While it certainly takes some star power to get to the NBA Finals, it usually takes a total team effort to win it all. Bob Gross was the 4th-leading scorer on the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers, and only averaged around 8 PPG in his team’s sweep of the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, but took it up several notches after falling behind 2-0 to Philadelphia in the Finals. He had 19 PTS/7 REB/5 AST in Game 3, 10 PTS in Game 4 (as his team’s 130-98 win set a record for the largest margin of victory in a Game 4 in Finals history), a team-high 25 PTS on the road in a 6-PT win in Game 5, and a team-high 24 PTS at home in a 2-PT win in Game 6 to clinch the series. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Glenn McDonald (Bob’s college teammate at Long Beach State) about playing for Lute Olson and that magical NBA Finals run. Today marks the 45th anniversary of Bob winning an NBA title on June 5, 1977, so we take this time to remember his remarkable achievement.
In 1974 your Long Beach State team went 24-2 with a pair of 2-PT losses: how close did you come to going undefeated, and how did it feel to not get to play in the NCAA tourney due to the program being on probation? Our only 2 losses were at Marquette/Colorado. We had 20-something turnovers at Marquette and were dying due to the altitude in Colorado because our coach (Lute Olson) was not substituting anybody! We were really good so it would have been great to go to the NCAA tourney: we had a deep bench with everyone contributing.
What made Olson such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He was very disciplined/demanding. Our former coach (Jerry Tarkanian) was a little looser…but everything was under Lute’s control. I was a big-time scorer in high school but Tark wanted me to become a defensive player. Lute wanted me to start scoring and we had 4-5 players averaging double-figures because everyone could look to score: it was more team-oriented.
In 1975 Bob was named All-American/conference POY: what did it mean to him to receive such outstanding honors? I think that it meant a lot to him. I was not around at the time but he was a low-key person who just took care of his business. He was athletic and knew every aspect of the game. Nothing was given to him: he worked his butt off.
In the summer of 1975 he was selected in the NBA draft by Portland (3 spots ahead of Dan Roundfield) and in the ABA draft by San Diego: why did he decide to choose the NBA over the ABA? Probably just because it was the NBA: that is what we knew from growing up. San Diego is a nice city but the ABA was not as well-established as the NBA. I do not know how the contracts compared to each other.
Take me through the magical 1977 Finals against Philly:
In the 4th quarter of Game 2 he called Darryl Dawkins an idiot, then Dawkins threw a roundhouse punch at him, but after he ducked Dawkins hit his own teammate Doug Collins (who ended up with 4 stitches): how close did he come to getting clobbered, and how did that fight affect the series? I heard about it but I do not know exactly what happened. I cannot see him doing that because he was always very quiet.
He scored a team-high 25 PTS (10-13 FG) in 25 minutes in a 6-PT win in Game 5, then a team-high 24 PTS (12-16 FG) in a 2-PT win in Game 6: how was he able to play his best when it mattered the most, and what did it mean to him to win the title? He was always focused: in the 1 year that we were teammates he always did good things against good teams. I knew that he was an NBA player who belonged in the league. He could go out and defend anyone, even a Hall of Famer like Dr. J. He was an integral part of what was going on.
He set a record for highest FG% in an NBA Finals series by shooting 67%: what was his secret for being a great shooter? His shot selection more than anything else: he never forced the issue, which is what made him a good offensive player. He felt comfortable every time that he took a shot.
In 1978 he was named All-Defensive 2nd-team: what made him such a great defender? He was not extremely quick but could read angles and cut them off by getting to the spot before his opponent did. He was patient on defense and would dictate where people were going. He was a strong individual so he could push people off the block. He had the pride to not get beat: that is what defense is about. He worked hard on both ends of the court.
After Portland cut him in 1982 he signed with the Clippers: how did it feel to spend his entire pro career with 1 team and then have them turn their back on him? I do not think it was anything that he held against Portland: he was always a professional and he knew what the league was about. Those situations sometimes happen but he did not hold any grudges.
After retiring he formed Bob Gross Enterprises, Inc. (a residential home-building company) and currently works for another construction company: how did he get into the industry, and how does he like it? I know that he still works up in Portland and I hear he is pretty successful.
When people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? As a hard-working individual who tried his best to succeed at whatever he was doing.