OT: Celtics Basketball Great John, Hondo, Havlicek Passes Away at 79

[ochoopsfan]

John Havlicek, one of the greatest Celtics ever, dies at 79

I was a Knicks fan back in the 60's and 70's, but I knew Greatness when I saw him play.

RIP Hondo

 

[Bigboote]

Bummer. He was a great player and seemed like a really good guy.

 

[Checkmate 2.0]

never thought he would stop running until at least 100

 

[Fiftyish]

never thought he would stop running until at least 100

His ability to run and run was what set him apart and really made his career. He always ran his opponents into the ground. Johnny Most's call "Havlicek stole the ball" should be engraved on John's tombstone.

 

[JavaMan]

Ahh, the childhood memories he provided. I still consider him the original recepient of the moniker "the sixth man."

RIP, Hondo.

 

[winlots]

John Havlicek, one of the greatest Celtics ever, dies at 79

I was a Knicks fan back in the 60's and 70's, but I knew Greatness when I saw him play.

RIP Hondo

OCHOOPS: Oh no. Saw him play a half dozen times in his college days, and much more often as a Celt.. Hard to believe he is gone, as he always seemed unbelievably fit all the way thru his career. NO body fat evident. An all time favorite. Am stunned.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Truly an all-time great. This makes me feel really old. I hated the Celtics but always admired JH. He was a basketball player, first and foremost.

I read once where his lungs didn't fit on a normal x-ray plate. We should all be so lucky.

 

[eebmg]

Truly an all-time great. This makes me feel really old. I hated the Celtics but always admired JH. He was a basketball player, first and foremost.

I read once where his lungs didn't fit on a normal x-ray plate. We should all be so lucky.

His incomparable stamina is captured in the cited article through a number of quotes and anecdotes.


Mr. Havlicek, who averaged nearly 37 minutes per game during his career, had extraordinary stamina, helped by lungs so large they had to be X-rayed separately.

He took particular pride in his durability and reliability; he missed only 33 of 1,303 regular-season games and fouled out only 21 times.

“There should be a giant key sticking out of his back,” Russell once cracked. “You just wind him up and click-click-click, you put him out there for 48 minutes.”
Mr. Havlicek had no problem being on the floor for the full regulation and beyond.

“I’m ready to go 48 all the time,” he said. “I get to rest on free throws and timeouts.”

Defending Mr. Havlicek, who was continually on the move, was an exhausting assignment.

“A roadrunner taking you through every ditch, every irrigation canal, barbed-wire fence, and cattle guard,” observed Los Angeles Lakers general manager Pete Newell, whose University of California team lost its title to Ohio State in the 1960 final. “You’ve had a trip over the plains when you’re playing him for a night.”

 

[bantamlaker]

Pretty amazing that John was part of 8 championship teams with the Celtics, never losing in an NBA finals. Reminds me of a certain college basketball team having won 11 NCAA championships without any losses in the finals.

 

[jdubct]

"Havlicek stole the ball." RIP.

 

[oldude]

John Havlicek was one of the reasons I learned to love basketball, the Celtics and parkay floors as a youngster. What an incredible motor. The original Sixth Man.

 

[Ozimoto]

Not many like him then or now.

 

[meyers7]

RIP Hondo

 

[Scud49]

"Havlicek stole the ball - it's all over"

RIP John, this one hurts, it really hurts.

 

[FanHam]

Great basketball player. I read an article once that speculated he logged over 10 miles per game. He had a motor that never stopped. Until yesterday.

His childhood neighbors in Martins Ferry, Ohio were the Niekro brothers, Joe and Phil. Lou and Alex Groza also lived in town, though they were older. There must have been some good youth sports teams in that town of 7,000. Havlicek, Phil Niekro and Lou Groza are all in the Halls of Fame for basketball, baseball and football, respectively. Alex Groza was a basketball player who won two NCAA Championships in college, was a two-time NBA All Star in two season of play before he was banned for life from the NBA for his participation in the CCNY point-shaving scandal.

 

[willtalk]

Interesting that someone who could play the entire game without letting up made his reputation as someone coming off the bench.

 

[Huskee11]

His pro career spanned from 1962 to 1978. As a Celtic fan, I followed him closely from elementary school to young adulthood. Kind of feel a special bond with players like him that I grew up with.

My high school friends and I, all Celtics fans, savored the improbable 1969 championship in seven games over the Lakers. The classic fifth game, a triple overtime victory, against Phoenix came on a Friday evening in June, 1976, at the end of my first week of work at a job I would hold for over 38 years. If you watched that game, you will never forget it. Life was changing dramatically, but Havlicek was a constant.

I loved the way he played. It was intense, urgent, non-stop movement. Run, run, run. Perfect for the uptempo Celtics. Like many others, I tried to emulate that style, with (very) limited success.

He played before the arrival of the three point line and hence his game was almost entirely what we now call the midrange game. He played it to perfection. Well not quite, but they said he had no conscience. Meaning, he always thought his next shot was going in.

I would have liked to have met him. Whenever I heard him speak, he seemed affable, approachable, intelligent, softspoken, and kind. His calmness off the court was in stark contrast to his frenetic pace on the court.

Sad to see him go.

 

[oldude]

Great basketball player. I read an article once that speculated he logged over 10 miles per game. He had a motor that never stopped. Until yesterday.

His childhood neighbors in Martins Ferry, Ohio were the Niekro brothers, Joe and Phil. Lou and Alex Groza also lived in town, though they were older. There must have been some good youth sports teams in that town of 7,000. Havlicek, Phil Niekro and Lou Groza are all in the Halls of Fame for basketball, baseball and football, respectively. Alex Groza was a basketball player who won two NCAA Championships in college, was a two-time NBA All Star in two season of play before he was banned for life from the NBA for his participation in the CCNY point-shaving scandal.

I stayed up late through all 3 OT’s. Like most Celtic fans, I thought the game was over when Havlicek hit the running bank shot at the end of the 2nd OT, only to have the team called back on the floor with 2 seconds so that Garfield Heard could tie the game and send it to a 3rd OT.

I was completely drained at the end of the game. 1976 was the last of Havlicek’s 8 championships, and in some ways, the most memorable.