LamarMatic’s Throwback: Hondo’s Last Game (1978)

The last game of a basketball legend - John “Hondo” Havlicek. The seven minute standing ovation the Boston Garden crowd gives him is truly remarkable, I even had to cut it a little bit, so it wouldn’t last for too long. The standing O might even be more spectacular than the actual game. Hondo doesn’t shoot particularly well, but I guess what matters in this kind of a game is that the C’s win and even at the age of 38 Havlicek fills out the stat sheet. April 9, 1978.

Hondo’s speech during the half-time of his last game. Also some words said by Johnny Most (god, I love his voice) and Red Auerbach. Scratched the crowd booing Irv Levin, who presented Havlicek a new car.

I guess you can say that this is the last game of a somewhat good Marvin Barnes, even though he’s already pretty inefficient and lost most of his game due to drugs. This is the closing game of the 1977/88 season and I’m sure that the way “Bad News” spent the summer affected his number of games (38) during the next season. You can still see the natural talent, the ability to read the game, yet a Spirits of St. Louis Marvin Barnes would have scored 20 with the shots taken in this game - a lot of easy shots missed. Marvin argues with the referees a lot and gets in altercations with the Celtics bigs, Brent Musburger even jokes that Barnes is doing this on purpose for some TV time.

One of the toughest centers and best rebounders of the 70s - Swen Nater. The 1973-74 ABA Rookie of the Year, has had a season in the ABA averaging 15,1 points and 16,4 rebounds (lead the league), best NBA season could be 15,5pts/13,2 rebs or 13,4pts/15rebs (lead the league). Probably best known for his bench player role with the 1983/84 Lakers, otherwise Swen hasn’t played for particularly good professional teams. Despite this, people around the leagues knew that the big Dutchman could play and bang people around - I’ve read that he once got in a scramble with Marvin Barnes under the basket and simply flung Marvin to the end of the court as if he were a doll. Was a back-up center for Bill Walton in UCLA and since his life had been a tough one (got orphaned in Netherlands, cut during tryouts for his high school basketball team) he never pouted and never got outworked, even by Bill Walton. He still holds the NBA record for defensive rebounds in a half - 18.

Kermit Washington was quite the energy guy for the Boston Celtics in the short stint playing for Red after the infamous punch. Washington denies Bird Averitt twice. And by denies, I mean “do not attempt that weak shit under my basket ever again” denies.

Enjoy!