One Last Smoke

Red Auerbach has this thing about cigars. He never smokes on the bench until his Boston Celtics have the game all wrapped up. Once they do, though, he crams an enormous stogie into his mouth and settles contentedly back wreathed in smiles and smoke. In 20 years--16 of them with the Celtics--Red has won 1,036 games, and performed the ritual countless times. Last week, on the night of his retirement, he lit up one last smoke.

The Celtics usually win the N.B.A. championship by the simple stratagem of walloping the sneakers off everyone in sight. Not this year. The Celtics had to scramble for a 54-26 regular season record and second place behind the Philadelphia 76ers. They then had to beat third-place Cincinnati and the first-place 76ers in the Eastern Division play-offs for the right to meet the Western Division's Los Angeles Lakers in the N.B.A. finals.

After four games in the best-of-seven series, the Celtics led 3-1, and it looked like a typical runaway. But then the Lakers won the next two, and it was a brand-new series. "There isn't a man on this team who doesn't know that we can win," said Laker Coach Fred Schaus, going into the final game at Boston.

But Boston is nothing if not a Celt's castle. Led by Center Bill Russell, Boston hopped into a 10-0 lead after the first four minutes, ran the score to 76-60 by the third quarter. Finally, with a ten-point lead and 25 sec. to go, out came the famous cigar. Programs, paper cups, hats and pillows filled the air; screaming fans mobbed the Boston bench. With all those distractions, the Celtics could be pardoned for letting the Lakers slip in a few baskets; then they froze the ball to win 95-93.

To each Celtic, the victory meant an extra $4,143 in the bank. For Auerbach, it was his ninth N.B.A. championship and the eighth in a row, a record unmatched in any professional sport. Bill Russell, who now takes over from Auerbach as coach, gave the valedictory. "Of all the Celtic teams," said he, "this is the shortest on ability and the longest on heart." Red stood by, puffing away like Vesuvius.

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