Tonight's The Night

As I write this we're just a few hours away from the 2008-09 NBA season tipping off and the Celtics are entering the year as defending champions. The Celtics ran through the NBA last year finishing off 66-16 in the regular season and then off course winning championship #17.

The team enters this year aware of the fact that winning the championship this year greatly enhances their legacy. If Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce can win this championship their all-time ranking would go much higher. There's a lot at stake for this team and they know it. No one wants to be known as one year wonders, and I don't think this Celtics team will become known as one year wonders. No Celtics team has repeated since the 1969 Celtics and this Celtics team is the team to do it.

The first obstacle in the way is the team that I think will be their toughest challengers, Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavs. The Cavs have been to the Finals before and they were the team that gave the Celtics their greatest test in the '08 playoffs. Prediction: Celtics 102 Cavs 99

February 21,1956- Walter Brown says Cousy better than Pettit

Originally printed by the UP on February 21,1956.

Boston Celtics owner Walter Brown says Bob Cousy will be remembered “as the greatest basketball player of his time.”

“Cousy is the symbol of professional basketball,” Brown said at a basketball writers luncheon here yesterday. “There are very few fans today that won’t agree.”

Brown said he disagreed with Ned Irish of New York who last week declared that Bob Pettit of St. Louis was a “better all-around player” than Cousy.

“Cousy is the greatest player today in my book,” Brown said.

February 19,1956 Celtics beat Warriors 120-118

Celtics defeat Warriors 120-118, game features brawl in 4th quarter.
Click on the image to read article.

Celtics article from 1955

Click on the image to read the article.

1986 NBA Title Celebration

For 22 long years this was the last time the Boston Celtics celebrated winning an NBA Championship. In 2008 all became right in the basketball world again as the Celtics were once again kings of basketball, and in 2009 the Celtics are about to repeat as NBA Champions. But, this was a great scene in '86 as Bird, McHale, Auerbach and the Celtics celebrated the last championship they would win in their careers.

February 18,1956- Warriors defeat Celtics 115-101

The Boston Celtics played their 1st game after a 6 day layoff and were defeated by the league leading Philadelphia Warriors 115-101 in front of 4500 fans in New Haven, Connecticut. The Celtics had a 4th quarter lead of 87-84 before Paul Arizin scored twice, Neil Johnston, and Jack George all added baskets and the Warriors would lead for the rest of the game. Boston was outscored 34-19 in the 4th quarter. Neil Johnston scored 38 points for the Warriors leading all scorers. Boston's season record dropped to 31-25.

Box Score

Philadelphia(115) G F PF P
Arizin lf 9 4 6 22
Davis 1 0 3 2
Graboski rf 2 1 2 5
Moore 0 0 1 0
Johnston c 16 6 0 38
Beck 0 0 2 0
Gola lg 6 2 4 14
George 8 2 4 18
Dempsey 6 4 3 16

Totals...48 19 25 115

Boston (101) G F PF P
Nichols lf 6 5 5 17
Macauley rf 7 6 0 20
Loscutoff 2 1 1 5
Risen c 3 0 3 6
Morrison 0 0 1 0
Hemric lg 1 4 2 6
Sharman 7 6 3 20
Cousy rg 10 7 2 27
Barrett 0 0 2 0

Totals...36 29 19 101

Philadelphia....22 32 27 34-115
Boston..............23 27 32 19-101

Free Throws Missed-Johnston 2, Gola, Nichols, Macauley, Hemric 2, Sharman, Cousy 2

February 14,1956- Brooklyn Dodgers Bill Sharman

Taken from the Frederick News Post of Frederick, Maryland.

Bill Sharman, who sways between baseball(Brooklyn) and basketball(Boston Celtics) has given the Bums his ultimatum: "Trade me or I'll quit...."

February 12, 1956- Celtics beat Knicks 116-108

The Boston Celtics spoiled Vince Boryla's 1st game on the road as Knicks coach by rallying to beat the Knicks 116-108 in front of 7,086 fans at the Boston Garden. The Celtics had blown a 6 point 3rd quarter lead and entered the 4th quarter trailing by 4. Boston then went on a hot streak in the 4th quarter led by Bill Sharman who scored 29 points in the game. Jim Loscutoff also had a big 4th quarter with 9 of his 13 points coming in the 4th. The win brought the Celtics season record to 31-24 and they would have 5 days before playing their next game.

Box Score

Boston(116) G F PF P
Nichols lf 4 8 4 16
Macauley rf 3 0 2 6
Loscutoff 6 1 0 13
Morrison 2 1 4 5
Risen c 3 3 6 9
Hemric 3 3 4 9
Barrett lg 4 0 1 8
Cousy rg 6 9 4 21
Sharman 10 9 5 29

Total...41 34 30 116

Knicks (108) G F PF P
Sears lf 8 5 4 21
Gallatin rf 5 7 4 17
Clifton 1 0 3 2
Dukes c 2 5 5 9
Felix 6 5 6 17
Baechtold lg 3 1 0 7
McGuire rg 3 2 4 8
Shue 2 1 0 5
Braun 9 4 3 22

Total...39 30 29 108

Boston...27 29 25 35-116
Knicks...30 20 35 23-108

Free Throws Missed-Nichols, Macauley, Loscutoff, Morrison, Hemric 5, Sharman, Gallatin 4, Dukes, McGuire, Braun 2

February 10,1956- Celtics trounce Hawks, Lapchick honored at Boston Garden

In a doubleheader of basketball in front of 9000 fans at the Boston Garden the Boston Celtics raced out to an early lead and beat the St. Louis Hawks 124-100. In the early game the Syracuse Nationals beat the New York Knicks 94-88 in Joe Lapchick's last game as Knicks coach. The Knicks started out strong taking a 46-38 halftime lead. Ed Conlin of the Nats who was scoreless in the 1st half picked up steam in the 2nd half scoring all of his 18 points in the 2nd half. Earl Lloyd, Ed Conlin, and Dolph Schayes scored 22 of the Nats 24 4th quarter points for the Nats to put the Knicks away. Jim Baechtold of the Knicks led all scorers with 27 points.

In between the doubleheader games the Knicks coach Joe Lapchick who had just coached his last NBA game was presented to the Boston crowd and he received a resounding ovation. He was given a woodworking kit by the basketball writers and broadcasters, and Walter Brown the president and owner of the Boston Garden and Boston Celtics gave Lapchick a set of golf clubs.

In the 2nd game the Boston Celtics came out strong to beat the Hawks 124-100. The Celtics never trailed in the game while playing their starters sparingly. The rout was on early as the Celtics led by 24 in the 2nd period. Bill Sharman was the outstanding player shooting 12 for 16 from the field, 6 for 6 from the line and scoring 30 points. The Celtics record for the season was brought to 30-24.

Box Score

Boston G FT T
Nichols 6 1-2 13
Macauley 6 1-2 13
Loscutoff 8 2-3 18
Palazzi 2 2-4 6
Risen 2 1-3 5
Morrison 6 1-2 13
Hemric 2 3-5 7
Sharman 12 6-6 30
Cousy 4 4-4 12
Barrett 3 1-2 7

Totals...51 22-32 124

St. Louis G FT T
Coleman 7 9-10 23
Pettit 5 4-6 14
Hannum 1 0-0 2
Parks 3 2-3 8
Share 5 4-4 14
Ferrari 5 6-6 16
Harrison 1 0-0 2
Stephens 4 5-9 13
McMahon 4 0-0 8
Schafer 0 0-0 0

Totals.... 35 30-38 100

Boston......31 35 29 29-124
St.Louis....22 22 36 20-100

February 9,1956- Celtics beat Nats on last second shot

In a hard fought game that featured 18 ties, the Celtics beat the Nationals 98-97 after Bob Cousy made a last second shot. The game was played in Syracuse in front of 2,646 fans at the War Memorial, the game was tight the entire way. The Nationals found themselves down by one with 12 seconds left when Eddie Conlin of the Nationals sinked in a shot with 7 seconds left to give the Nats the lead but that left too much time for the Celtics. Bob Cousy scored on a shot that went in as time expired, the Nationals protested the shot shouldn't count but it didn't matter. Bob Cousy didn't score a field goal in the 1st half and he finished up with 17. Jack Nichols led the Celtics with 23. The win brought the Celtics season record to 29-24.

Box Score

Boston G FT T

Nichols 9 5-5 23

Loscutoff 1 0-0 2
Palazzi 0 0-0 0
Hemric 6 0-0 12
Macauley 2 5-7 9
Risen 8 5-6 21
Cousy 6 5-8 17
Sharman 4 4-5 12
Barrett 1 0-0 2
Morrison 0 0-0 0

Totals... 37 24-31 98

Syracuse G FT T
Schayes 6 5-6 17
Rocha 0 0-0 0
Tucker 1 2-2 4
Conlin 2 0-0 4
Kerr 11 5-9 27
Lloyd 1 0-0 2
Seymour 4 8-12 16
King 8 3-5 19
Farley 1 0-0 2
Kenville 1 4-4 6

Totals...35 27-38 97

Boston.......25 26 21 26-98
Syracuse...28 23 20 27-97

Bill Sharman biography

February 9, 1956- Celtics vs Nats Preview

Originally published in the Syracuse Post Standard 2/9/56 written by Jack Andrews

The Celtics have whipped the Nats in five of eight games this season, winning the last four and hitting at least 100 points in all of them. The Celtics, incidentally, surpassed the Warriors' 128 points in regulation by whipping St. Louis, 133-112, Jan. 20.

The Celtics have proved the biggest attraction here this season and, of course the big reason for that is Bob "The Wizard" Cousy. The ball-handling magician had his troubles against Syracuse earlier (particularly when George King was harassing him) but he caught fire for 32 points when the Celtics whipped the Nats in overtime the last time they were here. He kept firing in the two games that followed.

They Have Rebounders
Cousy ranks close behind seventh-ranking Adolph Schayes in NBA scoring. His teammates, Bill Sharman and Ed Macauley are fifth and sixth.

However, the Celtics are making a bold bid for the divisional pennant because they have rebounders like Jungle Jim Loscutoff, Jack Nichols, Arnie Risen, Rookie Dick Stemric and Red Morrison. Nichols is the fourth and last man in Boston's double figure average scoring. Ernie Barrett, a reliable spot shooter, and Togo Palazzi, Red Auerbach's forgotten man, round out the visiting cast.

All Nats' coach Al Cervi could say yesterday was: "We'll keep trying." He didn't pick a starting lineup.

February 8, 1956- Celtics fall to Hawks 111-110 on last second shot

In a doubleheader of basketball in Rochester, the Boston Celtics lost to the St. Louis Hawks 111-110 on a last second shot by Bob Pettit in the first game. The Hawks were playing catchup for most of the game early on trailing by as many as 13 in the 2nd period before rallying to tie the score at 100 with four minutes remaining in the game. Bob Cousy sinked in a hook shot with 22 seconds left to give the C's a 108-106 lead. Alex Hannum then had a 3 point play for the Hawks to go up 109-108 with 9 seconds left. Bob Cousy scored immediately to give the C's a 110-109 lead with 5 seconds remaining. Alex Hannum then threw up a desperate shot but luckily for the Hawks Bob Pettit was right there to tip in the ball to give the win to the Hawks. Pettit was the high scorer of the game with 36 points.

In the 2nd game of the doubleheader the Knicks controlled the game throughout the entire contest to beat the Rochester Royals 102-97. Ken Sears led the Knicks with 26 points.

Box Score

Boston G FT T
Nichols 2 1-4 5
Hemric 1 7-7 9
Loscutoff 1 0-0 2
Risen 6 4-4 16
Morrison 0 1-4 1
Macauley 11 5-5 27
Cousy 8 7-8 23
Sharman 5 6-6 16
Barrett 4 3-3 11

Totals 38 34-41 110

St. Louis G FT T
Coleman 6 1-2 13
Hannum 4 1-2 9
Schafer 1 0-0 2
Pettit 13 10-11 36
Share 6 3-4 15
Ferrari 1 1-2 3
Harrison 4 2-3 10
Stephens 2 3-6 7
Park 1 2-4 4
McMahon 4 4-5 12

Totals 42 27-39 111

St. Louis..... 27 20 33 31-111
Boston.........25 30 28 27-110

Bob Cousy video

Here's the NBA's original showman Bob Cousy also known as the Houdini of the Hardwood.

