The Boston Celtics-centric history of ‘walking the dog’

The occasionally rage-inducing (but effective) practice was popularized by Red Auerbach’s Celtics in Hall of Fame big man Bill Russell’s prime.

The Boston Celtics have revived an old tradition they helped develop all the way back in the heyday of the team in the 1960s — and opposing ball clubs are not so crazy about it. If you have not yet guessed, we are talking about walking the dog — and no, Dennis Schroder was not on the team back then.

The funky practice of rolling the ball up the court to keep the game clock from starting before it is picked up was not brought to the Celtics by the German point guard who used the strategy liberally in his sole season with Boston. Instead, it was popularized by Red Auerbach’s Celtics in Hall of Fame big man Bill Russell’s prime.

In a recent article by ESPN’s Ben Dowsett tracing the roots of the practice that bothered Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon enough to get a technical foul by trying to stop Marcus Smart and Grant Williams from doing it, Dowsett connected that moment with the Celtics of yore.