One thing that will sustain us all, besides planking, of course, is a regular look back at Celtics history. Lord knows there's plenty of it to sift through as we trudge through this lockout.
So in our first Red's Army Rewind, we're looking back on how the Celtics won their first ever NBA championship.
The Celtics entered the season with a new center, rookie Bill Russell out of San Francisco. But as amazing as Russell was that season (he averaged 15 ppg and 20 rpg. Blocks were not counted back then) he wasn't rookie of the year. Tommy Heinsohn was (16.2 ppg, 9.8 rpg). Add to that league MVP Bob Cousy, and this Celtics team was pretty stacked.
In the eight team NBA, the Celtics were the league's only 40-win team (44-28 in a then 72 game season). The Celtics swept past the Syracuse Nationals 3-0 to get to the St. Louis Hawks. What ensued was an amazing 7 game series that saw teams top the 120 point mark 6 times.
The Hawks took Game One 125-123 in Boston. The C's came back to take Game Two 119-99. The teams split the two games in St. Louis with the Hawks taking Game Three 100-98 and the C's taking Game Four 123-118. Both teams held home court in Games Five and Six with the Celtics winning at home, 124-109 and the Hawks winning by two, 96-94.
Game Seven was a double OT thriller that produced some amazing numbers. Our boy Tommy Heinsohn had one of the most amazing Finals performances ever, dropping 37 points and 23 rebounds. Let that sink in for a minute. Bill Russell added 19 points and 32 rebounds. That's right, they combined for 56 points and 55 rebounds. Imagine if Dwyane Wade and LeBron James did that this year in Game Seven? ESPN would still be whacking off to it.
The Celtics held on to win that game 125-123 to win the first of their 17 titles.
The Red's Army Rewind will be a regular feature as we head through the lockout. We hope you enjoy it and we hope some of our younger fans can get a new look at the team you all love. This team's history is as amazing as any team in pro sports. We look forward to bringing you more.
Photo: Sports Illustrated. Game info: SI & Basketball Reference
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