February 7, 1956- Knicks beat Celtics, Warriors set records against Nats

14,280 fans at Madison Square Garden saw a fine day as basketball as the New York Knicks battled to beat the Boston Celtics 113-102 in the 2nd game of a NBA doubleheader. With 4 minutes remaining in the 1st half the Knicks trailed the Celtics 46-39. Gene Shue would lead a Knicks charge scoring 7 points in the final minutes of the 1st half as the Knicks went on a 15-2 run to take a 54-48 halftime lead. The Knicks hot streak continued into the 2nd half as they quickly took a 69-53 lead and the Knicks would lead by no less than 10 for the rest of the game. Bill Sharman was one of the few bright spots for the Celtics in the game as he led all scorers with 29 points. The Celtics record dropped to 28-23.

In the earlier game of the doubleheader the Philadelphia Warriors whipped the Syracuse Nationals 128-96. The Warriors set a MSG record with 128 points. The Warriors led 101 to 73 at the end of the third quarter. The 101 points set a league record for points after 3 quarters. The Warriors led 70-51 at the half setting a MSG record. Neil Johnston scored 41 points for the Warriors, 29 of them in the 1st half setting a MSG record. Paul Arizin scored 26 for the Warriors.

Box Score

Boston G F-T T
Nichols 6 3-3 15
Morrison 0 1-1 1
Risen 0 2-4 2
Hemric 0 0-1 0
Macauley 7 5-6 19
Loscutoff 4 2-4 10
Cousy 5 5-5 15
Palazzi 2 0-0 4
Sharman 11 7-9 29
Barrett 3 1-2 7

New York G F-T T
Gallatin 5 3-3 13
Clifton 9 5-5 23
Sears 10 4-5 24
Peterson 1 0-0 2
Dukes 4 5-7 13
Felix 0 2-2 2
Shue 4 4-4 12
McGuire 0 0-0 0
Baechtold 2 6-6 10
Braun 6 2-2 14

February 6, 1956- Red Auerbach speaks at Keith Academy's Men Club part 2

This article is from February 7, 1956 when Red Auerbach spoke at the Keith Academy Men's Club speaking on a wide range of topics about basketball. It was originally written by Gil Wood in the Lowell Sun on 2/7/56.

Little Man Isn't Dead In Basketball Says Auerbach
Celtics coach speaks at meeting at Keith Academy Men's Club-Says NBA Is Tough

Lowell-The little man is not dead in basketball. In fact he is getting more and more important.

This is the opinion of Arnold "Red" Auerbach, controversial coach of the Boston Celtics who spoke before a gathering of close to 100 members of the Keith Academy Men's Club last night at the Keith auditorium.

"Those big men are eventually going to counteract each other." Auerbach explained during his interesting and informative hour and one-half talk. There's little to choos among them when they face each other. The class of pro, college, or high school ball is going to be the little-or backcourt-guy. He's the boy that holds the big players together out there."

Auerbach, the only coach to last out the stormy 10 year history of the NBA, admitted that he has a reputation as a "referee baiter." Smiling, he reflected "And I can't afford it. I pay every single one of those fines (he may have another one coming up) myself. I guess my reputation got its start when I broke in as coach of the Washington Caps in 1946 and I haven't been able to live it down," he said.

Serious About Quitting?
It was more in the manner in which he said rather than what he said, but some of his listeners gleaned from his remarks that he is serious about quitting the Celtics at the end of this campaign.

Being Fired
Speaking of Joe Lapchick's firing by the Knickerbockers, "Red" implied that fans shouldn't feel too sorry for Joe. "The NBA is tough", Auerbach grimly told his listeners. "Take our club for instance. We've played 28 games in the last 35 days, 20 of them on the road. It's a mixed up kind of living, eating on the run at odd hours of the day and trying to sleep in the air or on rails most of the time.

Reports have indicated that Auerbach is interested in an offer of a coaching berth with a good-sized southern college. He hasn't actually denied the rumors and off his remarks here last night It sounds as though he's fed up with the rigorous life of coaching in the NBA.

Favors Sharman
"Red" spoke only sparingly of "Mr. Basketball" Bob Cousy. In fact, Bill Sharman appears to be his fair-haired boy. He repeatedly spoke in glowing terms of his backcourt star who can adjust himself to any type of play or position. Stressing the importance of practice and working on individual skills, Auerbach said "take Sharman as an example. Six years he couldn't blow his nose left-handed. Now he's almost as good a lefty shooter as he is right-handed. That all came through constant practice."

After relating some of the pleasantly surprising developments on his team, such as the first-year performances of Hemric and Loscutoff, the amazing comeback of Jack Nichols, and the acquisition of Arnie Risen, "Red" smilingly remarked that, "I did expect the devil from the press and fans over Togo Palazzi, the former Holy Cross star. "You have to expect this in the pro business."

Explanation
The speaker then went on to explain why it's impossible for him to use Palazzi more than he does. "There's only 96 minutes of playing time in the backcourt during each game," Auerbach pointed out. "I gotta play Sharman and Cousy around 76 minutes because they can go that long. That leaves only 18 minutes for the other backcourt men, and furthermore, Togo hasn't been to adjust himself properly to backcourt duty."

He also spoke of another Holy Cross star, Tom Heinsohn, in answer to a query after his talk was completed. "I've never seen Heinsohn play a good game, although I've only seen him twice. I've also heard about his personality, I don't have time for that stuff. He's got all the equipment, I guess, but if he can't take orders than I'm not at all interested."

Going further into this subject of college stars, the speaker emphatically declared, "I get sick of hearing of small college coaches and some fans, telling me how great their respective stars are. I brought five of them to camp last fall and none of them made the squad and each had averaged anywhere from 25 to 28 points a game in school. It's a rarity when they have the goods to make the grade in the rugged NBA."

The speaker was introduced by Weldon Haire of Chelmsford Center, public address announcer at Celtics home games. Norbert McCartin, president of the Keith Academy Men's Club was in charge of the meeting.

February 6, 1956- Red Auerbach speaks at Keith Academy's Men Club part 1

Red Auerbach spoke to 100 people at the Keith Academy Men Club in Lowell, Massachussetts on February 6, 1956 to discuss basketball and it was not without controversy. Red spoke about a wide range of topics from the rumors of him leaving the Celtics to talking about Wilt Chamberlain, Tommy Heinsohn, Bill Sharman, and the rigors of being an NBA coach. Here's part of an article by Gil Wood originally printed in the Lowell Sun on February 7, 1956.

Red's An All Right Guy
"Red" Auerbach, the colorful Boston Celtics coach, might be a pain in the neck to NBA referees, but he's an all right guy as far as some 100 members of the Keith Academy Men's club are concerned. Due to fly out of Boston early this morning for New York where the Celts play tonight; Auerbach nevertheless braved last night's storm to keep his speaking engagement at Keith auditorium. And, while doing so, "Red" enjoyed his assignment so much he talked three-quarters of an hour longer than he planned. His listeners ate it up in attentice silence during the interesting hour and a quarter devoted to Auerbach's and the Celtics' exploits in the fast pro loop.

The writer, who got to know Auerbach well when he used to bring the Celtics up to Burlington, Vt., for preseason exhibition games had heard some of the stories before, but the informal way Auerbach has of relating experiences makes just as interesting the second time. As "Red" hurriedly left the hall, we managed a question on the run which hadn't been asked him at the end of his talk. "How much longer do you think Bob Cousy will be able to play with the Celtics?" Without giving the query much thought, Auerbach replied "I'll give him three years." This endorsement from his coach should silence Cousy needlers, here or elsewhere.

Ideal Setting
The setting in the auditorium was ideal. Auerbach stood under the stage-end basket as he spoke and used the position several times to illustrate his points about players like Bill Sharman and the sensational Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain who he says should be the next big name in basketball for the next 10-and possibly 20-years. A freshman now at the U. of Kansas, Auerbach estimates the brilliant colored star will add half a million dollars to the university's treasury. And he also offers the opinion that when Chamberlain was only a junior in high school in Philadelphia he not only could have made any team in the NBA but he would have played in the league's All-Star game.

February 5, 1956- Celtics beat Knicks 114-104

The Boston Celtics had a strong performance at home as they beat the New York Knicks 114-104 in front of 10,084 fans. The Celtics played the game using only 8 men, including Bob Cousy who suffered a ankle sprain in the previous game against the Royals. Cousy played only 24 minutes, 17 in the 1st half and 7 in the 3rd quarter. After a brief New York lead it was all Celtics as they cruised to the win. Tensions were high in this game as Red Auerbach, Bill Sharman, and Dick McGuire all picked up technical fouls and there were 58 fouls called. The Celtics improved their season record to 28-22 and remained 2 1/2 games back of the division leading Warriors.

Box Score

Boston (114) G F PF P
Macauley lf 8 5 2 21
Nichols 7 3 4 17
Loscutoff rf
Risen c 6 5 4 17
Hemric 3 1 1 7
Cousy lg 2 5 4 9
Sharman rg 7 10 5 24
Barrett 2 1 3 5

Totals...41 32 28 114

New York (104) G F PF P
Gallatin lf 1 8 2 10
Dukes 2 6 4 10
Peterson rf 1 0 3 2
Felix c 1 3 5 5
Clifton 5 4 2 14
Baechtold lg 8 6 4 22
Braun 5 7 4 17
Shue rg 8 4 2 20
McGuire 2 0 4 4

Totals...33 38 30 104

Boston.........32 27 28 27-114
New York...30 20 28 26-104

Free Throws Missed-Macauley 5, Loscutoff, Risen 3, Barrett, Dukes, Clifton 3, Braun 3

February 4, 1956- Royals beat Celtics in wild nationally televised game

It was an all-around bad game for the Boston Celtics as they lost to the Rochester Royals 83-69 in a nationally televised contest in Rochester where the Celtics' Ernie Barrett and Red Auerbach were both ejected and Bill Sharman fought with Don Meineke. The Boston Celtics played strong early racing off to a 25-11 lead in the 1st quarter, despite Bob Cousy spraining his left ankle early on ending his day. The Celtics lead dropped to 40-38 at halftime without Cousy. Ernie Barrett was ejected from the game seconds before halftime for throwing the ball at referee Sid Borgia after he was charged with a foul. Red Auerbach then started arguing with Borgia as the teams left the court for intermission, then Auerbach was told to stay off the bench for the 2nd half. Without Auerbach, Cousy, and Barrett the Royals soon turned the game into a rout, taking the lead and never looking back. Late in the game Bill Sharman and Don Meineke while both fighting for a loose ball ended up scrapping vigorously on the floor before the fight was broken up. The Celtics loss dropped their season record to 27-22.

Box Score

Boston G FT T
Macauley 5 5-6 15
Loscutoff 4 3-3 11
Palazzi 1 0-0 2
Nichols 3 0-1 6
Risen 1 1-1 3
Hemric 1 4-8 6
Cousy 1 2-2 4
Sharman 4 6-8 14
Barrett 2 0-0 4
Morrison 2 0-0 4

Totals...24 21-29 69

Rochester G FT T
Twyman 6 1-2 3
Stokes 1 1-1 3
Ricketts 5 2-4 12
Meineke 7 4-7 18
Spoelstra 6 6-6 18
Simmons 0 0-0 0
Fleming 1 1-1 3
Regan 1 0-0 2
Wanzer 5 4-6 14
Harris 0 0-0 0

Totals..32 19-27 83

Boston.............25 15 19 10-69
Rochester.......11 27 20 25-83

February 2,1956- Celtics beat Lakers 102-101

The Celtics and Lakers met for the 2nd straight day and unlike their meeting the previous night, this time it was the Celtics winning a close one by the score of 102-101 in the first game of a doubleheader in St. Louis. Although the final score was close it didn't get that way until Chuck Mencel scored 6 points in the final minute, including an uncontested shot as the clock expired. Ed Macauley had 31 for the Celtics and Bill Sharman added 35. The Celtics improved their season record to 27-21.

