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The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 15: Cedric Maxwell

#31 Cedric Maxwell, “Cornbread,” Forward, 1977-1985

Born in Kinston, North Carolina in 1955, Cedric Maxwell attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from 1973 to ‘77, where he was a Third Team All-American and the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year as a senior, and his number “33” was retired by the school. Maxwell was drafted 12^th overall by the Boston Celtics in 1977, and joined a team going through a rough patch.

Although they’d won a championship just two years before, the Celtics were aging in ‘77-78, which was John Havlicek’s last season in the league. Things went from bad to worse in ‘78-79, with the Celtics missing the playoffs for the second straight year and winning just 29 games. Despite their poor record, Maxwell had a career year, averaging close to 20 points and ten rebounds per game.

Things turned around sharply in ‘79-80 with the addition of Larry Bird, and got even better the next year with Robert Parish coming from the Golden State Warriors and Kevin McHale being drafted third overall.They went on to win the championship that year against the Houston Rockets, and Maxwell’s career reached its pinnacle as he was named MVP of the 1981 NBA Finals. Maxwell averaged 17.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and a blocked shot on 57% shooting in the series.

After a poor showing in the ‘83 playoffs, the Celtics were champions again in 1984, beating their arch rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. Maxwell played a key role in this victory as well, as he and teammate M. L. Carr successfully got in the heads of the Lakers, especially their young forward, James Worthy. Cedric told his teammates to “climb on my back” before game seven and proceeded to score 24 points to go with 8 assists and 8 rebounds in the clincher.

He played only 57 games in the ‘84-85 season due to a knee injury, losing his spot as a starter to Kevin McHale. The Celtics made it back to the finals in ‘85, but lost to the Lakers in six games, with Maxwell playing only five of the six games at an average of less than ten minutes per game. In the 1985 off-season, Maxwell was traded along with a draft pick to the Los Angeles Clippers for veteran center Bill Walton. In early 1987, the Clippers traded Maxwell to the Rockets in exchange for two draft picks. Maxwell retired after the ‘87-88 season, having scored over ten thousand points and grabbed over 5,000 rebounds in his career.

He currently sits at ninth all-time among Celtics players in blocked shots and 17^th all time in points. His career highs include 19 points and 9.9 rebounds per game in ‘78-79, and shooting a league leading 61% from the field in ‘79-80, the second straight year he’d led the league in shooting. He scored a career high 35 points in a January 1979 loss to the Kansas City Kings. Maxwell currently lives in Massachusetts and is the long-time radio voice of the Celtics on WBZ in Boston and is a frequent contributor on the Boston sports station WEEI. In 2003, Cedric Maxwell’s number “31” was retired by the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 16: Larry Bird

#33 Larry Bird, “Larry Legend,” Small Forward, 1979-1992

Born in West Baden, Indiana in 1956, Larry Bird grew up in the tiny southern Indiana town of French Lick. Bird went off to Indiana University in 1975, but he didn’t stay long, as the self-described “Hick from French Lick” was overwhelmed by the transition from small town to a huge college campus boasting a student population in the tens of thousands. He attended briefly Northwood Institute before moving on to Indiana State University in 1976, where he had an incredible career.

He was Third Team All-American in 1977, First Team All-American in ‘78 and ‘79, Conference Player of the Year in ‘78 and ‘79, and National Player of the Year in 1979. That year, Bird led an undefeated ISU Sycamores team to the National Championship Game against the Michigan State Spartans, who were led by Bird’s future NBA rival, Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Indiana State lost the game, 75 to 64. Magic Johnson led all scorers with 24 points with Bird leading Indiana State with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Still, Bird was unhappy with his performance, having shot 7 of 21 from the field. The game was the most watched basketball game at any level, college or professional, in American history at the time. During his college years, ISU won 83 games and lost just 13, he averaged over 30 points and 13 rebounds per game, and his number “33” was retired by the school.

Bird was actually drafted a year before his college career ended; he was picked sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, but elected to play one more year for ISU. Bird joined the NBA in 1979 as the highest paid rookie in league history at that time. He was an excellent NBA player out of the gate, making the All-Star Game, All-Rookie First Team, and being named Rookie of the Year in ‘79-80. He also helped take the Celtics from a 29 game winner in 1979 to a 61 game winner in 1980. The Celtics made it to the Conference Finals that year but lost to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The team was reinforced the next year with the acquisition of center Robert Parish and rookie power forward Kevin McHale, and the Celtics won the NBA Championship against the Houston Rockets. In 1982, Bird was named MVP of the All-Star Game. In ‘83, the Celtics had a disappointing end to their season, being swept in the second round by the Milwaukee Bucks. Head coach Bill Fitch was fired following the loss, and assistant coach K. C. Jones was promoted to replace him. The Celtics also added the excellent defensive guard Dennis Johnson to their lineup going into ‘83-84.

They were champions again that year, defeating their arch rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, in seven games. It was a rough series, with Bird getting into a shouting match with Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after catching his elbow in game four. Bird scored nearly 28 points per game in that year’s playoffs, and was the NBA Finals MVP, with averages of 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks on 48.4% shooting.

The next year the Celtics made it back to the finals but lost in six games in a re-match with the Lakers. Earlier that season, Bird set a new franchise single game scoring record, dropping 60 points on the Atlanta Hawks. The record he broke was only nine days old; Kevin McHale had just scored 56 against the Detroit Pistons. During the ‘85 off-season, Bird injured his back moving gravel while working on his mother’s driveway back in Indiana. It was the first of a series of back injuries that would eventually end his career.

The Celtics had their greatest season of the ‘80s and perhaps ever in ‘85-86. During the off-season, forward Cedric Maxwell was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for center Bill Walton, who would have a great year coming off the bench for Robert Parish. Maxwell’s departure allowed Kevin McHale to start at power forward, and his career would reach new heights in that role. The Celtics also picked up sharp-shooting point guard Jerry Sichting from the Indiana Pacers, who shot 57 percent from the field, adding depth to a back court that already included Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge. The C’s went 67 and 15 that year, their second best regular season ever, and lost only one home game. The Celtics won the NBA Championship that year, again defeating the Houston Rockets, who now featured a young Hakeem Olajuwon. Bird was again the Finals MVP, averaging 24 points, 9.7 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 2.7 steals on 48.2% shooting.

