hero-image

Boston Celtics: All-time starting 5

Red Auerbach is synonymous with winning.
Red Auerbach is synonymous with winning.

The Boston Celtics were the all-time leaders in NBA championships until the LA Lakers tied their tally of 17 titles in 2020. Still, the franchise remains one of the two greatest in the history of the NBA. Accordingly, this winning outfit has had many superstars over the years, all of whom have built their legacy.


Boston Celtics - All-time starting 5

As a franchise that played the second-most NBA Finals of all time, the Boston Celtics have a long and great history formed by iconic players and coaches.

In this article, we will look at the all-time starting five of the Boston Celtics, and we will also include a coach and a sixth man. Without further ado, let us start.


Coach - Red Auerbach

It cannot be anyone different from the great Red Auerbach. Auerbach coached the Celtics for 16 seasons, having a regular-season record of 795 wins and 397 losses.

He led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA championships and a 90-58 record in the NBA Playoffs. Auerbach was also an executive for Boston between 1950 and 2001, and was a part of 16 of the team's NBA titles.


Sixth man - Kevin McHale

McHale had every move in the post.
McHale had every move in the post.

He was not a stranger to this role in his playing days. Kevin McHale is certainly one of the best players in the history of the Boston Celtics and one of the greatest power forwards ever.

McHale played his 13-year NBA career with the Boston Celtics, and though he is top 4 in franchise history in games played, McHale started only 400 times. In fact, he won the Sixth Man of the Year Award twice for the Celtics (the franchise only has three of those awards).

His career averages were 18 points and 7 rebounds per game on 55% shooting. McHale is the franchise all-time leader in blocks per game, with 1.7.


Point Guard - Bob Cousy

Cousy was a superstar at the PG position.
Cousy was a superstar at the PG position.

Bob Cousy played 917 of his 924 career NBA games for the Boston Celtics. Cousy was an All-Star in his 13 years with the Celtics and led the league eight consecutive times in assists per game.

He played from 1950 to 1963, winning six NBA championships, earning 12 All-NBA selections apart from an MVP. Cousy is the franchise leader in assists with 6,945.


Shooting Guard - John Havlicek

Hondo was unique.
Hondo was unique.

It was not easy to leave Sam Jones out of this contest, but John Havlicek was a better player individually, and he too won a fair number of NBA championships with the franchise (eight; Jones won 10).

Havlicek played 16 years for the Boston Celtics, winning eight titles (two in the 1970s, without Bill Russell) and one NBA Finals MVP. Hondo played in the All-Star game 13 times, and earned 11 All-NBA selections apart from eight All-Defensive spots.

While he was usually listed as a small forward, Havlicek was also listed as a shooting guard in four seasons. He leads the Boston Celtics' all-time rankings of games, minutes, field goals, and points (26,395).


You may also like