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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — A local actor will star on the silver screen as one of Boston's legendary coaches.
Emmy award-winning actor Michael Chiklis, known for his roles in "The Shield" and "Fantastic Four", stars as Celtics' legend Red Auerbach in HBO's new series on the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty".
Chiklis is a native of Lowell and attended Boston University from 1981 to 1985 and grew up a fan of the Boston Celtics. He told WBZ's James Rojas that experience helped him prepare for the role.
"I actually bore witness to this whole thing mushrooming and exploding into one of the greatest rivalries in sports history," Chiklis said.
The show follows the story of Jerry Buss, Magic Johnson, and the rest of the 1980s Lakers as they battled it out with the Celtics. The Lakers and Celtics faced each other three times in the NBA Finals during the 80s, with the Lakers winning two of the three matchups.
Auerbach was the general manager and later president and vice chairman of the Celtics during the 80s, after having been the head coach of the team from 1950 to 1966. He was a member of the Celtics' organization until his death in 2006 and contributed in some way to 16 of the Celtics' 17 NBA Championships.
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"He made an atmosphere that created great teams," Chiklis said. "I'm happy to represent Boston in that way and especially as the winningest coach in any sport's history."
Chiklis added he wished his father, who was also a huge Celtics fan, was still alive to see him play Auerbach. "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" premieres on HBO on March 6.
WBZ's James Rojas (@JamesRojasNews) reports.
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