Towards the end of halftime of last night's win against the Orlando Magic, the 1961-1962 Celtics were honored in a mini-celebration. It was 50 years ago that team won the franchise's 4th consecutive and 5th overall title. You know the famous grainy black-and-white footage you see of Bob Cousy dribbling out the clock then tossing the ball in the air simultaneously as Bill Russell raises his fist in victory? That was the year.
Cousy and Russell were there along with Tommy Hiensohn, Jim Loscutoff, Frank Ramsey, Satch Sanders and Sam Jones were all introduced to thunderous and deserving applause. Nobody received a louder ovation than Russell, deservedly so. Kevin Garnett, a contemporary titan of the game in his own right, went as far to bow to Russell several times. Check out the videos below highlighting the recognition of a great team. The first is from the broadcast, the second is admittedly awful quality as I had to scramble for my camera phone. But you can at least hear the reaction of the crowd and catch a glimpse of KG. You should also read this to see just how much respect KG and Paul Pierce have for those legends and how one day, they may just be the ones returning (2058 perhaps?).
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ade6Bn8KiMw] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNe0dpXBnXM]Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
