Boston Celtics: Compiling an all-time starting 5

John Havlicek, shooting guard

Another one of the great legends of Boston Celtics lore, John Havlicek overlapped Cousy for only a year and then seemed to build a legacy of one of the greatest Celtics of all-time.

Havlicek was drafted by both the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League in 1962.

In his sixteen NBA seasons, Havlicek is the Celtics’ all-time leader in points, scoring 26,395 points (20.8 points per game, 16th all-time in points scored in the NBA), and playing in 1,270 games (30th all-time). He became the first player to score 1,000 points in 16 consecutive seasons, with his best season coming during the 1970–71 season when he averaged 28.9 points per game.

One play epitomized Havlicek’s reputation as the pre-eminent hustle player of his time. In the Eastern Conference Final playoff game seven in 1965 with the Celtics up by one point, Havlicek reached and tipped a pass on a Philadelphia 76ers inbound play to teammate Sam Jones, who then dribbled out the clock to cement the Boston victory, setting off pandemonium in Boston Garden.

The play was immortalized by the Celtics’ longtime radio broadcaster, Johnny Most, whose call — “Havlicek stole the ball!” — became enshrined in every highlight reel of the Celtics’ glorious history.

He was an eight-time NBA champion, a thirteen-time All-Star selection, an eleven-time First or Second Team All-NBA selection, an eight-time First or Second Team All-Defense selection and he was chosen for the NBA Anniversary Team for its 35th and 50th seasons.