Following that dream season, the Celtics’ luck began to change. Len Bias, the college superstar forward the Celtics drafted at number two overall in 1986, died two days later of a freak cocaine overdose. In the ‘86-87 season, Bill Walton was only able to play ten games due to injuries. He played twelve more in the playoffs, but on very limited minutes. Kevin McHale broke his foot in March of ‘87 and continued playing, but wasn’t 100 percent.

That year’s Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons included some memorable incidents involving Bird. In game three, he was clothes-lined and tackled to the ground by Pistons center Bill Laimbeer, who had one of the league’s dirtiest reputations. Bird was enraged, throwing punches while on the ground before getting up and chucking the ball directly at Laimbeer’s head. He was avenged by Robert Parish in game five, when the Celtics center hit Laimbeer with his forearms, knocking him to the ground. Laimbeer had been throwing elbows toward Parish’s head and neck, and Robert wasn’t even called for a foul (he was given a one game suspension by the league). For the game’s dramatic conclusion, Bird stole the Pistons’ inbounds pass with the Celtics down by one point with five seconds left, before passing the ball to Dennis Johnson who scored the game-winning layup.

After beating Detroit in seven games, the Celtics lost to probably the greatest Lakers team of the ‘80s in six. ‘87-88 turned out to be the end of an era of Boston dominance of the Eastern Conference. The Celtics made it as far as the Conference Finals, but lost to the Detroit Pistons in six games. It was the first time since 1983 they hadn’t made it to the Finals In ‘88-89, Bird missed nearly the whole season, playing in just the first six games before having surgery to remove bone spurs in both of his feet. He wasn’t back in time for the playoffs, and the aging, Bird-less Celtics were eliminated in the first round, failing to win a playoff series for the first time since 1979.

Bird returned in ‘89-90 and continued to play well through the early ‘90s. Due to continually worsening back problems though, Bird missed 22 games in ‘90-91 and 37 in ‘91-92, which turned out to be his final season. He was still only 35. Even at the end, Bird still averaged over 20 points, nearly ten rebounds, seven assists and one steal per game. He turned out to be not quite done with basketball after the ‘92 season, as he reluctantly joined the 1992 US men’s Olympic team, better known as the ‘Dream Team.’ Generally considered the greatest collection of basketball talent ever assembled, it included the likes of Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, John Stockton, and Larry’s old friend and rival, Magic Johnson. Although he played limited minutes, Bird averaged 8.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Team USA cruised to victory, crushing opponent after opponent in eight straight wins, never even needing to call a time out.

Larry Bird currently sits at second all time among Celtics players in steals, behind only Paul Pierce. He’s also third all time in points, assists and blocks, fourth in three pointers made, fifth in minutes played and eighth in games played. His career highs include 29.9 points per game in ‘87-88, 11 rebounds in ‘82-83, 7.6 assists in ‘86-87, two steals in both ‘80-81 and ‘85-86, shooting nearly 53% from the field in ‘87-88, nearly 43% from three in ‘84-85, and shooting a league-leading 93% from the line in ‘89-90. Bird also led the league in free-throw shooting in ‘84, ‘86 and ‘87. Bird was the founding member of the ‘50-40-90 Club,’ shooting 52.5 from the field, 40 percent from three, and 91 percent from the line in ‘86-87. Bird broke the 50-40-90 threshold again the next season. He also served as the Celtics team captain from 1983 until the end of his career.

Aside from his three championships, his career was littered with individual accolades; he was MVP of the League every year from ‘84 to ‘86, averaging 26.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.8 steals on 50.4% shooting across those three seasons. He made All-NBA First Team an incredible nine straight years, from 1980 to ‘88, All-NBA Second Team in 1990, and All-NBA Defensive Second Team in 1982, ’83 and ‘84. He was an All-Star an amazing twelve times in his 13 seasons, only missing out in ‘89 due to season ending surgery. He also won the three-point contest at All-Star Weekend the first three years it was held, from ‘86 to ‘88. Bird’s number “33” was retired by the Boston Celtics in 1993, in a ceremony attended by Magic Johnson, who wore a Celtics t-shirt underneath his Lakers warm-up jacket.

Bird stayed with the Celtics organization for a time, serving as a special assistant to the front office from 1992 to ‘97. In 1996, Bird was named to the NBA’s 50^th Anniversary All-Time Team. In 1997, he took on the job of head coach of his home state’s Indiana Pacers, being named Coach of the Year and coaching the Eastern Conference All-Star Team, both in 1998. His assistant coach was an old teammate from his Celtics glory days, Rick Carlisle. In 2000, Bird, Reggie Miller, and the Indiana Pacers made it to the NBA Finals, but lost in six games to Bird’s old foes, the Los Angeles Lakers. Having told Indiana he would only coach for three seasons, he retired in 2000. Bird became the Pacers’ president of basketball operations in 2003, a post he held until retiring in 2017, and maintains an advisory role with the team. He was named Executive of the Year in 2012.

Larry Bird is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, with many placing him in the top five. He’s undoubtedly one of the greatest shooters of all time, and along with Bill Russell, one of the greatest Celtics. Larry Bird was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 17: Kevin McHale

#32 Kevin McHale, “Black Hole,” Power Forward, 1980-1993

Born in Bob Dylan’s hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota in 1957, Kevin McHale attended the University of Minnesota from 1976 to 1980. While in school, McHale helped Team USA take home the Gold at two different international competitions in 1979; at the Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the Universiade in Mexico City. His number “44” has been retired by the school.

In the 1980 NBA draft, the Celtics traded the number one overall pick and another first round pick to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for center Robert Parish and the Warriors’ third overall pick, which the Celtics would use to draft McHale. This move would set the team up for success for over a decade to come. McHale made All-Rookie First Team in 1981 despite mostly coming off the bench for forwards Larry Bird and Cedric Maxwell, and that year the Celtics won the NBA Championship against the Houston Rockets.

Following the ‘83 season, McHale’s contract expired and it was speculated he’d soon be signing with the New York Knicks, but in the end he signed a new high-price contract with the Celtics. It was a good investment for Boston, and they made it back to the finals in 1984, facing their old rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. McHale played a memorable and controversial role in the series. The Celtics lost badly to the Lakers in game three, going down 2-1 in the series. They knew they had to do something to get into the Lakers’ heads, and while trailing in game four in Los Angeles, McHale delivered a hard foul to Lakers forward Kurt Rambis, knocking him to the ground. Rambis was unhurt, but the move set the tone for the rest of the series. The Celtics came back to win the game in overtime and win the series in seven games. ‘84 also marked McHale’s first All-Star appearance.

