For generations of Celtics fans, Mike Gorman is as respected as many of his beloved Hall of Fame players in Boston.
Gorman has been the team’s live broadcaster since 1981, with a stable and reliable voice recording some of the team’s most memorable moments, from rivals with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s to the team’s resurrection in the late 2000s. is. ..He was in the Rick Pitino era of the 1990s Reggie Lewis’s death in 1993..Near him for almost 40 years Tom HeinsohnHall of Fame player and coach.
Heinsohn and Gorman made no more difference in voice. As a color commentator, Heinsohn was a collective character known for his loud criticism of the referee who dared to call the Celtics. Gorman is more modest and uses catchphrases to speak out just for the big guys. Make it! “Or” I understand! “
After Heinsohn died in 2020, Gorman, a former Navy pilot in Dorchester, Massachusetts, considered leaving without the other half of “Mike and Tommy.” However, Gorman stayed primarily to see if he could be part of another championship run.
He may have fulfilled his wishes. The Celtics ran unlikely in the NBA Finals facing the Golden State. Boston is down 3-2 in the series and is facing a defeat in Game 6 on Thursday.
Alongside Gorman and Heinson’s successors, Brian Scalabrine, Called the game throughout the first round of the playoffs. (In the NBA TV transaction, only the domestic network will broadcast the playoff game after the first round.)
In an interview with the New York Times about his career, 74-year-old Gorman said he was likely to have two years left as the Celtics voice.
“I want to go see the world,” Gorman said. “I want to do a lot of what I sacrificed with his wife for a basketball game clash.”
This conversation has been edited and summarized for clarity.
How did you call this season, which could be a championship even if Tommy wasn’t next to you?
There was a real void, so I would like to say that there was a real void. Scal had nothing to do with it. Scal couldn’t change that. No one could change it. No one was going to fill Tommy’s shoes and get instant access to the chemistry Tommy and I had.
Calling all these games without Tommy, No. 1 thought I should quit after he died. Make Legacy two of us and do nothing else. But I could see the promise with this team, and I think this team is ahead of schedule now. But if you can keep this group together for a long time, you have a chance to win one or two titles.
Why did you stick?
It turns out that this team has potential. It’s great to have a good team. Because when you build a good team, everyone thinks you are a good broadcaster. Everyone thinks you are a terrible broadcaster when you are a bad team.
How was it around the team in the first half of the season compared to the second half?
Being around the team is very different due to all the limitations of Covid.And it really hurts, because it was Brad’s time we had [Stevens] Left, the majority of his assistants left with him.
Suddenly there were a lot of people who had nothing to do with me.I had nothing to do with now [Udoka].. I had nothing to do with his assistant coach. So it was very difficult to build any relationship. Really, I don’t think I’ve always tried to get along with the players, but over the years, some people have become friendly. But you get to know them in the hotel lobby. Relationships are built here. So when I quit the away game like last year, I couldn’t see the players at all because of the virus.
The season has a difficult start. Did you say “I don’t want to do it anymore”?
When I got off to such a terrible start, I started to have those ideas.
Last year you did something I had never seen. It was a public criticism in a radio interview that the Celtics, especially Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, played too much as individuals rather than teams. You said the team was “really sad to see”. Now that you’re in the finals, how do you look back on those comments?
To be honest with you, I have shown my favor to them. It has removed the pressure of others who feel the same in a silent organization.
after that Marcus smart Come out and say the same thing I did. And I said to someone in the hierarchy (only talking about the Celtics). That’s true. “And he said:” Oh, we know it’s true. I hope you’re not saying it now. “I understand. But I love the Celtics. The Celtics have been my life. But I’m not working at the Celtics. I work at NBC.
What is your favorite Celtics season?
2008. [Paul] Earrings, [Ray] With Allen [Kevin] garnet.
person you dislike?
Decade. Perhaps the 90’s didn’t play off for years.
What does Tom Heinsohn think of this year’s Celtic team?
I think he is very proud of what they did and how they turned things around. I think he was yelling at them before I didn’t move the balls and did some things to make them a better team.
When the player brings the ball across the half court and stops, suddenly no one is seen moving. Start the game in November or December and watch 5 minutes. Well, starting the game last week, suddenly the same player crosses the half court with the ball and everyone is cutting. The men are moving. Everyone is setting the screen. Everyone is always in motion. It’s a completely different game. Day and night.