In the 2nd game of the doubleheader the St. Louis Hawks beat the Fort Wayne Pistons 98-90. Bob Pettit had 27 points for the Hawks, and Jack Coleman scored 21 for the Hawks also.

Box Score

Boston G FT T
Barrett 1 0-0 2
Loscutoff 1 0-1 2
Macauley 10 11-14 31
Hemric 1 2-3 4
Morrison 2 2-4 6
Risen 4 4-4 12
Cousy 3 4-4 10
Palazzi 0 0-0 0
Sharman 14 7-7 35

Totals 36 30-37 102

Minneapolis G FT T
Hitch 0 0-0 0
Kalafat 3 2-4 8
Mikkelsen 6 5-6 17
Schnittker 2 0-0 4
Lovellette 8 5-8 21
Mikan 5 2-2 12
Garmaker 0 1-1 1
Martin 7 1-2 15
Mencel 2 2-2 6
Skoog 8 1-1 17

Totals 41 19-26 101

Boston...........30 27 25 20-102
Minneapolis..24 27 25 25-101

February 1, 1956- Lakers beat Celtics in controversial fashion, Macauley sets NBA record

The Minneapolis Lakers the hottest team in the NBA since the return of George Mikan, gained a controversial 107-106 victory of the Boston Celtics in Minneapolis. The Celtics led for most of the game until late in the 4th quarter when the Lakers who found themselves down by 5, 105-100 when Dick Schnittker hit 2 free throws, when referee Joey Logan called a technical foul on Boston for delay of game. Schnittker hit a free throw, and 13 seconds later hit 2 more to tie the game. Arnie Risen hit a free throw to give the Celtics a 1 point lead with 22 seconds left, before Vern Mikkelsen hit a game winning jumper with 4 seconds left. Red Auerbach immediately protested the game based on Logan's delay of game call. Ed Macauley led all scorers with 26 points, and set an NBA record with 18 straight free throws. The Celtics season record dropped to 26-21.

Box Score

Minneapolis (107) G F PF P
Mikkelsen lf 3 3 5 9
Lovellette 8 5 2 21
Kalafat 1 0 4 2
Schnittker rf 4 12 4 20
Mikan c 6 0 6 12
Hitch 1 0 3 2
Skoog lg 5 3 2 13
Martin rg 8 5 5 21
Garmaker 1 3 2 5
Mencel 0 2 1 2

Total...37 33 34 107

Boston (106) G F PF P
Macauley 4 18 6 26
Loscutoff 3 1 1 7
Hemric rf 5 7 1 17
Palazzi 4 2 5 10
Risen c 3 3 5 9
Morrison 1 0 4 2
Sharman lg 5 1 2 11
Cousy rg 6 8 5 20
Barrett 1 2 1 4

Total..32 42 30 106

Minneapolis.....20 27 31 29-107
Boston..............23 31 28 24-106

January 31, 1956 Hawks rout Celtics 114-91 set NBA record

The St. Louis Hawks beat the Boston Celtics in a laugher in St. Louis 114-91. The Celtics defense was scorched as the Hawks set an NBA record with 63 1st half points. Not only the Boston defense not working, so was their offense as they went a full five minutes at 1 point without a basket. The Hawks led the game from beginning to end. Tempers flared near the end of the game as the Celtics' Jim Loscutoff fought with the Hawks' Don Schaeffer after a foul by Schaefer, and then the Celtics' Dick Hemric went at with the Hawks' Chuck Share. The Celtics record for the year dropped to 26-20.

Box Score

St. Louis (114) G F PF P
Coleman lf 3 1 4 7
Park 5 4 3 14
Schafer rf 3 0 5 6
Hannum 1 1 4 3
Pettit c 5 8 3 18
Share 6 4 4 16
Harrison lg 7 1 4 15
McMahon 5 0 2 10
Stephens 2 1 4 5
Ferrari rg 5 10 3 20

Total...42 30 36 114

Boston (91) G F PF P
Macauley lf 2 7 1 11
Barrett 3 2 4 8
Hemric 5 6 3 16
Risen c 1 2 2 4
Morrison 2 0 3 4
Loscutoff 3 7 3 13
Cousy lg 5 4 4 14
Sharman rg 4 6 2 14
Palazzi 1 5 2 7

Total...26 39 24 91

St. Louis...31 32 29 22-114
Boston......16 24 24 27-91

Free Throws Missed-Coleman 3, Park 2, Schafer, Pettit, Harrison, Ferrari 3, Macauley, Hemric 5, Morrison 2, Loscutoff 4, Cousy 2, Sharman 5, Palazzi 2

January 29,1956 Celtics beat Royals 2nd straight day

The Celtics and Royals met for the 2nd straight day this time in Boston and the result was just like it was in Rochester, the end result being a win for the Celtics. The Celtics scored 10 points in the final 1:34 to come out with a 112-103 win over the Royals. The Celtics 24 free throws were the key to their victory as the Royals beat them in field goals 42-39. The Celtics pulled within 3 1/2 of the division leading Warriors with their season record at 26-19.

Box Score

Boston (112) G F PF P
Macauley lf 2 6 1 10
Loscutoff 2 5 4 9
Hemric 3 1 1 7
Sharman rf 10 3 1 23
Risen c 1 1 6 3
Nichols 8 5 3 21
Morrison 2 1 1 5
Cousy lg 9 11 3 29
Barrett rg 2 1 1 5

Total...39 34 21 112

Rochester (103)
Ricketts lf 4 4 6 12
Twyman rf 4 3 2 11
Spoelstra 7 1 1 15
Meineke 0 0 4 0
Stokes c 8 2 3 18
Simmons 0 0 0 0
Wanzer lg 5 3 2 13
Fleming 6 2 2 14
Regan rg 6 2 2 14
Harris 2 2 5 6

Total...42 19 27 103

Boston........18 33 26 35-112
Rochester..21 24 32 26-103

Free Throws Missed-Sharman, Risen 2, Nichols, Morrison, Ricketts, Twyman, Spoelstra, Stokes, Wanzer, Fleming, Regan, Harris 3

January 28,1956 Celtics beat Royals 126-119

The Boston Celtics ended their 4 game losing streak by heading into Rochester and beating the Royals 126-119 in a game that honored Royals forward Ed Fleming. Ed Macauley broke a 117- all deadlock with 2 free throws at 1:23 left to play in the game. The Celtics proceeded to score seven straight points as they went on to win for the 3rd time in Rochester for the season. It was the highest scoring NBA game ever played in Rochester. Jack Twyman led all scorers with 40 points, 39 of them before the 4th quarter. Attendance for the game was 4,004.

Box Score

Boston (126) G F PF P
Barrett lf 7 2 4 16
Cousy rf 9 11 5 29
Hemric 3 2 2 8
Loscutoff c 5 2 5 12
Macauley 4 7 3 15
Morrison lg 0 2 0 2
Nichols rg 8 6 2 22
Palazzi 1 0 2 2
Risen 0 0 2 0
Sharman 7 6 4 20

Total...44 38 29 126

Rochester (119) G F PF P
Fleming lf 8 4 2 20
Meineke rf 4 6 5 14
Regan 3 1 5 7
Ricketts 5 2 6 12
Simmons 3 0 0 6
Spoelstra c 0 2 3 2
Stokes lg 5 5 5 15
Twyman rg 17 6 4 40
Wanzer 1 1 2 3

Total..46 27 32 119

Boston..........21 28 36 41-126
Rochester....31 28 28 32-119

Free Throws Missed-Cousy, Hemric 2, Loscutoff, Macauley 3, Nichols 4, Palazzi, Fleming 3, Spoelstra, Stokes 2, Twyman 4, Wanzer 3

January 27,1956 Pistons beat Celtics 2nd straight game

The Fort Wayne Pistons beat the Celtics for the 2nd game in a row, this time beating them 106-97 in Boston in front of 9064 fans. The win for the Pistons was their 1st win in Boston in 6 years. The Boston Celtics led the game early taking a 53-46 lead at halftime before rookies Corky Devlin and Chuck Noble led the Pistons charge as they eventually took a 68-67 lead in the 3rd quarter and they didn't trail for the rest of the game. This was the Celtics 4th straight loss and dropped their record to 24-19 for the season.

In an earlier game at the Boston Garden the Rochester Royals routed the New York Knicks 111-93. Knicks coach and Original Celtic Joe Lapchick had announced he was resigning as coach just the previous day and his team was beaten from beginning to end. Maurice Stokes was 12 for 28 from the field scoring 26 points and also grabbing 26 rebounds. Stokes 12 rebounds in 1 quarter and 18 in the second half set Boston Garden records.

Box Score

Fort Wayne (106) G F PF P
Yardley lf 9 5 4 23
Cooper 3 3 1 9
Foust rf 3 4 4 10
Spears 2 0 2 4
Houbregs c 1 2 3 4
Hutchins lg 3 1 0 7
Noble rg 8 2 2 18
Phillip 3 6 2 12
Devlin 7 5 0 19
Brian 0 0 1 0

Total...39 28 19 106

Boston (97) G F PF P
Nichols lf 7 2 2 16
Macauley rf 6 1 1 13
Loscutoff 3 3 2 9
Palazzi 2 1 0 5
Risen c 5 2 6 12
Morrison 0 0 0 0
Hemric 1 1 1 3
Sharman lg 7 1 5 15
Cousy rg 5 6 4 16
Barrett 4 0 3 8

Total...40 17 24 97

Fort Wayne...27 19 28 32-105
Boston............33 20 19 25-97

January 24, 1956 Cousy meets with NBA president Podoloff

NBA President Maurice Podoloff agreed to meet with representatives of the players to discuss player demands. Celtics star Bob Cousy the head of the players representatives outlined a list of the players demands.

#1-The setting up of an arbitration board to hear grievances composed of sportswriters from New York and Boston as well as player representatives
#2-Removal of the automatic $15 fine for arguing with an official
#3-Setting a limit of 20 exhibition games and paying players for any exhibitions over that number
#4-Setting a fee for personal appearances other than tv or radio
#5-Moving expense for when a player is traded
#6-Salary payment in 10 installments instead of 12

Maurice Podoloff agreed to the meeting and wanted to know the identity of the player representatives, the process by which they were elected, and if all eight teams were represented by the player reps.

January 25, 1956 Pistons beat Celtics

The Fort Wayne Pistons rallied from 13 points down to defeat the Boston Celtics 101-100 in the 1st game of a NBA doubleheader in Philadelphia. Corky Devlin hit 2 free throws with 15 seconds left to win the game for the Western division leading Pistons. The Celtics record after the game fell to 24-18.

In the 2nd game of the doubleheader the Warriors beat the Nationals 112-100. The Warriors dominated the game most of the way and entered the 4th period leading by 80-64 before Philly coach George Senesky took out most of his starters to rest them. Paul Arizin led all scorers with 26 points and at 1 point hit 6 consecutive jumpers. The Warriors widened their division lead over the Celtics to 4 1/2.

Box Score

Fort Wayne G F P
Yardley f 4 4 12
Hutchins f 11 2 24
Houbregs f 4 5 13
Cooper f 1 1 3
Spears f 2 1 5
Foust c 6 6 18
Devlin g 1 8 10
Noble g 6 1 13
Phillip g 1 1 3
Brian g 0 0 0

Boston G F P
Hemric f 2 1 5
Macauley f 8 7 23
Nichols f 4 4 12
Loscutoff f 1 0 2
Risen c 1 2 4
Morrison c 2 1 5
Cousy g 7 8 22
Sharman g 8 1 17
Barrett g 4 2 10

Fort Wayne.............24 30 27 20-101
Boston......................30 34 17 19-100

January 10,1956- Auerbach prefers Bill Russell to Tommy Heinsohn

As stated in a earlier blog post, at the 1955 MSG Holiday Festival, Red Auerbach watched several of the biggest names in college basketball, many who coincidentally joined the Celtics at one time or another in the future. Standout players like Si Green, Willie Naulls, Tommy Heinsohn, and Bill Russell were all there and had good performances, but it's easy to infer one guy impressed Red more than any other and it wasn't Holy Cross star Tommy Heinsohn, instead it was USF center Bill Russell. Red Auerbach spoke with the media on January 9, 1956 and made it clear that he would like to draft Bill Russell. More to come on Red Auerbach's pre-draft comments on Tom Heinsohn.

