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The Last Pass: Cousy, Russell, the Celtics, and What Matters in the End
The New York Times BestsellerOut of the greatest dynasty in American professional sports history, an intimate story of race, mortality, and regretAbout to turn ninety, Bob Cousy, the Hall of Fame Boston Celtics captain who led the team to its first six championships on an unparalleled run, has much to look back on in contentment. But he has one last piece of unfinished business. The last pass he hopes to throw is to close the circle with his great partner on those Celtic teams, fellow Hall of Famer Bill Russell, now 84. These teammates were basketball's Ruth and Gehrig, and Cooz, as everyone calls him, was famously ahead of his time as an NBA player in terms of race and civil rights. But as the decades passed, Cousy blamed himself for not having done enough, for not having understood the depth of prejudice Russell faced as an African-American star in a city with a fraught history regarding race. Cousy wishes he had defended Russell publicly, and that he had told him privately that he had his back. At this late hour, he confided to acclaimed historian Gary Pomerantz over the course of many interviews, he would like to make amends.At the heart of the story THE LAST PASS tells is the relationship between these two iconic athletes. The book is also in a way Bob Cousy's last testament on his complex and fascinating life. As a sports story alone it has few An poor kid whose immigrant French parents suffered a dysfunctional marriage, the young Cousy escaped to the New York City playgrounds, where he became an urban legend known as the Houdini of the Hardwood. The legend exploded nationally in 1950, his first year as a he would be an all-star all 13 of his NBA seasons. But even as Cousy's on-court imagination and daring brought new attention to the pro game, the Celtics struggled until Coach Red Auerbach landed Russell in 1956. Cooz and Russ fit beautifully together on the court, and the Celtics dynasty was born. To Boston's white sportswriters it was Cousy's team, not Russell's, and as the civil rights movement took flight, and Russell became more publicly involved in it, there were some ugly repercussions in the community, more hurtful to Russell than Cousy feels he understood at the time.THE LAST PASS situates the Celtics dynasty against the full dramatic canvas of American life in the 50s and 60s. It is an enthralling portrait of the heart of this legendary team that throws open a window onto the wider world at a time of wrenching social change. Ultimately it is a book about the legacy of a what matters to us in the end, long after the arena lights have been turned off and we are alone with our memories.On August 22, 2019, Bob Cousy was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
382 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 23, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
December 26, 2018
Growing up, I hated the Boston Celtics of that era. I wanted so badly for them to lose every game, and just went into major funks when they would win another NBA championship. Well, time softens your feelings enough to look back at some of the things you didn't like that you can now appreciate or at least understand. This is an outstanding story of Bob Cousy, but also of Bill Russell, the relationship, both playing and personal, between to two men, and look at the culture, and societal aspects of America and, more specifically, Boston during the latter part of the 1950s and the 1960s. I found myself admiring Mr. Cousy for many reasons, and at the same time, having a deeper appreciation for Mr. Russell as a player and a person. A very moving section of the book is Mr. Cousy's regret at not establishing a more personal relationship with Mr. Russell off the court. Yet, as I read the book, I found he did many things to show his dislike of the treatment of his African-American teammates. It always has interested me, that, in sports, men and women of such disparate backgrounds can come together, and work together as a team, and find, as they do, they have more things in common than just winning games. That bonding experience can last a lifetime. Seeing the photo of the reunion of the championship team from many years ago was quite moving to me. This book certainly made me respect what the Boston Celtics of 1957-1969 did, and feel a bit ashamed of having such angry feelings as a young man towards a group of men who earned championships by working together and respecting what each could bring to the team., and thereby reaping the rewards of their endeavors. There are lessons in this book that we can all take to heart.
December 18, 2018
Some consider the Boston Celtics of the 1950’s and 1960’s, when the team won 11 championships in 13 seasons, to be the greatest dynasty in the history of professional sports. The two players who were most important to these Celtics teams were Bob Cousy and Bill Russell. This excellent book focuses on Cousy’s life, but the driving theme is the relationship between these two iconic Celtics, especially Cousy’s self-questioning about whether he truly had done enough to help his teammate deal with the racism Russell faced in those times.
The book starts with the thoughts of Cousy, now over 90 years old, expressing regrets over how he handled his relationship with Russell. From there, Pomerantz smoothly tells the story of Bob Cousy, from his childhood in which his father was abused by his mother, his difficulty with speaking English (his first language was French) and to his basketball career. He achieved success at Holy Cross in college before his time in Boston, where he was the flashy point guard for the first six of the Celtics 11 titles, in which Russell was a key player for all of them.
While the book paints a terrific picture of NBA basketball, the Celtics and Cousy’s brilliance on the court, those are not what make this book one that must be read. The reader will learn about not only Cousy the player and Cousy the man, but also about his family and friendships as well. His beloved wife Missy passed away after more than fifty years of marriage. He maintained friendships with many teammates throughout the years, including with coach Red Auerbach. But he always had troubling thoughts about Russell and whether he did enough for not only the man, but for the man’s cause and rights.
The book will not answer those questions for either Cousy or the reader, but with the current state of racial issues in the country, it makes sense to show that there are still many unanswered questions. Yes, this is a biography of a basketball legend – but it is also so much more.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
The book starts with the thoughts of Cousy, now over 90 years old, expressing regrets over how he handled his relationship with Russell. From there, Pomerantz smoothly tells the story of Bob Cousy, from his childhood in which his father was abused by his mother, his difficulty with speaking English (his first language was French) and to his basketball career. He achieved success at Holy Cross in college before his time in Boston, where he was the flashy point guard for the first six of the Celtics 11 titles, in which Russell was a key player for all of them.
While the book paints a terrific picture of NBA basketball, the Celtics and Cousy’s brilliance on the court, those are not what make this book one that must be read. The reader will learn about not only Cousy the player and Cousy the man, but also about his family and friendships as well. His beloved wife Missy passed away after more than fifty years of marriage. He maintained friendships with many teammates throughout the years, including with coach Red Auerbach. But he always had troubling thoughts about Russell and whether he did enough for not only the man, but for the man’s cause and rights.
The book will not answer those questions for either Cousy or the reader, but with the current state of racial issues in the country, it makes sense to show that there are still many unanswered questions. Yes, this is a biography of a basketball legend – but it is also so much more.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
March 2, 2022
An intimate look of Bob Cousy and his reminiscence about his life after a lifetime of reflection. It’s an interesting perspective from one of the first basketball superstars who was part of a dynasty and his relationships and interactions with his team. While Russell, with whom he shares the cover of this book wasn’t interviewed, it provides a perspective of the relationship, or lack thereof, from the outside looking in and allows the reader to fill in the gaps in between. It’s a very candid and unabashed perspective from the man they called the Houdini of the hardwood.
June 13, 2024
Gary Pomerantz's, "The Last Pass," is literally a last, and potentially lost, opportunity for former Celtic great and basketball play-making wizard, Bob Cousy, to offer a personal mea culpa to his former teammate, Bill Russell. It turns out that "the Cooz" is still tied up in knots, resentful of his former self because he did not do enough to confront and speak out about racist attitudes and the difficulties Black players lived with, while white players got a pass of a different sort. Cousy immensely enjoyed playing alongside Bill Russell, one of the five great big men in NBA history, and he sincerely laments not doing more to empathize, sympathize, and comfort "Russ" and other Black players. The book goes into painstaking detail, all very relevant and interesting history, about Cousy's efforts to contact Russell years after they played. It is Cousy's deep and reasoned introspective self-analysis that makes this an unusual, and compelling, sports read.
Of course, there is much included here about Cousy's life growing up in St. Albans, Queens; his stellar college years at Holy Cross, later yielding a life-size statue of the Cooz outside the Worcester arena; and his pre-Russell championship-less years in Boston, as likely the best guard in that era's NBA. The book shines when he describes the years playing with Russell who joined the team in 1956. The string of trophies with these two greats, kept appearing annually at the Boston Garden.
It is remarkable how Cousy's greatness was enhanced by the even more exceptional skills of William Felton Russell. But years later, the NBA championships do not seem to be enough for Cousy without the friendship of Russell. Cousy belatedly recalls a game in Kentucky where his black teammates would not be served in the hotel restaurant and they subsequently boycott the game and go back to Boston. Cousy regrets having participated in that game with the other six white players. Then there is the time when he reads that Russell would rather be in jail in Seattle than be mayor of Boston, such was Russell's personally difficult and complicated time in Beantown. The book is clearly about Cousy wishing for a do-over. He now feels like he should've done more, and said more, in support of his African-American teammates, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, Tom "Satch" Sanders, and Russell. Was Cousy a product of white America's inherent racism? Yes, but he sought to break through Black and White race barriers too, from the New York City school yards to his rooming with fellow African-American Celtic, Chuck Cooper. Could Cousy have done more? Yes, has to be the answer too.
What also stood out in Pomerantz's telling, besides Bob Cousy's preparedness, peripheral vision, court sense and creativity, was his passion for fairness on and off the court. He helped organize and was head of the first NBA player's union because of his perceptions of the obvious inequality between players and owners. What also really shines in this book is his father-son relationship with the eccentric and irrascible, but brilliant coach, Red Auerbach. Cousy and Auerbach took frequent trips to Europe in the late '50's to promote the NBA and the game of basketball, and of course, we are now today enjoying the fruit of these excursions with the likes of foreign players such as Luka Dončić, Nicola Jokić, and Victor Wembanyama.
