25 Greatest Celtics of All-Time

[Casperian]

Winner of the last poll:




Walter Ray Allen

During the 2006-07 season, the Sonics looked like a team ready to move and limped home with a record of 31–51. Ray was one of the few bright spots in the lost campaign. In a January game against the Jazz, he netted 54 points during an overtime win. He recorded his 1,000th steal during the season, too. On the year, Ray upped his scoring average to 26.4 points before ankle surgery ended his season after 55 games.

In May, a ball finally bounced Seattle’s way when the team was awarded the second lottery pick. The Sonics tabbed Kevin Durant as their man and began dismantling the team’s old guard. Ray was the biggest name to go. He was dealt to the Boston Celtics for Jeff Green, Wally Szczerbiak, and Delonte West. Lewis was also sent packing, to the Orlando Magic.

The trade to Boston was a revelation for Ray. He had begun to wonder whether he would ever be part of a legitimate championship contender. With the Celtics, that was finally a real possibility. His job was clear—stretch the defense with his perimeter work. That would open the lane for Kevin Garnett and give Paul Pierce room to slice and dice opponents from the wings.

That's exactly what Ray did. He got off to a great start, averaging 20 a game in November. Doc Rivers gave him plenty of playing time, and Ray responded.

He continued his excellent play as the calendar turned to 2008. Ray shot extremely well from the field, did his job on the boards and found the open man when defenses began crowding him. The Celtics moved into first in the Atlantic Division and established themselves as the class of the Eastern Conference.

Ray's minutes caught up to him in February and March. Injuries forced him to miss a handful of games, and his scoring average plummeted. Ray entered the playoffs a bit of a question mark. Against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, he regained his stroke, especially from beyond the 3-point arc. Boston survived a seven-game scare and advanced to face LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Ray went cold against the Cavs. Without his offense, Pierce and Garnett had to do more, as did the Boston bench. The Celtics also stepped up their intensity on defense. Again they faced a seventh game, and again they won the decider on their home floor.

Boston had an easier time of if in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons. Ray was a major reason why. He knocked down his open jumpers and created scoring opportunities by driving to the hoop. His best performance came in Game 5, when he poured in 29 points. The Celtics closed out the Pistons two night later.

The NBA Finals provided fans with the game’s most classic matchup—Boston versus Los Angeles. Again, Ray carried much of the scoring burden for the Celtics. With Pierce dogging Kobe Bryant, Ray was free to look for his shot. He delivered with a superior performance. Ray hit on more than 50 percent of his attempts and averaged 20.3 per game. The Celts won three times in Boston and finished off the Lakers in six games for their 17th NBA championship.

If Ray, Garnett and Pierce all stay healthy, the Celtics may hang another banner or two from the Boston rafters. That would be the ultimate for Ray. He has always possessed the traits of an elite sports personality—style, smarts, talent, and good looks—yet he is one of the most under-recognized athletes around. Will that change in Beantown? Celtic fans have waited a generation for the team’s next Big Three. Needless to say, big things are expected of Ray and his teammates.

Source: jockbio.com

Final Outcome(points in parenthesis)
Total Votes: 19

Ray Allen (35)
Bailey Howell (29)
Antoine Walker (26)
Don Chaney (16)
Jim Loscutoff (15)
Bill Walton (5)

I want to thank everyone who participated in this over the off-season. When I find the time, I will go through every thread and give everyone who participated a TP.

#1  Bill Russell
#2  Larry Bird
#3  John Havlicek
#4  Bob Cousy
#5  Kevin McHale
#6  Tommy Heinsohn
#7  Paul Pierce
#8  Dave Cowens
#9  Sam Jones
#10 Robert Parish
#11 Bill Sharman
#12 Dennis Johnson
#13 JoJo White
#14 Kevin Garnett
#15 Cedric Maxwell
#16 Reggie Lewis
#17 K.C. Jones
#18 Frank Ramsey
#19 Ed Macauley
#20 Satch Sanders
#21 Tiny Archibald
#22 Paul Silas
#23 Danny Ainge
#24 Don Nelson
#25 Ray Allen


So, what do you think about the list?

Who is missing? Who is too high and who is too low?

[Fafnir]

Depends on your criteria. If you're talking about length of service its tought to put Ray/KG on there.

As a player Tommy is too high.