The following year Cedric Maxwell suffered a knee injury, giving McHale a chance to become a starter at the power forward position, and he flourished in the role. He quickly showed what he could do by setting a new team record by dropping 56 points in a game against the Detroit Pistons. Not to be outdone, Larry Bird set a new record nine days later by unleashing 60 on the Atlanta Hawks. The Celtics made it back to the finals in ‘85, but lost in a re-match to the Lakers in six games.

Cedric Maxwell was traded in the ‘85 off-season to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for center Bill Walton, giving McHale even more minutes in ‘85-86. McHale’s increased playing time, Walton’s excellent performance as back-up center, and the acquisition of sharp-shooting point guard Jerry Sichting all contributed to one of Boston’s best seasons to date. The team went 67 and 15, losing only one home game, and won their third championship of the decade, again defeating the Houston Rockets. His 25.8 points per game led all scorers in the Finals.

McHale had a career year in ‘86-87, setting career highs in points, rebounds and field goal percentage. Unfortunately, he broke his foot during a game in March of ‘87. He continued to play despite the advice of doctors, and played well through the playoffs, although he wasn’t as hot as he’d been in ‘86. Along with McHale’s foot injury, Bill Walton was only healthy enough to play 102 minutes in the ‘87 playoffs, and the Celtics top draft pick in ‘86, Maryland’s superstar forward Len Bias, had died two days after being selected by Boston. In the end the Celtics were too beat up to win the finals, losing to the Lakers again in six games.

McHale missed the first two months of the ‘87-88 season due to his foot injury, but was still able to play 64 games and the Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in ‘88, but they were eliminated by the Detroit Pistons, missing the Finals for the first time since ‘83. It was the last time until 2002 that the team would make it as far as the Conference Finals. The next year, Larry Bird missed all but six games due to foot surgery and the Celtics fell to a record of 42 and 40, their worst mark since ‘78-79. Still, they were able to hold on and make the playoffs. Without Bird though, the C’s were eliminated again by the Detroit Pistons, this time in a three game sweep in the first round.

Ankle surgery during the 1990 off-season caused McHale to think about retiring. Injuries caused him to miss 14 games in the ‘90-91 season, and 26 games in ‘91-92, and he would miss the All-Star Game that year for the first time since 1985. After being able to play just 45 games that year, Larry Bird would retire. McHale would play one more year at just 23.3 minutes per game in ‘92-93, the least since his rookie season. McHale retired in 1993, and his number “32” was retired by the Celtics the following year.

He currently sits at second only to Robert Parish all time among Celtics players in blocked shots, with just thirteen fewer than the Chief. He’s also fourth in games played, fifth in points, sixth in rebounds and seventh in minutes played. Along with his three rings, McHale won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in 1984 and ‘85, made All-NBA First Team in 1987, All-Defensive First Team in 1984, ‘85 and ‘86, and All-Defensive Second Team in ‘83, ‘89 and ‘90. He was also a seven-time All-Star, making the team in 1984 and every year from ‘86 to ‘91. His career highs include 26.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game in ‘86-87, and 60.4% field goal shooting back to back in ‘86-87 and ‘87-88; he led the league in field goal percentage both years. He also shot 89% from the line in ‘89-90 and averaged 2.3 blocks per game in ‘81-82 and ‘82-83.

After retiring, McHale joined the Minnesota Timberwolves organization, and was promoted to General Manager in 1995, drafting power forward Kevin Garnett that year. He would trade Garnett to the Boston Celtics in 2007. McHale was also head coach of the Timberwolves in 2008-09, and head coach of the Houston Rockets from 2011 to 2015. He’s also worked as a basketball analyst for TNT and NBA TV. Kevin McHale was selected to the NBA’s 50^th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 18: Robert Parish

#00 Robert Parish, “The Chief,” Center, 1980-1994

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1953, Robert Parish attended his hometown’s Centenary College from 1972 to ‘76, where he made Second Team All-American his senior year. While in school, Parish served as captain of Team USA at the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City where the team won gold.

He debuted in the NBA in 1976 for the Golden State Warriors, who drafted him 8^th overall, two seasons after they won their first championship since leaving Philadelphia. He was traded to Boston prior to the 1980-81 season, which was Larry Bird’s second season and Kevin McHale’s first. The Warriors hadn’t made the playoffs since his rookie year, and he joked that going to the Celtics was like moving from an outhouse to a penthouse.

That season, the Celtics won an NBA Championship against the Houston Rockets, and they would win two more that decade. In 1984 they beat the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games, and Parish played a big role in the pivotal fourth game, with 25 points, 12 rebounds 3 steals and 2 blocks. They won another against the Rockets again in 1986 in their best season of the decade. Along with the big three of Bird, Parish and McHale, the Celtics had a back court of Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge, a Hall of Famer sixth man in Bill Walton and Jerry Sichting and Scott Wedman coming off the bench. The team would also reach the finals in 1985 and ‘87, losing to the Lakers both times. The team began to decline after ’86 in large part due to the death of the Celtics’ pick in the 1986 draft, Len Bias, who passed away from a freak cocain overdose.

In a memorable incident, Parish punched Detroit Pistons center Bill Laimbeer in game five of ‘87 Eastern Conference Finals, knocking him to the floor. Laimbeer’s elbows had come close to striking Parish when he was hit; Laimbeer had a reputation as one of the league’s dirtiest players, and Parish wasn’t even assessed a foul. Two games prior, Laimbeer had clothes-lined Larry Bird, knocking him to the floor. Parish was suspended for one game, which Boston lost before clinching the series in game seven.

Parish would make All-NBA Second Team in 1982 and All-NBA Third Team in 1989. He would also make the All-Star Game nine times, including every season from 1981 to ‘87, and again in ‘90 and ‘91. Following the ‘93-94 season (during which he served as team captain), Parish left the Celtics and played two seasons for the Charlotte Hornets. In 1996, while still an active player, he was selected to the NBA’s 50^th Anniversary All-Time Team.

In 96-97, Parish’s final year, he played for the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen-led Chicago Bulls, who won their fifth championship of the decade that season on their way to a second three-peat. Although he played limited minutes, Parish added a fourth ring to his resume. Parish retired at age 43 as the NBA’s all time leader in games played with 1,611. He was ahead of his time when it came to his focus on nutrition and physical fitness, and was and is a practitioner of yoga and martial arts. He was also the third oldest player to play in the NBA and the oldest to win a championship.