I offer 4 stars overall because it is not your usual sports read, but it gets only 3 stars for story-telling.
Of course, there is much included here about Cousy's life growing up in St. Albans, Queens; his stellar college years at Holy Cross, later yielding a life-size statue of the Cooz outside the Worcester arena; and his pre-Russell championship-less years in Boston, as likely the best guard in that era's NBA. The book shines when he describes the years playing with Russell who joined the team in 1956. The string of trophies with these two greats, kept appearing annually at the Boston Garden.
It is remarkable how Cousy's greatness was enhanced by the even more exceptional skills of William Felton Russell. But years later, the NBA championships do not seem to be enough for Cousy without the friendship of Russell. Cousy belatedly recalls a game in Kentucky where his black teammates would not be served in the hotel restaurant and they subsequently boycott the game and go back to Boston. Cousy regrets having participated in that game with the other six white players. Then there is the time when he reads that Russell would rather be in jail in Seattle than be mayor of Boston, such was Russell's personally difficult and complicated time in Beantown. The book is clearly about Cousy wishing for a do-over. He now feels like he should've done more, and said more, in support of his African-American teammates, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, Tom "Satch" Sanders, and Russell. Was Cousy a product of white America's inherent racism? Yes, but he sought to break through Black and White race barriers too, from the New York City school yards to his rooming with fellow African-American Celtic, Chuck Cooper. Could Cousy have done more? Yes, has to be the answer too.
What also stood out in Pomerantz's telling, besides Bob Cousy's preparedness, peripheral vision, court sense and creativity, was his passion for fairness on and off the court. He helped organize and was head of the first NBA player's union because of his perceptions of the obvious inequality between players and owners. What also really shines in this book is his father-son relationship with the eccentric and irrascible, but brilliant coach, Red Auerbach. Cousy and Auerbach took frequent trips to Europe in the late '50's to promote the NBA and the game of basketball, and of course, we are now today enjoying the fruit of these excursions with the likes of foreign players such as Luka Dončić, Nicola Jokić, and Victor Wembanyama.
I offer 4 stars overall because it is not your usual sports read, but it gets only 3 stars for story-telling.
June 15, 2019
I enjoyed the book but was a little disappointed in the telling of Cousy’s story and to a slightly lesser degree Russ’s. This was most likely due to the nature of the two men, and their relationship and less with the author. I expected more but Mr. Pomerantz gave us what he got. Celtics fans will enjoy the history but will most likely be left wanting more about these 2 Celtic icons.
June 7, 2019
I thought the book was good. I thought it was well written. I didn't think that the life history of Bob Cousy was particularly compelling, even with the racial issues he dealt with concerning Bill Russell. Cousy was a great basketball athlete... end of story.
March 18, 2019
About two thirds of it is a (not so complete) history of the Boston Celtics. A lot of rehashing of facts with a few anecdotes randomly sprinkled throughout. The final third is more interesting. I wish the last half was incorporated into the first half more. It would have been a nice way to balance out the entire narrative.
November 19, 2022
Very good insight into Cousy the player and Cousy the person. Great read for a basketball fan.
November 4, 2018
Just a wonderful read.
An honest and touching book on race, sports, friendship, regret and understanding ... Cousy is frank in self-reflection as he reaches the end of his life.
An honest and touching book on race, sports, friendship, regret and understanding ... Cousy is frank in self-reflection as he reaches the end of his life.
March 9, 2023
Great read in regard to the history of the NBA and the dominance of the Celtics of the 50s-60s. However, the author sheds some light on the racism and double standard that Bill Russell caught, where Cousy was given the keys to Boston and beyond. It was really sad seeing how Russ was treated, but to be expected in the America we hear about back then. What was really strange to read is the relationship between the two, as even Cousy seems to be disappointed and regretful in later years as he was much quieter and more subdued from their time playing together.
The book takes you a trip into the beginning stages of the NBA becoming the juggernaut it is today, and the life of Cousy and Russ. The book is more based on Cousy's life, from childhood to the NBA, but it does focus on the early stages of his Celtics career and the relationship with the great Bill Russell during the racism filled years of Bill's storied Celtics run.
The book takes you a trip into the beginning stages of the NBA becoming the juggernaut it is today, and the life of Cousy and Russ. The book is more based on Cousy's life, from childhood to the NBA, but it does focus on the early stages of his Celtics career and the relationship with the great Bill Russell during the racism filled years of Bill's storied Celtics run.
April 14, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: DA COOZ ATTEMPTS HIS LAST PASS… WITH TWO HANDS FROM THE HEART AND SOUL!
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To truly know… the history of the NBA… you must intimately know the roads traveled and the championships won by the Boston Celtics… and the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers… and their shining stars… that have shown above all others. This book is about the Boston Celtics… and the original NBA showman… Bob “Da-Cooz” Cousy… and among many other things… his relationship with the greatest winner in basketball history… Bill “Big-Russ” Russell… during their playing days… and long afterward as “Da-Cooz” at ninety-years-old…now tries to come to grips with his conscience.
Basketball has been involved in the major part of my entire life. When I first got hooked on playing in park leagues… it was right around the tail end of Cousy’s career… as I advanced to Junior High Leagues… then High School Leagues… then Junior College Leagues… Military Leagues… and more… it was mainly Bill Russell’s continued reign. I had a tremendous “LOVE-HATE” relationship with the Celtics. I hated them because I was a Laker fan… and it seemed every year during Cooz and/or Russ’ dominance… they beat the Lakers in the finals. But… I loved the way they played! They were…. to this day… the greatest true “team” playing “team”… I ever saw. Though I hated them I studied every one of their players intimately. I learned my “bank-shot” from Sam Jones… I learned rebounding from Russ… I learned defense from K.C… I learned to appreciate passing (though not a lot about me actual passing) and field generalship from the master “Da Cooz. I learned how to “gun” from Heinsohn… I imitated Satch Sanders shooting style… and though I was right handed… I finished each practice shooting left handed free throws like Russ. I also learned how to hate Red Auerbach lighting up his victory cigars… and yet till this day I think he was the greatest coach ever. I even read his international bestselling book on basketball fundamentals.
What this book does is take you from the New York ghetto where Cousy grew up… shares in great detail his family history of a Mother who physically abused his Father… and hated Germans from her life in France… and how Da Cooz not only became a three time All-American at Holy Cross… but became one of the greatest players in NBA history. He played for the Celtics from 1950-63 and won six straight NBA titles. Before Cousy’s arrival the savior of the NBA had been big George Mikan who led the Minneapolis Lakers to multiple titles. Joining Cousy in Boston midway through Da Cooz’s career was Big Bill Russell… who continued the Celtics dominance (that in my opinion will never be matched) to eventually total ELEVEN-NBA-CHAMPIONSHIPS-IN-THIRTEEN-YEARS! Add to Russ’s stats… the fact that he won two NCAA titles with USF… and a gold medal with the United States in the Olympics… and you can see why I said he’s the winningest basketball player in history!
The heart… literally the guts… the goal of this book… is Cousy attempting to come to peace with himself in his waning years… did he??? Could he??? Why didn’t he???... Do enough… if not more… to help Bill Russell cope with the terrible racism that Russell and other black teammates had to face in Boston and other areas. Complicating this issue… is the fact that… perhaps not clearly seen by the outside world… was the fact that Cooz and Russ were not close at all… off the court… yet they were… one of the greatest winning teammate combinations on it. They were a well-oiled synchronized creation of basketball victory. The author has done a ton of research recreating what it was like not only back in the day… but also Cousy’s current life with his echoing rooms in his large house… filled with the memories of his dear departed wife of over sixty-years… Missie. The parts of the story that revolve around Red Auerbach are absolutely classic… his bombastic Brooklyn street-fighting moxie… along with his psychology… and his drive to integrate basketball like never before.
On top of all this… as a sports book… is that the author Gary M. Pomerantz… has such a beautiful writing style… that at times you forget it’s a sports book… and just start appreciating and absorbing the prose. As an example… the haunting book jacket cover picture of a young Cooz and Russ… taken before a big game… is described in both a lingering and illuminating narrative. If I may share one of countless phrasings that the author seems to effortlessly use to raise this book to a high standard of literature: “Let us see Cousy as he was on Boston Garden’s parquet floor, in his white home jersey set off by CELTICS 14 in Kelly green. He looked quintessentially French with his long, thin face, dark features, and deep-set eyes. For much of any game, his face was impassive. But seldom was it impassive for an entire game. In moments that mattered most, the mask came off, replaced by a game face, drawn tight for battle. He often moved with a captain’s strut and an artist’s impatience. Maybe he saw a referee miss a call. A teammate might have fumbled a pass. At those moments, Cousy could be a demanding master.”
Yes… Da Cooz… and Big Russ… were quite different… except in one way… and that’s when it came to doing what it took to win! Here’s the deepest… purest insight… from teammate Tom Heinsohn:
“HEINSOHN SAT BETWEEN COUSY AND RUSSELL. HE WATCHED THE TWO MEN CLOSELY AND NOTED A COMMON TRAIT. “THEY TOOK SO MUCH OUT OF THEMSELVES,” HEINSOHN SAYS. “I DIDN’T HAVE THIS DRIVE TO BE THE WORD’S GREATEST LIKE THEY DID. TO WIN AN NBA TITLE, HEINSOHN THOUGHT, THEY’D KILL THEIR MOTHERS.”
