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June 19, 2013

Peter Grier and Harry Bruinius: In the end, NSA might not need to snoop so secretly after all

Howard LaFranchi: Taliban peace talks hold glimmer of hope, but also unanswerable questions

Warren Richey: Supreme Court: For right to remain silent, a suspect must speak
Meredith Cohn: Leeches are making a comeback as medical helpers

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to pick the healthiest breakfast cereal

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: Spicy Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

June 17, 2013

Rabbi Simcha Weinstein: Black to the Future: American Apparel Gets Biblical

Patrik Jonsson: Minnesota Nazi: How did Nazi hunters miss Michael Karkoc?

Kate Irby, Ali Watkins, Trevor Graff and Kevin Thibodeaux: All the ways you're being watched
Don Lee: G-8 meeting will test NSA leaks' effect on U.S. influence

Patrik Jonsson: Fort Hood shooting: Judge nixes Nidal Hasan defense strategy. What now?

Stacey Burling: Why the stigma for migraine sufferers?

The Kosher Gourmet by Lisa Abraham: Does it work? 5 new kitchen gadgets put to the test

June 14, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: A spiritual budget: Religious economics and being a ruler

John P. Martin: Hitler insider's missing diary found

Matt Pearce: NSA surveillance disclosure could affect court cases
Peter Tinti: US bounties changes strategy on (Wild, Wild) West African jihadis

Daniel Pendrick, M.D.: Memory loss? Old age may be the least of it

Lauren F. Friedman: But it's all natural! Should we have an instinctive preference for herbal remedies?

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Streisand and Alicia Keys in Israel; "Girls" Stuff; Mel Brooks, Another TV special; Superman (who is Jewish) returns --- Israeli plays his mom

The Kosher Gourmet by Sharon K. Ghag : Bored with salad? Bling it up a bit (4 effortless recipes that will result in a 'WOW!')

June 12, 2013

Stephanie Hanes: Little girls or little women? The Disney princess effect

Fred Weir: In tweak to US, Russia would 'consider' asylum for Snowden

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: What's so special about Omega-3 supplements?
Morgan Housel: What newspapers were saying when you should have been buying

Pete Spotts: How cockroaches evolved so as to bypass 'roach motels'

The Kosher Gourmet by Anjali Prasertong: Deep-dish cookie: Warm, gooey and a little over the top

June 10, 2013

Joseph A. Slobodzian: Faith healing and third degree murder: Thorny legal case
Lindsay Wise: Few options for online users to avoid spying, experts say

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: There are plenty of nutritional food bargains out there
Harvard Health Letters: Can bariatric surgery control diabetes?

Zach Murdock: Superglue helps doctors save infant's life

The Kosher Gourmet by Celebrated chef Mario Batali : As good as grilling gets: Rib eye with dry mushroom spice rub

June 7, 2013

Rabbi David Aaron: Beating jealousy

Caroline B. Glick: Wounded . . . and dangerous

Clifford D. May: Al Qaeda vs. Hezbollah
Harvard Health Letters: Fighting back against allergy season

Kimberly Lankford: Grandparents who use FSA to cover grandkid's braces and other must-know info

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom:J ewish Tony Nominees/Tony Awards; Jewish Teen Actor In Sci-Fi Flick; Jewish singer in "Voice" finals

The Kosher Gourmet by Anjali Prasertong: A tart filling so good it might not make it to the crust

June 5, 2013

John Rosemond: Mom, Dad: Talk More and listen less

Kristen Chick: Egypt court sentences 43 pro-democracy workers to prison

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: Mushrooms Have Medicinal As Well As Culinary Value
Morgan Housel: Why you never learn from your investment mistakes

Don Lee: In China, kindergarten rivalry takes deadly turn

The Kosher Gourmet by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan: 30-Minute Coq au Vin isn't a dream

June 3, 2013

Molly Hennessy-Fiske: Military judge to consider letting Fort Hood shooting defendant represent himself

Richard A. Serrano: Pvt. Bradley Manning's WikiLeaks trial also a test for government

Mark Trumbull: Have degree, driving cab: Nearly half of college grads are overqualified
Kim Lankford: What to do when long-term care insurance premiums rise

Deborah Netburn: Study: Adults' mouth bacteria may help babies

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Contestant on 'The Voice'; Will Smith's 'Jewish movie family'; Bravo Gives Long Island Jews the Jersey Shore Treatment; Magicians and More

The Kosher Gourmet by Bill Ward: How to be as refined as the wines at a wine tasting

May 29, 2013

Andrew Connelly and Helene Bienvenu: The Little Synagogue that Refused to Die

Dennis Prager: The 'Muslims-Killed-by-the-West' Lie

David Clark Scott: Open war on teachers?
Morgan Housel: If you know only five things about investing, make it these

Sara Reardon: AGenome detectives change the donation game

Deborah Netburn: A one-way ticket to Mars? 78,000-plus and counting apply by video

The Kosher Gourmet by Bev Bennett: CHEDDAR AND CHERRY MUFFINS --- your mouth is already watering

May 24, 2013

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb: When I didn't so 'humbly disagree'

Caroline B. Glick: Thank you, Hafez al-Assad

Diana West: From the Brooklyn Bridge to London
Morgan Housel: Why spotting bubbles is so much harder than you think

Environmental Nutrition editors: NuVal labeling to the rescue?

