Category: .History

Which Boston Celtics alum is the NBA’s biggest career earner from Orlando, Florida?

The player in question is also a short-timer, playing for the Celtics for just 24 games several seasons before Banner 17 was hung.

Which Boston Celtics alum is the NBA’s biggest career earner from Orlando, Florida? This city is a tough one simply because neither Celtics alum in the top five are very well known by most Boston fans of today. The player in question is also a short-timer, playing for the Celtics for just 24 games several seasons before Banner 17 was hung.

If you are still struggling to pin down who it might be, it is Chucky Atkins and his $34,191,455 in career earnings. He might lose that spot to Paul Reed when the big man signs his next deal, but at $11,632,730, he’s currently in second place.

The drop-off from here is steep with Jason Preston ($2,941,101) and Brice Sensabaugh ($2,448,600) just cutting their teeth in the league, and Boston alum Christapher Johnson ($2,437,322) out of the league for some time now.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston Celtics alum Pete Maravich’s wrist pass was a devastating weapon

The NBA great was better known for his long-distance shooting (thus the nickname “Pistol”) but was also among the better and more creative floor generals of his time.

There may have been no more devastating of a pass in the early modern era of the NBA than former Boston Celtics guard “Pistol” Pete Maravich’s renowned “wrist pass.” It could have a confused defender chasing after a ball that was simply not where his eyes were saying it was supposed to be.

Executed in transition, it was all the more confounding, with defenders sometimes ending up lost and behind the play with a dazed look on their faces as Maravich’s target lays up an easy make. The NBA great was better known for his long-distance shooting (thus the nickname “Pistol“), but he was also among the better and more creative floor generals of his time.

To see how the wrist pass works in action, the folks over at the ESPN Rewind YouTube channel put together a short clip of Maravich deploying it to amazing effect.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EITISGPgF0k

Take a look for yourself in the video embedded above.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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How Greg Stiemsma got his big break with the Boston Celtics

The man Tommy Heinsohn famously compared to Bill Russell himself.

Once upon a time, the late, great Boston Celtics broadcaster, coach and champion forward Tommy Heinsohn legendarily compared Celtics reserve big man Greg Stiemsma to his friend and Hall of Fame Boston teammate Bill Russell for the former’s shot-blocking ability.

While that comparison MAY have been a bit over the top even for Heinsohn, Stiemsma still holds a place in the hearts of Celtics fans from that era. Unselected in the 2008 NBA draft, Stiemsma played overseas and in the D League (as the G League was known then) before injury created an opportunity with the Celtics for the Wisconsin product.

While he never turned into a star or even a starter, he forged a nice — if short — NBA career on the strengths of that opportunity.

Take a look at this short clip of his story with Boston as told by the good folks over at the Celtics’ Reddit podcast.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to see it for yourself.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Which Boston Celtics alum is the NBA’s biggest career earner from Newark, New Jersey?

There are multiple Celtics alumni hailing from this city, so it could trip you up.

Which Boston Celtics alum is the NBA’s biggest career earner from Newark, New Jersey? On one hand, this player is among the NBA’s greatest of all time and a massive presence in league history, so he should be fairly easy to guess. But on the other, there are multiple Celtics alumni hailing from this city, so it could still trip you up.

If you did not find yourself guessing the Big Aristotle (or any of his many nicknames), we’ll spill the beans for you. Shaquille O’Neal is the top earner all-time from Newark with a total of $292,198,327 in career earnings per HoopsHype.

A ways behind him is Bam Adebayo with $105,071,112, but the Miami Heat big man could catch Shaq one day if the league’s salaries keep going up as they have been in recent years.

The final three include Kenneth Faried with $56,898,674 earned to date, former Boston forward Eric Williams with $39,835,520 career earnings, and we can claim Randy Foye and his $34,106,401 in salary earned in the NBA if you squint.

Foye was drafted by Boston and traded away that same night.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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The greatest shot that never counted: Jae Crowder’s illegal buzzer-beating full-court heave

The Celtics lost the game, but it was one heck of a way to go out.

With 1.1 seconds left on the clock, Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder knew he needed a miracle. So, he dialed the basketball gods up for a special favor, and heaved the ball more than 94 feet across the court only to have the shot go in. If you are confused why the sentence you just read ended in “only to see the shot go in,” we get it.

But Crowder, a former Marquette standout, wasn’t trying to accomplish a long distance Hail Mary. Instead, the Celtics swingman was trying to bank the ball off the backboard, allowing a teammate located under the basket to tip the ball in for an unlikely victory.