A tremendously written and researched book… and you’ll even learn why the only person in the world other than Red Auerbach’s wife… who called Auerbach “Arnold” was Da Cooz!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To truly know… the history of the NBA… you must intimately know the roads traveled and the championships won by the Boston Celtics… and the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers… and their shining stars… that have shown above all others. This book is about the Boston Celtics… and the original NBA showman… Bob “Da-Cooz” Cousy… and among many other things… his relationship with the greatest winner in basketball history… Bill “Big-Russ” Russell… during their playing days… and long afterward as “Da-Cooz” at ninety-years-old…now tries to come to grips with his conscience.
Basketball has been involved in the major part of my entire life. When I first got hooked on playing in park leagues… it was right around the tail end of Cousy’s career… as I advanced to Junior High Leagues… then High School Leagues… then Junior College Leagues… Military Leagues… and more… it was mainly Bill Russell’s continued reign. I had a tremendous “LOVE-HATE” relationship with the Celtics. I hated them because I was a Laker fan… and it seemed every year during Cooz and/or Russ’ dominance… they beat the Lakers in the finals. But… I loved the way they played! They were…. to this day… the greatest true “team” playing “team”… I ever saw. Though I hated them I studied every one of their players intimately. I learned my “bank-shot” from Sam Jones… I learned rebounding from Russ… I learned defense from K.C… I learned to appreciate passing (though not a lot about me actual passing) and field generalship from the master “Da Cooz. I learned how to “gun” from Heinsohn… I imitated Satch Sanders shooting style… and though I was right handed… I finished each practice shooting left handed free throws like Russ. I also learned how to hate Red Auerbach lighting up his victory cigars… and yet till this day I think he was the greatest coach ever. I even read his international bestselling book on basketball fundamentals.
What this book does is take you from the New York ghetto where Cousy grew up… shares in great detail his family history of a Mother who physically abused his Father… and hated Germans from her life in France… and how Da Cooz not only became a three time All-American at Holy Cross… but became one of the greatest players in NBA history. He played for the Celtics from 1950-63 and won six straight NBA titles. Before Cousy’s arrival the savior of the NBA had been big George Mikan who led the Minneapolis Lakers to multiple titles. Joining Cousy in Boston midway through Da Cooz’s career was Big Bill Russell… who continued the Celtics dominance (that in my opinion will never be matched) to eventually total ELEVEN-NBA-CHAMPIONSHIPS-IN-THIRTEEN-YEARS! Add to Russ’s stats… the fact that he won two NCAA titles with USF… and a gold medal with the United States in the Olympics… and you can see why I said he’s the winningest basketball player in history!
The heart… literally the guts… the goal of this book… is Cousy attempting to come to peace with himself in his waning years… did he??? Could he??? Why didn’t he???... Do enough… if not more… to help Bill Russell cope with the terrible racism that Russell and other black teammates had to face in Boston and other areas. Complicating this issue… is the fact that… perhaps not clearly seen by the outside world… was the fact that Cooz and Russ were not close at all… off the court… yet they were… one of the greatest winning teammate combinations on it. They were a well-oiled synchronized creation of basketball victory. The author has done a ton of research recreating what it was like not only back in the day… but also Cousy’s current life with his echoing rooms in his large house… filled with the memories of his dear departed wife of over sixty-years… Missie. The parts of the story that revolve around Red Auerbach are absolutely classic… his bombastic Brooklyn street-fighting moxie… along with his psychology… and his drive to integrate basketball like never before.
On top of all this… as a sports book… is that the author Gary M. Pomerantz… has such a beautiful writing style… that at times you forget it’s a sports book… and just start appreciating and absorbing the prose. As an example… the haunting book jacket cover picture of a young Cooz and Russ… taken before a big game… is described in both a lingering and illuminating narrative. If I may share one of countless phrasings that the author seems to effortlessly use to raise this book to a high standard of literature: “Let us see Cousy as he was on Boston Garden’s parquet floor, in his white home jersey set off by CELTICS 14 in Kelly green. He looked quintessentially French with his long, thin face, dark features, and deep-set eyes. For much of any game, his face was impassive. But seldom was it impassive for an entire game. In moments that mattered most, the mask came off, replaced by a game face, drawn tight for battle. He often moved with a captain’s strut and an artist’s impatience. Maybe he saw a referee miss a call. A teammate might have fumbled a pass. At those moments, Cousy could be a demanding master.”
Yes… Da Cooz… and Big Russ… were quite different… except in one way… and that’s when it came to doing what it took to win! Here’s the deepest… purest insight… from teammate Tom Heinsohn:
“HEINSOHN SAT BETWEEN COUSY AND RUSSELL. HE WATCHED THE TWO MEN CLOSELY AND NOTED A COMMON TRAIT. “THEY TOOK SO MUCH OUT OF THEMSELVES,” HEINSOHN SAYS. “I DIDN’T HAVE THIS DRIVE TO BE THE WORD’S GREATEST LIKE THEY DID. TO WIN AN NBA TITLE, HEINSOHN THOUGHT, THEY’D KILL THEIR MOTHERS.”
A tremendously written and researched book… and you’ll even learn why the only person in the world other than Red Auerbach’s wife… who called Auerbach “Arnold” was Da Cooz!
May 21, 2022
I would love to see this book get the "Winning Time" treatment from HBO: a prequel spinoff about the Celtics dynasty of the 50s and 60s, with obvious tie-ins with Bill Sharman, Red Auerbach, and Jerry West.
Even if you're not endlessly fascinated by sports history, this book paints a compelling narrative around Bob Cousy and Bill Russell, about teammates, the social struggles of the 2Oth century, and getting old and still trying to gain new perspectives in the 21st century. Highly recommended to Boston sports fans, but really to everyone.
Even if you're not endlessly fascinated by sports history, this book paints a compelling narrative around Bob Cousy and Bill Russell, about teammates, the social struggles of the 2Oth century, and getting old and still trying to gain new perspectives in the 21st century. Highly recommended to Boston sports fans, but really to everyone.
July 5, 2020
Interesting non-fiction book that fits right into our current social issues. Although this is mostly a Cousy bio, it nicely follows his relationship with Russell, and captures the early years of the NBA and Boston Celtics. As a Bostonian, I'm aware (and ashamed) of the treatment Bill Russell received during his time playing in this city. But this book also details Cousy's early compassion for black athletes at a time when it was not popular with white fans.
October 25, 2018
https://www.themaineedge.com/sports/i...
It’s safe to say that the Boston Celtics of the 1950s and 1960s were the greatest dynasty in American professional sports. One could try to make arguments for other teams in other sports, but in terms of pure extended dominance, it’s tough to argue against eight consecutive championships and 11 titles in 13 seasons.
It’s also tough to argue against any two players being more vital to those victories than Bill Russell and Bob Cousy. But despite their brilliant dynamic on the court, their relationship beyond basketball is something a little more complicated.
Both aspects of the Cousy/Russell link are explored in Gary Pomerantz’s new book “The Last Pass: Cousy, Russell, and What Matters in the End.” Built around a years-long series of interviews with Cousy, the book explores the history of that dynastic time in Celtics history and examines an NBA that might have disappeared forever had Cousy and Russell not come along, all while also looking at issues of race in a particularly tumultuous time in our society.
Bob Cousy is 90 years old. He lives alone in the same house in Worcester that he’s occupied for decades. His wife has passed away, his kids are grown – he’s left to live a largely solitary life, one in which he looks back at his hardwood past. There are awards and trophies, plaudits and championships – he has few regrets.
Just one, really. Bill Russell.
Cousy was a superstar before he set foot on the floor at the Boston Garden. His flashy, improvisational style of play helped propel his collegiate team at Holy Cross to unprecedented heights, with NCAA tournament berths and three All-American nods.
But it was when he landed in the still-nascent NBA in 1950 that he truly carved his name into the history books. Quickly dubbed “The Houdini of the Hardwood,” Cousy became one of the biggest stars in the league. Over the course of his 13-year career, he led the league in assists eight times and was named MVP in 1957. He was named All-NBA a dozen times and was voted an All-Star every year of his career.
However, it was only when a defensive dynamo from the University of San Francisco arrived that the titles started coming.
Cousy would win six titles alongside Russell, who would in turn win five more following Cousy’s departure. Between Cousy’s energetic offensive skills and Russell’s unmatched rebounding and defense, the Celtics of that era were simply unstoppable.
But it was only in the years after they parted ways – many years, really – that Cousy began to wonder why his relationship with his old teammate wasn’t what it was with some of the other guys from those days. After some soul-searching and self-examination, Cousy started questioning whether he had done enough to help Russell deal with the societal racism that confronted him every single day.
To many, those Celtics teams belonged to Cousy, not Russell. And while one could make an informed argument, the truth was that that opinion sprang from one simple fact: Cousy was white, Russell black. While they were mostly equals on the court, they were far from it anywhere else. As the civil rights movement gained steam – and Russell became more involved – Cousy never truly grasped just how much the country’s ugliness hurt his teammate.
