Imagine it! Ten dearly-departed, former Celtics returning as a small-ball team to compete. And why not bring back John Kiley at the organ and Johnny Most "high above courtside".Hell, put Red Auerbach on the sidelines to coach and berate the refs.
Starting at center, we have 6'7" Tommy Heinsohn. At the point, 6'3" JoJo White will run the show alongside defensive ace, 6'4" Dennis Johnson. At the small forward slot, 6'5" John Havlicek will start and be partnered with the bruising, 6'5" Jim Loscutoff. "Loscy" will handle many of the "drudgery" chores and play the role of enforcer should the need arise.
Coming off the bench as backup point guard is 6'1" Bill Sharman. We can expect him to see minutes at the shooting guard spot next to DJ at times during the game.
Also coming off the pine will be 6'5" "Pistol Pete" Maravich at both back court spots, but not at the same time. Sorry, Pete.. At 6'4", Paul Westphal, is more than willing-and-able to handle both guard slots, or even a stint at small forward. Rounding out the Tenaceous Ten are 6'1" point guard K C Jones and 6'7" swing man, Reggie Lewis.
I remember Heinsohn as coach, when things got boring, would schedule scrimmages between the big men and little guys - with the mini lineups usually winning. So would his crew of terribly-missed, small ball stars
I'm afraid that Kiley's organ music would be lost in the pace of this contest, no matter which opponent presented itself, but Most's high-pitched crescendos amidst clouds of cigarette smoke would fit right in, as would Red getting tossed from the contest by design if his team was losing.
And Tommy? Expect a lot of hook shots - and frankly - a ton of shots of all types. They didn't call him "Tommy Gun" for nothing. Ah, the good old days. Be nice to bring them back. Has Red lit up his cigar yet?
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