Tag: celtics history

WATCH: Boston legends Red Auerbach, Bill Russell and Bob Ryan on Celtics mystique

The trio discussed just what that term means for the storied franchise and its fans in this historic clip.

Quite a lot of ink has been spilled over the decades on the Celtics mystique with many a sportswriter trying to convey an understanding of what it meant to be a part of — or up against — the Boston Celtics. With 17 titles to their name, a large part is the history and glory of playing underneath those banners.

But it encompasses more than that if you ask the men who built it. Legendary Boston beat reporter Bob Ryan did exactly that once upon a time, sitting down with Celtics legends Arnold “Red” Auerbach and Bill Russell to talk about the air of invincibility, deep roots and togetherness that is in part that fabled quality.

To hear Red and Bill break down exactly what the Celtics mystique is, check out this clip from the vault of our friends over at CLNS Media embedded below.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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USA TODAY predicts 7 Boston Celtics among their list of players 75-51 of NBA’s greatest

Once again, the boys in green and white dominate.

It is not just us over at the Celtics Wire taking note of the NBA’s plans to revamp its 50 greatest players list ahead of the league’s 75th anniversary (the original list of 50 having been issued on the 50th anniversary of the Association), but also our parent site’s subscription-based content writers, among others.

And while you will need said subscription to get the whole list of their projected top-75 all-time player list with all the context and nuance it provides, we’ll give you a Boston Celtics-centric peek into the players making the cut this time around in their list of the players from 75 to 51, once again dominated by the boys in green and white.

Let’s take a look at where USA TODAY ranks Celtics in their own estimation of the league’s 75 greatest to grace the hardwood.

WATCH: Rare passing footage of Boston’s Houdini of the hardwood, Bob Cousy

See why Cousy was such a trailblazing passer with this video.

Most fans of the Boston Celtics know one of the best floor generals to ever grace the court was Celtics point guard Bob Cousy. But only the oldest fans among us have any memory of why he earned the nickname “Houdini of the hardwood” with his unreal passing chops. Perhaps, the hardcore Boston history nerds have some idea through watching historical footage.

With court vision only matched by a handful of players in an era that had hardly seen such passing, the Holy Cross alumnus set the bar for future guards while setting up the Celtics for their dynasty of dynasties with their first title in 1957.

Watch the highlight video of rare passing footage of Cousy in the clip embedded below and get to know why the Celtics legend is held in such high regard, courtesy of the NBA.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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What Celtics from the NBA’s 50th anniversary All-Time list might not make the 75th?

A number of those who made the cut 25 years ago might not make the NBA’s 75th-anniversary list.

With the arrival of the NBA’s and the Boston Celtics‘ 75th anniversary season comes the expansion of the list of the 50 greatest players in NBA history released for the league’s commemorations festivities for hitting its half-century mark of existence.

As one might expect, the new list will have 75 players representing the NBA’s best players over the course of its 75 years of history. But there is no guarantee that having made it in at the 50-year mark means that a player will make it onto this expanded list. In fact, there are a number of Celtics who are in danger of being cut in light of previous snubs and more recent achievements.

Let’s take a look at who might not make the cut of the Boston players who populated the 50th-anniversary list.

WATCH: Celtics coaching legend Red Auerbach’s last game, Boston’s ninth title

This would be Boston’s eighth consecutive title and Auerbach’s final game as head coach.

With an unmatched record in US professional sports, Arnold “Red” Auerbach threw in the towel on being an NBA head coach when he played his last game in that role for the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Celtics’ 1966 NBA Finals series with their longtime rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Boston would of course win the game, the series, and the title — their eighth consecutive and ninth overall. In the years that followed, Celtics star big man Bill Russell would take the team’s helm as a player-coach, becoming the first Black head coach not only in NBA history but in the histories of any of the four major North American sports. Red had earned his retirement to a front-office job, having amassed a 938 – 479 record as a head coach, most of it with the Celtics.

To watch clips from that historic game, check out the video embedded below, courtesy of our friends over at CLNS Media’s “NBA History & Legends on CLNS” YouTube channel.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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WATCH: Bill Russell secures Boston’s first banner with the NBA’s first chase down block

It was a historic moment on multiple levels.

The very first title of the storied Boston Celtics franchise’s 17 banners almost wasn’t. The ultimate loser — the (then) St. Louis (now, Atlanta) Hawks — was poised to win the 1957 NBA Finals via a layup as time expired.

But as if out of nowhere, rookie Bill Russell bounded down the court after the breakaway play, committing the league’s very first example of a chase down block. The future Celtics legend would have many, many more rejections to his name as his Hall of Fame career progressed, but this was both Russell’s debut on the stage of basketball greats, and the birth of one of the league’s most dramatic plays.

To see it on film for yourself, watch the video embedded below, courtesy of our fellow history buffs over at CLNS Media’s “NBA History & Legends on CLNS” YouTube channel.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 15

This is every player in Boston’s history who wore the Celtics’ No. 15 jersey for at least one game.

The Boston Celtics have more retired jerseys than any other team in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean the rest of their jerseys have little history of interest tied to them.

In fact, with 17 titles to their name and decades of competitive basketball played in them, their unretired jersey numbers pack in some of the most history not hanging from the rafters of any team in the league. To that end, we launched our accounting of that history, with every player in every jersey worn by more than one Celtics player in the storied franchise’s history accounted for.

Today’s installment focuses on the six players who wore No. 15 over the years.

On this day: Boston Celtics big man Alton Lister born

On this day in 1958, Celtics center Alton Lister was born in Dallas, Texas.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Boston big man Alton Lister was born in Dallas, Texas in 1958. A true 7-footer, Lister played his college ball first at the sub-NCAA level with San Jacinto Junior College where he would be teammates with fellow future NBAer shooting guard Oliver Mack.

After his time with San Jacinto Junior College, Lister moved on via transfer to play for the Arizona State Sun Devils, joining another future NBA player and head coach Byron Scott, who also played as a shooting guard. By his senior season, the Texan was averaging 15.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.

This would earn Lister honorable mentions with All-America honors by the Associated Press and Street & Smith’s, All-Pac-10 honors, and the Sun Devil’s Most Improved Player award.

(AP Photo)

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 16

This is every player in Boston’s history who wore the Celtics’ No. 16 jersey for at least one game.

The Boston Celtics have more retired jerseys than any other team in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean the rest of their jerseys have little history of interest tied to them.

In fact, with 17 titles to their name and decades of competitive basketball played in them, their unretired jersey numbers pack in some of the most history not hanging from the rafters of any team in the league. To that end, we have launched our accounting of that history, with every player in every jersey worn by more than one Celtics player in the storied franchise’s history accounted for.

Today’s installment focuses on the seven players who wore No. 16 over the years.

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 18

This is every player in Boston’s history who wore the Celtics’ No. 18 jersey for at least one game.

The Boston Celtics have more retired jerseys than any other team in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean the rest of their jerseys have little history of interest tied to them.

In fact, with 17 titles to their name and decades of competitive basketball played in them, their unretired jersey numbers pack in some of the most history not hanging from the rafters of any team in the league. To that end, we have launched our accounting of that history, with every player in every jersey worn by more than one Celtics player in the storied franchise’s history accounted for.

Today’s installment focuses on the seven players who wore No. 18 over the years.