge brawl between the Nats and the Celtics. Paul Seymour, by then Nats' coach, got into it with Jungle Jim. Joe Roberts--from Ohio State--decked Tommy Heinhson in back of the basket. Man, you could hear the punches landing halfway up the War Memorial seats. That fight went on it seemed like forever. The whole thing started when a fan--believe his name was Eli Roth--in the first row pulled Sid Borgia into the stands and rearranged his ribs. Then, another fan in back of the Celtics bench took offense to Auerbach hitting him with a rolled up program. The guy in the stands, known as "The Strangler", pulled Red into the seats. Red was propelled back out onto the court with his nose bleeding, his shirt ripped off, and his face scarlet.
Ah, the good old days of sports!!
It is a nice article, though, Joyce. Cousy was and is a gentleman.