He holds the all time lead among Celtics in blocked shots with 1,703. He’s second only to Bill Russell in rebounds, second to John Havlicek in games played, and in fourth place in points, minutes played and steals among Boston players. His career highs include 2.9 blocks per game in 1978-79, 12.5 rebounds per game in ‘88-89, 19.9 points per game in ‘81-82, and shooting 60% from the field in ‘90-91. He scored a career high 40 points in a January 1981 win against the San Antonio Spurs. Parish’s famous number “00” was retired by the Celtics in 1998, and he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003, with the introductory speech given by his old friend and teammate, Bill Walton.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 19: Dennis Johnson

#3 Dennis Johnson, “DJ,” Guard, 1983-1990

Born in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1954 and raised in Compton, California, Dennis Johnson attended LA Harbor College from 1972 to ‘75 and Pepperdine University in Los Angeles County in ‘75-76.

In 1976, Johnson was drafted 29^th overall by the Seattle SuperSonics. Seattle’s head coach during his rookie year was Celtics great Bill Russell. The Sonics lost in the Finals to Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes and the Washington Bullets in 1978. He won his first NBA Championship in a re-match with the Bullets in 1979 and was named Finals MVP, averaging 22.6 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.2 blocks in the five game series. He was especially dominant in the Sonics’ game four win with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks on 12 of 23 shooting. Seattle’s head coach during his rookie year was Celtics great Bill Russell. following the 1979-80 season, Johnson was traded to the Phoenix Suns, where he played until 1983.

Johnson was traded to the Celtics after the ‘82-83 season. He played there with greats like Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. It was a hell of a career move for DJ, and he and Bird greatly complimented each other’s games He won a Championship against the Los Angles Lakers in his first year in Boston. The Celtics won it all again in ‘86 against the Houston Rockets with quite possibly their best team ever. Along with DJ, Bird, McHale and Parish, they also featured guard Danny Ainge, Hall of Fame center Bill Walton as their sixth man and Scott Wedman and Jerry Sichting coming off the bench. They made the finals in 1985 and ‘87, but lost to the Lakers both times. The C’s slowly declined after ’86, in large part due to the death of Boston’s #2 overall pick in the 1986 draft, Maryland’s star forward Len Bias. DJ was involved in one of the Celtics’ most famous plays of the ‘80s if not ever in game five of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals. The C’s were down by one point with five seconds left in the game when Larry Bird stole Isiah Thomas’ inbounds pass before firing a pass to Dennis who’d rushed towards the basket for a layup. His bucket put the Celtics up by one point and won the game.

Johnson made All-NBA first team in 1981 and Second Team in 1980. Always an excellent defender, he made All-Defensive First Team six times; every year from 1979 to ‘83 as well as ‘87, and All-Defensive Second Team every year from 1984 to ‘86. Johnson was a five time All-Star, including every year from 1979 to ‘82, as well as ‘85. Johnson retired following the 1989-90 season and his number “3” was retired by the Celtics in 1991.

He currently sits at eighth all time among Celtics players in both assists and steals, as well as twentieth in points. His career highs include 7.8 assists per game in 1987-88, 19.5 points per game in ‘81-82, 1.8 steals per game in ‘79-80, and shooting over 50% from the field in his rookie season of ‘76-77. He scored a career high of 39 points in a February 1981 loss to the New York Knicks while a member of the Suns. He also served as the Celtics’ assistant coach from 1993 to ‘97, and as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers in 2003.

Sadly, Dennis Johnson died of a heart attack on February 22^nd, 2007, at the age of 52. He was considered by many, including former teammate Danny Ainge, to be one of the most under-rated players of all time. For Larry Bird’s part, he called DJ the best teammate he ever had. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 20: Reggie Lewis

#35 Reggie Lewis, “Truck,” Shooting Guard, 1987-1993

Born in Baltimore in 1965, Reggie Lewis attended Dunbar High School in the city’s east side, which boasted one of the best basketball teams in the country. He played alongside several other future NBA players, including Muggsy Bogues. Dunbar went undefeated in back to back years when Lewis was a junior and senior. In college, he played for Northeastern University in Boston from 1983 to ‘87. He was his conference’s Player of the Year in 1985, ‘86 and ‘87 and his number “35” has been retired by the school.

Lewis was drafted 22^nd overall by the Celtics in 1987, the year after Boston’s number two overall pick, Maryland superstar Len Bias, died of a freak cocaine overdose two days after the draft. The Celtics got the high quality young player they needed in Lewis, as the Celtics’ Big Three of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish were beginning to age. McHale, the youngest of the three, turned 30 in 1987. Lewis played only 405 minutes in his rookie year, but his role greatly increased in ‘88-89, partly due to Larry Bird playing only six games that season due to foot surgery. Lewis averaged 18.5 points and 1.5 steals per game, helping the Celtics make the playoffs without Bird, although they were eliminated in the first round.

With Bird back, the Celtics were able to advance to the second round in ‘91 and ‘92, but no further. 1992 also marked his lone appearance in the All Star Game. Lewis helped power the Celtics back to the playoffs in ‘93, the first season after Bird’s retirement. In the first game of the opening series against the Charlotte Hornets, something was clearly wrong with Reggie Lewis. He collapsed during the first quarter and was hospitalized; it turned out to be the last NBA game he ever played. With Lewis absent, the Celtics lost the series three games to one. The team’s management hired a “dream team” of doctors to diagnose Lewis and determine whether or not he could return. He most likely suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, meaning he could never play basketball again.

However, he sought a second opinion, and was told by another doctor that it was safe for him to play. Lewis decided to trust the second opinion and it cost him his life. He went into cardiac arrest and died on July 27^th, 1993, while practicing at the gym of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He was 27 years old.

Despite his tragic illness and death that cut short his career, Lewis is currently seventh all time among Celtics players in blocked shots, tenth in steals and 18^th in points. His career highs include 20.8 points per game in both ‘91-92 and ‘92-93, shooting over 50% from the field in ‘91-92, and averaging 1.5 steals per game in ‘88-89, ‘91-92 and ‘92-93. He scored a career high of 42 points twice, first in an April 1991 win against the Miami Heat and again in a second round playoff loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in May 1992.

