Know the Rules - A Tribute to Paul Westphal
Paul Westphal passed away on January 2 after a battle with brain cancer. Westy was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. He has been out of the spotlight for a while and many of you may not remember him, or, if you do, you remember him more as a head coach than a ballplayer. But even though he led my beloved Phoenix Suns to the NBA Finals in 1993 as a coach, my memories of Westphal are as a player. Westy, along with the “Oklahoma Kid” (Alvin Adams) and “Sweet D” (Walter Davis) were the stars of the Suns during the late Seventies and early Eighties. Adams and Westphal helped guide the amazing 1976 Sunderella Suns on their improbable run to the NBA Finals. As an 8 year old, this is my first memory of the Suns and the NBA. These are the Suns teams I always think about first. The Suns of my youth.
In tribute to Paul Westphal, and to tie this post to what this blog is normally about, I wanted to share a story about him this week. The story comes from game 5 of those 1976 NBA Finals, and what is often referred to as the greatest game in NBA history. With 15 seconds left in the second overtime, the Suns were behind 109–108. The Celtics had the ball and John Havlicek received the inbounds pass. Westphal stole the ball which led to the Suns taking the lead 110-109. Havlicek then scored again to put the Celtics ahead 111–110. At that point, chaos ensued. The buzzer went off signaling that time and expired. Celtic fans stormed the court and the Celtics headed to the locker room believing they had won and taken a 3-2 advantage in the series. The officials ultimately ruled that Havilcek had scored with two seconds remaining. One second was put on the clock. But prior to that, Westphal made an amazing decision. He called timeout. The problem is, the Suns were out of timeouts. Therefore, they were assessed a technical foul and the Celtics were awarded a free throw. JoJo White made the free throw and the Celtics were now up by two. Before you judge Westphal harshly, understand this, according to the rules at the time, the Suns retained possession of the ball. Not only that, instead of having the ball under the Celtics’ basket, they got possession at mid-court. Curtis Perry inbounded the ball to Garfield Heard. In what became known as “The Shot Heard Round the World” Heard then made one of his patented rainbow jumpers to tie the game and force overtime number three. Something that would not have been possible if they needed to go the length of the court.
Unfortunately, the Suns went on to lose the game and ultimately the series. Though the decision by Westphal ultimately didn’t change the outcome, it does provide some lessons. First, it shows how important it is to understand the rules of the game you are playing. When it comes to estate planning, business succession planning, or business exit planning. There are rules. Understanding those rules can be to your benefit. A lack of understanding can be to your detriment. Second, it shows the importance of being able to apply those rules under pressure. When you are going through the process, there will be times of great pressure. Make sure you are thinking clearly. Finally, it shows the importance of acting decisively. Opportunities come and go. Often they don’t stick around for long. You need to be prepared to act decisively. Westphal had less than one second to make the decision and act. When the time comes to act, you need to act.
I hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane with me. Below is one of my prized possessions. An autographed picture our family received from Paul Westphal when I was a kid. He gave me so many fun memories. May he rest in peace and may God bless his family.
This post is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact an attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. Nothing herein creates an attorney-client relationship between Hallock & Hallock and the reader.