As both men approach the end, Cousy seeks to make amends, or at least to acknowledge to his old friend that he regrets not doing more.
“The Last Pass” offers a compelling portrait of one of the greatest players in NBA history. The early days of the league bear only a passing resemblance to the multi-billion-dollar industry we see today, but Cousy’s place in the game’s history remains unassailable. Getting a sense of those differences – brawls on the court, cigarettes at halftime, teams in isolated small-town outposts – makes for fascinating reading.
What Pomerantz has done is mine Cousy’s story thoroughly and meticulously; these interviews unfolded over the course of years, allowing for a degree of detail and nuance that borders on the staggering. The reader genuinely gets to know Cousy – both the player and the man. That’s a real rarity in any book, let alone what is ostensibly a sports biography.
But of course, it’s more than your standard sports book. No hagiography, “The Last Pass” uses Cousy’s story to reach deep into the fabric of the culture itself. The nascent NBA is used as a lens to view larger truths about mid-century American society. Cousy’s desperate yearning to set things right with Russell is a reflection of a country that still struggles to come to terms with the sins of years gone by.
Cousy was known for his ability to get his teammates the ball, but in “The Last Pass,” it’s Pomerantz who dishes the assist, allowing the Houdini of the Hardwood to score once again.
It’s safe to say that the Boston Celtics of the 1950s and 1960s were the greatest dynasty in American professional sports. One could try to make arguments for other teams in other sports, but in terms of pure extended dominance, it’s tough to argue against eight consecutive championships and 11 titles in 13 seasons.
It’s also tough to argue against any two players being more vital to those victories than Bill Russell and Bob Cousy. But despite their brilliant dynamic on the court, their relationship beyond basketball is something a little more complicated.
Both aspects of the Cousy/Russell link are explored in Gary Pomerantz’s new book “The Last Pass: Cousy, Russell, and What Matters in the End.” Built around a years-long series of interviews with Cousy, the book explores the history of that dynastic time in Celtics history and examines an NBA that might have disappeared forever had Cousy and Russell not come along, all while also looking at issues of race in a particularly tumultuous time in our society.
Bob Cousy is 90 years old. He lives alone in the same house in Worcester that he’s occupied for decades. His wife has passed away, his kids are grown – he’s left to live a largely solitary life, one in which he looks back at his hardwood past. There are awards and trophies, plaudits and championships – he has few regrets.
Just one, really. Bill Russell.
Cousy was a superstar before he set foot on the floor at the Boston Garden. His flashy, improvisational style of play helped propel his collegiate team at Holy Cross to unprecedented heights, with NCAA tournament berths and three All-American nods.
But it was when he landed in the still-nascent NBA in 1950 that he truly carved his name into the history books. Quickly dubbed “The Houdini of the Hardwood,” Cousy became one of the biggest stars in the league. Over the course of his 13-year career, he led the league in assists eight times and was named MVP in 1957. He was named All-NBA a dozen times and was voted an All-Star every year of his career.
However, it was only when a defensive dynamo from the University of San Francisco arrived that the titles started coming.
Cousy would win six titles alongside Russell, who would in turn win five more following Cousy’s departure. Between Cousy’s energetic offensive skills and Russell’s unmatched rebounding and defense, the Celtics of that era were simply unstoppable.
But it was only in the years after they parted ways – many years, really – that Cousy began to wonder why his relationship with his old teammate wasn’t what it was with some of the other guys from those days. After some soul-searching and self-examination, Cousy started questioning whether he had done enough to help Russell deal with the societal racism that confronted him every single day.
To many, those Celtics teams belonged to Cousy, not Russell. And while one could make an informed argument, the truth was that that opinion sprang from one simple fact: Cousy was white, Russell black. While they were mostly equals on the court, they were far from it anywhere else. As the civil rights movement gained steam – and Russell became more involved – Cousy never truly grasped just how much the country’s ugliness hurt his teammate.
As both men approach the end, Cousy seeks to make amends, or at least to acknowledge to his old friend that he regrets not doing more.
“The Last Pass” offers a compelling portrait of one of the greatest players in NBA history. The early days of the league bear only a passing resemblance to the multi-billion-dollar industry we see today, but Cousy’s place in the game’s history remains unassailable. Getting a sense of those differences – brawls on the court, cigarettes at halftime, teams in isolated small-town outposts – makes for fascinating reading.
What Pomerantz has done is mine Cousy’s story thoroughly and meticulously; these interviews unfolded over the course of years, allowing for a degree of detail and nuance that borders on the staggering. The reader genuinely gets to know Cousy – both the player and the man. That’s a real rarity in any book, let alone what is ostensibly a sports biography.
But of course, it’s more than your standard sports book. No hagiography, “The Last Pass” uses Cousy’s story to reach deep into the fabric of the culture itself. The nascent NBA is used as a lens to view larger truths about mid-century American society. Cousy’s desperate yearning to set things right with Russell is a reflection of a country that still struggles to come to terms with the sins of years gone by.
Cousy was known for his ability to get his teammates the ball, but in “The Last Pass,” it’s Pomerantz who dishes the assist, allowing the Houdini of the Hardwood to score once again.
November 6, 2018
I picked this one up because I read a great excerpt of it in Time. As Pomerantz describes it, this is basketball great Bob Cousy doing something remarkable, let alone for a 91-year-old who’s lived most of his life as a celebrity: reflecting on his own role in race as it played out in his lifetime.
I don’t regret picking up the whole book, but I do feel marginally misled by that excerpt. This book does deal with Cousy as he reflects on his friendship with Bill Russell; the two of them were the twin stars – Russell clearly the greater one – of the first NBA dynasty, one electric and one rock steady, one white and one black. It deals with that friendship, or strange lack thereof, in a beautifully written opening section, and then somewhat less satisfying at the end.
In between this is a different book altogether, also a good one, but not quite what I’d been sold on.
The heart of this is a biography of Cousy, and it’s certainly well done. Pomerantz has great admiration for the man, and he certainly persuades me to share it. Cousy himself felt like an immigrant, felt like a child of the ghetto who experienced a fraction of the native distrust that so haunted Russell.
I had no idea Cousy was, essentially, French, that he was the child of two French immigrants and that English was his second language. (I got to thinking that, alongside Tony Parker and, maybe someday, Frank Nkitlina, the French have a lot to boast about in their point guards.) I’d taken his name for Irish and that, of course, would have made him royalty in Boston. Instead, he could never quite overcome a combination of accent and speech impediment, and he could never quite be home in the world of celebrity athlete that he had a real hand in creating.
Pomerantz has a number of fine passages where he gives a sense of what it must have been like to watch Cousy play in his early days. He was, after George Mikan, the second inventor of modern play. And, where Mikan brought a combination of low-post precision and brute size, Cousy brought flair and creativity. Cousy is the forerunner of the basketball wizard – the Houdini of the hardwood. I think his Youtube clips probably don’t show the great panache of his original moves. Next to the greats of today, to Step Curry to take the exemplar, he must seem drab. In context, though, as Pomerantz describes it, he was a revolution.
This does begin to drag a little in the second half. Pomerantz has some great material, but he recycles the best of it. I think, in the end, the book would have been just as effective, and a little sharper, if it were about 20 percent shorter.
But the culmination here is the profile of Cousy in his waning years. Pomerantz lets us see him as a man unafraid to ask himself a difficult question: how was it possible he could have enjoyed such spectacular on-court chemistry with Russell yet not known the extent of what he endured as an African-American in Boston. (In one harrowing scene – one we get at least three times – vandals broke into Russell’s home, painted racist graffiti, and defecated in his bed.) Cousy seems to have been well ahead of most of his contemporaries when it came to race – he roomed with the Celtics first black player, and he served as a Big Brother to a handful of adolescent African-American boys – so he could easily plead his own documented good works. Instead, he probes his conscience for times he failed to ask the necessary question, for times he might have been even braver than he was and put his hard-earned reputation at risk.
And, while there is a lot to chew on in those culminating reflections, the somewhat disappointing truth is that they’re unresolved. Outside of a powerful scene in which Cousy, in a live television interview, began crying when asked about his relationship with Russell (another scene repeated multiple times) Pomerantz isn’t able to show us too much detail in Cousy’s reflections. I’m persuaded to admire the basketball player, admire the dignified way he’s aging in a world slowly forgetting the magnitude of his innovations, but I don’t quite have a sense of how I should admire him.
Cousy, that is, deserves admiration for his intention to ask himself deep questions at a time most of his contemporaries have faded or died. Pomerantz deserves credit for laying out those intentions as clearly as he does (and for the loving and attentive biography he works around that project). In the end, though, we see only the first half of the play – the pass as it’s leaving the hands of thoughtful man Cousy and careful writer Pomerantz. Good as this is, I’d like to see the second half of the play, the part where we see the pass get caught, the part where we see the reconciliation with Russell. And that, I’m afraid – both in life and in this otherwise fine book – we do not get to see.
I don’t regret picking up the whole book, but I do feel marginally misled by that excerpt. This book does deal with Cousy as he reflects on his friendship with Bill Russell; the two of them were the twin stars – Russell clearly the greater one – of the first NBA dynasty, one electric and one rock steady, one white and one black. It deals with that friendship, or strange lack thereof, in a beautifully written opening section, and then somewhat less satisfying at the end.