Reggie Lewis has gone down as one of the great what-ifs in Celtics history, along with Len Bias. The Celtics missed the playoffs for six straight seasons following his death, the longest stretch in franchise history. In a ceremony attended by many of his former teammates, including Larry Bird and Dennis Johnson, Reggie Lewis’ number “35” was retired by the Celtics on March 22^nd, 1995, just months before the team played their last game at the old Boston Garden.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 21: Paul Pierce

#34 Paul Pierce, “The Truth,” Small Forward, 1998-2013

Born in Oakland, California in 1977, Paul Pierce grew up in Inglewood, California, in Los Angeles County. Naturally, Pierce grew up rooting for the Los Angeles Lakers and hating the Boston Celtics. As a junior in high school, Pierce first showed signs of becoming a great player. As a senior in 1995, Pierce won the California Mr. Basketball award and played in the McDonald’s All-American game with the likes of Vince Carter and future teammate Kevin Garnett. Pierce went on to attend the University of Kansas from 1995 to 1998, and in 1997 he helped Kansas win the Big 12 Conference Tournament. He was First Team All-American in 1998, and his number “34” has been retired by the school.

Pierce was picked tenth overall by the Boston Celtics in the 1998 draft, joining the team in one of the worst stretches in its history. They hadn’t made the playoffs since 1995 and hadn’t won a playoff series since 1992. Their last championship came in 1986 and the glory days years were now long gone; Larry Bird had retired in ‘92 and Kevin McHale in ‘93. The Celtics star shooting guard, Reggie Lewis, passed away at 27 during the ‘93 off-season from a heart condition, and Robert Parish moved on to the Charlotte Hornets in 1994.

There were seeds of promise though, as power forward Antoine Walker had joined the team in ‘96, and was an All-Star the year before Pierce’s arrival. Shooting guard Ron Mercer joined the league the year before Pierce and was was averaging 17 points a game during Pierce’s rookie season. For his part, Paul averaged 16.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals in his first year, and made All-Rookie First Team in ‘99. Mercer left following that season, and although Pierce steadily improved, the team didn’t make the playoffs until 2002.

In what could’ve easily been a fatal off the court incident, Pierce was stabbed eleven times in a Boston night club on September 25^th, 2000. His life was saved at Tufts-New England Medical Center and he went on to play all 82 games of the 2000-01 season. He later donated 2.5 million dollars to the hospital.

In 2001, he was nicknamed “The Truth” by Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal after Pierce dropped 42 points on one of the best ever Lakers teams in a losing effort, hitting 13 of 19 from the field. The Celtics were finally back in the playoffs in 2002, and faced the New Jersey Nets in the Conference Finals. With the series tied 1-1, the Celtics were getting blown out at home in game three with the score at 74 to 53 after three quarters. It was all Boston in the fourth though, with the Celtics outscoring the Nets 41 to 16 and winning the game 94 to 90 in one of the greatest playoff comebacks of all time. Pierce alone scored 19 in the fourth. Unfortunately, Jason Kidd and the Nets went on win the next three games and the series.

Antoine Walker left the team after the ‘03 season, and in ‘06 and ‘07, the team would miss the playoffs again. The low point was the 2007 season, in which Pierce was only able to play 47 games due to injuries and the team went 24 and 58, their worst mark since the train wreck that was ‘96-97. Things turned around in a hurry though as the team traded for two star players. The first was Ray Allen, one of the league’s best shooters, who came from the Seattle SuperSonics. The second was power forward Kevin Garnett, traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves, where Kevin McHale was serving as GM. Garnett was generally considered the best active player without a championship at the time. He went on to win Defensive Player of the Year in his first season with the team, and so far is the only Celtic to do so. The ‘07-08 team also featured young point guard Rajon Rondo, who joined the team the year before, and point guard Eddie House coming off the bench. The team proved to be one of the greatest in Celtics history, winning 66 games, just one shy of the legendary ‘86 team.

The playoffs were no cakewalk though, with the first two rounds going to seven games, first against the underdog Atlanta Hawks, then vs. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. They went on to beat the Detroit Pistons in six before arriving in the NBA Finals against their classic rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics won the first two games at home, before dropping game three in LA. In game four, the Celtics staged an amazing comeback akin to the one they’d gutted out against New Jersey in 2002. The Lakers led by 24 points early in the third quarter, but the Celtics wound up out-scoring them 31 to 15 in the third and 26 to 18 in the fourth, winning the game 97 to 91, stunning the LA crowd and giving them a 3-1 series lead. However, the Lakers won game five and the series shifted back to Boston. The Celtics ended the series decisively in game six, destroying the Lakers by nearly forty points, 131 to 92. It was their first Championship in 22 years; previously, the longest gap between titles had been just five. Pierce was named MVP of the Finals, having racked up 21.8 points, 6.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game in the series.

The Celtics seemed likely to repeat in 2009, but lost one of their best players when Kevin Garnett was injured in February and he did not return for the playoffs. The Celtics won 62 games despite the loss of Garnett, but would lose to the Orlando Magic in seven in the second round. In 2010 the Celtics won 50 games and then surprised many by making it back to the NBA Finals. They beat the Miami Heat in five in the first round, and again bounced LeBron James and the number one seeded Cavaliers in the semifinals in six games. It’s speculated that the Cavs’ second loss to Boston led to James’ decision to sign with Miami. The Celtics beat the Magic in six in the Conference Finals before facing the Lakers in the Finals for the second time in three years. The Lakers were the favorites going in, but the Celtics took it all the way to a seventh game in Los Angeles. The Celtics led 23 to 14 after the first quarter but wound up losing 83 to 79. The Lakers were aided by getting 37 free throw attempts to the Celtics’ 17. The Celtics’ starting center Kendrick Perkins getting injured in game six may have been the deciding factor, as the Celtics were out-rebounded 53 to 40 in the final game.

In 2011, the Celtics lost to the Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs in five games, as Miami had recently added LeBron James and Chris Bosh to a lineup that already included Dwayne Wade. In 2012, the Celtics made it back to the Conference Finals but again lost to the Heat, this time in seven, and Miami would go on to win the NBA Championship. 2013 would be Pierce’s last year with the Celtics. Ray Allen had left the team after the 2012 season, and Pierce and Garnett were now in their mid 30s. Still, they made it to the playoffs one more time in green, but lost to the New York Knicks in the first round.

