Apr. 8, 1963 - Had referees Sid Borgia and Norm Drucker been in the Celtics’ dressing room last night after the Celtics lost to the Royals at Boston Garden, they’d have stuffed their ears with cotton. The NBA playoff game was an extremely rough contest. “I've been in basketball for seven years,” said Bill Russell, “and I've always tried to feel the officials were doing the best they could. I have always sided with them and tried to be friendly toward them. But tonight, it was too much. Those two men let the game go mad. It was a wild scene.” Red Auerbach singled out Borgia as his personal whipping boy. The Celtic coach said: “I tell you, it’s Borgia’s ambition to see us lose. There’s no question in my mind he’s go not use for me or for Bob Cousy. That’s definite. And I’m not asking for anything but an even break. It’s a disgrace they don’t call the three-second violation on Cincinnati and that the game is so rough it’s ridiculous. I've seen our club lose two games to this team, and I didn't say anything. But this thing tonight, arguing, grabbing, wrestling, knocking Russell to the floor, no foul. What goes on in this game? It happened right in front of those two referees, and nothing happens.” “Okay,” Auerbach continued. “Oscar [Robertson] was wonderful. But this is basketball for the big chips. And it shouldn't be loused up the way it was tonight.” Bob Cousy was a little less vehement about the officiating, perhaps because he gave a rare bad performance. “It’s true those two guys let everything go, but I was bad. I shouldn't have played as long as I did. We weren't fired up. We weren't giving everything. But now — we better.”
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