Hondo Has Passed

[TKG]

Watching the Bruins game and Doc Emrick just announced that Celtics legend John Havlicek has died. Sad. RIP #17.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26606520/boston-celtics-legend-john-havlicek-dies-79

[Steven43]

I watched John Havlicek and the Boston Celtics beat the Phoenix Suns in the 1976 NBA Finals. These are my oldest basketball memories and Havlicek played a prominent role. The 1976 championship was Havlicek’s 8th without a loss. Unbelievable. He was a versatile scorer from all over the court, a good rebounder, a good passer, and a strong defender with relentless energy. One of the NBA’s all-time greats. He’ll always occupy a special place in my sports heart.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Watching the Bruins game and Doc Emrick just announced that Celtics legend John Havlicek has died. Sad. RIP #17.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26606520/boston-celtics-legend-john-havlicek-dies-79

Yeah, sad day in Boston for sure...and really, with Hondo. everywhere across the country.

[tfk53]

I grew up watching Celtic basketball in the 60's and Havlicek was a huge part of that pleasure. One of the best ever in the NBA. An aunt of his was my 10th grade English teacher - certainly made that class more enjoyable to talk about Havlicek and the Celtics with her.

[Steven43]

“RIP to one of the game’s greatest players, former Ohio State and Boston Celtics great John Havlicek. Hondo could run all day, and was among the classiest people in basketball. John Havlicek was unforgettable.”

—Jay Bilas

[heyman25]

Havlicek I believe was a teammate of Bobby Knight and Jerry Lucas at Ohio State in the late 50's early 60's

[WV_Iron_Duke]

"Havlicek I believe was a teammate of Bobby Knight and Jerry Lucas at Ohio State in the late 50's early 60's"
He most certainly was. Still remember listening to NCAA Championship game on the radio. Back then it wasn't televised. Knight was the sixth man. Had the good fortune of seeing most all of Hondo's games for the Celtics in '76 including all of the playoff games. His son played for UVA.

[Tripping William]

And he was the subject of one of the most memorable announcing calls (https://youtu.be/J4fTjcJwImw) in the history of the game.

[westwall]

"Havlicek I believe was a teammate of Bobby Knight and Jerry Lucas at Ohio State in the late 50's early 60's"
He most certainly was. Still remember listening to NCAA Championship game on the radio. Back then it wasn't televised. Knight was the sixth man. Had the good fortune of seeing most all of Hondo's games for the Celtics in '76 including all of the playoff games. His son played for UVA.

Correct, generally. I, too, listened to the '60 championship game on radio as none of the early 60's Championship games were nationally televised. As to "teammates", it would be more accurate to say that Hondo was a teammate of Jerry Lucas and Mel Nowell, the three of whom were reputed to have committed to OSU by mutual agreement and were starters from the first days of their varsity eligibility. Knight was in the same class but saw much less action, having appeared in only 75% of the games as a sophomore.

[moonpie23]

Sail on, man....and thank you....

[budwom]

And he was the subject of one of the most memorable announcing calls (https://youtu.be/J4fTjcJwImw) in the history of the game.

I'm glad you posted that....an old Duke friend used to play that in his dorm all the time "Johnny Havlicek Stole the Ball!" Very funny and memorable.

[westwall]

Correct, generally. I, too, listened to the '60 championship game on radio as none of the early 60's Championship games were nationally televised. As to "teammates", it would be more accurate to say that Hondo was a teammate of Jerry Lucas and Mel Nowell, the three of whom were reputed to have committed to OSU by mutual agreement and were starters from the first days of their varsity eligibility. Knight was in the same class but saw much less action, having appeared in only 75% of the games as a sophomore.

Of the three, Lucas was by far the best HS and college player (I saw him live in both HS and college, and FF) but Havlicek turned out to be most successful as an NBA player. I remember a Red Auerbach quote, after the NBA picks, that goes something like this: "In the first scrimmage {Havlicek] ran down, got a rebound, ran back and made a shot, ran back, blocked a shot and got another rebound, and wasn't even breathing hard. I [Red] thought,'they're going to think I am really smart!!'" (to have drafted Havlicek).

[miramar]

"Havlicek I believe was a teammate of Bobby Knight and Jerry Lucas at Ohio State in the late 50's early 60's"
He most certainly was. Still remember listening to NCAA Championship game on the radio. Back then it wasn't televised. Knight was the sixth man. Had the good fortune of seeing most all of Hondo's games for the Celtics in '76 including all of the playoff games. His son played for UVA.

the late Larry Sigfried, who played for the Celtics from 1963-1970 and retired with five rings.

My list of the best Celtics ever:

1. Bill Russell
2. John Havlicek
3. Larry Bird

[budwom]

Correct, generally. I, too, listened to the '60 championship game on radio as none of the early 60's Championship games were nationally televised. As to "teammates", it would be more accurate to say that Hondo was a teammate of Jerry Lucas and Mel Nowell, the three of whom were reputed to have committed to OSU by mutual agreement and were starters from the first days of their varsity eligibility. Knight was in the same class but saw much less action, having appeared in only 75% of the games as a sophomore.

Perhaps it depended upon where you lived, because I very much remember watching both Cincy wins over OSU (1961 and 1961 I believe) living in the NYC market.

[Teton Jack]

Growing up I was a Celtics fan. The quality of the basketball played by that team was phenomenal. Whether you liked them or not, they were the gold standard for decades. Havlichek was the master of the mid-range jumper. He could hit it as a stand-up shooter or on the run. I know some of the kids might not "get" the video clips, but the nature of the game was different. The dunk wasn't a big part of the game; almost everything was below the rim, until Dr. J. Well, except for Wilt. Players didn't showboat until Pistol Pete. The goal was to win, not to build individual brands. There was no ESPN top-10 to play to. That appealed to this overweight, 5'8" kid with a 2-inch vertical leap with an inconsistent shot. Go for two, Hondo.

[rsvman]

He was a tireless player who was always in the right place at the right time. RIP, John.

[Saratoga2]

Growing up I was a Celtics fan. The quality of the basketball played by that team was phenomenal. Whether you liked them or not, they were the gold standard for decades. Havlichek was the master of the mid-range jumper. He could hit it as a stand-up shooter or on the run. I know some of the kids might not "get" the video clips, but the nature of the game was different. The dunk wasn't a big part of the game; almost everything was below the rim, until Dr. J. Well, except for Wilt. Players didn't showboat until Pistol Pete. The goal was to win, not to bui lld individual brands. There was no ESPN top-10 to play to. That appealed to this overweight, 5'8" kid with a 2-inch vertical leap with an inconsistent shot. Go for two, Hondo.

Havlicheck was a great player for the Celts and didn't when running the floor. I thought the true master of the jump shot on the team was Sam Jones.
Casey was the defender while Sam was the gifted shooter.

[Teton Jack]

They had a great team across the board. Always enjoyed watching Sam Jones play. Even the reserves were interesting, Nelson, Siegfried, and of course Havlicek.

[jv001]

They had a great team across the board. Always enjoyed watching Sam Jones play. Even the reserves were interesting, Nelson, Siegfried, and of course Havlicek.

In the great Celtic era, I watched most of their games that happened to be televised in NC. I loved their style of play and Havlicek's in particular. He was the Pete Rose in basketball. RIP Hondo.

GoDuke!