In between this is a different book altogether, also a good one, but not quite what I’d been sold on.
The heart of this is a biography of Cousy, and it’s certainly well done. Pomerantz has great admiration for the man, and he certainly persuades me to share it. Cousy himself felt like an immigrant, felt like a child of the ghetto who experienced a fraction of the native distrust that so haunted Russell.
I had no idea Cousy was, essentially, French, that he was the child of two French immigrants and that English was his second language. (I got to thinking that, alongside Tony Parker and, maybe someday, Frank Nkitlina, the French have a lot to boast about in their point guards.) I’d taken his name for Irish and that, of course, would have made him royalty in Boston. Instead, he could never quite overcome a combination of accent and speech impediment, and he could never quite be home in the world of celebrity athlete that he had a real hand in creating.
Pomerantz has a number of fine passages where he gives a sense of what it must have been like to watch Cousy play in his early days. He was, after George Mikan, the second inventor of modern play. And, where Mikan brought a combination of low-post precision and brute size, Cousy brought flair and creativity. Cousy is the forerunner of the basketball wizard – the Houdini of the hardwood. I think his Youtube clips probably don’t show the great panache of his original moves. Next to the greats of today, to Step Curry to take the exemplar, he must seem drab. In context, though, as Pomerantz describes it, he was a revolution.
This does begin to drag a little in the second half. Pomerantz has some great material, but he recycles the best of it. I think, in the end, the book would have been just as effective, and a little sharper, if it were about 20 percent shorter.
But the culmination here is the profile of Cousy in his waning years. Pomerantz lets us see him as a man unafraid to ask himself a difficult question: how was it possible he could have enjoyed such spectacular on-court chemistry with Russell yet not known the extent of what he endured as an African-American in Boston. (In one harrowing scene – one we get at least three times – vandals broke into Russell’s home, painted racist graffiti, and defecated in his bed.) Cousy seems to have been well ahead of most of his contemporaries when it came to race – he roomed with the Celtics first black player, and he served as a Big Brother to a handful of adolescent African-American boys – so he could easily plead his own documented good works. Instead, he probes his conscience for times he failed to ask the necessary question, for times he might have been even braver than he was and put his hard-earned reputation at risk.
And, while there is a lot to chew on in those culminating reflections, the somewhat disappointing truth is that they’re unresolved. Outside of a powerful scene in which Cousy, in a live television interview, began crying when asked about his relationship with Russell (another scene repeated multiple times) Pomerantz isn’t able to show us too much detail in Cousy’s reflections. I’m persuaded to admire the basketball player, admire the dignified way he’s aging in a world slowly forgetting the magnitude of his innovations, but I don’t quite have a sense of how I should admire him.
Cousy, that is, deserves admiration for his intention to ask himself deep questions at a time most of his contemporaries have faded or died. Pomerantz deserves credit for laying out those intentions as clearly as he does (and for the loving and attentive biography he works around that project). In the end, though, we see only the first half of the play – the pass as it’s leaving the hands of thoughtful man Cousy and careful writer Pomerantz. Good as this is, I’d like to see the second half of the play, the part where we see the pass get caught, the part where we see the reconciliation with Russell. And that, I’m afraid – both in life and in this otherwise fine book – we do not get to see.
March 28, 2019
First, the subtitle of "The Last Pass" is more than a little misleading -- though it's billed as "Cousy, Russell, the Celtics and What Matters in the End," it really only connects on two of those four. OK, maybe three with a generous bounce off the rim, but still the missing piece is a big one, figuratively and literally.
The strengths of Gary M. Pomerantz's book, however, deserve first mention. As a child of the West Coast who, like every red-blooded American Boomer grew up rooting for the underdog, for me, the Boston Celtics were as bad as the Yankees. All they did was win, and obnoxiously, so cheering for whoever they were playing was pretty much mandatory -- and frustrating, because those 11 straight NBA titles led to a lot of disappointment.
(Yes, Bill Russell was from Oakland and went to the University of San Francisco, and I even saw him play in college (though I remember almost nothing about it), but that was really before my time so I always though of him as a Celtic. And then Wilt Chamberlain, his foil, played for the Warriors when they moved west, so Russell was never a local hero to me.)
Pomerantz starts earlier than that, though, with Bob Cousy, his upbringing and early career, and that part is especially fascinating. The early days of big-time college basketball and the NBA are shrouded in the mystery of grainy films, white guys shooting weird-looking shots and a game that has little resemblance to the one played today.
Cousy, however, as Pomerantz points out, was the harbinger of the future, the Houdini of the Hardwood (in the style of the day), with one-handed shots, behind-the-back dribbling and spectacular no-look passes. He played the game at a level his peers were unable to imagine, especially in his early days, and even by the time he retired, in the early '60s, the game was still dominated by old-school coaches and old-school ideas.
Red Auerbach, Cousy's coach, was old school, in his way, but he wanted to win above all, and he let Cousy be Cousy -- and he wasn't afraid of breaking the color barrier and bringing Russell to deeply racist Boston in the late '50s. Auerbach was also noted for osentatiously lighting a victory cigar when the game was won, and antagonizing anyone and everyone who annoyed him.
By the time Pomerantz began writing this book, Auerbach was long dead, but Cousy, who's still alive as I write this, was willing to sit down for a long series of interviews -- and its his perspective and concerns that dominate the book. And with Cousy a fading memory to the modern sports fan, who thinks the '90s are pretty much the beginning of time, it's great to hear his own story and that of the rise of basketball from sideshow to main attraction.
But here's where things break down: Russell, in declining health and never that cooperative with the media, would not talk to Pomerantz, so his presence is shadowy at best. Pomerantz quotes from books written about him, and long-ago interviews, but in the end, his voice echoes rather than resonates. And since Pomerantz chooses to spend a lot of time with Cousy mulling about Cousy's relationship with Russell, and blacks in general, the book simply drifts off track too often to be totally successful.
And what does matter in the end? Cousy talks about what matters to him, it appears, though how much of that is Pomerantz emphasizing certain parts of the Cousy interviews to make his point is unclear. It could well be that Cousy is consumed later in life with his perceived failings in his relationship with Russell, but it may be that Russell is more of a footnote in Cousy's view of his long career.
And about that title -- "The Last Pass" refers to a letter Cousy wrote to Russell late in life, an attempt to reach out and communicate with the man who also changed the face of basketball. Russell ignored it for years, perhaps due to age and its inevitable decline, but even when he responded, the exchange was unsatisfying.
And in a way, so is the book itself, primarily because of the title. What Pomerantz promises, he can't really deliver, even though the book he wrote is, in most respects, a good one. The four stars are justified, I think, because if the title had been "Bob Cousy, the Celtics and the Roots of Today's NBA," with attendant shifts in focus, this could have been one of the better sports books I have read.
As it is, however, the play on the blackboard was not the play that was run, and even though it was run reasonably well, in the end, the last pass wasn't exactly where it needed to be and the shot just didn't go down.
The strengths of Gary M. Pomerantz's book, however, deserve first mention. As a child of the West Coast who, like every red-blooded American Boomer grew up rooting for the underdog, for me, the Boston Celtics were as bad as the Yankees. All they did was win, and obnoxiously, so cheering for whoever they were playing was pretty much mandatory -- and frustrating, because those 11 straight NBA titles led to a lot of disappointment.
(Yes, Bill Russell was from Oakland and went to the University of San Francisco, and I even saw him play in college (though I remember almost nothing about it), but that was really before my time so I always though of him as a Celtic. And then Wilt Chamberlain, his foil, played for the Warriors when they moved west, so Russell was never a local hero to me.)
Pomerantz starts earlier than that, though, with Bob Cousy, his upbringing and early career, and that part is especially fascinating. The early days of big-time college basketball and the NBA are shrouded in the mystery of grainy films, white guys shooting weird-looking shots and a game that has little resemblance to the one played today.
Cousy, however, as Pomerantz points out, was the harbinger of the future, the Houdini of the Hardwood (in the style of the day), with one-handed shots, behind-the-back dribbling and spectacular no-look passes. He played the game at a level his peers were unable to imagine, especially in his early days, and even by the time he retired, in the early '60s, the game was still dominated by old-school coaches and old-school ideas.
Red Auerbach, Cousy's coach, was old school, in his way, but he wanted to win above all, and he let Cousy be Cousy -- and he wasn't afraid of breaking the color barrier and bringing Russell to deeply racist Boston in the late '50s. Auerbach was also noted for osentatiously lighting a victory cigar when the game was won, and antagonizing anyone and everyone who annoyed him.
By the time Pomerantz began writing this book, Auerbach was long dead, but Cousy, who's still alive as I write this, was willing to sit down for a long series of interviews -- and its his perspective and concerns that dominate the book. And with Cousy a fading memory to the modern sports fan, who thinks the '90s are pretty much the beginning of time, it's great to hear his own story and that of the rise of basketball from sideshow to main attraction.
But here's where things break down: Russell, in declining health and never that cooperative with the media, would not talk to Pomerantz, so his presence is shadowy at best. Pomerantz quotes from books written about him, and long-ago interviews, but in the end, his voice echoes rather than resonates. And since Pomerantz chooses to spend a lot of time with Cousy mulling about Cousy's relationship with Russell, and blacks in general, the book simply drifts off track too often to be totally successful.