That off-season, Pierce and Garnett were traded to the Brooklyn Nets along with Jason Terry and D.J. White in a trade that turned out to be very lopsided in Boston’s favor. The Celtics received five players along with four first round picks, two of which were used to draft Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum with a third being traded to Cleveland as part of the deal that brought star point guard Kyrie Irving to the Celtics for two seasons.

In Pierce’s one season with the Nets, they reached the second round of the playoffs but couldn’t make it past the star-studded Heat. The next year Pierce played for the Washington Wizards, but lost in the second round again, this time to the Atlanta Hawks. In 2015, Pierce began playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, and for the first time in his career was coming off the bench. The Clippers made it to the playoffs in ‘16 and ‘17, but never past the first round.

Pierce retired in 2017 and his number “34” was retired by the Boston Celtics in 2018. He currently sits at number one all time among Celtics in three pointers made with 1,823, almost twice as many as Antoine Walker, who’s in second place with over 900. He’s also number one in steals, just ahead of Larry Bird, number two in points, behind only John Havlicek, and third in minutes played and games played. He’s also fourth in blocked shots, fifth in assists and seventh in rebounds. He served as team captain from 2000 until his departure in 2013. His career highs include 26.8 points per game in ‘05-06 and shooting over 41% from three point range in both his rookie year and again in ‘09-10. He scored a career high of fifty points in a February 2006 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Pierce also made All-NBA Second Team in 2009 and Third Team in ‘02, ‘03 and ‘08. He was an All-Star an impressive ten times; every year from 2002 to 2012 with the exception of 2007, when he missed out due to injuries.

Since his retirement, he’s worked on television as a basketball analyst. Paul Pierce has undoubtedly been the greatest Celtic to emerge since the end of the original big three era and should be a lock for the Hall of Fame.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 22: Walter A. Brown

#1 Walter Brown, Owner, 1945-1964

Born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts in 1905, Walter A. Brown didn’t have much of a basketball background before founding the Boston Celtics in 1945. Before that, he was an important figure in American ice hockey. He was a highly successful coach of the amateur Boston Olympics hockey team, with whom he won five Eastern Hockey League championships. In 1933, he coached the United States to its first gold medal in the Ice Hockey World Championships. In 1951 he bought the Boston Bruins, and from 1954 to ‘57 he served as president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). In light of his contributions to hockey in the United States, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962.

His father George V. Brown was the manager of the Boston Garden, which opened in 1928, and after his death in 1937, Walter took over. In 1945 he decided that Boston ought to have a professional basketball team and founded the Boston Celtics. The next year, he co-founded the Basketball Association of America (BAA), considered the forerunner of the NBA. In 1949, he played a key role in merging the BAA with the National Basketball League (NBL), forming the NBA.

The Celtics initially struggled, but things changed in 1950 with the acquisition of head coach Arnold “Red” Auerbach from the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now the Atlanta Hawks) and the drafting of two young stars, Bob Cousy and Ed Macauley. The team was also ahead of its time when it came to race, with the Celtics being the first NBA team to draft a black player, the shooting guard and small forward Chuck Cooper.

The Celtics’ offense took off starting in ‘50-51, but a championship eluded the team until ‘56-57, when rookies Bill Russell and Tom Heinsohn joined the team, and they beat the St. Louis Hawks in the Finals. The Celtics made it back to the Finals every year for the remainder of Brown’s tenure, beating the Minneapolis Lakers in ‘59, the Hawks again in ‘60 and ‘61, the now Los Angeles Lakers in ‘62 and 63, and the San Francisco Warriors in ‘64. They also made the Finals in 1958 but lost to the Hawks.

Walter Brown died in September 1964 at the age of 59. Shortly after, the Celtics retired number “1” in his honor, as he was considered the most important person in the team’s history. Also in ‘64, The NBA Championship trophy was re-named the Walter Brown Trophy in his honor. It was re-named the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 1984 after NBA commissioner Larry O’Brien who retired that year. In 1965, he was posthumously inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1997, he was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in its inaugural year, as a tribute to his contributions to hockey around the world.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 23: Red Auerbach

#2 Arnold Auerbach, “Red,” Coach and Executive, 1950-2006

Arnold “Red” Auerbach was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1917 and grew up in the borough’s Williamsburg neighborhood. His father Hyman was a Jewish immigrant from Belarus, and his mother Marie was born in the United States. Arnold Auerbach spent a lot of time playing basketball as a kid, and soon gained the nickname Red from his red hair and hot temper. As a senior in high school in the 1930s, he was good enough to be named second team all-borough. He went on to play at George Washington University in Washington, DC, where he first learned the effectiveness of the fast break. After graduating in 1941, he coached high school basketball in DC. He served in the Navy from 1943 to 1946, and coached a Navy basketball team while stationed in Norfolk, Virginia.

The Basketball Association of America (BAA), the forerunner of the NBA, was founded in 1946, and that year Red was hired to coach one of its charter clubs, the Washington Capitols. He was an immediate success at the professional level, with the Capitols going 49 and 11 in their inaugural season, at one point going on a seventeen game winning streak, a record that stood until 1969. However, the team lost in the playoffs by the Chicago Stags. In ‘47-48, the Capitols went 28-20 and missed the playoffs, but performed better in the ‘49 season, reaching the BAA Finals but losing to the Minneapolis Lakers, who were led by one of the greatest players of the era, center George Mikan. That off-season, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League (NBL), creating the NBA, and Red decided to move on from the Capitols, who folded after the 1951 season. Auerbach briefly served as the assistant coach of the Duke University men’s team before signing on to coach the NBA’s Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now the Atlanta Hawks), located in the Davenport, Iowa area, for the 1950 season. Although they fared better than the season before, the Blackhawks finished at 28 and 29, and Auerbach resigned in protest after his favorite player, John Mahnken, was traded. Red was always quick tempered and competitive from the sidelines, and was ejected from more games and paid more fines than any coach in NBA history.

