In the heart of the old Boston Garden, amidst obstructed views, yellow seats, and a lingering haze, loomed a structure affectionately dubbed the “gondola” by the broadcast crew. Perched on the first strip of the balcony, it operated as the epicenter for game commentary.
Over four decades ago, Mike Gorman ascended to the gondola, preparing for his debut as a Celtics commentator on November 6, 1981. Upon arriving early, he recalled a man already settled in.
“Excuse me, I’m with the broadcast,” Gorman said.
“I am, too,” replied the man. “I hope to be your stat guy – I’m Dick Lipe.”
Lipe, a stalwart of the Celtics broadcast team, had been serving as the stat guy since before Gorman’s debut. He joined after reaching out to the producer at the time, offering his services as a statistician. His journey began alongside legends like Robert Twibell and Bob Cousy.
To Gorman, the concept of a “stat guy” was entirely foreign. He had no clue Lipe was part of the package with his new gig.
“I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t know what he was... I didn’t have a stat guy. I didn’t know what a stat guy was or that you could have a stat guy,” Gorman said. “I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it and see how it works out.’”
It didn’t take long for Lipe to win over Gorman. Roughly 20 minutes of game time, to be exact.
“I knew halfway through [that] game. I’m going, ‘I’m never letting this guy go because he’s firing notes at me like crazy,’” Gorman said with a smile.
And indeed, he never did.
Forty-two years later, with nearly 2,000 regular-season wins and three NBA championships under their belts, Lipe remains faithfully seated to Gorman’s right at every home game. The gondola is now a memory as they occupy courtside positions at the TD Garden.
Little did Gorman know that fateful encounter in the heart of the old Boston Garden would burgeon into a 40-plus-year partnership, ultimately becoming a cornerstone of his journey to a Hall of Fame career.
“He's responsible for 70% of what I say,” Gorman said. “He is. He really is.”
“He's the best. I mean, I've been fortunate. I've worked for ESPN. I've worked for NBC. I've done the Olympics. I've done all these things. He's the best I've ever been with. I mean, if I could, I would just tie him to my hip and go to every game with him because he’s just so good. A lot of guys can write notes to you, but his – they connect with what’s going on.”
Gorman couldn't hide the grin on his face as he praised his long-time colleague and friend Lipe.
“He’s the best,” Gorman kept repeating with a chuckle. “He’s just the best. He’s like the Larry Bird of stats guys.”
Their connection is genuine. When Gorman was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021, he made sure to give a shoutout to his right-hand man, a moment Lipe will never forget.
“He's just been tremendous to work with,” Lipe said of Gorman. “He's always willing to give me credit, even when he went into the Naismith Hall of Fame a couple of years ago. I got a mention in his acceptance speech, which I thought was pretty cool.”
For Lipe, numbers were his passion from an early age. In seventh grade, he was already contributing to his hometown’s local high school baseball team. His fascination with numbers began even earlier as he meticulously examined baseball cards, paying close attention not only to the pictures on the front but also to the statistics on the back.
Throughout high school, he served as a team manager for various sports. So, when he stepped foot on the campus of Bentley University as a freshman in the fall of 1973, it was only natural for him to offer his assistance to the football coach doing stats for the team. After football, he transitioned to basketball and then to baseball.
Lipe continued that role for all four years, and in his senior year, his efforts paid off when he was offered the chance to become the university’s first full-time Sports Information Director. Balancing the demands of Bentley and the Celtics broadcast, Lipe remained dedicated to both.
“Bentley always took precedence,” Lipe said on balancing the Bentley and Celtics gigs. “I would do the Celtics on my free nights. At that point, I was just doing the games. I wasn’t doing research. So it was just, show up for the game and go back and work Bentley.”
While Lipe played a pivotal role in shaping his colleague Gorman’s Hall of Fame career, he forged a Hall of Fame career of his own. In October 1993, he was inducted into the Bentley Athletic Hall of Fame. Additionally, his significant contributions were further honored when he was inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America’s Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Northeast-10 Conference Hall of Fame in 2006.
“It’s a place I never thought about leaving,” Lipe said of Bentley. “It’s always great to work with your alma mater. We’ve had some tremendous coaches and athletic directors I’ve worked with over the years.”
For over 40 years, Lipe has juggled the commitments of Bentley and the Celtics broadcast, dedicated to helping the people around him better understand the game with numbers. His remarkable work has earned admiration from colleagues and peers alike.
“He’s worked for some of these [TV companies], and they are flabbergasted,” Gorman said. “They’ll call me up after and say, ‘You always said for years this guy was good. It’s unbelievable how good he is.’”
“There are two people, there’s Dick Lipe, the mild-mannered guy, and then this alter ego, the ‘The Sultant of Stat,’” noted longtime NBA columnist for Heavy.com Steve Bulpett. “He’s been doing this. Quietly, he’s the guy that was sliding stats to Mike, Tommy, and Scal now and making them look good. And he’s happy to do that.”
Lipe has proven invaluable to Bentley University and the Boston Celtics broadcasts, and his contributions are deeply valued. Despite the evolution of his roles spanning nearly half a century, Lipe continues to excel as the mastermind behind the scenes, diligently compiling and disseminating multi-page PDFs brimming with statistics and notes every game day.
“If there were such thing as a master’s program, he’d be teaching you a master’s degree,” Gorman joked.
Although Gorman is preparing to step away from the microphone after this season and spend time with his family, Lipe intends to be back at the broadcast table next season, leaving his mark on the next generation of broadcasters.
“I’m planning to as long as they’ll have me. I’m getting paid to sit in the best seat in the house,” Lipe said with a smile when asked if he would be returning next season.
Drew Carter, the successor to Gorman, has already experienced the mad scientist that is Dick Lipe in action.
“He’s like AI [artificial intelligence],” Carter said. “Who needs Stathead or Basketball-Reference when you have Dick Lipe?”
However, Carter hasn't experienced it firsthand yet because Lipe doesn't travel with the team for away games. Instead, he sends notes to Carter and Brian Scalabrine using a monitor set up before them. Working alongside Lipe is one of the things Carter is most excited about for next season.
“One of the things I’m most excited about next year and beyond is sitting next to Dick Lipe,” Carter said. “I fully anticipate it being the best stats experience I’ve ever had.”
For Lipe, it’s not just about crunching numbers. It’s about crafting the story, enhancing the overall experience for everyone involved, and fostering a deeper appreciation for the game. Over the course of four decades, he has enriched the jobs of those around him through his deep-rooted passion, and his impact does not go unnoticed.
Related
