Photo via Fan Base
“It’s important to start off good, especially in the other guy’s building,” said Boston forward Don Nelson. “We Need to get the momentum going.” Nelson scored the first six points of the game to give the Celtics all the momentum they needed Thursday night…
Via “Celts Lead All The Way To Defeat Knicks, 94 to 84″ by Howard Smith
Years Active: 1963 – 1976
Career Stats: 10.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.4 apg, 48% FG, 76.5% FT
Accolades: 5x Champion (1966, ’68-’69, ’74, ’76 Celtics)
Don Nelson is an integral part of the story of the NBA. In some way, shape or form he’s been in the Association for 5 decades. He’s the unorthodox coach who brought us the 80s Milwaukee Bucks that ran off Central Division title after Central Division title. In the Bay Area, he delivered Run-TMC. (Brusquely ignoring his tenure with the Knicks). He resurrected the moribund Dallas Mavericks into perennial contenders. For a final encore he returned to Oakland and slayed the Mavericks in perhaps the most thrilling upset in playoff history. Finally, his eccentrics just turned into plain crazy, but not before becoming the all-time leader in coaching wins.
However, we’re gathered here today to talk about Don Nelson, one of the most winning players in NBA history. As you can see above, his statistics are not eye-popping. He was never tabbed for an all-star game or received an award. But you’ll notice he was a member of 5 NBA champions. Along with John Havlicek, he’s the only member of the Boston Celtics to transition from the 60s dynasty over to the 70s run of glory.
Now let’s not get mistaken and equate Nelson’s contribution with that of Hondo or Bill Russell or Dave Cowens, but let’s also not get fresh and downplay the role he played. After spending his first three years with the Chicago Zephyrs and then the Los Angeles Lakers, Nelson was signed by the Celtics where he would spend the rest of his career as the team’s go-to super sub as John Havlicek moved out of that role and into the starting lineup.
His playing time rarely exceeded 25 minutes a game for a season, but Nelson made the most of them. He had a knack for scoring in bunches and in the timeliest of manners:
The Pistons took a 13-point lead at 20-7, but a Boston rush late in the quarter gave the Celtics a 33-30 advantage, chiefly on the work of Don Nelson, who scored 10 points. The score was tied at 46-all, 50-all and 57-all. A three-point play by Nelson put the Celtics ahead for good just before the half ended.
If Nelson was timely in the regular season, he was downright clutch and an assassin in the playoffs. Time after time he would check in and revive the stagnant Boston offense in the most critical of moments such as his 26 points and 12 rebounds in Game 5 of the 1968 Finals to give Boston a 3-2 lead in their eventual series victory over the Lakers.
Nelson’s most famous exploit came in the final moments of the Celtics’ 60s dynasty. Nelson had already played an integral role in the 1969 Finals by delivering a Game 6 win for Boston with a team-high 25 points, now he struck in the final moments of the deciding Game 7. His free throw line jumper was the game’s deathblow. The blow was comical however, only falling through after bouncing 5 feet straight into the air after hitting the back iron. It’s good to be good and lucky sometimes.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xHsi6V7mqI&w=640h=480]
Transitioning into the 70s, the old guard of Russell, Tom Sanders, Bailey Howell and others retired while Jo Jo White, Paul Silas and Cowens rose to join Hondo and Nelson in a revived era of championship ball for Boston. Nelson, although long in the tooth by the time Boston won the ’74 and ’76 titles, still played an important role. 1976 was his final year and he had been relegated deep into the bench during the regular season. Nelson proved to be as useful as ever during the postseason, though. A bit overweight at this point in his career, Nelson seamlessly delivered yet another crushing blow this time to the Buffalo Braves:
Boston, playing without injured superstar John Havlicek, got tremendous performances from reserves Don Nelson and Steve Kuberski in defeating Buffalo Braves 101-96… Nelson hit for 12 points as Boston took a 28-24 lead in the first period, then finished the game by cashing four crucial free throws in the final 18 seconds.
After defeating Phoenix in six games to win the title, Nelson made good on his January pledge to retire. If the 6th Man of the Year award had been around, Nelson surely would have won a couple, but I’m sure he’s happy with the five rings and having his #19 hanging from the rafters in Boston. His retirement as a player didn’t keep him away from the NBA too long, though. The very next season he was on the sideline in Milwaukee and Nellie was off to the coaching races.