And what does matter in the end? Cousy talks about what matters to him, it appears, though how much of that is Pomerantz emphasizing certain parts of the Cousy interviews to make his point is unclear. It could well be that Cousy is consumed later in life with his perceived failings in his relationship with Russell, but it may be that Russell is more of a footnote in Cousy's view of his long career.
And about that title -- "The Last Pass" refers to a letter Cousy wrote to Russell late in life, an attempt to reach out and communicate with the man who also changed the face of basketball. Russell ignored it for years, perhaps due to age and its inevitable decline, but even when he responded, the exchange was unsatisfying.
And in a way, so is the book itself, primarily because of the title. What Pomerantz promises, he can't really deliver, even though the book he wrote is, in most respects, a good one. The four stars are justified, I think, because if the title had been "Bob Cousy, the Celtics and the Roots of Today's NBA," with attendant shifts in focus, this could have been one of the better sports books I have read.
As it is, however, the play on the blackboard was not the play that was run, and even though it was run reasonably well, in the end, the last pass wasn't exactly where it needed to be and the shot just didn't go down.
July 10, 2021
Further Opportunities Missed - When this book came out, I heard Bob Cousy on a public radio interview speak about having read and been inspired by Ta-Nehisi Coates' "Between the World and Me" to reach out one more time to Celtics teammate Bill Russell to express his regret at not being more supportive during their playing days and over the years. Since I had read Coates' text, I was interested to see if Cousy's reaction was similar to mine and what he did (see my review).
Pomerantz's book brought back memories (e.g. some real bonding time with my father watching the Celtics’ games on TV with Russell, Sam or KC Jones, Satch Sanders, and Tommy Heinsohn during those fast breaks). As I read along, I had some empathy with Cousy. However, my investment in the book suddenly felt cheapened when I learned about Cousy's remarks in response to recently being awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom. Unfortunately, that speech seemed to be another missed opportunity on Cousy's part as it appeared to be a political quid pro quo (also see Gladstone’s "The Trouble with Reality: A Rumination on Moral Panic in Our Time").
More specifically, the book’s 32 chapters are organized into 4 major sections: I. Becoming Cooz, II. Dynasty, III. Bob Cousy Day – 1963, and IV. Cooz in Winter. While it was revealing to understand more about Cousy’s development as a player, a National Basketball Association (NBA) star and supporter as well as his career in the aftermath of stardom and dealing with the latter part of life/aging, my main interest remained on his relationship with Russell. Chapters with particular interest for me included ‘Auerbach’s Secret’ (7), ‘Russell’s Arrival’ (8), ‘Being Russell’ (13), ‘Russ’ (23), ‘Russ Redux’ (28) and ‘In the House of Russell’ (31) along with passages related to Coates’ book and Cousy’s more recent actions.
For instance in “Russ Redux,” after relating Russell’s support of NFL players protesting racial injustice in a tweeted picture of him taking a knee with the Medal of Freedom dangling from his neck, author Pomerantz relates on page 281: “Behind the scenes, a movement had taken flight to get Cousy a Presidential Medal of Freedom too . . . for a life well lived. It would also raise the eternally competitive Cousy to a place in American history alongside Russell.”
Forgive me, but Cousy’s Celtics did not win any championships until Russell arrived. Then after Cousy retired Russell’s Celtics continued as champions until Russell’s retirement as player-coach, all while he dealt with being among the early blacks who entered the NBA, the vicissitudes of racial discrimination and other maladies of his age (e.g. see my review of "Buckley vs. Vidal: The Historic 1968 ABC News Debates"). Since his playing days, Russell has remained a civil rights activist and advocate, while Cousy has recounted time and again his lost chances in engaging with Russell in a meaningful way. In light of his presidential medal ambitions and response, some might be skeptical about Cousy’s real motivation behind his “last pass” and his remarks in the book and in interviews concerning his Russell regrets.
The real regret is that these most recent gambits seem to represent at best further missed opportunities for Cousy or at worst yet other exploitations of his teammate. Instead he should read Coates’ more recent "We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy" (see my review), reflect , do something more appropriate regarding reparation if he really wants to be considered in the same league as Russell and truly address what matters in the end.
In place of this book, readers might be better served by looking at other books on the Celtics and Bill Russell's "Red and Me: My Coach, My Lifelong Friend" to get a better idea about what real professional excellence, friendship and courage are all about.
Pomerantz's book brought back memories (e.g. some real bonding time with my father watching the Celtics’ games on TV with Russell, Sam or KC Jones, Satch Sanders, and Tommy Heinsohn during those fast breaks). As I read along, I had some empathy with Cousy. However, my investment in the book suddenly felt cheapened when I learned about Cousy's remarks in response to recently being awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom. Unfortunately, that speech seemed to be another missed opportunity on Cousy's part as it appeared to be a political quid pro quo (also see Gladstone’s "The Trouble with Reality: A Rumination on Moral Panic in Our Time").
More specifically, the book’s 32 chapters are organized into 4 major sections: I. Becoming Cooz, II. Dynasty, III. Bob Cousy Day – 1963, and IV. Cooz in Winter. While it was revealing to understand more about Cousy’s development as a player, a National Basketball Association (NBA) star and supporter as well as his career in the aftermath of stardom and dealing with the latter part of life/aging, my main interest remained on his relationship with Russell. Chapters with particular interest for me included ‘Auerbach’s Secret’ (7), ‘Russell’s Arrival’ (8), ‘Being Russell’ (13), ‘Russ’ (23), ‘Russ Redux’ (28) and ‘In the House of Russell’ (31) along with passages related to Coates’ book and Cousy’s more recent actions.
For instance in “Russ Redux,” after relating Russell’s support of NFL players protesting racial injustice in a tweeted picture of him taking a knee with the Medal of Freedom dangling from his neck, author Pomerantz relates on page 281: “Behind the scenes, a movement had taken flight to get Cousy a Presidential Medal of Freedom too . . . for a life well lived. It would also raise the eternally competitive Cousy to a place in American history alongside Russell.”
Forgive me, but Cousy’s Celtics did not win any championships until Russell arrived. Then after Cousy retired Russell’s Celtics continued as champions until Russell’s retirement as player-coach, all while he dealt with being among the early blacks who entered the NBA, the vicissitudes of racial discrimination and other maladies of his age (e.g. see my review of "Buckley vs. Vidal: The Historic 1968 ABC News Debates"). Since his playing days, Russell has remained a civil rights activist and advocate, while Cousy has recounted time and again his lost chances in engaging with Russell in a meaningful way. In light of his presidential medal ambitions and response, some might be skeptical about Cousy’s real motivation behind his “last pass” and his remarks in the book and in interviews concerning his Russell regrets.
The real regret is that these most recent gambits seem to represent at best further missed opportunities for Cousy or at worst yet other exploitations of his teammate. Instead he should read Coates’ more recent "We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy" (see my review), reflect , do something more appropriate regarding reparation if he really wants to be considered in the same league as Russell and truly address what matters in the end.
In place of this book, readers might be better served by looking at other books on the Celtics and Bill Russell's "Red and Me: My Coach, My Lifelong Friend" to get a better idea about what real professional excellence, friendship and courage are all about.
December 26, 2022
The older we get, the more retrospective we become with our past. We all have moments of reflection where we minded our own business instead of stepping up for someone or something that needed our voice… a voice that could have been an impact or difference. After Mr. Floyd’s murder in 2020, we as a society (well most of us) looked at race differently and examined our own views and as color blind or “understanding” as they were believed to be at the time, different aspects of our ignorance that we weren’t as accepting of became much more clear to us.
Mr. Pomerantz’s work here spotlights that same element of no-action or following the status quo but centered around teammates. Throughout time, athletic field teammates serve as your family (The good, bad and ugly) and in the case of NBA Hall of Famers Bob Cousy and Bill Russell… they were the leaders of that family for 7 years full of Championship lore from the outside looking in. When a brother tolerates or doesn’t 100% disavow the mistreatment of his family, it doesn’t go without notice and in this case there is 50 years covered of the impact of that.
The book takes you back to what the 1950s and early 60s were in America and more importantly in Boston with glimpses into what life was like for both the Cousy and Russell families. Seven years of being teammates leads to a half of lifetime of regrets and “what ifs” for Mr. Cousy of which there is no healing action available. As an individual who has made plenty of ‘nothing can fix this’ bad decisions himself, I can say with confidence that it is a burden with no cure and the author really delivers on what that experience is like for the Celtics legend.
My only pause with the book is that it might have been in better taste to hold onto it from a publishing perpective until Mr. Russell’s passing to respect the privacy of both men. The book does show the power of something being received without commentary though. In this digital age of expecting instant replies to our correspondence, the mere acknowledgement of something as emotionally gripping as Cousy’s final letter to Russell with no other feedback is foreign yet powerful.
Although this book serves as more of a themed biography of Cousy, it’s also serves as a great social commentary read and cues up some powerful self-examination. As the great mind of Daniel Pink stressed in his recent release ‘The Power of Regret’, the theme of “When in doubt.. reach out!” will be a lasting memory post read.
