http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1119526/index.htm

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/050302

1963

BOSTON
On the first day of fall practice the newest Celtic, Willie Naulls, collapsed from exhaustion. "I'm loaded with hustle scars," he said last week. Coach Red Auerbach always starts his teams hard, but this year the regimen was tougher than ever. The Celtics want to get off to a fast start to show that they can win without Bob Cousy and that they can still run and play both ends of the court in spite of an average age of 29, highest in the league. In Boston the name the players give their game is "big D," the D for defense. The man who spells the whole word out is Bill Russell, still magnificent and even more determined. His major cohorts are Tom Sanders, an excellent defensive corner man, and K. C. Jones, a guard who is such a master of harassment that he often keeps opponents from even getting the ball. K. C. is Cousy's replacement, but it is Naulls (12.9) who should make up the scoring lost when Cousy (13.2) retired. Bought from San Francisco, Naulls is the latest of the veteran replacements that the Celtics always seem to come up with. The only other Celtic newcomers are also experienced. They are Guards Johnny McCarthy (ex- St. Louis) and Larry Siegfried (ex-ABL). Sam Jones (19.7) and Tommy Heinsohn (18.7) will continue to lead the scoring, though Heinsohn is slowed for now because of shingles. John Havlicek, last year's fine rookie, is now more of an outside shooting threat than he was. Havlicek is another Auerbach swing man. He and Frank Ramsey can play both forward and guard, providing a versatility that makes Boston even deeper. The Celtics will need depth for their fight with the Royals. " Cincinnati is a helluva team," Auerbach says. But everybody knows Boston is, too.

1985 - 1986 Boston Celtics

Parish Begins 1986 with a Flourish

You knew certain things were going to happen when the Celtics shipped Cedric Maxwell west for Bill Walton: Larry Bird would be guarding small forwards, Kevin McHale would retire his Sixth Man Trophy, and the Celtics would be adopted by an assortment of health freaks, rock bands and '60s burnouts.

But no one dared speculate that Cambridge Bill would make Robert Parish a better player. In fact, many Celtic fans worried that Parish would pout about the presence of Walton on the Celtic bench.

1985 - 1986 Boston Celtics

G11 Utah Jazz @ Boston Celtics 106-115

1986 Cs Move to 9-2

CELTICS OUTLAST JAZZ IN OT

For all his considerable talent, Adrian Dantley is a reminder that no one- man gang can dominate for too long against the NBA's best.

1985 - 1986 Boston Celtics

G10 Boston Celtics @ Indiana Pacers 109-111

1986 Lose to Pacers, Fall to 8-2

Cs Fall to 8-2

1985 - 1986 Boston Celtics

G9 Washington Bullets @ Boston Celtics 114-118

Ainge Leads 1986 Cs to Win over Bullets
Cs Move to 8-1

Final scores don't mean much at the Garden these days, especially ones reading Boston 118, Opponent 114. Wednesday's four-point Celtic spread over the Pacers was laughable, because there was as much chance of Indiana winning that game as Moses Malone has of succeeding William F. Buckley on "Firing Line." And last night's matching final score of Boston 118, Washington 114, doesn't quite explain the nature of this game, either.

1985 - 1986 Boston Celtics

G8 Indiana Pacers @ Boston Celtics 114-118

1986 Cs Move to 7-1
DJ's Hot Hand Overcomes Bird's Bricks

1961

BOSTON CELTICS

Last year the Celtics could have won in a walk, and they almost did, beating Philadelphia by 11 games for their fifth consecutive Eastern Division title. This year they are still the best in the NBA, but they will have to run all the way to prove it. Bill Sharman (16.3 points a game) and Gene Conley (substitute center) are gone. Bob Cousy is still matchless, but he is also 33. Coach Red Auerbach has nine returning veterans, however, so the changes won't be fatal. The Joneses (Sam and K.C.), line-drive-shooting Tom Heinsohn, Frank Ramsey and Tom Sanders, who performed so well as a rookie in last year's playoffs, will share Sharman's points. Cousy paces himself well, and Auerbach can afford to rest him often. Bill Russell, the defensive wonder who was last season's MVP, is back with a goatee and a better shot. The Celtics' future depends on Russell. If he stays healthy, it's Boston.

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1003565/1/index.htm

March 23th, 1992

The Celtics' Music Man

For one golden season Tony Lavelli charmed the NBA with a hook shot and a squeeze-box

Jack Cavanaugh

1985 - 1986 Boston Celtics

G7 Boston Celtics @ Detroit Pistons 124-105

1986 Cs Move to 6-1

CELTICS POUND PISTONS 124-105

1985 - 1986 Boston Celtics

G6 Phoenix Suns @ Boston Celtics 101-125

1986 Cs win 5th in a Row

Bird Returning to Form as Cs Pummel Suns

Representatives from the Grateful Dead, the E Street Band and the Naked Eye invaded practice; Larry Bird finally closed the book on the famed Chelsea's incident; and the entire team lived through a chapter of "The Crucible" after a mysterious bust in Brookline.

1985 - 1986 Boston Celtics

G5 Boston Celtics @ Washington Bullets 88-73

1986 Cs win 4th in a Row

McHale Leads Way to Victory

LANDOVER, Md. It was your basic early-November NBA joust. The Washington Bullets shot like dropouts from the Charles Bradley Shooting Academy and were overwhelmed by the glut of ever-ready weaponry at the disposal of Celtics coach K.C. Jones.Last night's 88-73 victory in the Capital Centre pushed the Celtic winning streak to four, provided them with their first blowout of the young season and dented the theory that Washington is on the threshold of joining the power elite in the Eastern Conference.

1985 - 1986 Boston Celtics

G4 Atlanta Hawks @ Boston Celtics 105-109

1986 Celtics Move to 3-1

Walton Begins to Impose his Will off the Bench

ATLANTA, GA. The Call last night was a breakaway foul on Atlanta's Ray Williams, a decision by referee Mike Lauerman which gave the Celtics two foul shots plus possession of the basketball afterward, and which set forces in motion that resulted in a curious 109-105 Celtics ' triumph.

The game ended with Dennis Johnson sinking two big free throws with four seconds left, just as he had sunk two with 12 seconds left and two more with 18 seconds to play. But the big swing had taken place a couple of minutes before, when the Hawks, who had outscrapped the Celtics all night, went from three points ahead (96-93) to two points behind faster than you could say, "Doug Henning."

1960

BOSTON CELTICS

COACH: RED AUERBACH
LIFETIME NBA RECORD: WON 588, LOST 350

Yes, Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman are a year older but this is still the finest basketball team ever assembled. Last year the Celtics had 17- and 7-game winning streaks and easily won their fourth consecutive Eastern Division championship. They look even better this season. Jim Loscutoff has recovered completely from a slipped disk operation, and a full season of Loscutoff adds power up front. This also permits Red Auerbach to use Frank Ramsey as a sixth man instead of as a starter. So Ramsey will again be the most dangerous substitute in the NBA. Bill Russell can hardly improve on defense and gets better every year on offense. Boston's first draft choice, Tom Sanders, has rebounded and scored well in exhibition games and he may be an alternate starter before the year is over. The Jones boys (Sam and K.C.) may play alternate quarters with Cousy and Sharman this year, a system that worked well in last season's playoffs with Philadelphia; they would be first-string anywhere else in the league. Tom Heinsohn is now an authentic All-Star, an intense, all-round competitor, and Gene Conley adds defensive and rebounding strength up front. Often undervalued, too, is Auerbach's tested skill in handling his players. Boston is best in the back-court, best in the forecourt and undeniably the best in the Eastern Division.