Originally from the UP January 10, 1956
Holy Cross basketball star Tommy Heinsohn may be the nation's sixth leading scorer but Boston coach Red Auerbach would rather have San Francisco's Bill Russell.

"Let's face it," Auerbach said yesterday at a basketball writer's meeting, "Russell is the best big man in the country today."

Russell and Heinsohn are sure to be "drafted" into big league basketball in the spring when the National Basketball Association picks rookies for next year. Boston-despite Auerbach's admiration- isn't likely to pick up Russell as lower ranking NHL teams will get first pick of college players.

Need A Horse
Auerbach said that any coach's choice depended first on the immediate need of his club. "We need a horse," he said. "We must have the big man and if we could get Russell he could be the answer."

Russell at six feet, 1o inches would provide the Celts with the size they lack. But Heinsohn isn't any midget even among the court giants playing today. The Holy Cross center is six feet seven inches and one of the best ball handlers in the game.

However Auerbach feels that the San Francisco star not only has the advantage in size but is a standout defensively.

"I'm not saying Heinsohn would not be a great corner man.....he could very well be," Auerbach said. "But we need the great player who has the size to cope with the giants that the (New York) Knicks, (Philadelphia) Warriors, and (Syracuse) Nats now have.

January 24, 1956-1956 NBA All-Star game

The All-Stars of the NBA converged on the War Memorial Auditorium in Rochester, N.Y. for the 6th annual NBA All-Star game. The Eastern side entered the game as 5 point favorites but fell to the West 108-94 in an upset. The West fell behind in the game 19-5 before West coach Charley Eckman put in 4 big men and the West proceeded to go on a 31-4 run. The West outrebounded the East 40-23 in the first half and had a 43-40 advantage at the half.

In the 2nd half the West blew the game wide open in the 3rd quarter with a 41 point outburst. Bob Pettit had 11 points of his 20 points in the 3rd period. After the 3rd period the East never came closer than 14 points as the West cruised for the rest of the game. Bob Pettit was named MVP of the All-Star game, scoring 20 points and grabbing 24 rebounds. This was the West's 2nd win in 6 All-Star games and attendance for the game was 8,517.

Box Score (with thanks to Wikipedia)

Western Conference

Player, Team	MIN	FGM	FGA	FTM	FTA	REB	AST	PF	PTS
Bob Pettit, STL	31	7	17	6	7	24	7	4	20
Slater Martin, MNL	29	3	7	3	3	1	7	5	9
Mel Hutchins, FTW	27	5	11	1	2	4	0	0	11
Bobby Wanzer, ROC	25	4	8	5	6	5	2	4	13
Bob Harrison, STL	25	2	7	1	2	0	1	4	5
Vern Mikkelsen, MNL	22	5	13	6	7	9	2	4	16
Maurice Stokes, ROC	20	4	11	2	5	16	2	5	10
Larry Foust, FTW	20	3	9	3	4	4	0	1	9
Clyde Lovellette, MNL	20	3	10	1	3	10	0	4	7
George Yardley, FTW	19	3	7	2	3	6	1	1	8
Totals	240	39	100	30	42	79	22	32	108

Eastern Conference

Player, Team	MIN	FGM	FGA	FTM	FTA	REB	AST	PF	PTS
Harry Gallatin, NYK	30	5	12	6	7	5	2	4	16
Dick McGuire, NYK	29	2	9	2	5	0	3	1	6
Paul Arizin, PHW	28	5	13	3	5	7	1	6	13
Neil Johnston, PHW	25	5	9	7	11	10	1	3	17
Dolph Schayes, SYR	25	4	8	6	10	4	2	2	14
Bill Sharman, BOS	24	2	8	3	4	7	2	6	7
Bob Cousy, BOS	24	2	8	3	4	7	2	6	7
Jack George, PHW	21	2	7	2	2	3	2	1	6
Ed Macauley, BOS	20	1	9	2	4	2	3	3	4
Johnny Kerr, SYR	16	2	4	0	1	8	0	2	4
Carl Braun, NYK (injured)
Totals	240	30	87	34	53	53	18	34	94

January 23, 1956 Warriors beat Celtics again

The Philadelphia Warriors the team with the NBA's best record went into New Haven, Connecticut and beat the Boston Celtics by the score of 120-104. This was the 2nd day in a row the Warriors beat Boston and they put more distance between themselves and the Celtics in the Eastern division. The Warriors controlled the game from start to finish as they ended up with their 2nd straight double digit win over Boston. Boston's record for the season dropped to 24-17 3 1/2 games behind the Warriors.

Box Score

Philadelphia (120) G F PF P
Arizin lf 10 5 4 25
Johnston rf 11 7 1 29
Davis 0 0 0 0
Graboski c 10 2 4 22
Gola 4 2 4 10
Dempsey lg 7 2 0 16
George rg 7 4 4 18
Beck 0 0 0 0
Hennessy 0 0 0 0
Moore 0 0 0 0

Total..49 22 17 120

Boston (104) G F PF P
Macauley lf 11 9 2 31
Hemric rf 2 1 4 5
Loscutoff 11 3 2 25
Palazzi 0 0 0 0
Risen c 3 1 6 7
Morrison 2 0 0 4
Cousy lg 3 0 1 6
Sharman rg 6 8 2 20
Barrett 2 2 3 6

Total...40 24 20 104

Warriors....33 29 26 32-120
Celtics........21 26 30 27-104

Free Throws Missed-Macauley, Hemric, Risen, Johnston, Gola, George 2

January 22, 1956 Warriors beat Celtics 129-115

The league leading Philadelphia Warriors went into the Boston Garden and got a big 129-115 win over the Celtics. Boston got a strong performance from their Big 3 of Macauley, Cousy, and Sharman, but it was not enough to beat the Warriors who had a big game from Paul Arizin who scored 39 points. The loss dropped Boston's record for the season to 24-16 leaving the Celtics 2 1/2 games behind the division leading Warriors.

Box Score

Philadelphia (129) G F PF P
Arizin lf 13 13 3 39
Johnston rf 9 8 4 26
Davis 4 0 1 8
Beck 4 1 2 9
Graboski c 3 0 5 6
Gola 2 2 5 6
Dempsey lg 7 3 5 17
George rg 4 10 3 18

Total..46 37 28 129

Boston (115) G F PF P
Hemric lf 4 6 2 14
Macauley rf 9 9 5 27
Loscutoff 1 4 6 6
Palazzi 0 0 1 0
Risen c 4 1 5 9
Morrison 1 0 0 2
Sharman lg 8 5 4 21
Cousy rg 11 5 4 27
Barrett 4 1 3 9

Total..42 31 30 115

Warriors.....29 27 34 39-129
Celtics.........30 24 31 30-115

Free Throws Missed-Arizin 2, Johnston, George 2, Hemric 2, Macauley 4, Palazzi, Risen, Sharman.

January 21, 1956 Celtics beat Nationals 100-96

The Boston Celtics won over the Syracuse Nationals 100-96 in Philadelphia in the 1st game of a NBA doubleheader. Bill Sharman led the Celtics with 21 points. The Celtics victory brought their season record to 24-15. In the 2nd game of the doubleheader George Yardley scored 23 points as the Pistons pulled out a close victory over the Philadelphia Warriors 92-91. Joe Graboski scored 28 points for Philly.

Box Score

Boston (100) G F PF P
Macauley lf 5 6 2 16
Hemric rf 7 2 2 16
Palazzi 5 0 1 10
Loscutoff 1 2 3 4
Risen c 1 0 3 2
Morrison 1 0 1 2
Cousy lg 5 8 5 18
Sharman rg 8 5 3 21
Barrett 4 3 3 11

Total...37 26 23 100

Syracuse (96) G F PF P
Schayes lf 5 5 6 15
Rocha 3 1 4 7
Tucker 0 0 0 0
Conlin rf 8 3 2 19
Lloyd c 5 7 5 17
Kerr 7 5 0 19
Kenville lg 5 1 2 11
Farley 1 0 4 2
King rg 2 2 1 6

Total...36 24 24 96

Boston.......27 31 23 19-100
Syracuse...19 26 29 22-96

Free Throws Missed- Macauley 6, Barrett, Schayes 2, Rocha, Lloyd 2, Kerr, King 4.

January 18, 1956 Red Auerbach gets college coaching offer

Originally published in the Harvard Crimson on January 18,1956.

NEW YORK, Jan. 17--Arnold "Red" Auerbach, flery coach of the Boston Celtics, may leave professional basketball for a college coaching job next season.

A friend of Auerbach's disclosed today that the National Basketball Assn. mentor had been approached by representatives of two Southern universities recently to coach their cage teams next season.

The friend said Auerbach expressed interest but declined to commit himself until the end of the NBA season.

January 20,1956- Celtics and Hawks tie NBA record for combined point total, Mikan returns to Boston

It was a high scoring day of basketball at the Boston Garden with offense being the word of the day. In the 1st game of a doubleheader at the Boston Garden, George Mikan made his return to the Boston Garden with the Minneapolis Lakers. Mikan in his return did not play like the Mikan of old scoring only 2 points on 1 for 12 shooting, and picking up 5 fouls as his Lakers fell to the Knicks 122-109. The Knicks 122 points set a franchise record for points in a game. The Knicks led the game the entire way with Gene Shue scoring 22 points, with 21 of them in the 1st half, and Kenny Sears was the man in the 2nd half with 18 of his 27 points coming in the 2nd half. Clyde Lovellette led the Lakers with 27 points and Whitey Skoog had 18.

In the feature game of the doubleheader the Boston Celtics beat the St. Louis Hawks 133-112. The 245 points tied a NBA record for combined point total, while the Celtics set a franchise record with 133 points. The Celtics offense was flowing the entire game as they connected on 51 out of 106 shots. The Celtics improved their season record to 23-15.

Boston (133) G F PF P
Hemric 9 5 4 23
Macauley 6 3 0 15
Palazzi rf 5 2 4 12
Risen c 3 2 4 8
Loscutoff 6 4 4 16
Morrison 1 0 6 2
Sharman lg 8 9 3 25
Cousy 9 2 3 20
Barrett rg 4 4 5 12

Total..51 31 33 133

St. Louis (112) G F PF P
Coleman lf 7 1 3 15
Hannum 3 4 5 10
Ferrari rf 2 0 1 4
Pettit c 6 9 2 21
Share 1 11 5 13
Stephens lg 4 4 3 12
McMahon 9 4 3 22
Harrison 1 1 2 3
Shafer rg 1 4 3 6
Parks 3 0 3 6

Total..37 38 30 112

Boston......28 38 30 37-133
St. Louis...23 26 29 34-112

Free Throws Missed-Hemric 4, Macauley, Palazzi 4, Loscutoff, Cousy, Barrett 2, Coleman, Hannum, Pettit 3, Share 6, Stephens 2, McMahon 2.

January 18, 1956 Boston defeats Fort Wayne in Miami

The Boston Celtics continued their southern road trip by defeating the Pistons again this time in Miami by the score of 95-90. The Celtics improved their season road record to 22-15.

Box Score

Boston (105) G F PF P
Barrett lf 1 0 1 2
Hemric 4 0 2 8
Loscutoff rf 6 0 4 12
Macauley c 6 5 2 17
Morrison 2 0 3 4
Cousy lg 6 11 2 23
Sharman rg 8 6 4 22
Palazzi 0 3 0 3
Risen 1 0 3 2

Total...34 27 21 105

Fort Wayne (90) G F PF P
Yardley lf 10 10 4 30
Spears 1 1 3 3
Houbregs 2 3 2 7
Foust rf 5 1 1 11
Hutchins 8 1 0 17
Arnelle 0 0 0 0
Noble 3 1 6 7
Holstein 0 0 0 0
Brian rg 5 4 3 14
Phillip 0 1 3 1

Total...34 22 22 90

Free Throws Missed-Hemric, Loscutoff, Morrison, Cousy, Sharman 2, Yardley 2, Houbregss 2, Foust, Phillip 2.