Mr. Pomerantz’s work here spotlights that same element of no-action or following the status quo but centered around teammates. Throughout time, athletic field teammates serve as your family (The good, bad and ugly) and in the case of NBA Hall of Famers Bob Cousy and Bill Russell… they were the leaders of that family for 7 years full of Championship lore from the outside looking in. When a brother tolerates or doesn’t 100% disavow the mistreatment of his family, it doesn’t go without notice and in this case there is 50 years covered of the impact of that.
The book takes you back to what the 1950s and early 60s were in America and more importantly in Boston with glimpses into what life was like for both the Cousy and Russell families. Seven years of being teammates leads to a half of lifetime of regrets and “what ifs” for Mr. Cousy of which there is no healing action available. As an individual who has made plenty of ‘nothing can fix this’ bad decisions himself, I can say with confidence that it is a burden with no cure and the author really delivers on what that experience is like for the Celtics legend.
My only pause with the book is that it might have been in better taste to hold onto it from a publishing perpective until Mr. Russell’s passing to respect the privacy of both men. The book does show the power of something being received without commentary though. In this digital age of expecting instant replies to our correspondence, the mere acknowledgement of something as emotionally gripping as Cousy’s final letter to Russell with no other feedback is foreign yet powerful.
Although this book serves as more of a themed biography of Cousy, it’s also serves as a great social commentary read and cues up some powerful self-examination. As the great mind of Daniel Pink stressed in his recent release ‘The Power of Regret’, the theme of “When in doubt.. reach out!” will be a lasting memory post read.
November 20, 2018
THE LAST PASS, by Gary Pomerantz, is at it's core about Bob Cousy. The book looks at the Celtics and their winning dynasty in the 1950's and 1960's and it's unique and polarizing leader, Arnold "Red" Auerbach. It looks at Bill Russell, the amazing athlete and passionate advocate for equality in the NBA and the turbulent sentiments of the country during that same time. But it all comes back to Cousy, who is the through line of it all. He is one of the most revered NBA players ever; one of the first real greats of the game, and yet he still struggles with how he could have been a better teammate, better NBA personality, and better moral leader in the emotionally charged 1950's and 1960's.
Pomerantz clearly has an affinity for Bob Cousy, but does an admirable job of looking at both sides of him, mostly by how different people (teammates, journalists, etc) perceived him. Some revered him, some found him aloof and self-centered, but few could say he was anything less than a talented and one-of-a-kind player. Pomerantz goes deeper, interviewing Cousy and challenging him to talk about things he doesn't want to talk about, like his relationship with Russell and how he was perceived in the public eye. Pomerantz also weighs heavily how race equality and the nation's shifting view of that racial equality affected the NBA, the Celtics, and each of the players. The story of the Celtics is so much more than Cousy and the book recounts how the team came together, grew, and thrived year after year. The stories Pomerantz has collected are wonderfully fascinating and quite informative at the same time. He involves so many of the major components (players, coaches, executives, journalists) of those championship teams and how each of them were part of the greatness, giving as balanced of a look at that time as possible.
As an avid sports history reader, THE LAST PASS is among the best I have ever read. The novel tells the story of a special man, chronicles one of the greatest sports dynasties, and touches the reader with the humanity of the game, the people, and the special time in our country when this all was taking place.
Thank you to Penguin Press, Gary Pomerantz, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Pomerantz clearly has an affinity for Bob Cousy, but does an admirable job of looking at both sides of him, mostly by how different people (teammates, journalists, etc) perceived him. Some revered him, some found him aloof and self-centered, but few could say he was anything less than a talented and one-of-a-kind player. Pomerantz goes deeper, interviewing Cousy and challenging him to talk about things he doesn't want to talk about, like his relationship with Russell and how he was perceived in the public eye. Pomerantz also weighs heavily how race equality and the nation's shifting view of that racial equality affected the NBA, the Celtics, and each of the players. The story of the Celtics is so much more than Cousy and the book recounts how the team came together, grew, and thrived year after year. The stories Pomerantz has collected are wonderfully fascinating and quite informative at the same time. He involves so many of the major components (players, coaches, executives, journalists) of those championship teams and how each of them were part of the greatness, giving as balanced of a look at that time as possible.
As an avid sports history reader, THE LAST PASS is among the best I have ever read. The novel tells the story of a special man, chronicles one of the greatest sports dynasties, and touches the reader with the humanity of the game, the people, and the special time in our country when this all was taking place.
Thank you to Penguin Press, Gary Pomerantz, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
January 4, 2020
I really didn't want this book to end. I didn't know much about Bob Cousy or Bill Russell before starting this book. I like to read the occasional sports bio and I always want to learn more about overcoming racism so this book looked intriguing to me. It was both entertaining and thought-provoking. Learning about the Celtics dynasty and the men behind it was fascinating. Their basketball success is unparalleled-11 championships in 13 years. Bob Cousy and Bill Russell left a major fingerprint on the NBA as two of the greatest to ever play. They were teammates who were incredibly successful- one white, one black- in the middle of the Civil Rights era. Russell was outspoken on racism in an era dangerous to do so. Boston was a pretty racist city from the sound of it, and Russell was certainly a target of sad, hateful acts from white people while living there. This book is about Cousy looking back on his life with regret for not being more outspoken in support of African American's equality. While Cousy and his wife did treat many African American teammates and neighbors incredibly well through the years, Cousy wished he had done more and particularly that he had been more supportive of Russell. They had a cordial relationship, but didn't have a lot of deep conversations or the types of friendships he had with other Celtics through the years (even other African American Celtics teammates). This book covers so many interesting topics: the Celtics dynasty, the evolution of the NBA, and how the makeup of the NBA changed racially during the 50s, 60s and 70s. But the most lasting impression for me is seeing a 90 year old Bob Cousy work through the regrets at the end of his life. Pomerantz says Cousy's dying wish is, "I wish I would have done more." He means done more about racism and speaking up for those who don't have a voice. I hope that I can live my life with fewer regrets because I learned from Bob Cousy. This is a great book!
January 6, 2020
This is an excellent book. The author does an excellent job of telling different stories, introducing different characters, and telling stories that are interesting.
He does an excellent job of discussing Cousy's college career, the state of the NBA before and after Cousy came into the NBA, the racism that existed in society and in sports during the Cousy and Russell era, and the role played by Red Auerbach.
I was not aware of how popular Cousy was in college. I was somewhat aware of how precarious the state of the NBA was when Cousy entered the NBA. I was aware of how much Russell had to go through. Even though he was one of the best college players to ever play the game, white sportswriters failed to give him recognition. I was not aware of how boorish a person Auerbach could be. Some of the best stories about Auerbach are about how he behaved when he and Cousy went on tours in Europe to make Europeans aware of basketball.
The author does an outstanding job of making clear how good a player Russell was. I was surprised that Russell was good friends with Chamberlin, I thought he had a low opinion of him.
The best part of the book is when the author talks about Cousy's life after he retired from playing basketball. It is a moving story of someone coming to terms with his family and trying to come to terms with what he did and, most importantly, did not do to help Russell.
This is an excellent book.
He does an excellent job of discussing Cousy's college career, the state of the NBA before and after Cousy came into the NBA, the racism that existed in society and in sports during the Cousy and Russell era, and the role played by Red Auerbach.
I was not aware of how popular Cousy was in college. I was somewhat aware of how precarious the state of the NBA was when Cousy entered the NBA. I was aware of how much Russell had to go through. Even though he was one of the best college players to ever play the game, white sportswriters failed to give him recognition. I was not aware of how boorish a person Auerbach could be. Some of the best stories about Auerbach are about how he behaved when he and Cousy went on tours in Europe to make Europeans aware of basketball.
The author does an outstanding job of making clear how good a player Russell was. I was surprised that Russell was good friends with Chamberlin, I thought he had a low opinion of him.
The best part of the book is when the author talks about Cousy's life after he retired from playing basketball. It is a moving story of someone coming to terms with his family and trying to come to terms with what he did and, most importantly, did not do to help Russell.
This is an excellent book.
February 22, 2020
I read this one based on a recommendation from an old friend, and enjoyed it a great deal. The narrative itself is fascinating. Although I had a pair of the green Celtics-style Converse in the mid-1980 and dreamed that I’d become a post player like Kevin McHale (sadly, my footwork was more like Frankenstein, and hard fouls were usually the extent of my contribution), Cousey and Russell were before my time. So all of this was basically new to me. I now get why people a generation older than me rave about them. Cousey’s late-octogenarian woke-ness and Renaissance-man status was a surprise.
I found the writing a little uneven. It flowed well when the narrative was about the Celtics’ run in the 50s and 60s. It dragged a little when it got to the second (and third, and fourth) chapters of their lives. But it was still compelling. Perhaps I have trouble accepting that the rapprochement that Cousey aches for just isn’t in the cards. And that realization leaves things melancholy.
My favorite part is one short paragraph about how SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas was nicknamed “Cooz” in high school in the mid-1960s because he idolized Cousey. Of course he did. While this book convinced me that Cousey was and is progressive — especially for his generation — I’d feel a whole lot better about Justice Thomas if he’d been a Russell man.
I found the writing a little uneven. It flowed well when the narrative was about the Celtics’ run in the 50s and 60s. It dragged a little when it got to the second (and third, and fourth) chapters of their lives. But it was still compelling. Perhaps I have trouble accepting that the rapprochement that Cousey aches for just isn’t in the cards. And that realization leaves things melancholy.
