Former Boston Celtics head coach Bill Fitch (RIP) was held in high regard for what he accomplished on the court with the teams he led, the Celtics no exception with Boston legend Larry Bird a fan of Fitch’s coaching style that helped lead to the Celtics’ 14th title in 1981.
But not all of Bird’s teammates were as wild about Fitch’s bedside manner, even if they respected the results. Among such players is Hall of Fame Celtics center Robert Parish, who related how Fitch bothered him with how he treated players on a recent episode of the “Players’ Own Voice” podcast.
“The late, great Bill Fitch — great coach, but he was lacking in the people skills,” said Parish.
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— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 6, 2023
“Because he was so good at everything else. I’m going to give him a pass on the people skills,” qualified the Celtics great.
“The reason when I say he didn’t have good people skills is because he never encouraged us. He never said ‘great job’. His philosophy was, ‘Why should I compliment you? You know what you’re getting paid to do. Why should I be patting you on the back? That’s what we paid you to do.”
“No matter what, when I look back on it, I think what he was trying to do is (tell us) don’t settle, because you can go through a stretch as you know, you go through a stretch where you’re killing it,” suggested Parish.
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— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 9, 2023
“Everything you do is right when you’re in that zone,” added the Centenary College alum. “He always used to tell us, ‘Yeah, but you missed that rebound. You had two turnovers, you missed the free throw. You missed a couple of bunnies.'”
“He always said you could have done better,” recalled Parish. “I think that’s one of the reasons why we won the championship — because he never allowed us to settle.”
You don’t have to like everything about everyone you work with so long as they help you find success. And Boston and Parish et al. did indeed succeed, the relationship enduring until that success began to wain a few seasons later.
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— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 9, 2023
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