January 17,1956 Celtics beat Pistons in Charlotte

The Boston Celtics took their show on the road defeating the Fort Wayne Pistons 91-85 in Charlotte. The Celtics had a strong performance leading for pretty much the entire game and they led were led by Bob Cousy's 20 points. Celtics starter and dental student Jack Nichols didn't make the trip to Charlotte. The Celtics season record improved to 21-15.

Box Score

Boston (91) G F PF P
Loscutoff lf 2 2 4 6
Hemric rf 3 3 6 9
Morrison 0 0 6 0
Risen c 3 3 6 9
Macauley 4 8 2 16
Barrett lg 6 1 1 13
Palazzi 1 2 0 4
Cousy 5 10 5 20
Sharman 6 2 2 14

Total..30 31 32 91

Fort Wayne (85) G F PF P
Hutchins lf 6 2 6 14
Yardley rf 5 6 2 16
Arnelle 0 2 1 2
Spears 1 2 1 4
Foust c 2 14 5 18
Houbregs 4 7 2 15
Noble lg 0 6 5 6
Brian rg 2 2 3 6
Holstein 0 0 2 0
Phillip 2 0 1 4

Total...22 41 28 85

Boston...........21 30 24 16-91
Fort Wayne..13 28 24 20-85

Free Throws Missed-Hemric 4, Risen, Palazzi 2, Cousy, Sharman, Hutchins, Yardley 3, Spears, Foust 4, Houbregs, Noble 2, Phillip

January 15, 1956 Knicks beat Celtics in overtime 109-104

The New York Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics 109-104 in overtime at the Boston Garden. The Knicks scored 27 points in a 6 and a half minute surge to come back from a 63-47 deficit in the 3rd period to eventually take a 95-87 lead. The Boston Celtics battled back and Bob Cousy hit two free throws to force the game into overtime. In the overtime session Arnie Risen of the Celtics missed three free throws while the Knicks were a perfect 8 for 8 from the line as they went on to beat the Celtics. The Celtics loss dropped the team's record for the season to 20-15.

Box Score

New York (109) G F PF P
Sears lf 2 1 2 5
Gallatin rf 6 5 2 17
Peterson 0 0 2 0
Felix c 0 6 5 6
Dukes 5 7 4 17
Shue lg 9 4 3 22
Baechtold rg 9 4 4 22
Maguire 0 0 0 0
Braun 7 6 3 20
Atha 0 0 2 0

Total...38 33 27 109

Boston (104) G F PF P
Nichols lf 8 2 3 18
Macauley rf 7 7 1 21
Loscutoff 5 0 2 10
Hemric 4 3 3 11
Palazzi 1 5 1 7
Risen c 1 1 5 3
Morrison 0 2 1 2
Cousy lg 6 8 3 20
Sharman rg 4 2 4 10
Barrett 1 0 4 2

Total...37 30 27 104

New York....21 21 26 29 12-109
Boston..........23 29 20 25 7-104

Free Throws Missed-Gallatin, Dukes 2, Baechtold, Hemric, Risen 3, Morrison, Palazzi 4

January 14,1956 Celtics beat Warriors 104-103

The Celtics beat the division leading Philadelphia Warriors 104-103 in Philly to increase their season record to 20-14. Paul Arizin led all scorers with 27 points.

Box Score

Boston (104) G F PF P
Macauley lf 5 6 4 16
Nichols rf 5 2 4 12
Hemric 2 10 4 14
Loscutoff 3 1 4 7
Risen c 1 2 6 4
Morrison 1 0 4 2
Cousy lg 4 13 3 21
Sharman rg 8 6 4 22
Barrett 3 0 2 6

Total...32 40 35 104

Philadelphia (103) G F PF P
Arizin lf 9 9 5 27
Graboski rf 3 3 5 9
Beck 3 1 2 7
Johnston c 4 11 4 19
Davis 2 5 5 9
George lg 6 2 4 14
Gola rg 2 6 3 10
Dempsey 3 2 4 8

Total..32 39 32 103

Boston.............30 33 20 31-104
Philadelphia....20 26 34 23-103

January 13, 1956 Celtics beat Nationals 119-104

Jack Nichols returned to the Celtics lineup after missing a game and the Boston Celtics cruised at home with a 119-104 victory against the Syracuse Nationals in the feature matchup of a basketball doubleheader at the Boston Garden. The Celtics victory brought their season record to 19-14. In the earlier matchup Maurice Stokes led the Rochester Royals with 24 points as they beat the St. Louis Hawks 98-90.

Box Score

Boston (119) G F PF P
Macauley lf 5 8 1 18
Nichols rf 1 4 6 6
Loscutoff 2 4 4 8
Palazzi 4 0 3 8
Risen c 1 8 4 10
Morrison 1 0 2 2
Hemric 7 1 4 15
Cousy lg 10 3 3 23
Sharman rg 9 5 2 23
Barrett 3 0 2 6

Total..43 33 31 119

Syracuse (104) G F PF P
Schayes lf 7 13 5 27
Rocha rf 7 8 3 22
Conlin 3 2 2 8
Kerr c 3 0 2 6
Lloyd 3 2 6 8
Tucker 2 1 1 5
Kenville lg 3 7 3 13
Farley rg 4 0 3 8
King 2 0 2 4
Seymour 1 1 2 3

Total..35 34 29 104

Boston.......23 32 34 30-119
Syracuse...25 24 24 31-104

Free Throws Missed-Macauley, Loscutoff 4, Risen 4, Morrison, Hemric, Cousy 2, Rocha, Conlin, Lloyd, King 2, Seymour 2

January 12, 1956 Mikan to rejoin Lakers

From the UP January 12, 1956

George Mikan one of the greatest basketball players ever to compete in college or professional ranks, announced tonight he would come out of retirement immediately to rejoin the Minneapolis Lakers. Mikan will be in uniform when the Lakers play Fort Wayne here Saturday night.

Mikan led the Lakers to six titles in seven years before his retirement at the start of the 1954-55 campaign. Without Mikan, the Lakers failed to reach the play-offs in the National Basketball Association and this season have been in last place or close to it in the Western Division.

Mikan, a lawyer, became general manager of the team after his retirement. He joined the Lakers in 1947 after earning All-America honors at Chicago's DePaul University.

January 11, 1956 Lakers beat Celtics 114-110

The Minneapolis Lakers picked up a win against the Boston Celtics 114-110 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Starting forward Jack Nichols missed the game. The loss dropped the Celtics season record to 18-14.

Box Score

Minneapolis (114) G F PF P
Mikkelsen lf 6 7 4 19
Kalafat 5 3 4 13
Schnittker rf 7 3 3 17
Horan 1 0 2 2
Lovellette c 10 4 4 24
Hitch 2 0 1 4
Skoog lg 7 1 6 15
Martin rg 4 6 6 14
Garmaker 1 1 4 3
Mencel 1 1 1 3

Total..44 26 33 114

Boston (110) G F PF P
Macauley lf 5 5 1 15
Hemric rf 3 6 5 12
Loscutoff 3 1 3 7
Palazzi 1 0 2 2
Risen c 6 2 6 14
Morrison 1 2 0 4
Sharman rg 4 11 4 19
Barrett 6 1 2 13
Cousy lg 6 12 3 24

Total...35 40 26 110

Minneapolis..25 34 33 22-114
Boston...........22 25 30 33-110

Free Throws Missed-Mikkelsen 2, Kalafat, Schnittker, Lovellette, Martin 3, Mencel, Macauley, Hemric, Palazzi, Risen, Morrison 2, Cousy 2.

January 11, 1956 Dr. Ernie Vandeweghe

Ernie Vandeweghe was one of the most popular Knicks of the early 1950's and can be considered basketball's 1st important 6th man. His story is one of the more amazing NBA stories and it's a shame that it's mostly forgotten. Apart from being a basketball player Ernie was also a doctor and actually stepped away from the game to focus on being a doctor before returning to the Knicks. Ernie would literally come to games from his medical classes and the fans in MSG would say Doctor Vandeweghe to the rescue. Ernie was also a member of the Air Force and his love of basketball would be passed down to his son Kiki Vandeweghe. This is an article from January 11, 1956 about Dr. Vandeweghe who recently returned to the Knicks.

Emergency Call by Arthur Daley January 11, 1956 New York Times

Dr. Ernie Vandeweghe received word a week ago that the patient was ailing and in need of a doctor. It couldn't be any doctor however. It had to be a specific one, a certain resident pediatrician at Babies' Hospital in the Medical Center. So Dr. Vandeweghe packed his little black bag and rushed out to help effect a cure. He brought no stethoscope nor other medical equipment with him. His bag contained, instead, his basketball togs.

After two years of reluctant retirement from the dribble diversion, the doc rejoined the New York Knickerbockers and the patient perked up immediately, winning two games from the hottest team in the pro league, the Celtics. Then came a slight relapse. It isn't entirely clear yet how long Dr. Vandeweghe will contine to minister to the Knicks. His medicine isn't quite as powerful as it once was.

Unusual, indeed, is the story of the doctor. It may even be unique because no similar parallel comes to mind. Coach Joe Lapchick of the Knicks calls him the true "professional-amateur." Vandeweghe, a varsity star at Colgate when he was only a 19 year old freshman, signed up for the Knicks and medical school in 1949.

Fortunately for him he was brilliant on the court and in the classroom so that the double burden on him wasn't too unbearable. And the Knicks wanted him so badly they were willing to accept him on a part-time basis. He played all home games and a few more on the shortest road trips. In his first year at Physicians and Surgeons, he sneaked away for forty-two games of the sixty-eight scheduled. Each season, he added a few more appearances, but never did reach full-time status. Then a twisted knee two years ago sidelined him, apparently for keeps.

However Ernie's love for basketball has been so deep and intense that he's haunted the Garden ever since, shooting baskets and keeping in condition any time he learned the court was free. Then, injuries to Dick McGuire and Bob Peterson left the Knicks grievously shorthanded, the doc responded to the emergency call with sirens screaming.

The most startling demonstration he gave in this category was a few years back against Rochester. Delayed by classes from making the trip with the rest of the squad, Vandeweghe flew up late, arriving at half-time. The Knicks were demoralized by their miserable performance as they trailed by twenty points.
"As long as you're here you might as well get a sweat up too," said Lapchick despairingly. He sent Ernie into action. Deft was the doctor's operation. He popped in three baskets in a row and the Knicks caught fire. It would be to say that the New Yorkers won, but there's no sense in stretching the truth that much. They lost but Rochester had to go into overtime to do it.

An obliging pilot on a Boston-bound plane fed Ernie the first quarter of an impending rout of the Knicks on the intercom, piping in the radio account of the action. However, Vandeweghe arrived soon enough to lead a rally for a victory. Once the doctor had to reverse the procedure, catching a plane for his New York classes after a play-off game in Minneapolis. It was a close call. It was so close that the plane take-off was delayed for him and Ernie, an overcoat atop his basketball uniform, climbed aboard through the baggage hatch. Immediately he went to the dressing room.

Ernie took a shower by "sponging" himself with towels. Just then the plane lurched and bounced. There was a frantic pounding on the door. "Come out immediately," screamed the stewardess. "We're making an emergency landing."
"Lady I just can't," said Vandeweghe laughing at the incongruity of the situation. It wasn't anything serious and decency prevailed.

The doctor took part in a two-hour at Madison Square Garden yesterday morning and no one seemed to get more enjoyment out of it than he. At the age of 27 he should be in his prime , but the handicap of two years without fierce contact work is a heavy impost.
"I've always regarded Ernie as a solid, rounded ballplayer," is Lapchick's appraisal. "He's showed himself to be a good ballhandler, rebounder and point-getter. He did everything well and would have made the All-Star team every year if he played enough games. He had the ability for such a distinction."

The bare fact that the Knicks turned to him for help in the time of stress is the mute testimony of the regard they have for his skills. Lapchick didn't bother calling for Dr. Kildare. When the emergency arose it was: "Calling Dr. Vandeweghe."

January 10, 1956, Pistons beat Celtics 105-89

In a doubleheader taking place in Fort Wayne the Pistons beat the Celtics 105-89 in the feature game. Boston's loss dropped the team's record to 18-13. In the earlier game the Lakers beat the Nationals 90-79.