In their first few seasons, the Boston Celtics were not a successful team, making the playoffs just once in their first four years. In ‘49-50, they won 22 games and lost 46, and their owner, Walter A. Brown, asked a group of reporters who they’d recommend as a coach; they unanimously suggested Auerbach. Brown took their advice and hired Red, who’s impact was immediate. In the 1950 NBA draft, he picked future hall of fame center Ed Macauley and shooting guard and small forward Chuck Cooper, who was the first black player ever drafted by an NBA or BAA team. This move helped put an end to the exclusion of black players in the early years of professional basketball. Auerbach declined to draft the star point guard from the nearby College of the Holy Cross, Bob Cousy, which outraged many New England basketball fans. Cousy was drafted by Red’s old team, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, but refused to report as the New York City native didn’t want to go to Iowa. Instead he ended up with the Chicago Stags, but they folded before the season began. Ironically, Cousy ended up being selected by the Celtics in a dispersal draft. Auerbach was skeptical of Cousy’s flashy style of play and didn’t think he’d make it in the NBA, but his doubts were soon put to rest. Along with George Mikan, Cousy became one of the league’s first great stars and biggest gate attractions.

The Celtics finished ‘50-51 with a record of 39 and 30, 17 more wins and 16 fewer losses than a year before, but they lost in the playoffs to the New York Knicks. In the 1951 draft, Auerbach selected another excellent guard, Bill Sharman, known as Bullseye Bill for his elite free-throw shooting. The Celtics now boasted the league’s best offensive rating, as they would almost every year until 1960, but again fell to the Knicks in the playoffs. The Celtics added Frank Ramsey, the original sixth man, in ‘54-55, and the strong defender Jim Loscutoff in ‘55-56, but the Celtics still failed to reach the finals despite making the playoffs annually. Auerbach knew the team needed a big man who could defend, rebound and start the fast break, and he got exactly that in the 1956 draft.

It was then that he traded Ed Macauley to the St. Louis Hawks for their first round pick, center Bill Russell, who had recently won back to back NCAA Championships at the University of San Francisco, and would prove to be one of the greatest and most successful NBA players of all time. Red also drafted Tom Heinsohn, who would become Rookie of the Year and a star forward for the Celtics for years to come, and the excellent defensive guard, K.C. Jones. Russell didn’t play a game until December due to him joining Team USA at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, where he won Gold, and K.C. Jones didn’t play for the team until ‘58-59 due to his attempt to join the NFL. K.C. had however played alongside Russell at San Francisco and on the Olympic team. Still, the Celtics were on their way. The team went 44 and 28 in ‘56-57, setting a franchise record for winning percentage, and Bob Cousy was named MVP of both the All Star Game and the regular season. The C’s swept Dolph Shcayes and the Syracuse Nationals in the Division Finals and then beat Bob Pettit and the St. Louis Hawks in seven to win their first Championship. It was the beginning of the greatest run in the history on North American professional sports.

The keys to Red’s success were unselfish play, physical conditioning, and an emphasis on defense, which forced opponents into taking tough shots and committing turnovers, which could quickly turn into fast-breaks for the Celtics. The team boasted the league’s best defensive rating in five of the seven seasons between 1961 and ‘67, and the best regular season record from 1957 to ‘65. In ‘57-58, Sam Jones joined the squad and proved to be one of the best shooting guards of his era. That year, the Celtics returned to the Finals but lost a re-match with the St. Louis Hawks, who became the last all-white team to win an NBA Championship. The next eight years would belong to Boston.

In 1959, they defeated the Minneapolis Lakers in the Finals, who featured a young Elgin Baylor, often called his generation’s Michael Jordan. In 1960 and ‘61 they again beat the St. Louis Hawks. In 1962 and ‘63, the C’s won against the now Los Angeles Lakers, who’d since added Jerry West, beginning one of the greatest rivalries in sports. In 1964, the Celtics beat Wilt Chamberlain, who was seen as Bill Russell’s rival, and the San Francisco Warriors. In 1965 and ‘66, the Celtics capped off eight straight championships with two more wins against the Lakers. Red was also named Coach of the Year in 1965, following a 62 and 18 season. The trophy handed out to Coach of the Year winners would later be re-named the Red Auerbach Trophy.

Several more important players were added to the team in that era; first KC Jones in ‘58-59, followed by the defensive forward Satch Sanders in ‘60-61, the sixth man who became one of the all-time great Celtics, John Havlicek, in ‘62-63, and another sixth man, Don Nelson, in ‘65-66. Havlicek and Nelson would play for the Celtics until 1978 and ‘76 respectively. Red Auerbach broke another racial barrier during that period when he started five black players to begin a game in December 1964, those being Bill Russell, Satch Sanders, Willie Naulls, Sam Jones and KC Jones. Naulls was playing in place of an injured Tom Heinsohn. Auerbach claimed race didn’t affect his decision one way or the other, and winning the game was his only concern.

Red broke an even bigger barrier after deciding to retire from coaching and becoming the team’s general manager in 1966. His first choice as a replacement was Tom Heinsohn, who’d retired in 1965, but he turned him down (although he would go on to coach the team for most of the ‘70s). Bill Russell then agreed to replace Red as a player-coach, becoming the first black head coach of a major North American professional sports team. Several of Red’s other former players would become successful coaches, those being Tom Heinsohn, Bill Sharman, K.C. Jones and Don Nelson. Russell’s first regular season went well, with the Celtics going 60 and 21, but the team lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the Division Finals. The Sixers went 68 and 13 that year and were led by Wilt Chamberlain (who had recently developed a less selfish style of play) along with Hal Greer and Billy Cunningham. The Celtics were champions again though in 1968 and ‘69, defeating the Lakers both times. Russell retired in 1969 along with Sam Jones, and for the first time since 1950, the C’s missed the playoffs in 1970 and ‘71. In 1969, Red Auerbach was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

After a couple of lean years, Auerbach re-built the Celtics around their former sixth man, John Havlicek. He drafted point guard Jo Jo White in 1969 and center Dave Cowens in 1970. Other acquisitions included Don Chaney, Paul Westphal and Paul Silas. Tom Heinsohn, who had a feisty temperament similar to Red’s, became head coach in ‘69-70. The Celtics were back in the playoffs by ‘71-72, and in ‘72-73 they had their best regular season to date, going 68 and 14. Unfortunately they lost the Eastern Conference Finals to Walt Frazier and the eventual champion New York Knicks in seven after John Havlicek dislocated his shoulder in game three. They were champions again in 1974 after defeating Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson and the Milwaukee Bucks. The team won their second championship in three years in ‘76 against the Phoenix Suns, who were led by vengeful former Celtic Paul Westphal and a rookie Alvan Adams in a hard fought six game series. In 1975 the first of Red’s seven books was published, Basketball for the Player, Fan and Coach, which was eventually translated into seven languages. It’s currently the best selling book on basketball in print.