The win eluded Boston and Crowder that night, but the full-court heave that went in as an illegal basket (it was not a shot but an entry pass, effectively) is easily, in our opinion, the greatest shot that never counted.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/b6El4FFyrRg

Take a look at the clip embedded above to see it for yourself.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Kevin Garnett, tennis fan? The Boston Celtics great interviewed John McEnroe

Known for the intensity he brought to tennis courts around the world, the two in many ways are birds of a feather.

When you look at Hall of Fame Boston Celtics champion Kevin Garnett, “fan of tennis” is not the thing that readily pops into one’s mind. But the Banner 17 icon has been known to get into some surprising stuff in the past (ask him around about his “Making The Band” show addiction).

And as one of the more competitive sports out there, it probably ought to surprise less than it should that KG is a U.S. Open fan. So much so that on an episode of his Showtime Basketball “KG Certified” podcast, the Celtics legend had tennis superstar John McEnroe on for an interview.

McEnroe was known for the intensity he brought to tennis courts around the world, so the two are, in many ways, birds of a feather. After their talk, you might think that if McEnroe had had a stanchion to headbutt before games, they might have even more in common.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what the duo touched on in Garnett’s interview.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Boston Celtics icon Larry Bird was an ELITE passer

The Hick From French Lick was best known for his scoring, but Bird could find the open man like few have ever been able to.

Boston Celtics icon Larry Bird is perhaps best known for countless ways he could hang points on an opposing team. He would find ways to score that sometimes baffled his defenders, coupled with eviscerating trash talk that broke their spirits at the same time.

But the Hick From French Lick could also move the rock on an elite level and was not selfish when he saw an open man with an easier shot than he had at any given moment. All the way back to his days at Indiana State in college, Larry Legend was already using his crafty court vision to lift his teammates.

Renowned NBA draft analyst Ben Pfeiffer sat down and broke down some of Bird’s passing film for a recent short.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rnn-NOd8Y8M

Watch his clip for yourself to see why Bird was not just an otherworldly scorer but also a top-notch floor general when he needed to be.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Does Boston Celtics Hall of Fame big man Bill Russell get enough respect?

It is a known fact that Boston Celtics Hall of Fame big man Bill Russell did not get the love he deserved while winning championships for the Celtics as a player or a coach.

It is a known fact Boston Celtics Hall of Fame big man Bill Russell did not get the love he deserved while winning championships for the Celtics as a player or a coach. While leading the team to 11 championships, he was not met with sold-out stadiums. Instead, Russell had to deal with the cruelty of racism on and off the court.

Now, the NBA Finals MVP honor is named after the Hall of Famer. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and many players have shared the influence Russell had on them. Although, when ranking the NBA top 10 best players of all time, the player with the most championship is not even cemented in many lists. Does Bill Russell get enough respect?

Celtics Champion and host of Boston Celtics Radio Network Cedric Maxwell recently joined the CLNS Media “Celtics Beat” podcast to reflect on the matter in the following clip.

Check out the Celtics Lab podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Which Boston Celtics alum is the NBA’s biggest career earner from Melbourne, Australia?

We think that this particular player might be the easiest yet for a lot of you to guess.

Which Boston Celtics alum is the NBA’s biggest career earner from Melbourne, Australia? We think that this particular player might be the easiest yet for a lot of you to guess. But ironically, he might well be among the least-liked Celtics alumni of all time, given how he left the team.

If you have yet to figure out who we are talking about, we aren’t too sure there’s a more obvious clue out there. But you probably guessed that it is Kyrie Irving, with $274,811,186 in career earnings to date. He will probably hang onto that status as Melbourne’s most remunerated player in the league, but Ben Simmons ($163,525,665) is a respectable distance behind.

Following Simmons is Andrew Bogut with $118,591,363, and then Dante Exum with $49,125,425 in career earnings in the Association to date.

Last of the top five earners from Melbourne is Luc Longley with $42,784,900.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston Celtics legends Bill Russell and Red Auerbach give a lesson on getting rebounds

The two Boston greats demonstrate proper rebounding technique in the classic clip from the ‘Red on Round Ball’ series.

There may have never been a greater rebounder in NBA history than Boston Celtics Hall of Fame big man Bill Russell, and no better general manager than Celtics icon Red Auerbach. And if you were to combine the legendary talent assessor and the most unstoppable board collector the game has ever seen in a training session on how to pull down rebounds, you’d have the best possible teachers on your side.

This was not lost on Auerbach, who put together a series of instructional clips called “Red on Round Ball” that he had his famous players help with. Russell and Auerbach teamed to do one on rebounding.

Take a look at the clip embedded below courtesy of the NBA’s YouTube channel, and, as an added bonus, you will hear Auerbach casually drop his G.O.A.T. argument into the conversation.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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