[Roy Hobbs]

KG is too high, Ed Macauley is too low, I think.

Overall, though, I think it's a good list.  I also think the honorable mentions came down in the right order:  Howell, Antoine, Chaney, Loscy.

[Jay G]

Honestly, i don't get why people are sayin KG should be lower on this list. HE WON US A CHAMPIONSHIP PEOPLE!! We need to act more appreciative because if we never got him, we'd still be this crappy young team who didn't make the playoffs, but were great to watch.

[Roy Hobbs]

Honestly, i don't get why people are sayin KG should be lower on this list. HE WON US A CHAMPIONSHIP PEOPLE!! We need to act more appreciative because if we never got him, we'd still be this crappy young team who didn't make the playoffs, but were great to watch.

I think it's hard to say somebody who has played a season and a half was a greater Celtic than guys who played a decade here. 

[Fafnir]

Honestly, i don't get why people are sayin KG should be lower on this list. HE WON US A CHAMPIONSHIP PEOPLE!! We need to act more appreciative because if we never got him, we'd still be this crappy young team who didn't make the playoffs, but were great to watch.

I think it's hard to say somebody who has played a season and a half was a greater Celtic than guys who played a decade here. 

Exactly, if the list was just greatest players who ever played for the C's KG would be way higher.

By my druthers he'd be number 3.

[Jon]

Honestly, i don't get why people are sayin KG should be lower on this list. HE WON US A CHAMPIONSHIP PEOPLE!! We need to act more appreciative because if we never got him, we'd still be this crappy young team who didn't make the playoffs, but were great to watch.

I think it's hard to say somebody who has played a season and a half was a greater Celtic than guys who played a decade here. 

Exactly, if the list was just greatest players who ever played for the C's KG would be way higher.

By my druthers he'd be number 3.

I do think the championship thing matters more than usual on the C's.  Isn't that what defines being a Celtic?  I agree Macauley was great, but can you really be a Celtic great and have no titles?  This is also (sadly) why I question Reggie Lewis too.  Not only did he not win a title, I also question whether it actually ever would've happened either had he stayed alive (no knock on him, but I don't see the surrounding cast, and even if they got it, he's probably not taking out the Bulls). 

Let's also not forget that guys like Tiny Archibald, Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge, and Paul Silas were hardly career Celtics.  In fact, Silas only played her four seasons.  So while it might be premature, by the time KG (and possibly Ray) are done playing, they may not be the ones with the shortest tenures as C's on the list. 

[BASS_THUMPER]

kc jones balled here but as a coach i feel out shined him as a playa...

[Roy Hobbs]

Honestly, i don't get why people are sayin KG should be lower on this list. HE WON US A CHAMPIONSHIP PEOPLE!! We need to act more appreciative because if we never got him, we'd still be this crappy young team who didn't make the playoffs, but were great to watch.

I think it's hard to say somebody who has played a season and a half was a greater Celtic than guys who played a decade here. 

Exactly, if the list was just greatest players who ever played for the C's KG would be way higher.

By my druthers he'd be number 3.

Though I do think the championship thing matters more than usual on the C's.  Isn't that what defines being a Celtic?  I agree Macauley was great, but can you really be a Celtic great and have no titles?  This is also (sadly) why I question Reggie Lewis too.  Not only did he not win a title, I also question whether it actually ever would've happened either had he stayed alive (no knock on him, but I don't see the surrounding cast, and even if they got it, he's probably not taking out the Bulls). 

Let's also not forget that guys like Tiny Archibald, Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge, and Paul Silas were hardly career Celtics.  In fact, Silas only played her four seasons.  So while it might be premature, by the time KG (and possibly Ray) are done playing, they may not be the ones with the shortest tenures as C's on the list. 

I think if you rate the greatest players in team history in four or five years, both Ray and KG could move up on the list.  However, at this point, in my opinion it's too early for either of them to be considered top-20 or so.

As for Macauley, the guy was a legitimate superstar, probably better relative to his peers than all but four or five guys on this list.  If Red hadn't been able to trade for Russell, there's no doubt in my mind that Macauley would have been the centerpiece of multiple championship teams in green.  He gets marked down for not winning a championship with the Celts, but in terms of quality of play while he was here, he ranks near the top for me.