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Memorial Day: Jews Serving and KIA in War on Terror; Liberace Bio-Pic; Jew Wins "Survivor"; Shalom, Dr. Brothers; More

The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: HIDE THESE FROZEN TREATS FROM THE KIDDIES!: Sangria pops; Irish cream pudding pops; mango Lassi pops

May 22, 2013

John Thorne: They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman

John Rosemond: 'Disciplinary math' adds up to parental successl

Warren Richey: Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide
Rick Montgomery: Use of ADHD drugs as study aid raises concern on campuses

Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.: 6 convincing reasons you should keep carbs in your diet

Eoin O'Carroll: Scientists examine nothing, find something

The Kosher Gourmet by Carole Kotkin: This soup is made from one of the great pleasures of spring: A wonderful pairing of rosy color and earthy tang

May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting


Jewish World Review June 6, 2008 / 3 Sivan, 5768

The Boston Celtics ascend from the abyss

By Dave Weinbaum


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | As you read this, the Boston Celtics have completed the first game of the NBA Championship series against arch rival Los Angeles.

I'm in hoops heaven.

I'm a Celtic fan from way back.

As an impressionable seven year old, I remember watching basketball on the tube…no not You Tube, but the ole' black and white in our duplex on the South Side of Chicago. I've been a Boston Celtics nut for all of my 33 years. What? You're laughing? Hey, when you get YOUR column, you can lie your butt off about your age, too. Alright already! Now at the ripe old age of 35 (happy now?), I still hanker for the glory days of the Celtics.

I wasn't sure what I was watching but was fascinated by the fluidity of it all. I couldn't leave the tube while they were playing.

You'll never hear a Jew say, "I broke my hand on the rim when I dunked."

Later, I found out who was responsible for putting Boston on the hoop map. His name was Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach.

Auerbach, a Jew, grew up in the 20's in Brooklyn. He earned his nickname as a kid, playing basketball in Williamsburg with red hair and a temper. While playing college ball at Washington University, he learned the fast break.

It's pretty simple.

You gain the advantage through a quick outlet pass to three guys streaming up the floor against two or one defenders, passing the ball creatively, usually resulting in a wide open lay-up or in these days a slam dunk, the highest percentage shot in sports.

Small of stature Red decided to coach. He floated with smattering success from team to team for nine years until he found his lifelong home as head coach then president of the Boston Celtics, a relationship that lasted for the last 56 years of his life.

You don't have to have a title to be a leader.

Besides installing the fast break as a mantra to his Celtics, Red pioneered much of what you see as good in the NBA:

  • He drafted the first black into pro ball, Cecil Cooper, in 1950.

  • He invented the "sixth man" concept. His first sub came in about five minutes into the first quarter and was starter ability.

  • He made his players tough defensive and rebounding fiends as a prelude to start the fast break.

  • Red broke yet another barrier when his first move as a GM in 1966 was to replace himself as coach with Bill Russell, the first black coach in the NBA.

  • When the game was at hand, Auerbach lit his cigar, a practice that was copied by many fans, making the Boston Garden a modern day EPA disaster.

The most important lesson you can learn from winning is that you can

Combining all these initiatives, Red started collecting world championships. The Boston Celtics dominated, earning nine NBA titles from 1956 to 1966, a record eight in a row. All total the Celtics have earned 16 championships under Auerbach's leadership tenure.

Let's not ignore the heartbreak. The untimely deaths of Len Bias, all American out of Maryland and Reggie Lewis put Boston on long downturns, besides the great loss borne by their families.

Some fans abandoned the Celts.

I didn't. I'm loyal to a team that tries its best.

I even made a side trip to Boston in 1987 to see the parquet floor and watch the Bird led Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons in overtime.

Russell, Cousy, Havlicek, Sanders, Jones (KC and Sam), Johnson, Bird, Parrish, McHale, Ainge, Silas, Howell, Heinsohn, Archibald, Cowen, Walton, Chaney, Maxwell, Ford, Carr, Henderson, Silas, and Howell.

They gave it their all.

I especially thank Red Auerbach, who died in 2006. Red lives in Celtic legend as their "sixth man" for eternity.

Go Boston! Beat LA!!

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

JWR contributor Dave Weinbaum, originally from Chicago, is a businessman, writer and part-time stand-up comic. He resides in a Midwest red state. Comment by clicking here.



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