Why Boston Was Denied ‘Nellie Ball’

[Ed Monix]

I have always been curious why the Celtics never employed Don Nelson as a coach in some capacity given his connection to the franchise.

The answer was surprisingly difficult to find, until I recently read an obscure article from 2012.

The Press Democrat

Don Nelson at 72: 'There is life after basketball'

He won the most games as coach but he didn't win a championship. How does he feel about not winning a championship?

"Part of that was my own doing. I had an opportunity when I was with the Milwaukee Bucks after we swept the Boston Celtics (1983 season) and they were going to fire Bill Fitch. After the last game, (Red) Auerbach — we were walking in the arena together — and he said, ‘Would you ever think about coaching the Celtics?' As a career move, I should have jumped all over it. I was on a year-to-year handshake with (Bucks owner) Jim Fitzgerald. But I said I just couldn't do it because Jim Fitzgerald was so good to me.

"I stayed and coached, and whatever my life was after that, it was void of championships. So part of it was my own doing and the other part I really enjoyed taking over bad teams and making good ones out of them. I was building something that wasn't very attractive and making it attractive. You get a lot of losses doing that."

Where did his concept of "Small Ball" come from?

"It all happened in the Celtic practices. What Auerbach would do when it gets to midseason, then practices are drudgery, he would play the big guys against the small guys, and the smalls would always win. You put Bill Russell on the other team and everybody else big, and put the smalls on the other, and it wasn't a close game. Full court, the smalls always won. I'm sure that was the start of it."

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Source: The Press Democrat

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/don-nelson-at-72-there-is-life-after-basketball/

[Kernewek]

The small ball was coming from inside the house.

Cool find! Nelson coached some really fun teams.

[Surferdad]

Thanks Ed. Neat stuff, I didn't know that.

Another former Celtics great who never coached them was Bill Sharman. I always thought it was weird that he coached the Lakers, of all teams.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/sharmbi01c.html

[Ed Monix]

Cool find! Nelson coached some really fun teams.

Definitely! I can only imagine what amazing offensive strategies Don Nelson would have created for Bird.

Another former Celtics great who never coached them was Bill Sharman. I always thought it was weird that he coached the Lakers, of all teams.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/sharmbi01c.html

Yes very true!

It seems as though Sharman was an amazing general manager too.