Box Score

Fort Wayne (105) G F PF P
Hutchins lf 5 2 2 12
Spears 2 1 1 5
Yardley rf 8 3 2 19
Arnelle 1 0 2 2
Foust c 1 5 0 7
Houbregs 4 5 2 13
Noble lg 9 2 2 20
Holstein 2 2 2 6
Devlin rg 8 5 4 21

Total...40 25 21 105

Boston (89) G F PF P
Macauley lf 4 1 4 9
Loscutoff 2 2 2 6
Morrison 0 0 1 0
Nichols rf 5 3 5 13
Hemric 1 1 0 3
Risen c 2 4 4 8
Palazzi 0 0 0 0
Cousy lg 6 9 3 21
Sharman rg 11 3 4 25
Barrett 2 0 1 4

Total...33 23 24 89

Fort Wayne...28 25 19 33-105
Boston............21 15 25 28-89

Free Throws Missed-Hutchins 4, Houbregs 3, Holstein, Macauley 2, Nichols 3, Risen, Cousy.

January 8, 1956 Royals beat Celtics 111-109

The Rochester Royals got a big road win over the Boston Celtics 111-109 after a strong 4th quarter performance. The loss brought the Celtics season record to 18-12.

Box Score

Rochester G F PF P
Stokes lf 5 5 6 15
Coleman rf 8 2 5 18
Twyman 7 6 5 3 11
Meineke 3 5 3 11
Simmons c 0 1 1 1
Spoelstra 3 0 2 6
McMahon lg 1 0 3 2
Fleming rg 3 0 1 6
Regan 4 2 2 10
Wanzer 9 4 2 22

Total...43 25 28 111

Boston (109)
Macauley lf 7 4 2 18
Nichols rf 4 3 6 11
Palazzi 4 2 1 10
Risen 0 5 4 5
Hemric c 1 4 1 6
Loscutoff 1 7 4 9
Morrison 0 2 0 2
Cousy lg 9 3 2 21
Sharman rg 8 5 4 21
Barrett 2 2 4 6

Total...36 37 28 109

Rochester...22 25 30 34-111
Boston.........21 36 28 24-109

Free Throws Missed-Stokes 3, Coleman, Spoelstra 2,McMahon, Macauley, Hemric, Morrison, Cousy 3, Barrett.

January 7, 1956 Celtics beat Nationals 105-99

The Boston Celtics beat the Syracuse Nationals 105-99 in overtime for a big road win that brought the Celtics record for the season to 18-11.

Box Score
Boston (105) G F PF P
Nichols lf 7 1 1 15
Loscutoff rf 0 2 3 2
Palazzi 1 3 0 5
Hemric 4 1 2 9
Macauley c 5 3 1 13
Risen 6 0 2 12
Cousy lg 11 10 5 32
Sharman rg 3 1 5 7
Barrett 4 2 2 10
Morrison 0 0 3 0

Total 41 23 26 105

Syracuse (99)
Schayes lf 4 5 0 13
Rocha rf 2 5 4 9
Tucker c 2 1 2 5
Conlin 7 1 2 15
Kerr 2 2 1 6
Lloyd 3 1 4 7
Seymour lg 5 0 2 10
King rg 8 3 3 19
Farley 1 3 2 5
Kenville 3 4 6 10

Total 37 25 26 99

Boston........21 29 26 14 15-105
Syracuse....23 22 22 23 9-99

Free Throws Missed-Nichols, Loscutoff 2, Palazzi, Risen, Cousy 2, Sharman, Barrett 2, Rocha, Conlin, Lloyd, Seymour, King, Kenville.

January 6, 1956 Hawks Pettit Named- St. Louis Player Unanimous Choice for All-Star Game

Bob Pettit of the St. Louis Hawks was the only unanimous choice among the 20 players selected to play in the National Basketball Association's sixth annual All-Star Game.

The contest between the tenman sqauds representing the Eastern and Western divisions is scheduled for Jan. 24 at the War Memorial Auditorium in Rochester.

Maurice Stokes of the Rochester Royals was the only rookie named in the poll of sports writers and broadcasters. Harry Gallatin, Carl Braun, and Dick McGuire of the New York Knickerbockers will play with the East team.

January 5, 1956- Celtics beat Knicks after 3rd game in 3 days between teams

The Knicks beat the Celtics in Philly on Tuesday night, Syracuse on Wednesday night, but they could not get their 3rd straight win against the Celtics on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. 9,281 fans were on hand for a doubleheader of basketball and they received quite a treat. The game was tied 13 different times but the Celtics pulled away late to take a 92-87 win over the Knicks. Jack Nichols led the Celtics with 24 points and 13 rebounds. The victory brought the Celtics season record to 17-11.

In the 1st game of the doubleheader the Fort Wayne Pistons went on to defeat the Philadelphia Warriors 92-81. Philadelphia was never really in the game and trailed by 15 at the half with Neil Johnston, Tom Gola, and Paul Arizin held to 0 field goals at the half and the team could not recover. Joe Graboski was the only Warrior who played with a level of consistency and he led all scorers with 31 points.

Box Score

Boston (92) G F PF P
Macauley lf 3 3 2 9
Loscutoff 1 2 3 4
Nichols rf 10 4 1 24
Hemric 2 1 5 5
Risen c 4 2 4 10
Morrison 2 0 1 4
Cousy lg 6 6 5 18
Sharman rg 4 4 1 12
Barrett 3 0 0 6

Total...35 22 22 92

New York (97) G F PF P
Gallatin lf 4 2 1 10
Baechtold rf 5 2 1 12
Vandeweghe 3 0 4 6
Felix c 6 3 2 15
Dukes 1 1 0 3
Shue lg 4 3 0 11
Braun 5 4 3 14
Sears rg 4 4 3 12
Clifton 0 4 4 4

Total...32 23 18 87

Boston...23 19 18 22-92
Knicks...24 17 24 22-87

Free Throws Missed-Loscutoff, Nichols, Cousy 3, Gallatin 3, Felix 4, Clifton
Officials-Sid Borgia and Stan Stutz

January 4, 1956 Knicks beat Celtics 2nd day in a row

For the 2nd straight day the Knicks were victors over the Boston Celtics. In a doubleheader this time in Syracuse the Knicks beat the Celtics 103-86. The Knicks went into the 4th quarter with a 73-65, in the 4th Celtic Ernie Barrett hit 4 straight shots to tie the game at 77. The Celtics soon took a 81-80 lead before the Knicks scored 15 straight points to go up 95-81 and put the game out of reach. The loss brought the Celtics record to 16-11.

In the feature game of the doubleheader the Warriors beat the Nationals 88-87 after Neil Johnston hit a game winning free throw. Johnston led all scorers with 26 points.

Box Score

Knicks (103) G F PF P
Gallatin lf 6 4 3 16
Clifton rf 8 2 4 18
Vandeweghe 3 2 3 8
Sears 8 4 5 20
Felix c 5 4 5 14
Dukes 0 0 0 0
Braun lg 3 2 4 8
Baechtold rg 5 3 3 13
Shue 2 2 0 6

Total..40 23 27 103

Boston (86) G F PF P
Nichols lf 7 1 4 15
Loscutoff rf 3 0 4 6
Palazzi 0 1 0 1
Hemric 0 2 1 2
Macauley c 6 1 3 13
Risen 2 4 4 8
Cousy lg 1 5 5 7
Sharman rg 8 9 2 25
Barrett 4 1 2 9
Morrison 0 0 2 0

Total...31 24 27 86

Knicks...25 20 28 30-103
Boston...22 26 17 21-86

Free Throws Missed-Gallatin, Sears 2, Felix, Dukes, Braun 3, Baechtold, Risen, Loscutoff 3, Palazzi 3, Hemric 2, Cousy 2, Sharman 2, Barrett 2

January 3, 1956- Knicks beat Celtics to end Celts 7 game winning streak

In a basketball doubleheader in Philadelphia's Convention Hall the Knicks beat the Celtics 107-97 in the first game to end the Celtics 7 game winning streak. New York trailed by 10 in the 2nd quarter 44-34, before making a rally to go up by 1 at halftime. From there the Knicks had a strong 3rd quarter where they led by as many as 13 and the Celtics never recovered. This game featured the return of Dr. Ernie Vandeweghe who was in the process of completing his residency at New York Babies' Hospital. This was Vandeweghe's 1st game in 2 years.

In the 2nd game of the doubleheader the Philadelphia Warriors blew out the Fort Wayne Pistons 102-82. George Yardley led all scorers with 22 points.

Knicks (107) G F PF P
Gallatin lf 6 11 5 23
Sears 3 1 3 7
Clifton rf 7 1 5 15
Felix c 5 10 3 20
Dukes 2 0 3 4
Shue lg 3 3 2 9
Baechtold rg 4 2 1 10
Vandeweghe 2 0 2 4
Braun 6 3 1 15

Total..38 31 25 107

Boston (97) G F PF P
Hemric lf 0 3 4 3
Macauley rf 9 1 2 19
Loscutoff 3 1 4 7
Palazzi 2 6 2 10
Risen c 2 3 4 7
Morrison 3 1 5 7
Cousy lg 7 5 3 19
Sharman rg 6 4 1 16
Barrett 4 1 1 9

Total...36 25 26 97

Knicks......27 24 28 28-107
Boston......23 27 25 22-97

Free Throws Missed-Gallatin, Sears, Clifton 3, Felix, Dukes, Shue 2, Hemric 4, Loscutoff 2, Palazzi, Risen, Morrison, Cousy, Barrett

1984 Celtics vs Lakers Game 7 Intro

January 1, 1956 Celtics beat Warriors to move into 1st place tie

The Boston Celtics kicked off 1956 with a 121-113 win at home against the Warriors to move into a 1st place tie with the Warriors. Paul Arizin of the Warriors led all scorers with 37 points.

Box Score
Boston (121) G F PF P
Macauley lf 7 6 4 20
Nichols rf 12 7 3 31
Hemric 3 2 1 8
Palazzi 2 2 1 6
Risen c 1 1 3 3
Loscutoff 0 0 6 0
Morrison 0 1 1 1
Sharman lg 8 1 2 17
Cousy rg 9 11 3 29
Barrett 2 2 1 6

Total...44 33 25 121

Philadelphia (113) G F PF P
Arizin lf 15 7 5 37
Davis rf 3 2 3 8
Grabowski 2 4 1 8
Beck 2 0 0 4
Johnston c 4 5 6 13
George lg 8 5 5 21
Gola rg 6 6 4 18
Dempsey 2 0 1 4
Moore 0 0 0 0

Total...42 29 25 113

Boston.............25 24 34 38-121
Philadelphia....34 27 29 23-113

Free Throws Missed-Macauley 2, Hemric 3, Morrison 2, Sharman, Cousy 3, Johnston, Davis 2, Gola 2

December 31, 1955 Celtics end year with win in Rochester

The Boston Celtics ended the year 1955 with a 112-100 victory over the Rochester Royals. Bill Sharman led Boston with 21 points.

Boston (112) G F PF P
Macauley lf 5 9 1 19
Hemric rf 1 4 1 6
Nichols 5 8 5 18
Palazzi 0 0 0 0
Risen c 1 1 0 3
Morrison 0 1 3 1
Loscutoff 4 4 0 12
Cousy lg 7 4 4 18
Barrett rg 6 2 6 14
Sharman 8 5 3 21

Total....37 38 23 112

Rochester (100) G F PF P
Stokes lf 6 5 5 17
Coleman rf 8 1 3 17
Meineke 1 4 2 6
Twyman 4 1 2 9
Spoelstra 5 0 4 10
Simmons 0 0 1 0
Wanzer lg 3 3 5 9
McMahon rg 0 0 1 0
Regan 2 0 2 4
Fleming 11 6 5 28

Total....40 20 29 100

Boston..........25 33 25 29-112
Rochester.....20 28 28 24-100

Free Throws Missed-Nichols 2, Loscutoff 2, Cousy, Barrett, Sharman 2, Stokes 2, Coleman 2, Twyman, Meineke, Spoelstra 3, Wanzer, McMahon 2, Regan, Fleming

December 30, 1955 Celtics beat Nationals in Bangor, ME

Playing in Bangor Maine, the Boston Celtics had another win this time as they beat the Nationals 110-103 as Jack Nichols led all scorers with 25 points. The usual starting center Arnie Risen did not play. The win was the 5th straight for the Celtics who improved to 14-9.

