Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

No matter how much good or bad one does in life, you can count on kind words being spoken about them in death. Of course, the genuineness of the eulogies is in direct proportion to the number of friends accumulated, but even those who leave behind a trail of adversaries draw rave reviews when life’s final act is complete.

That’s why I’m so enjoying the reaction to Arnold “Red� Auerbach’s passing.

Let’s face it. Outside of Massachusetts, this was the most hated man in pro basketball for almost half a century. To this day, I’m convinced the NBA stuck it to the Celtics, making them carry Reggie Lewis’ salary on the books years after his death to get back at Auerbach.

Some would say with good reason. I still remember the 1984 championship over the hated and hyped Lakers. Red, soaked in champagne and cigar smoke, grabbed the trophy and told a national television audience; “the real dynasty is right here, in Boston.� You see, Auerbach’s Celtics ruled the basketball world like no other sports dynasty before or after ruled its world. Suggestions that any team could challenge the Celtics place in history wouldn’t be tolerated. Not as long as Red Auerbach drew a breath.

The feistiness was nothing new to those familiar with the young Auerbach. While a certain football coach around these parts has gotten a lot of mileage out of “us versus them,� Red wrote the book on the mentality. You don’t win eight titles in eight years, or eleven in thirteen, without finding new and creative ways to rally the troops.

Those foolish enough to hang balloons in the rafters (Los Angeles) or hand out 5,000 victory cigars to their fans (Cincinnati) in anticipation of beating the C’s were playing right into the master motivator’s hands. “You know what you can do with your all your cigars� Auerbach told them. In case they didn’t, his team went out and showed them.

Unfortunately, I’m not old enough to recall Red as coach. The man I remember ruled from behind a desk, “playing chess while everyone else played checkers� as agent Ron Grinker once said. Suffering through a losing season while waiting for junior-eligible draft pick Larry Bird to turn pro was but the greatest example of sacrificing a pawn for a queen.

Not that front office life tamed him. Whether getting ejected from a legends all-star game or descending from the stands to fight Moses Malone during a pre-season brawl, Auerbach’s competitive fire was never doused. Which perhaps explains how a cigar-smoking man with health issues in his latter years lived to the age of 89.

So it’s fitting that in death, even his fiercest enemies on the court, those he tormented and took jabs at till the end, still offer praise. From the likes of Pat Riley and Phil Jackson, the kind words are more out of respect than love. But around these parts, the tributes come from love and admiration, the love and admiration a family feels for one of its own.

We understand why others may not have seen him the way we did. So what. Arnold Auerbach was the patriarch of Boston basketball, so great at what he did and so loyal and caring to the Celtics, we didn’t care what others thought. We loved him for who he was and were glad he was on our side.

Rest in peace Red. I, for one, will light a victory cigar in your honor.

What are your thoughts and remembrances of Red Auerbach?