My favorite part is one short paragraph about how SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas was nicknamed “Cooz” in high school in the mid-1960s because he idolized Cousey. Of course he did. While this book convinced me that Cousey was and is progressive — especially for his generation — I’d feel a whole lot better about Justice Thomas if he’d been a Russell man.
May 22, 2020
Маниак съм на биографии и това е ... особено баскетболни ! Не се сещам от къде ми попадна , но нямаше как да подмина биографията за Худини на паркета - Боб Кузи и династията на Келтите през 50-те и 60-те. Книгата е много детайлно и добре написана от журналиста Гари Померанц , който е провел много интервюта с Кузи и други хора участвали по някакъв начин в създаването на династията по онова време. Същият автор има книга и за мача , в който Уилт Чембърлейн вкарва 100 точки, която също е доста известна и е бестселър в Ню Йорк Таймс. "Последният пас" проследява живота на Кузи като паралелно с това хвърля поглед и върху отбора на Бостън Селтикс, съотборниците ( Бил Шарман, Франк Рамзи, Том Хайнсън, Сам и Кей Си Джоунс и т.н. ), легендарния треньор Ред Ауербах и смутните времена в Америка, където расизмът е бил неотлъчна сянка във всяка една сфера на живота. Отделено е и внимание на отношенията между Боб Кузи и Бил Ръсел, на приятелството и загубата на такова, на успеха и провала и на съжалението за неосъществени действия и постъпки в миналото. Определено качествена книга за едни от пионерите и едни от най-великите баскетболисти някога, има и доста снимков материал, който няма как да не е любопитен !
February 10, 2019
3.5 stars.
It isn't bad, but it doesn't gel together. The sum is less than the whole of its parts.
Based on the title, and front cover I thought it would be about Cousy and Russell.
The first 200 pages of this 300 page book are a partial bio of Cousy. It goes from his childhood until the end of his days as a Celtic (with his last season taking up 50 pages). The last 100 pages are Pomerantz interviewing the now 90-ish year old Cousy. He has self-doubt and bad feelings that he could've/should've done more to help Bill Russell and other black players from the time. He doesn't have any relationship with Russell now and he wishes he did. He writes a letter to Russell and hopes he gets a response.
The book is interesting and easy to rid, but I kept experiencing shifts in material. Like I said, the whole thing is less than the sum of its parts. This book would work better if Pomerantz had spent more time with Russell to flesh out that side. Ideally, he would've been able to interview Russell. I understand why that wasn't possible, but the result is a book that is disjointed and off-kilter.
It isn't bad, but it doesn't gel together. The sum is less than the whole of its parts.
Based on the title, and front cover I thought it would be about Cousy and Russell.
The first 200 pages of this 300 page book are a partial bio of Cousy. It goes from his childhood until the end of his days as a Celtic (with his last season taking up 50 pages). The last 100 pages are Pomerantz interviewing the now 90-ish year old Cousy. He has self-doubt and bad feelings that he could've/should've done more to help Bill Russell and other black players from the time. He doesn't have any relationship with Russell now and he wishes he did. He writes a letter to Russell and hopes he gets a response.
The book is interesting and easy to rid, but I kept experiencing shifts in material. Like I said, the whole thing is less than the sum of its parts. This book would work better if Pomerantz had spent more time with Russell to flesh out that side. Ideally, he would've been able to interview Russell. I understand why that wasn't possible, but the result is a book that is disjointed and off-kilter.
May 23, 2019
Bob Cousy is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. In fact, even in modern rankings that over value current players, you will find Cousy listed among the best ever. In an era of set offensive plays, Cousy invented the no look pass and fancy ball handling that is now common in basketball. Cousy was the caption and ball handler for the Boston Celtics as they began a remarkable run of 11 NBA Championships in 13 seasons, a mark that makes current dynasties look like rookies. The book is marketed as being more about race issues and Cousy’s relationship with Bill Russell, also an all time great, typically ranked even higher than Cousy. The author pushes that angle in the book, but the reality is that Russell did not participate in the creation of this book so Pomerantz is basing Russell’s story on secondary sources. This book really is the Bob Cousy story with a racism theme superimposed. It’s good. I didn’t know Cousy’s story and I found it interesting. But it really falls short on the greater social significance scale. For sports fans and particularly NBA fans, you would find it a good addition to your knowledge base.
January 28, 2019
Pemerantz reminds us of what Bob Cousy did for professional basketball. While the game has changed significantly since Cousy left the Boston Celtics in 1963 with outstanding records of making championships. More importantly, Pomerantz shows us the value that Cousy contributed to our sense of professional sports. Pomerantz goes way back in the growth of basketball, starting with the fact that Cousy’s early years on the court there was no limit on how long a time could keep the ball. Cousy did much more than play for a lot of years, he helped make the exciting game that we have today.
We learn how Cousy made the best of his size — far different from today’s giants—in the game. We learn a little about Cousy off the court and about his family. There could be more info but that’s maybe the character of the athlete of that time.
The “what matters in the end” theme says a lot about how Cousy has lived a life after sports that is seldom seen today. Unfortunately, Russell doesn’t get a lot of attention.
Over, it’s a good sports history.
We learn how Cousy made the best of his size — far different from today’s giants—in the game. We learn a little about Cousy off the court and about his family. There could be more info but that’s maybe the character of the athlete of that time.
The “what matters in the end” theme says a lot about how Cousy has lived a life after sports that is seldom seen today. Unfortunately, Russell doesn’t get a lot of attention.
Over, it’s a good sports history.
February 21, 2019
In the last 6 months I've read 3 books that are in many ways very similar: War as They Knew It about the Michigan/Ohio St. rivalry and Bo Schembechler Woody Hayes relationship; Legends about the relationships among Coach K, Dean Smith and Jim Valvano and now this one. The thing that jumps out at me is the ultra-competitiveness that divided all of these men from each other. The fact that the Cousy/Russell relationship was impacted by race makes this story much more compelling and much more relevant.
As Pomerantz moves his way through what is essentially a Cousy bio, he weaves in Cousy's regrets about how his personality (and his ego)impacted Bill Russell's life in so many ways. Cousy realizes this, even though it is late in his life, and tries to make amends. Russell, who despite all he did to stand up for himself and other African-Americans, is not always the easiest person to deal with or be around.
The final result is sad on many levels but it is a story worth reading.
As Pomerantz moves his way through what is essentially a Cousy bio, he weaves in Cousy's regrets about how his personality (and his ego)impacted Bill Russell's life in so many ways. Cousy realizes this, even though it is late in his life, and tries to make amends. Russell, who despite all he did to stand up for himself and other African-Americans, is not always the easiest person to deal with or be around.
The final result is sad on many levels but it is a story worth reading.
December 30, 2018
Excellent book! So many things I didn't know about Bob Cousy are revealed in this book, and Pomerantz does an admirable job of weaving the facts in perfect, chronological order (not always easy; as a proofreader, proper chronology is often an issue). Pomerantz produced a book in which emotions run the gamut--Cousy's regret stings as if it were your own; makes you think. Cousy was a great athlete and a better human being. I will always remember Bob Cousy and Gil Santos calling the Celtics games, with Cousy throwing in the occasional French word or phrase. I took pleasure in his speech impediment, which to me was just Bob Cousy talking his talk, educating us with his spot-on analysis. I miss those two. I'm so glad I read this book, and will definitely read again. "We love ya, Cooz!"
March 6, 2019
This was a fun read. The Last Pass explores the Celtics dynasty in the 50s and 60s through the lens of Bob Cousy's career and life. I really enjoyed learning about that era of Celtics basketball. I've read some about Bill Russell but it was nice to learn about Cousy and his role in transforming the sport in the early part of that dynasty.
The book focuses a lot on Cousy's life and his relationship with Bill Russell. In looking at this, it highlights Boston's checkered racial history. Cousy is a great vehicle for doing this because he is so personally reflective about what he did and what he could have done better in that time. While Cousy is a role model for many things, his compassion and thoughtfulness are what stand out the most in this book.
The book focuses a lot on Cousy's life and his relationship with Bill Russell. In looking at this, it highlights Boston's checkered racial history. Cousy is a great vehicle for doing this because he is so personally reflective about what he did and what he could have done better in that time. While Cousy is a role model for many things, his compassion and thoughtfulness are what stand out the most in this book.
March 10, 2019
Thumbs up. Green light. Celtic green. Loved the Celtics growing up. They were on TV. Cousy was a little before my time for some reason, even though he retired in 1963 I think, when I was 13. I was more into the Russell Havlicek teams. Was hoping to read more about Bill Russell but alas the focus was on Cooz. Russ wasn't interviewed for this project, or didn't cooperate with the author on it.
Book was much about civil rights struggle in America, the early forming of the NBA, relationships, and the times. Also about aging alone after your mate has died. Made me want to read about Bill Russell, find his definite biography. Cousy was very open about his life. Wished he had done more in the areas of race relations, civil rights, and with his relationship with Russ.
Book was much about civil rights struggle in America, the early forming of the NBA, relationships, and the times. Also about aging alone after your mate has died. Made me want to read about Bill Russell, find his definite biography. Cousy was very open about his life. Wished he had done more in the areas of race relations, civil rights, and with his relationship with Russ.
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