Box Score

Boston (110) G F PF P
Macauley lf 9 6 3 24
Hemric rf 1 3 2 5
Nichols 9 7 5 25
Palazzi 1 0 0 2
Morrison c 4 4 6 12
Loscutoff 2 4 4 8
Cousy lg 2 5 5 9
Barrett rg 1 3 2 5
Sharman 8 4 3 20

Total...37 36 30 110

Syracuse (103) G F PF P
Schayes lf 6 4 5 15
Tucker rf 0 0 0 0
Conlin 7 2 1 16
Rocha 8 4 6 20
Kerr c 7 7 3 21
Lloyd 0 3 2 3
King lg 3 1 3 7
Kenville rg 0 0 0 0
Seymour 8 4 5 20
Farley 0 0 4 0

Total..39 25 29 103

Boston.........26 35 25 24-110
Syracuse.....22 33 25 23-103

Free Throws Missed- Macauley 2, Loscutoff 2, Cousy, Sharman 2, Schayes 2, Conlin 2, Rocha, Kerr 3, Lloyd, Seymour 2.

December 28, 1955 Red Auerbach and Bob Cousy at MSG to watch Tom Heinsohn at Holiday Festival

Celtics coach Red Auerbach and Red Cousy were at the Holiday Festival at MSG with the expressed sole purpose of re-examining Holy Cross star Tom Heinsohn. Tom Heinsohn was just one of several big names in the race for the Holiday Festival MVP award, other big names included Willie Naulls of UCLA, K.C. Jones of San Francisco, Sihugo Green of Duquesne, Alonzo Lewis of LaSalle, Vince Cohen of Syracuse, and of course the dominant Bill Russell.

Heinsohn at 6'7 appeared to be a more versatile player than Bill Russell with more speed and a better outside shot. Heinsohn figured to end up with the Boston Celtics after graduation. Celtics star Bob Cousy said, "I have seen Heinsohn play several times, he's got all the equipment, size, speed, shot, drive needed to perform in the N.B.A." Red Auerbach had only seen Heinsohn play once years earlier and said, "At the time I thought Heinsohn might not have the size, but he's 230 which is 30 pounds more than he weighed the last time I saw him." Auerbach didn't say so but it was very likely Heinsohn would be ending up in Boston as a territorial draft pick.

Bill Russell would be drafted by some club in the NBA but the professionals would probably have to wait a year to get him in uniform as Russell wanted to be in the Olympics. 6'5 Willie Naulls also impressed at the tournament as the smoothest performer who had the ability to be a first-stringer among the professionals. Si Green's coach Dudley Moore called him the perfect pro player with the ability to be a standout backcourt player in the NBA. Duquesne being in open territory means any team can claim Green in the draft.

December 28, 1955 Bill Russell to the Olympics in Basketball and Track?

This post is gathered from the article "How High Is Up" by Arthur Daley in the December 28, 1955 edition of the New York Times talking about basketball phenom Bill Russell who was in New York for the Holiday Festival.

"It scared me the first time it happened and I had the same strange feeling the other two times as well. I leaped up for a jump shot and was-well let's say I was shocked to find myself looking down into the basket." Those were the words of 6'10 center Bill Russell of the University of San Francisco. Bill Russell's Dons were the winners of 34 straight games and were in New York to face Holy Cross at the Holiday Festival. In the opening round game against LaSalle, Russell had 26 points and 12 blocked shots. Phil Woolpert coach of the Dons said "The best defensive job he ever did I guess was against California 2 years ago. He blocked twenty five shots. I don't necessarily mean to imply that each would have dropped through the hoop. Actually it's difficult to measure Bill's defensive value because much of it is psychological- a shooter hurrying a shot he shouldn't take in order to avoid him or not taking one he should take."

Professional scouts had their eye on Russell but they would have to wait because Bill Russell's goal was to compete in the 1956 Olympics not only in basketball but also in track. Bill Russell had a high jump of 6'7 and 1/2 half inches and also wanted to compete in the 400 meter hurdles, and had run the quarter in 49.5 seconds.

December 27, 1955 Celtics beat Hawks 105-102, Pettit scores 46

The Hawks Bob Pettit had a masterful game against the Boston Celtics in front of his home crowd scoring 46 points but it was not enough as the Celtics gained the road win by the score of 105-102. The win brought the Celtics record the season to 13-9, 2 games behind the division leading Warriors.

Box Score

Boston (105) G F PF P
Macauley lf 9 6 0 24
Nichols rf 7 6 4 20
Loscutoff 3 1 0 7
Risen c 3 3 5 9
Hemric 1 4 1 6
Morrison 0 0 4 0
Cousy lg 5 9 1 19
Sharman rg 8 2 4 18
Barrett 1 0 3 2
Palazzi 0 0 1 0

Total 37 31 23 105

St. Louis (102) G F PF P
Pettit lf 17 12 3 46
Ricketts 2 1 4 5
Cooper rf 2 1 1 5
Ferrari 1 0 1 2
Hannum 0 0 3 0
Share c 3 4 3 10
Harrison lg 1 0 1 2
Selvy rg 5 2 6 12
Stephens 7 1 2 15
Schafer 2 1 3 5

Total 40 22 27 102

Boston......23 20 33 29-105
St.Louis....23 20 23 26-102

Free Throws Missed- Macauley, Loscutoff, Risen 2, Morrison, Cousy 2, Pettit 2, Share 2, Selvy, Stephens 3, Schafer

Christmas 1955 Celtics beat Lakers for 2nd game in a row

The Celtics spent Christmas day 1955 in Minneapolis and did the same thing to the Minneapolis Lakers that they did to them 5 days earlier in Madison Square Garden and that's come back to gain a win on the Lakers. The Celtics had a 40 point 4th quarter to take a 115-112 victory and push their record for the season to 12-9. Clyde Lovellette of the Lakers led all scorers with 35 points, while Boston's star guards Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman both scored 25 points. Attendance for the game was only 2,962.

Boston (115)
G F PF P
Nichols lf 6 3 4 15
Macauley rf 7 5 2 19
Hemric 3 2 4 8
Loscutoff 3 0 5 6
Palazzi 0 0 2 0
Risen c 2 3 5 7
Morrison 1 0 3 2
Sharman lg 10 5 0 25
Cousy rg 7 11 3 25
Barrett 2 4 3 8

Total...41 33 31 115

Minneapolis (112)
G F PF P
Mikkelsen lf 8 10 4 26
Kalafat rf 0 2 5 2
Schnittker 1 2 2 4
Horan 0 0 1 0
Hitch 3 0 1 6
Lovellette c 14 7 3 35
Skoog lg 5 2 5 12
Martin rg 4 7 6 15
Mencel 1 1 3 3
Garmaker 4 1 1 9

Total... 40 32 31 112

Boston.............26 23 26 40-115
Minneapolis....30 26 29 27-112
Free Throws Missed-Nichols 3, Macauley 4, Risen 2, Morrison, Sharman, Cousy 2, Barrett, Mikkelsen 4, Schnittker, Hitch, Lovellette 3, Skoog, Martin, Mencel

December 20, 1955 MSG Doubleheader- Celtics beat Lakers and Nationals beat Knicks

In a doubleheader at Madison Square Garden in the feature game the defending champion Syracuse Nationals beat the Knicks 98-91 in a game they controlled from start to finish. In front of 9,280 fans the Nationals raced to a early 19 point lead in the 1st quarter they never relinquished. The Knicks failed to get rebounds, passed wildly and had a subpar game in general. Johnny Kerr was the high scorer for the Nationals with 29 points and Carl Braun had 20 for the Knicks.

In the 1st game the Celtics defeated the Lakers 111-104. It was close game that was tied 12 different times. The Celtics found themselves down 97-90 before Ed Macauley and Jack Nichols led the Celtics roaring back to take a 111-104 victory. Jack Nichols had 22 points for the Celtics in victory. In a notable occurrence earlier in the contest referee Jack Stutz stopped the game because of fans throwing steel paper clips onto the court. Laker Ed Kalafat was hit by the clips but wasn't injured. The win improved the Celtics record to 11-9.

Box Score

Boston (111)
G F PF P
Macauley lf 6 7 3 19
Palazzi 0 0 0 0
Nichols rf 8 6 2 22
Loscutoff 5 1 4 11
Risen c 3 2 4 8
Morrison 0 0 2 0
Cousy lg 9 4 5 22
Sharman rg 6 5 4 17
Barrett 4 4 4 12

Total...41 29 28 111

Minneapolis (104)
Lovellette lf 9 2 1 20
Hitch 4 5 1 13
Schnitker rf 1 3 3 5
Kalapat 6 4 4 16
Mikkelsen c 8 6 4 22
Skoog lg 3 3 4 9
Mencel 3 0 1 6
Martin rg 1 7 5 9
Garmaker 2 0 2 4

Total...37 30 29 104

Boston..................24 25 29 33-111
Minneapolis.........17 32 31 24-104

Free Throws Missed- Cousy 4, Risen 4, Nichols, Morrison, Macauley, Garmaker 2, Hitch, Martin, Kalafat, Lovellette, Mikkelsen, Hitch, Skoog, Schnittker

Officials-Stan Stutz & Norm Drucker

November 28, 1955 Wilt Chamberlain to Philadelphia in 1959

Knicks Coach Joe Lapchick revealed to the press that the NBA had granted draft rights to University of Kansas freshman Wilt Chamberlain to the Philadelphia Warriors 4 years in advance. A spokesman for league president Maurice Podoloff said that the decision was made in the league's spring meeting. The spokesman stated, "I don't recall Chamberlain's name was mentioned, but the rule dealt with all high school players who might be regarded as potential professional stars who leave their home cities to go to college in a district where their is no pro team. The club must announce when the player starts his college career that it intends to exercise its territorial rights privilege and must take the player even if he doesn't develop and the player must go to a college outside the territory of any club in the league." The vote was 7-1 in favor of the rule and the only dissenter was Knicks boss Ned Irish.

Joe Lapchick was not happy with the decision as he called Chamberlain, "the greatest player in the game today." He stated, "Everybody but my boss let him go to Gottleib." Lapchick said, "the Warriors already have one of the best groups of young players. The league created a monster when it let Chamberlain go to Philadelphia. It was a grave error. The Warriors already featured young stars such as Paul Arizin, Tom Gola, and Neil Johnston on the roster. Lapchick feared the Warriors would have a huge advantage over other teams and result in a lack of fan interest in the league.

Wilt Chamberlain scored 2,252 points in 3 years at Overbrook High in Philadelphia and moved on to Big 7 basketball power Kansas coached by legendary Phog Allen. On November 18 in a game between the Kansas freshmen and varsity in what he called an off-night, Chamberlain scored 42 points and grabbed 24 rebounds in an 81-71 win over the varsity team. Phog Allen who up until this time was advocating for 12 foot high baskets but became strangely silent on the issue called Chamberlain, "the greatest player in the world".

It would be a very interesting time indeed to see how the predicted Philadelphia Warriors "dynasty" would turn out by adding Wilt Chamberlain.

December 14, 1955 Boston Garden doubleheader, Celtics beat Knicks and Lakers beat Pistons

In a doubleheader at the Boston Garden the Lakers beat the Pistons by the score of 98-85 in the 1st game, and in the feature game the Celtics beat the Knicks 102-100. The Lakers had a rare great performance in the season to date as they controlled the game the entire way and led by as many 30 in the 3rd period. Clyde Lovellette led the Lakers in scoring with 22 points and Larry Faust led the Pistons with 22 points. The Lakers victory brought their record for the season to 6-15.

In the feature game of the doubleheader it was a contest that went right down the wire for the rival Knicks and Celtics, in the end the Celtics prevailed 102-100 after Ed Macauley's game winning dunk with 6 seconds left and Nat Clifton missed a shot that would have sent the game into overtime. Bob Cousy hobbled by leg and shoulder injuries played slightly more than half the game had an efficient game only scoring 5 points but dishing off 15 assists. Rookie Jim Loscutoff had a great game with 17 points and 15 rebounds.

