CELTICS PRIDE: The Rebuilding of Boston's World Champion Basketball Team

by Bob Ryan ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 30, 1975

With the retirement of the Celtics player-coach Bill Russell and hot-shooting guard Sam Jones in 1969, the greatest dynasty in the history of professional basketball -- eleven NBA championships in thirteen years -- came to an end. Boston Globe staffer Ryan (Wait Till I Make the Show) herein examines the rebuilding process which culminated in the club's dramatic seven-game playoff win over Milwaukee in the '73-'74 season. With a nucleus of Havlicek, Nelson and Sanders, general manager Red Auerbach deftly shaped the team into a quicker, more aggressive unit. Thus, ""through the draft (White, Cowens, Chancy & Westphal), the trade market (Silas), and just by being a bastard, he had already started to bring the temporarily fallen Celtics back."" Aided by the new personnel and their fresh fast-breaking legs -- especially those of the smallish, ever-hustling center Cowens, a character who dresses in ""early Mickey Mantle"" -- the team seems to have retained the winning tradition of its past. Sure and steady like a Sam Jones set shot.

Pub Date: April 30, 1975

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown/Sports Illustrated

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1975

Categories: NONFICTION