The Celtics have a plethora of players that are Hall of Famers and all-time greats. Last night, once Pierce got the record, I checked the stats of the other guys and read up about a lot of these hall of Famers because a lot played before I was alive or very young. So here is my top 5 list:
I think number 1 and 2 aren't negotiable. You can't go out and talk about Celtics history without talking about Bill Russell, hell, the MVP award in the NBA Championship is named after him. He has 11 rings in 13 years playing and is arguably the best Center that has ever lived. Russell averaged 15.1 points and 22.2 rebounds for his career with the team. In 1959-1960, arguably his best season with the team, Russell was putting up 18.2 points and 24 rebounds per game for the team—numbers unthinkable in today's game.
2. Larry Bird.
Obviously an All Time great player, and one of the most interesting players that has ever lived. Bird was a scorer who could do it all, much like Pierce—whether it was with his jump shot, free-throw shooting or three-ball. He was able to win three championships and made a lot of his offense work with his stagnant, in-your-face defensive play and all out hustle. He averaged 20.2 points per game, 9 assists and 7 assists.
3. John Havlicek.
Havlicek is most known for stealing a ball, however, he was a hell of a player. He won championships in 8 of his 16 years alongside of Bill Russell. He averaged 20.8 ppg and 6.3 rebounds per game. He also still has a strong influence with the Celtics today as he often comes to practices and tells Danny and Doc plays.
4. Paul Pierce.
I was tempted to put him as 3, because he's the best scorer in Celtics history. He can score in all facets of the game whether he has a step back, 3 pointer, get to the basket and most importantly his ability to get to the line(where he owns the Celtics record for attempts and baskets). Also he was a great clutch player. He used to be a one dimensional player back in the Antoine days, but since he committed to defense as well I trust him with the best of them "locking" up LeBron or Kobe Bryant. Pierce has averaged 22.2 points per game for his career and 21.4 points per game in the playoffs.
5. Kevin McHale.
He is a three-time NBA champion that won titles in 1981, 1984 and 1986 with the Celtics. He was the 2 in the original Big 3 alongside Larry Bird and Robert Parish. McHale would help this team win three championships in six seasons. He averaged 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds and played with the Celtics until the 1993 season. In the 1986 championship season, McHale averaged 21.3 points and 8.1 rebounds for the season. McHale is known to being one of the best post players ever.
6th man, Bob Cousy