Tag: Kevin McHale

NBA legend speaks to Nebraska basketball team after senior night victory

An NBA legend spoke to the Nebraska men’s basketball team after their victory on Sunday night.

An NBA legend spoke to the Nebraska men’s basketball team after their victory on Sunday night. Hall of Famer Kevin McHale spoke to the team after their 67-56 senior night victory.

McHale played for the Boston Celtics from 1980-1993. He was a seven-time All-Star and three-time NBA Champion.

He was also a member of both the NBA’s 50th and 75th-anniversary teams. The former Celtic coached Hoiberg when the Husker head coach played in the NBA and helped when he transitioned to the front office/coaching.

McHale started his talk to the team by focusing on their effort early in the game.

Great job. Great effort. It’s fun watching you guys play basketball. That first five minutes, everyone had their their hands up. You were moving, you helped, if you got beat on a play you didn’t quit on the play.

You guys went after it. You offensively rebounded. You set the tone right away. It was fun to watch you guys play. This is the fun time. You’ve got Michigan coming up, now go kick their (butt) and win (game) number 22. Every night you guys play after that, you guys are going to be a hard out.  You guys play that hard. It’s going to take someone special to be you.

He also discussed how happy he is for his former protege and his team heading into the postseason.

 I like that fact that you guys fought together, you rallied together. I was really happy to see you guys play. I’m really happy for Freddy (Hoiberg). I’m really happy for you guys. The big thing about it, is how good can you make your teammates.

Nebraska will wrap up the regular season on Saturday, March 10, at Michigan. The tip-off is set for 11:00 am.

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On this day: Kevin McHale gets 56; Sam Cassell signed; Jayson Tatum, Jordan Walsh born

On this day in Celtics history, legend Kevin McHale scored 56 points, Sam Cassell signed with Boston, and Jayson Tatum was born.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, champion reserve guard Sam Cassell signed with the storied franchise as a late-season addition in the Celtics’ push for Banner 17.

Cassell had played just under half — a total of 38 games of the 2007-08 NBA season — with the Los Angeles Clippers before he managed to negotiate a buyout at the end of the month of February. After listening to the pitches of several NBA teams, Cassell ultimately decided to hitch his proverbial wagon to the team, inking an agreement as an unrestricted free agent on this date in 2008 to finish the season in green and white.

The Florida State product would play an important role for the Celtics in the postseason, and after being reunited with former teammates Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen won his third and final title.

Every Boston Celtics All-Star for each season the game was played

Every single Boston Celtics All-Star in franchise history.

The 2024 NBA All-Star Game is set to kick off in Indianapolis, Indiana. A pair of Boston Celtics will be part of the action for the third year in a row as Jayson Tatum plays as a starter and Jaylen Brown a reserve for the Eastern Conference All-Stars.

Tatum and Brown join a long list of Celtics stars who have participated in the event, now entering its 73rd year of existence, which actually got its start in the old Boston Garden. Initially created to improve the image of professional basketball after a point-shaving scandal in NCAA ball besmirched the sport in the eyes of the public, the event has taken on a life of its own as one of the league’s most anticipated events.

Let’s take a look at all the Celtics who have taken part.

On this day: Celtic champ Jo Jo White traded; Kevin McHale’s jersey retired

On this day in history, Boston Celtics champion point guard Jo Jo White was dealt to the Warriors, and Kevin McHale’s jersey was retired.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, Celtics champion point guard Jo Jo White was traded to the Golden State Warriors back in 1979 for draft considerations after a significant injury changed the course of his Hall of Fame career.

White was a member of the Celtics for ten seasons, and one of the best athletes ever to suit up for the storied franchise, particularly when it comes to endurance and availability. He played for the University of Kansas before turning pro and won a gold medal representing the United States of America in the 1968 Olympic Games that were played in Mexico City. Interestingly enough, White was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds and Dallas Cowboys as well as the Boston Celtics.

He spent a tour in the Marines before joining Boston, the rigors of which he attributed to his later success with the team.

On this day: Celtic power forwards Kevin McHale, Tom Gugliotta born

On this day, Hall of Fame big man Kevin McHale was born, as was forward Tom Gugliotta.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, legendary Boston Celtics big man Kevin McHale was born in Hibbing, Minnesota in 1957.

McHale would not stray far from home to play his college ball, playing for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, where he won All-Big Ten honors in 1979 and 1980. The 6-foot-10 power forward would be taken third in the 1980 NBA draft after general manager Red Auerbach dealt Boston’s No. 1 pick for center Robert Parish and the selection used to take McHale. The deal would set up the Celtics to have one of the greatest frontcourts of all time along with small forward Larry Bird.

The Minnesotan would make NBA All-Rookie First Team in his inaugural season in the league and would win his first title at the end of it in 1981.

