by Todd Pheifer

Created on: February 10, 2010

The Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association are one of the more storied franchises of all time.  They have had fantastic players and over the years they have captured their share of championships and awards.  In many ways, the Celtics are like the New York Yankees because they have had a number of great players throughout their history.  Therefore, it is difficult to pick the very best because a number of players could be involved in the discussion and there are always adjustments for era and situation.  However, here are a few quick thoughts on the best players ever in Boston Celtics franchise history and what they accomplished on that now famous parquet floor.

Bob Cousy

Cousy was not a very big player, but he demonstrated big-time play throughout his entire career.  He was a great ball-handler and distributor and he led the lead in assists eight times.  So amazing were his skills on the floor that he was dubbed by some the "Houdini of the Hardwood." 

Bill Russell

It is hard to argue with the dominance of Bill Russell as he won an incredible eleven championships with the Celtics during his legendary 13-year NBA career.  He had many battles with the great Wilt Chamberlain and Russell proved to be a force on the court.  He was a twelve-time All Star, a five-time NBA Most Valuable Player, and he pulled down over 21,000 rebounds in his career. 

Larry Bird

Larry "Legend" defined the elite Celtic teams of the 1980's.  With running mates Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale, Bird defined quality shooting, passing, and tenacious team play.  Bird and the Celtics won three NBA championships during the 1980's, as they traded titles throughout the decade with the "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers. 

Paul Pierce

Pierce has been the face of the Boston Celtics franchise in the modern era, as he has been a consistent scorer and "go to" player for over a decade.  After many years of struggled, Pierce finally won his first NBA championship when the Celtics assembled the "Big Three" star combination of Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. 

John Havlicek

Havlicek won eight titles with the Celtics and scored over 26,000 points.  John was a tenacious defender and he is considered by many to be one of the greatest players in NBA history. 

Honorable mention

Dave Cowens, Kevin McHale, Reggie Lewis, Kevin Garnett, K.C. Jones, Robert Parish, Cedric Maxwell

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