Things took a turn for the worse later in the decade, as Paul Silas was traded by Auerbach (against the protests of Dave Cowens) and Don Nelson retired. In ‘77-78, the team missed the playoffs for the first time since ‘71, and John Havlicek retired at the end of the year. The team went through a series of coaching changes in that era, with Heinsohn being fired at the end of the ‘78 season and replaced with another former Celtic, Satch Sanders. 1978-79 was their worst season since ‘49-50, with the team going just 29 and 53, and Sanders was replaced mid-season by Dave Cowens, who served as player coach. Finally Bill Fitch was hired as head coach in 1979, where he stayed through 1983. In 1978, Auerbach was so fed up with the team’s management that he nearly took a job as general manager of the New York Knicks, but was talked out of it by a heroic Boston cab driver.

Despite the dysfunction of the late ‘70s, things would soon be looking up. Cedric Maxwell joined the team in ‘77-78 and had an excellent season the following year, averaging nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds a game on 58 percent shooting. Point guard Tiny Archibald was added in ‘78-79 and would play a major role through the early ‘80s, making three All Star Games as a Celtic. In the 1978 draft, Red picked Larry Bird from Indiana State, although he elected to play one more year of college ball. After nearly winning an NCAA Championship in 1979, Bird joined the Celtics for ‘79-80 and was an instant success, winning Rookie of the Year in 1980 and helping the team get back in the playoffs. They reached the Eastern Conference Finals but lost to the 76ers in five. Still, they had one of the most dramatic turnarounds in NBA history, improving from 29 and 53 to 61 and 21.

In the 1980 draft, Red would greatly reinforce the up and coming team by pulling off probably the greatest deal of his long career. He traded the number one and number thirteen overall picks to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for center Robert Parish and the number three overall pick, which he used to draft power forward Kevin McHale. Both players made an immediate impact on the team, and although McHale would begin his career as a sixth man, the three would go on to form one of the best front lines in NBA history. The Celtics were back on top in 1981, winning it all against Moses Malone and the Houston Rockets after coming back from a three to one series deficit in the Conference Finals against Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers. In 1983, the Celtics won 56 games but lost in a second round sweep to the Milwaukee Bucks, leading to the dismissal of coach Bill Fitch, who was replaced by another of Red’s former players, K.C. Jones. The following season the Celtics won their fifteenth championship in a dramatic seven game series against the Lakers. Also in ‘84, Red stepped down as general manager to become team president. In 1985, the Celtics retired the number “2” in Red’s honor as he was considered the second most important person in the their history, surpassed only by the Celtics’ founder and original owner, Walter Brown.

The Celtics lost a Finals re-match against LA the next year, but in the ‘85 off-season Auerbach made another big move, trading forward Cedric Maxwell along with a draft pick to the Los Angeles Clippers for center Bill Walton, who would brilliantly fill the sixth man role for the Celtics in 1986. ‘85-86 would go down as one of the greatest years in franchise history, with the team going 67 and 15 and winning the NBA Championship against Hakeem Olajuwon, Ralph Sampson and the Houston Rockets, who were coached by Bill Fitch. Along with a front line of Bird, McHale (who was now starting) and Parish, the team also boasted Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge in the back court and Walton, Jerry Sichting and Scott Wedman coming off the bench.

1986 proved to be a high point followed by a slow decline. In the ‘86 draft, the Celtics had the number two overall pick due to Auerbach trading guard Gerald Henderson to the Seattle SuperSonics in 1984. He used it to draft University of Maryland superstar Len Bias, a 6’8 forward who many later said could’ve been the LeBron James of his generation. Tragically, Bias died less than two days later of a freak cocaine overdose, and the NBA would decline to give the Celtics any compensation for the terrible loss. Bill Walton, who’d signed a three year contract with the Celtics, was barely able to play in ‘86-87, appearing in only ten regular season games and twelve playoff games. Another key bench player, Scott Wedman, played only six games that year due to injury and never retired after that season. Kevin McHale had a career year in ‘87, setting career highs in points and rebounds, leading the league in field goal percentage and making First Team All-NBA, but broke his foot late in the regular season. He heroically continued to play despite the injury, but was never the same following that season and wasn’t 100 percent during the playoffs. Robert Parish sprained his ankle during the Eastern Finals but kept going on one good leg. The walking wounded Celtics still won 59 games and reached the Finals in ‘87, but despite a courageous effort they were defeated in six games by the best Lakers team of that decade.

In ‘88 the Celtics missed the Finals for the first time since ‘83 after losing to the up and coming “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons in six in the Conference Finals, and KC Jones stepped down as coach after the season. In ‘88-89, Larry Bird missed almost the entire year due to foot surgery, and the team would win only 42 games and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. In 1991 and ‘92 the Celtics advanced to the second round, but Larry Bird retired after the ‘92 season, having been playing through chronic pain for years. Kevin McHale followed suit in ‘93, and Reggie Lewis, the 27 year old two guard and small forward who’d made the All Star Game in 1992, died of a congenital heart defect during the 1993 off-season. Similar to the loss of Len Bias, Lewis’ death was crippling to the future of the team. Robert Parish left for the Charlotte Hornets in 1994, and it wasn’t until the early 2000s that the once proud Celtics regained their relevance.

In 1992, Auerbach turned 75, and that was about the time he began to lose interest in making the team’s personnel moves. In 1997, Red became the Celtics’ vice-chairman before going back to the role of president in 2001. Red Auerbach died of a heart attack in October of 2006 at the age of 89. Among those who attended his funeral were former Celtics Bill Russell, Kevin McHale, and Danny Ainge, and NBA commissioner David Stern.

The debate over who was the greatest Celtic usually comes down to Russell and Bird, understandably so. But although he never played a game in a Celtics uniform, Red Auerbach was involved in 16 of the Celtics’ 17 championships, winning nine as a coach and seven more behind the scenes as an executive. He helped break down the league’s color barrier, first by drafting Chuck Cooper in 1950, by employing more than the two or three black players that most NBA teams did in the ‘50s and ‘60s, by putting five black players on the floor to start a game for the first time in 1964, and handing over the job of head coach to Bill Russell in 1966. Both during and after his coaching career he knew how to build great team after great team. Red gave 56 of his 89 years to the organization, and his efforts not only made the Celtics the greatest team in NBA history but helped build the NBA into the thriving league it is today. It’s true that the players on the court won the games, but it’s hard to imagine anyone defining the Celtics more than Red Auerbach.