[Jon]

Honestly, i don't get why people are sayin KG should be lower on this list. HE WON US A CHAMPIONSHIP PEOPLE!! We need to act more appreciative because if we never got him, we'd still be this crappy young team who didn't make the playoffs, but were great to watch.

I think it's hard to say somebody who has played a season and a half was a greater Celtic than guys who played a decade here. 

Exactly, if the list was just greatest players who ever played for the C's KG would be way higher.

By my druthers he'd be number 3.

Though I do think the championship thing matters more than usual on the C's.  Isn't that what defines being a Celtic?  I agree Macauley was great, but can you really be a Celtic great and have no titles?  This is also (sadly) why I question Reggie Lewis too.  Not only did he not win a title, I also question whether it actually ever would've happened either had he stayed alive (no knock on him, but I don't see the surrounding cast, and even if they got it, he's probably not taking out the Bulls). 

Let's also not forget that guys like Tiny Archibald, Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge, and Paul Silas were hardly career Celtics.  In fact, Silas only played her four seasons.  So while it might be premature, by the time KG (and possibly Ray) are done playing, they may not be the ones with the shortest tenures as C's on the list. 

I think if you rate the greatest players in team history in four or five years, both Ray and KG could move up on the list.  However, at this point, in my opinion it's too early for either of them to be considered top-20 or so.

As for Macauley, the guy was a legitimate superstar, probably better relative to his peers than all but four or five guys on this list.  If Red hadn't been able to trade for Russell, there's no doubt in my mind that Macauley would have been the centerpiece of multiple championship teams in green.  He gets marked down for not winning a championship with the Celts, but in terms of quality of play while he was here, he ranks near the top for me.

OK, but if we're going to get hypothetical concerning Macauley, shouldn't we also be getting hypothetical about what Ray and KG are going to do here? 

[Roy Hobbs]

Honestly, i don't get why people are sayin KG should be lower on this list. HE WON US A CHAMPIONSHIP PEOPLE!! We need to act more appreciative because if we never got him, we'd still be this crappy young team who didn't make the playoffs, but were great to watch.

I think it's hard to say somebody who has played a season and a half was a greater Celtic than guys who played a decade here. 

Exactly, if the list was just greatest players who ever played for the C's KG would be way higher.

By my druthers he'd be number 3.

Though I do think the championship thing matters more than usual on the C's.  Isn't that what defines being a Celtic?  I agree Macauley was great, but can you really be a Celtic great and have no titles?  This is also (sadly) why I question Reggie Lewis too.  Not only did he not win a title, I also question whether it actually ever would've happened either had he stayed alive (no knock on him, but I don't see the surrounding cast, and even if they got it, he's probably not taking out the Bulls). 

Let's also not forget that guys like Tiny Archibald, Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge, and Paul Silas were hardly career Celtics.  In fact, Silas only played her four seasons.  So while it might be premature, by the time KG (and possibly Ray) are done playing, they may not be the ones with the shortest tenures as C's on the list. 

I think if you rate the greatest players in team history in four or five years, both Ray and KG could move up on the list.  However, at this point, in my opinion it's too early for either of them to be considered top-20 or so.

As for Macauley, the guy was a legitimate superstar, probably better relative to his peers than all but four or five guys on this list.  If Red hadn't been able to trade for Russell, there's no doubt in my mind that Macauley would have been the centerpiece of multiple championship teams in green.  He gets marked down for not winning a championship with the Celts, but in terms of quality of play while he was here, he ranks near the top for me.

OK, but if we're going to get hypothetical concerning Macauley, shouldn't we also be getting hypothetical about what Ray and KG are going to do here? 

I'm not really getting hypothetical.  He played six years here at a superstar level.  How many other guys on the list can say that?  While championships are important, to me they're not the only factor.  Macauley simply had the misfortune of playing with a bunch of lesser teammates, as Red hadn't worked his magic yet.

[Jon]

Honestly, i don't get why people are sayin KG should be lower on this list. HE WON US A CHAMPIONSHIP PEOPLE!! We need to act more appreciative because if we never got him, we'd still be this crappy young team who didn't make the playoffs, but were great to watch.

I think it's hard to say somebody who has played a season and a half was a greater Celtic than guys who played a decade here. 

Exactly, if the list was just greatest players who ever played for the C's KG would be way higher.

By my druthers he'd be number 3.