Box Score

Boston (102)
G F PF P
Macauley lf 6 11 2 23
Nichols rf 8 3 3 19
Palazzi 1 2 2 4
Hemric 1 0 0 2
Risen c 3 4 4 9
Morrison 1 1 1 3
Barrett lg 2 3 6 7
Cousy lg 1 3 4 5
Sharman 4 5 5 13
Loscutoff 7 3 3 17

Total.. 34 34 30 102

Knicks (100)
G F PF P
Braun lf 11 6 1 28
Gallatin rf 3 4 4 10
Clifton 0 1 3 1
Peterson 4 0 5 8
Felix c 1 2 2 4
Dukes 5 0 6 10
Sears lg 2 2 3 6
Shue rg 7 8 4 22
McGuire 0 2 1 2
Baechtold 2 5 1 9

Total.. 35 35 30 100

Boston......................22 31 27 22-102
Knickerbockers.......24 31 21 24-100

Free throws missed- Macauley 2, Hemric, Risen 3, Cousy, Sharman, Loscutoff, Braun 2, Gallatin, Clifton, Dukes, Sears, Shue 2, McGuire, Baechtold 2

NBA Referees December 12,1955

NBA referees have always had a tough job and are some of the most criticized referees in any sport. It is that way now and it was that way also in December 1955.

On December 12, 1955 in the weekly meeting of the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association the topic was referees and instead of the usual criticism there was praise bestowed on the NBA refs. Numerous coaches and writers were in attendance including Red Auerbach, Joe Lapchick, and John Kundla. Auerbach known for his criticisms of referees had a good word for the referees stating, "I've had no problem with them this season, their work has been good."

Lakers coach John Kundla stated he felt the refs had too much fining power, Kundla also said he didn't expect George Mikan to make a return to the court. Top referee Julie Meyer responded to the officiating situation and suggested the league move toward having 3 officials per game to ease the plight of the officials.

Magic vs Bird Part 1

December 13, 1955- Madison Square Garden doubleheader, Warriors beat Celtics and Knicks beat Lakers

In a twin bill of basketball that began at 7:15 per new Madison Square Garden rules regarding NBA doubleheaders, the Knicks beat the Lakers 98-91 in the feature game. The Knicks led the game the entire way and gave the Lakers their 15th loss of the season. Clyde Lovellette of the Lakers led all scorers with 31 points. In the 1st game of the doubleheader the Celtics lost a close game to the Warriors 109-108. Larry Hennessy made the game winning shot with 18 seconds left, and Bob Cousy despite scoring 29 points missed a game winning shot. The Warriors led by 14 point at the half before Boston stormed back in the 2nd half but it was not enough to beat the Warriors. The game's attendance was 9,548.

Phila. (109)
G F PF P
Arizin lf 9 3 2 21
Moore 1 1 0 3
Graboski rf 10 6 4 26
Beck 2 1 3 5
Johnston c 11 7 4 29
Davis 0 0 4 0
Gola lg 2 2 6 6
Dempsey 1 0 6 2
George rg 6 3 5 15
Hennessy 1 0 0 2

Total...43 23 34 109

Boston
G F PF P
Macauley lf 5 7 2 17
Barrett 2 2 4 6
Nichols rf 6 2 5 14
Loscutoff 2 8 3 12
Hemric 0 0 0 0
Risen c 1 5 2 7
Morrison 0 0 3 0
Sharman rg 7 5 0 19
Palazzi 1 2 3 4
Cousy lg 9 11 3 29

Total....33 42 25 108

Philadelphia......34 25 32 18-109
Boston...............22 23 37 26-108

Free throws missed-Graboski 3, Beck, Johnston, Dempsey 2, George 2, Macauley 3, Loscutoff 3, Risen 2, Cousy 4
Officials-Lou Eisenstein and Jim Gaffney

November 29, 1955 NBA Doubleheader At MSG, Celtics beat Nationals and Pistons beat Knicks

In another basketball doubleheader at Madison Square Garden, the Celtics beat the Nationals 105-97 in the 1st game. The game was a close game early on with the score tied 5 times in the 1st session and 8 times in the second session. Midway through the 3rd period the Celtics went on a 10-0 run to bring the lead to 73-66 and the C's never looked back. In the 2nd game the Knicks lost to the Pistons 104-99 in front of 10,135 fans. Larry Foust of the Pistons led Fort Wayne with 28 points as the Pistons avenged 2 earlier losses to the Knicks. Ken Sears and Jim Baechtold added 18 points each for the Knicks.

Box Score
Boston (105)
G F PF P
Macauley lf 11 5 0 27
Hemric 0 1 0 1
Nichols rf 7 2 4 16
Loscutoff 2 1 0 5
Risen c 2 1 5 7
Morrison 1 0 3 2
Cousy lg 5 7 2 1
Palazzi 4 0 2 8
Sharman rg 10 2 2 22
Barrett 0 0 0 0

Total...........43 19 18 105

Syracuse (97)
G F PF P
Schayes lf 6 3 2 15
Farley 1 0 4 2
Rocha rf 4 3 2 11
Lloyd 4 1 3 9
Kerr c 5 3 2 13
Conlin 5 1 0 11
Seymour lg 0 0 1 0
Kenville 2 1 3 5
Tucker 0 0 2 0
King rg 15 1 3 31

Total.....42 13 22 97

Boston.........25 28 27 25-105
Syracuse......22 24 30 21-97

Free Throws Missed- Macauley 2, Loscutoff, Risen, Cousy, Palazzi, Sharman 2, Rocha 3, Lloyd, Kerr, Kenville
Officials- Sid Borgia and Stan Stutz

December 11, 1955 Celtics lose to Nationals, Bribe Offered To Nats Coach Al Cervi

The defending NBA Champion Syracuse Nationals had their 7th straight home win defeating the Boston Celtics 101-89 in Syracuse. Before the game Al Cervi the Nationals coach was called 4 straight times by a caller but he didn't pick up the phone, the 5th time an office attendant was left with the message, "Tell Cervi to lose this game or not to win by more than 6 points. Tell him there will be $1000 in it for him and a couple hundred for yourself." When he found about it Cervi told the team president Don Biasone who called the police, and the call was traced to Minneapolis. Boston led the game early before Syracuse made three straight baskets to go up at halftime and they never looked back.

Box Score
Syracuse (101)
G F PF P
Schayes lf 8 10 4 26
Rocha rf 5 3 5 13
Conlin 1 3 2 5
Tucker 1 0 3 2
Kerr c 3 3 2 9
Lloyd 4 4 3 12
King lg 6 2 3 14
Farley 2 5 2 9
Kenville rg 3 5 1 11

Total...33 35 25 101

Boston (89)
G F PF P
Nichols lf 6 6 4 18
Loscutuff rf 5 1 5 11
Palazzi 1 0 3 2
Hermic 1 0 0 2
Macauley c 2 11 3 15
Risen 4 2 4 10
Cousy lg 4 3 4 11
Sharman rg 6 3 3 15
Barrett 1 3 3 5
Morrison 0 0 2 0

Total...30 29 31 89

Half-time Score- Syracuse 56 Boston 52.
Free throws missed- Schayes, Rocha, Conlin, Lloyd, King 4, Farley 2, Kenville 2, Loscutuff, Macauley, Risen 2, Cousy, Sharman, Barrett.

Knicks beat Celtics in Boston Garden Doubleheader November 23,1955

On November 23, 1955 in an old basketball tradition there was a NBA doubleheader at the Boston Garden. In the 1st game the Philadelphia Warriors led by Paul Arizin's 23 points defeated the Syracuse Nationals by the score of 104-101. Dolph Schayes led the Nats with 29 points. In the 2nd game the New York Knicks went on to defeat the Boston Celtics in overtime 115-111. Carl Braun scored 2 field goals late in the 4th quarter to send the game into overtime. It was the 1st home loss of the season for the Celtics who dropped to a 3-3 record. Ed Macauley led the Celtics with 26 points.
Box Score

Knicks (115)
G F PF P
Gallatin lf 7 6 5 20
Sears 7 7 2 21
Clifton 2 2 5 6
Felix c 8 8 3 24
Peterson 1 0 3 2
Baechtold lg4 2 1 10
Shue 2 2 5 6
McGuire 1 3 4 5
Braun rg 7 7 3 21
Atha 0 0 1 0

Total.......39 37 32 115

Celtics (111)
G F PF P
Macauley lf 9 8 3 26
Loscutoff 2 0 4 4
Hemric 2 1 1 5
Nichols rf 4 3 4 11
Palazzi 1 3 0 5
Morrison c 5 1 5 11
Risen 1 3 6 5
Cousy lg 7 10 2 24
Sharman rg 5 2 6 12
Barrett 3 2 3 8


Knickerbockers....... 29 21 30 22 13-115
Boston........................24 32 25 21 9-111

Free throws missed-Gallatin 3, Sears 2, Felix 2, Peterson, McGuire 2, Braun, Macauley 4, Loscutoff, Hemric, Morrison, Sharman 2, Barrett 2

Larry Bird Chardon Jeans

Red Auerbach Day December 18, 1955

Red Auerbach became a basketball legend because of his legendary resume in Boston, but Red Auerbach was clearly shaped and refined from the streets of New York where he hailed, and New York never forgets one of its own. On December 18,1955, Red Auerbach who was known more at the time for being a fiery coach who screamed at officials, was honored in New York with Red Auerbach day at Madison Square Garden in front 12,613 fans. Before the Knicks played the Celtics, Red received many gifts including a red automobile and he gave a speech. Being that it was his day the Celtics followed it up with a hard fought 95-92 victory over the Knicks in a game where Red Auerbach gained a technical foul for riding the officials too hard, Harry Gallatin also received a technical, and Ray Felix of the Knicks fought with Jim Loscutoff.

Box Score:
Boston (95)
G F PF P
Macauley lf 4 2 2 10
Hemric 0 1 2 1
Nichols rf 6 3 5 15
Loscotuff 8 4 2 20
Risen c 1 1 4 3
Morrison 2 2 6 6
Cousy lg 6 8 4 20
Palazzi 0 0 0 0
Sharman rg 5 1 1 11
Barrett 3 3 2 9

Total 35 25 28 95

New York (92)
G F PF P
Gallatin lf 6 2 5 14
Dukes 0 0 1 0
Sears rf 7 5 4 19
Peterson 0 0 1 0
Felix c 3 14 5 20
Clifton 1 0 1 2
McGuire lg 6 3 4 15
Shue 4 1 1 9
Braun rg 1 4 1 4
Baechtold 2 3 0 7

Total 30 32 23 92

Boston.......... 27 15 29 24-95
New York...... 26 25 17 24-92

Free throws missed- Macauley, Risen, Morrison 2, Cousy 2, Palazzi, Gallatin, Sears 2, Felix 3, McGuire 2, Shue, Braun, Baechtold
Officials- Sid Borgia and Rollie Pitkoff

Bob Cousy & Bill Russell Jan 1956

On January 9,1956 Bob Cousy became the 1st Celtic and first NBA player to be put on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The NBA was still a young league at this point and very low on the sports scale compared to where it would be later. Bob Cousy was the league's biggest box-office attraction and to get him on the cover of Sports Illustrated was very big for the league as some fans had a low opinion of basketball and basketball players. Bob Cousy was at this time recognized as the best player in the NBA, and Original Celtic and Knick coach Joe Lapchick claimed Bob Cousy was the greatest all-around player of all time. Cousy's Celtics were tied for 1st place in the Eastern Division at the time with a record of 16-9.

Also receiving a feature article in this issue was Bill Russell who had just made his 1st appearance at Madison Square Garden with the University of San Francisco. Madison Square Garden was considered the mecca of basketball at the time and though Bill Russell was considered the best player in college basketball until Bill Russell showed it to the people at MSG he hadn't really proved nothing. Russell didn't disappoint the Garden faithful as he dominated future teammates Tommy Heinsohn and Willie Naulls. Bill Russell made believers out of the New York crowds.