The Celtics of the 60s

LeBron James and his teammate James Jones have now reached 5 consecutive NBA Finals. That’s a feat even Michael Jordan could not achieve (2 separate 3 in a row appearances). Even Kobe Bryant and Shaq have only 3 consecutive finals appearances.

However, a record that may not be equaled for a long time is the consecutive finals made the Celtic dynasty of the late 50s and through the 60s. From 1957 to 1966, and 1968 and 1969 the Celtics made the NBA finals. Except 1958, all those finals appearance meant an NBA trophy for the Celtics.

How were they able to do this? Who were the key men behind such unrivaled dominance in the NBA?

In my opinion, there were 4 key factors

1. Bill Russel
2. Bob Cousy
3. Red Auerbach
4. Physical Play

Bill Russell

He is considered as one of the finest players to have ever graced the NBA. He was the heart of the Celtics that dominated from 1957 to 1969 as a player and a player coach (1966-69). He was an excellent defensive center. He had amazing basketball IQ and man to man marking abilities and was fairly effective on the offense. He was able to even inspire his teammates to up their game. His 8 championships in a row from 1959-66, is the joint highest by any North American Athlete.

His rebounding abilities were only rivalled by that of one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA, Wilt Chamberlain as they both clashed often in their playing careers. Both of them have been the finest board players in the NBA and lead the NBA rebounds list. What was also impressive, is his athleticism with many commentators saying he could do well in any sport discipline.

Russell was a notably poor free-throw shooter and an average point scorer. His free throw percentage was poor at 56% and 44% field goals (average). What he lacked in his scoring, he made up in his defense which, is unrivalled. He has been noticed as he has 5 regular season MVP awards and was able to pass the ball well and make good plays for his team mates, one of the most memorable being his play in Game 7 of the 1957 finals, when Celtics won the match in 2OT.

No doubt he was a major reason for the Celtics, he really was not having a good off-field relation with many teammates, fans, journalists. His legacy as the greatest defensive centre in the NBA has not been tarnished. The NBA finals MVP trophy is now called the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award

Bob Cousy

Another important player in the Celtics dominance was Bob Cousy. When he played, he was one of the most effective point guards in the game and led the NBA league assists in 8 of his 13 seasons as a professional. With the arrival of Russell and Auerbach’s fast break offense, he played an important role.

When the rebound was grabbed by Celtics on the defense (primarily by Russell), he would pass it to Cousy who would then lead the offense and set up plays for his team mates. This ensured the Cetlics were a threat on both sides of the court.

When he retired in 1963, he retired as a player with the most championships in an emotional ceremony at Boston, dubbed the “Boston Tear Party”.

Red Auerbach

Coach Auerbach was appointed to a struggling Celtics just before the 1950-51 season. He used a fast break offense. He was the first coach to break the color barrier in the NBA by drafting the first African-American Player Chuck Cooper. He was a shrewd picker in the drafts. He chose players that fit his system well and that made the Celtics a force to be reckoned with by 1955.

He had his eye for Russell in the 1956 draft and managed to negotiate with other teams with trades to ensure he got the young defensive center. He drilled a sense of team play over individual accolades into his team and drilled them hard in the defense. His hard work paid off. The Celtics won 9 of the 10 NBA Championships from 1957 to 1966. After retiring as a active coach and promoting Bill Russell as a player coach (he led them to 2 more championships), he served as the General Manager of the Celtics till 1984, where he made important draft picks that helped the Celtics.

In 29 years as a Coach and Manager, he won 16 NBA titles. No one has even come close. The NBA Coach of the year award is now known as Red Auerbach Trophy.

Physical Play

Basketball players like any are fit. However, being a contact sport, there needs to be a certain degree of toughness and there are rules and regulations concerning player safety and their health. During the 60s era, there was a lot of physical play, which you just do not see in the modern game. Injuries were more frequent and fouls were pretty violent.

It was in this atmosphere, the Celtics, especially Russell thrived on. They could use their effective man-making defense skills to full effect. To avoid such harsh defense, the Celtics forced their opponents to take long range field goal attempts (there was no 3-point field goals in that era) which resulted in inaccurate shots, and thereby, lower points.

Fines were also not able to stop the physical play. Bill Russell once was provoked by New York Knicks center Ray Felix in a game. When he was told to take matters into his own hand by the Boston coach, Auerbach, he punched Felix unconscious. He was no longer a victim of cheap fouls and had to pay a $25 fine.