Though I do think the championship thing matters more than usual on the C's.  Isn't that what defines being a Celtic?  I agree Macauley was great, but can you really be a Celtic great and have no titles?  This is also (sadly) why I question Reggie Lewis too.  Not only did he not win a title, I also question whether it actually ever would've happened either had he stayed alive (no knock on him, but I don't see the surrounding cast, and even if they got it, he's probably not taking out the Bulls). 

Let's also not forget that guys like Tiny Archibald, Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge, and Paul Silas were hardly career Celtics.  In fact, Silas only played her four seasons.  So while it might be premature, by the time KG (and possibly Ray) are done playing, they may not be the ones with the shortest tenures as C's on the list. 

I think if you rate the greatest players in team history in four or five years, both Ray and KG could move up on the list.  However, at this point, in my opinion it's too early for either of them to be considered top-20 or so.

As for Macauley, the guy was a legitimate superstar, probably better relative to his peers than all but four or five guys on this list.  If Red hadn't been able to trade for Russell, there's no doubt in my mind that Macauley would have been the centerpiece of multiple championship teams in green.  He gets marked down for not winning a championship with the Celts, but in terms of quality of play while he was here, he ranks near the top for me.

OK, but if we're going to get hypothetical concerning Macauley, shouldn't we also be getting hypothetical about what Ray and KG are going to do here? 

I'm not really getting hypothetical.  He played six years here at a superstar level.  How many other guys on the list can say that?  While championships are important, to me they're not the only factor.  Macauley simply had the misfortune of playing with a bunch of lesser teammates, as Red hadn't worked his magic yet.

I get his dominance.  Though I wasn't alive then, I've read a great deal about Easy Ed.  I'm simply saying that if we're going to get hypothetical about the championships that Macauley would've won, I don't see why we can't get hypothetical about the years and championships that KG and/or Ray will play and win here. 

On a related note, I'm not so sure he would've won titles here.  Many, many great players don't win titles in a general sense.  Furthermore, if he was still here, Russell would've likely been elsewhere, propelling some other team to a dynasty. 

[2short]

#1  Bill Russell
#2  Larry Bird
#3  John Havlicek
#4  Bob Cousy
#5  Kevin McHale
#6  Tommy Heinsohn
#7  Paul Pierce
#8  Dave Cowens
#9  Sam Jones
#10 Robert Parish
#11 Bill Sharman
#12 Dennis Johnson
#13 JoJo White
#14 Kevin Garnett
#15 Cedric Maxwell
#16 Reggie Lewis
#17 K.C. Jones
#18 Frank Ramsey
#19 Ed Macauley
#20 Satch Sanders
#21 Tiny Archibald
#22 Paul Silas
#23 Danny Ainge
#24 Don Nelson
#25 Ray Allen


In my opinion Hondo & Cousy need to switch spots.  If its for overall contributions to the team Tommy should be up there as a player, a great coach and broadcaster, only red comes as close to lifetime achievement.  Mr Cowens should be higher, McHale lower.   Max should be on top 25 but further down list.   I myself probably put Reggie higher than he deserves because of the what is...and no one else had that situation.  KG should not be as high on list with the brief time in uniform.  Hopefuly he and ray play 5 years apiece for us, then they go up on list.  Because Ainge is gm he can still go up onlist if his work continues the way it has.
Quick reworking of list
1.russell
2.bird
3.cousy
4.havelick
5. tommy
6.cowens
7.mchale
8.pierce
I think #5-8 can be reworked a few different ways, tommy is #5 or #6 because of overall contributions.  Cowens was named one of 50 best players ever and mvp, roy etc.  PP is still playing so could go above McHale.
A GREAT topic instead of trade ray allen over offseason!!!

[xmuscularghandix]

Depends on your criteria. If you're talking about length of service its tought to put Ray/KG on there.

As a player Tommy is too high.

Tommy's other factors are counted. But either way i don't know how you can say that. Tommy played in 66 games in 1958, thats the least amount of games he ever played. He scored over 1000 pts every year but one (he had 912 in that year). Tommy avg'd 8.8 RPG for a career, a career spent fight for rebounds with Bill Russell. He won 8 rings in 9 years. He was Rookie of the year OVER Russell.

His playoff avg's are 19pts 9reb 2ast on 30 minutes per game. Thats amazing.

Add this with his coaching and broadcasting he's right where he belongs, he might even belong one higher.

[Edgar]

A pray for toine