Celtics Statement at the Passing of Bill Fitch
Coming off of a 29-win season in 1979, the Celtics had skilled the 2 worst seasons withinside the team’s history.
But a promising rookie named Larry Bird changed into set to arrive, and Red Auerbach knew the franchise changed into at a essential crossroads.
He determined to lease Bill Fitch as the pinnacle train, and as changed into so regularly the case, Red made the proper call.
Fitch’s deep expertise of the game, toughness, and dry wit made him a great match for Boston and the Celtics.
Fitch had already constructed a popularity as a turnaround artist, and his capacity to get the exceptional out of his gamers paid instantaneously dividends as Fitch orchestrated what changed into on the time the exceptional turnaround in NBA history, vaulting to a 61-21 report.
An offseason exchange delivered Robert Parish and rookie Kevin McHale to Boston, and that they paired with Bird and Cedric Maxwell to shape a dominant frontcourt that Fitch caused the Celtics’ 14th banner in 1981 and mounted a basis for the team’s extraordinary championship run withinside the 1980s.
His report in 4 years as head train of the Celtic changed into a stellar 242-86, a .738 triumphing percentage.
Fitch changed into enshrined withinside the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
The Celtics own circle of relatives mourns his loss as we rejoice his legacy.
Clippers Fitch life his life story
The Clippers employed Fitch in 1994. After a 17-sixty five first season, the group went 29-fifty three and 36-forty six the subsequent two, inclusive of a playoff berth in 1997 — the franchise’s best look withinside the postseason among 1993 and 2005. In his very last season, the Clippers went 17-sixty five in 1997-98. Fitch, whose father, Doc, become a former Marine drill instructor, become acknowledged for placing draft potentialities via onerous workout routines to check how they finished at the same time as fatigued, and training with a disciplinarian’s streak.
“A lot of instances I’ve had extraordinary gamers that I didn’t count on to love me, and a number of them have become extraordinary gamers due to the fact they didn’t like me and I wouldn’t allow them to like me,” Fitch advised The Times in 1994.
John Lucas, the previous Houston supermegacele brity who later have become an established NBA instruct, stated in 1994 that he become all the time thankful for Fitch, pronouncing the instruct had “stored my existence” through slicing him in Houston in 1984 due to Lucas’ cocaine addiction, then re-signing him best after he had completed rehab twelve months later.
“He taught me extra as a instruct approximately existence and residing existence on existence’s phrases than all of us I’ve handled earlier than,” Lucas stated in 1994.
One draft prospect who exceeded Fitch’s attempting check become Kobe Bryant, in the course of a 1996 exercising at the previous Sports Arena.
He knew the Clippers had been in want of quite a few assist and had been in dire want of quite a few matters, inclusive of ownership,” Fitch stated.
“We had quite a few lengthy talks approximately what he need to do and in which he need to pass and I stated, ‘I can take you and you could play forty eight mins a recreation with all of us I were given here, however it’s now no longer going to be the profession I need for you.
“He benefited from us now no longer taking him and money-sensible he in all likelihood were given extra getting drafted in which he did than he might are becoming out of Donald Sterling.
I didn’t need him to should undergo all of the matters we had been going via there.
” Fitch coached in university at North Dakota, Bowling Green and Minnesota earlier than breaking into the NBA with Cleveland in 1970.
He later coached Boston, Houston, New Jersey and the Clippers in a profession that completed with a 944-1,106 record, inclusive of 55-fifty four withinside the postseason.
Under Fitch, the Rockets gained the Western Conference championship in 1986.