YouTube Gold: The Beautiful Game Of Kevin McHale
He was much more than Larry Bird’s sidekick
When it comes to the Boston Celtics of the 1980’s, Larry Bird has always gotten most of the attention and that’s understandable: Bird was a magician with the ball. He could do things that took your breath away.
However, Kevin McHale, just a couple of years younger, was a long-limbed power forward who was brilliant on both ends of the court.
He had low-post moves that were just beautiful and he had great footwork as well.
He started as a sixth man before eventually working his way into the starting lineup. Along with Bird and center Robert Parish, the 1980’s Boston Celtics had possibly the greatest frontcourt of all time.
McHale drove people nuts. In this video, Charles Barkley calls him the best player he ever had to guard.
He drove Bird a little crazy too because he wasn’t as driven as Bird was, preferring a better work-life balance to Bird’s total devotion, but they worked together brilliantly.
Despite his easy-going nature, McHale was unbelievably tough: in the 1987 Finals, he played with a broken bone in his foot.
No big man has come close to McHale’s total package. He’s a highly unique presence in the pantheon of the greats.