Byline: Dave Krieger Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
One of basketball's royal families gathers today in an unfamiliar setting - a spacious, modern arena named for a bank in Boston's South End. The Fleet Center was built next door to the old Boston Garden, but it is worlds away from the cramped, rat-infested gym that was home to the Celtics through 16 championships.
Larry Bird returns today with the Indiana Pacers, whom he now coaches. The Celtics wanted him to be there when they retired Robert Parish's 00.
``The one thing you can say about Robert is that he's got one more ring than Larry or Kevin (McHale),'' Celtics veteran Dee Brown noted. ``He's got four rings, and they've got three.''
Parish, of course, earned his final piece of championship jewelry last season, acting mostly as a 43-year-old cheerleader for the Bulls. But such nuances have meaning among the game's aristocracy, where Magic Johnson's five rings give him bragging rights over Bird, his perpetual rival.
Of the Big Three, only McHale, now general manager of the Timberwolves, doesn't have to be in Boston today. And with McHale, you never know. NBC will be there in any case.
The fact that Bird will attend today's festivities as a coach still boggles the minds of his former teammates.
``Hell, a suit!'' said Cedric ``Cornbread'' Maxwell, now a Celtics broadcaster. ``A suit and a neat tie! First of all, I want to check the label and see where the suit came from. Sears R Us? For Larry Bird, that's dapper. Dapper before was a jacket. Dapper was a shirt with a collar early on, and now he's moved up to a suit.''
There are only two other royal families in the game. One is in Los Angeles, where the jerseys of Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Gail Goodrich, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and Jerry West line one wall of the Forum.
The other is in Chicago, where the jerseys of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen still can be seen in action below the five championship banners they've earned, where the title-winning shots of John Paxson and Steve Kerr still reverberate.
Boston and L.A. already have had their share of emotional halftime ceremonies. On Bird's day, at the old Garden, Magic was there to say, ``There will never, ever, ever be another Larry Bird.''
On Magic's day, at the Forum, Bird was there to plead, ``Would you get the hell out of my dreams?''
Today is the final excuse to be immersed in that rivalry, probably the greatest in basketball history.
There were others: Chamberlain and Bill Russell battled for a generation, but Wilt played for three different teams and won two titles to Russell's 11; the Celtics and Lakers met four times in the Finals in the late '60s, but the Celtics always won.
The battles of the '80s, by contrast, were epic. The Lakers won five titles in the decade, the Celtics three. Three times they met in the Finals, the Lakers winning twice. Each team had three marquee names: Magic, Kareem and Worthy in L.A., the Big Three in Boston. Magic and Bird tracked each other like bounty hunters from college to athletic old age.
Now they're all history. The Lakers shed Showtime and are now the Lake Show, a championship contender again. The Celtics fell off a cliff. Last season, the legendary franchise won 15 games and was a laughingstock.
But thanks to the hiring of Rick Pitino, they are on the mend. They will not have to apologize for themselves at today's ceremony.
Parish will join an enormous contingent of honored retirees: Bird, McHale, Russell, Walter Brown, Red Auerbach, Dennis Johnson, JoJo White, Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn, Tom Sanders, John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, Don Nelson, Bill Sharman, Ed Macauley, Frank Ramsey, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones, Reggie Lewis, Jim Loscutoff and Johnny Most.
The Lakers are regal. You don't make the wall of the Forum unless you're going to the Hall of Fame. The Celtics are sentimental. They're running out of numbers.
But Boston, being Boston, took a long time to warm up to Parish, and vice-versa. A long line of black sports heroes there have had the same trouble.
Today, the Chief will bathe in the city's belated gratitude. As with any royal family event, many other accomplished members will be there to share the nostalgia.
Bird will be there to win. As always.
CAPTION(S):
Color Photo (2)
Robert Parish, waving to the Boston Garden crowd in one of his last games as a Boston Celtics player in April 1994, will have his jersey No. 00 retired in ceremonies today at the Fleet Center. By John Chase / Associated Press, 1994.
CAPTION: Larry Bird, now coach of the Indiana Pacers, will be on hand to honor his former teammate. But most of all, Bird will be in Boston trying to win the game - as usual. By Bill Kostroun / Associated Press.