Kevin McHale on if he thought Michael Jordan’s Bulls could have beaten ’86 Celtics

“Does anyone honestly think those teams, even with Michael Jordan, could have beaten the 1985-86 champions?” asked McHale.

Younger fans of the NBA may not be aware of the fact that the “original Big Three” era of the Boston Celtics featuring Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale overlapped with the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. But they might be more surprised by how unthreatened that Celtics triumvirate felt towards that early version of His Airness’ ball club.

“I give the Chicago Bulls a lot of credit for winning three straight NBA titles, but, come on, does anyone honestly think those teams, even with Michael Jordan, could have beaten the 1985-86 champions with Larry Bird, Robert Parish, myself, Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson, and Bill Walton?” McHale asked via Basketball Network’s Yakshpat Bhargava.

“Or the Los Angeles Laker champs of ’86-87 and ’87-88 with Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Michael Cooper, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?”

“Or the Detroit Piston teams of Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer, which played great defense and won the ’88-89 and ’89-90 titles?” added McHale, driving the point home.

A young Jordan was very good indeed, averaging an absurd 43 points per game in his Bulls’ first postseason meeting with Boston in 1986. But basketball is a team sport, and the Celtics’ talent was simply overwhelming as McHale noted.

And young MJ would find out the hard way just how hard they were to beat in that series, Chicago getting swept in three games.

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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Celtics HoFer Kevin McHale regrets not being able to play Los Angeles Lakers in 1986 NBA Finals

“I really wanted a piece of the Lakers in ’86,” he recalled.

It isn’t just fans of the Boston Celtics who relish the idea of facing off with the Los Angeles Lakers — back in 1986 when the Celtics ended up drawing the Houston Rockets as a finals opponent, Boston Hall of Fame big man Kevin McHale was as disappointed as many fans were they wouldn’t be playing Los Angeles. “I was disappointed somewhat that Houston beat the Lakers,” said McHale in the ’86 Celtics Interviews via Basketball Network’s Virgil Villanueva.

“I really wanted a piece of the Lakers in ’86,” he added. “Once Houston got there, I never thought for a second that Houston could beat us. I looked at that team and just said there’s just no way.”

“I knew the Lakers could do this and this and this, and I thought Houston could do this”, said McHale.

“They’re not going to hit us player for player or play for play or toughness for toughness,” recalled the Celtics great.

“It was an inevitability in my mind that we were just going to win. I would have much rather beaten the Lakers, but Houston was there, so we were going to beat them.”

And beat them they did.

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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On this day: Boston sees the Grateful Dead in concert; Shaw, Hunter debut

On this day, several Boston Celtics accompanied resident Deadhead and Celtics center Bill Walton to see the Grateful Dead in concert in 1985.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, several members of the storied franchise went to see the Grateful Dead in concert in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1985. Not all of the Celtics went, but after recent arrival Bill Walton had managed to pique the interest of a few of his teammates, a significant portion of the team decided to attend the concert.

A few days ahead of the planned concert, Hall of Fame teammates Larry Bird and Kevin McHale had noticed some hippie-ish looking people wearing funky clothes arriving in town and made the connection it must have something to do with their hippie-ish teammate.

Walton had himself previously met the band after sticking out like a sore thumb as a 7-footer at one of their concerts, catching the eye of drummer Mickey Hart, who called him on stage after learning who he was.

Who are the Boston Celtics’ top-10 all-time leaders in postseason free throws?

Make your guesses, then scroll down to see how you did.

In his historic, 50-point masterpiece against the Brooklyn Nets in Game 3 of the 2021 Eastern Conference first-round series, All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics likely would not have won the game had the budding superstar not gotten to the line 15 times, converting 13.

But the St. Louis native had a long way to go to crack the franchise’s top ten in free throws made in the postseason given the long and storied history of the Celtics in the playoffs, making the list in 2023; you sink a lot of shots at the charity stripe when you win 17 banners, after all.

Who are the 10 most accomplished sinkers of free throws in the playoffs for Boston, then? Make your guesses, then scroll down to see how you did.

How many of the NBA’s official 50 greatest in 1996 were Boston Celtics?

In 1996, the NBA released a list of its 50 greatest players up to that year to celebrate as many years of play as a league. Can you guess how many were Celtics? Better yet, who they were?

In 1996, the NBA decided to assemble a panel of 50 players, media members, and team representatives in total to select the 50 greatest players of the league’s first 50 years on the anniversary of the NBA’s first season of 1946-47.

The league again plans to assemble a similar list to honor the 75th anniversary of its foundation in 2021, but before we begin to recount which alumni of the Boston Celtics were added to the list, let’s take a look at the old one. Dominated by names once populating the championship eras of the team from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, a total of 14 of the NBA’s 50 greatest players once donned the green and white.

Let’s review who made the cut, and when they were Celtics.