Voice of the Celtics: Johnny Most's Greatest Calls

Book Synopsis: “Colorful” is the one word which best described Boston Celtics broadcaster Johnny Most. While his classic gravely-voiced calls, such as “Havlicek stole the ball” and “Bird steals it … Over to DJ … He lays it in,” highlight some of the greatest plays in NBA history, there are countless other memorable Most moments. Fortunately, the frantic, always emotional play-by-play announcing of the Voice of the Celtics has been preserved on a 70-minute CD, produced by Most’s oldest son Jamie, and is included in this one-of-a-kind book. For older Boston fans, the calls will bring back stirring moments of the Celtics’ glory days. For the team’s younger fans, Most’s broadcasting style will undoubtedly serve as a lesson in basketball history. Johnny Most was a self-proclaimed homer. He rooted for the Celtics and never had a kind word for opponents or referees. His uncontrollable, total enthusiasm for Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Dave Cowens, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale made Most a New England icon. When the Celtics games were televised, thousands of viewers would turn off the volume on their TVs and turn on the radio to hear Johnny’s vivid descriptions of “basketball battle.” Youngsters, at bedtime, would pull the covers over their heads and hold tiny transistor radios to their ears as Most painted vivid verbal pictures of “the war” taking place on a basketball court. Most’s creative basketball terms—“Stop and Pop … Bang,” “Tricky Dribbles,” “Fiddles and Diddle, Daddles and Doodles,” “The Pumpkin Shot,” “In-His-Shirt Defense,” “Dips, Shoots, Swish”—all became favorites of his audience. And, of course, there were the opposition nicknames—The Hatchet Brothers, McFilthy and McNasty, The Brat, Little Lord Fauntleroy, The Supreme Hot Dog, The Princess, etc. Above all, Johnny’s descriptive, sometimes over-the-top, calls were the talk of New England. When Boston played at Detroit, a disgusted Johnny loudly commented, “Oh, the yellow gutless way they do things here!” And when Houston’s 7’ 4” center Ralph Sampson fought 6’ 1” Celtics guard Jerry Sichting, Johnny cried out, “Big Ralph Sampson picking on the littler people. I’m Ralph Sampson and I’ve got the right to break your head.” There also was a funny side to Johnny. As examples, there was the time he set his pants on fire, and the Celtics game against a Yugoslavian team when Most had a difficult and frustrating time pronouncing the multi-syllabic last names of the opposition. This collection of the best of Most is why Johnny Most will forever be known as “The Voice of the Celtics.” Read more