Tag: Red Auerbach

The relationship between Bill Russell and Red Auerbach that made the Boston Celtics champions

Their mutual respect and drive to win created the Celtics’ dynasty.

The ties between legendary Boston Celtics head coach and general manager Red Auerbach and Hall of Fame Boston big man Bill Russell created one of  the most fruitful on-court relationships in the history of the NBA. It produced an unprecedented 11 championships.

It was a friendship and partnership based on respect, honesty and an indomitable desire to win that saw each amplify the other in their common goal of winning at the highest level in their chosen sport. Through their mutual interest in NBA excellence, they set the stage for the golden age of the Celtics, firmly establishing Boston as a premier franchise in the league, and the NBA as a serious player in the world of sports.

To hear more about how that partnership began and played out, watch the video embedded below put together by the folks at NBC Sports Boston.

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Bill Russell dipped down his newspaper …

Bill Russell dipped down his newspaper and looked me over with a frown. Then he snorted. “I’m not getting up just to meet some kid.” I shrank to about six inches tall. I just wanted to run straight home. Auerbach chuckled. “Don’t let him get to you, kid. Sometimes he can be a real sourpuss.” He grabbed my wrist and walked me over to Russell. “Bill, be nice. This is the kid who just might be the next you.” Bill looked at me again, this time taking a little longer. I was already 7’, two inches taller than him. I stuck out my hand. “How do you do, Mr. Russell. Pleasure to meet you.” He didn’t smile, but his demeanor had softened, just a little. He shook my hand. “Yeah, yeah, kid.” That’s how I met my childhood hero.

Newest Celtics Malcolm Brogdon, Danilo Gallinari share deep roots of Boston fandom in their families

The recently-signed pair revealed Celtics fandom has been a family affair for both for some time.

The Boston Celtics introduced their two new high-octane bench players Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari on Tuesday morning at their practice facility at Auerbach Center, with Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens serving in the role of master of ceremonies.

The trio was enthusiastic about their addition to the team that represented the NBA’s Eastern Conference in the 2022 NBA Finals, both players with a legitimate claim to starter status on most teams in the league. Both Brogdon and Gallinari also revealed that fandom for the Boston franchise has deep roots in both of their respective backgrounds.

“I grew up with my dad being a Celtics fan, being a Larry Bird fan,” explained Gallinari.

What were the worst regular seasons in Boston Celtics history?

Check out the worst seasons in Boston Celtics history. Which seasons saw the C’s win the fewest games?

With seventeen NBA Titles and nearly sixty playoff appearances, the Boston Celtics are among basketball’s most winningest franchises. Since the club’s founding way back in the 40s, more often than not, you can find the C’s at or around the top of the league standings at the end of the year. In fact, Boston has won sixty games or more in the regular season thirteen separate times.

The good times don’t last forever, though. Even the mighty Celtics have had downturns, and some of the club’s worst regular seasons in its history are absolutely putrid or even tragic. Yes, Boston has shown a capacity to rebound from these stretches, but all the same, sometimes things just don’t go right in the Hub.

So what were the worst regular seasons in Celtics history? Let’s take a look at the lowest winning percentages Boston has ever produced:

Actor Michael Chiklis talks difference between Red Auerbach, Jerry Buss’ basketball perspectives

The Boston University product shed some light on how he approached playing Auerbach in the HBO series ‘Winning Time’ through this lens.

It might not entirely be hate-watching given the substantial role of the Boston Celtics in the new HBO series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” as the Lakers’ primary NBA rival under superstar forward Larry Bird, but plenty of Celtics fans have been tuning in to watch the series unfold.

And a big part of the reason they have been is to see the job actor Michael Chiklis does portraying legendary Boston team president Arnold “Red” Auerbach in the series (spoiler: pretty solid!), set in the 1980s as both the Lakers and Celtics were on the come-up as contenders and rivals again.

Chiklis, who went to Boston University in that era, recently spoke to The Athletic’s Jason Jones on how he managed to recreate that tension between the two clubs and their leaders, and how that stemmed from their different outlooks on the sport.

The Celtics have retired 23 jersey numbers (and one name) – these are the players so honored

It’s no coincidence this team has the most retired jersey numbers with 17 banners hanging alongside them.

There are no teams in the history of the NBA to have more titles than the Boston Celtics — at least not yet — so it makes sense there are no other franchises with more retired numbers to honor the players over the decades who earned and hung those banners.

In fact, there are no teams in any sport with more retired jersey numbers at 22 overall, a reflection of the excellence behind the Celtics mystique built by franchise architect Red Auerbach. From his signing with the team as coach and general manager onward, Boston became one of the premier teams of the greatest basketball league on the planet.

But who were the players for which those jerseys were retired after the latest addition of Hall of Fame big man Kevin Garnett? Let’s take a look at them all.

Emmy award-winning actor Michael …

NBA releases top 15 head coaches in league history with several Boston Celtics alumni, omissions

These are the Celtics alumni named to the list – along with several noteworthy admissions.

WIth this being the season that the NBA celebrates its 75th anniversary, the league has been putting out a number of commemorative all-time lists from players to coaches, with the latter having been released by the Association this past Tuesday.

The NBA released its list of the 15 greatest head coaches in the league’s three-quarters century mark, and given the integral role and high level of play of the Boston Celtics, there are a number of alumni from the storied franchise’s coaching ranks represented. As with any such list, there are also a few notable omissions worthy of our consideration as well.

Let’s take a look at the former Boston head coaches, players who became head coaches, or player-coaches who made the cut — or didn’t.

Gregg Popovich, Steve Kerr among 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History

NBA PR: The NBA today unveiled the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History as part of the continuing celebration of the league’s 75th Anniversary Season. The list was selected by a panel of 43 current & former NBA head coaches in collaboration with the National Basketball Coaches Association.

Sam Jones (1933-2021)

Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Sam Jones, “Mr. Clutch,” who won 10 championships in the team’s most dominant era, died Thursday night of natural causes. He was 88 years old.  Jones was a standout at North Carolina Central University and was originally drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers in 1956, but he went back to school after a stint in the military, which negated the selection. He was then drafted by Red Auerbach, sight unseen, in 1957.