Her family and friends are humble people who don’t feel connected to the big time. A family friend named Norma Anderson reached out this week with a modest request: Would it be at all possible to get a Michael Finley autograph? They are planning a fund-raiser May 15 in the form of a dart tournament that would include an auction.
Celtics public relations chief Jeff Twiss got on the case, and the folks in Watauga now have a nice autographed photo of Finley Elliott’s namesake, Michael Finley.
Why Michael Finley?
“I was a big Dallas Mavericks fan,’’ explains her father, Maurice “Mo’’ Elliott. “And Michael Finley was my favorite player. For the longest time, he carried them. When my wife got pregnant, we ran through a lot of names, and then I threw Finley out there, thinking that would be a nice name. My wife said, ‘I like that.’ That’s how it happened. I have to tell you I was surprised she went along with it. We got some teeny Finley jerseys she’s not even big enough to wear yet.’’
If you check the timeline, you’ll note that by the time Finley was born, Michael Finley was playing for the hated Spurs. So what’s up with that?
“Maurice Elliott was a huge Mavericks fan, and his favorite player was Michael Finley,’’ explains Rusty Anderson, a good friend. “When Michael was traded to the Spurs, he became a Spurs fan. Now he is a big Celtics fan.’’
According to the Celtics, Maurice Elliott chose the right guy. Michael Finley is now 37, and he is clearly nearing the end of his career. The reason he is with the Celtics as they pursue an 18th championship has more to do with his character than his well-known jump shot.
His job is to be this year’s Celtics playoff Yoda, a role instituted two years ago by the stately P.J. Brown, and which didn’t quite materialize last year with, no offense, Mikki Moore. But with Finley the Celtics feel they have hit the jackpot.
