The John Havlicek Tribute

Our Man Shank was there and writes an excellent column about it:

Bill Russell was there. Red Auerbach’s daughter was there, seated side by side with 90-year-old Bob Cousy, Tommy Heinsohn, Satch Sanders, Dave Cowens, and other gods of Boston Celtics lore.

Four weeks after Celtics legend John Havlicek died in Jupiter, Fla., the vast and vaunted Celtic family gathered Thursday afternoon at Trinity Church in Copley Square for a 90-minute tribute to the man who scored more points than any other player in franchise history.

Less than 2 miles from the sacred Causeway Street space where he played 16 seasons and won eight NBA championships, Havlicek was honored in a celebration of life.

DHL Dan LXXXIII - The Hondo Column

Shank's latest Picked Up Pieces column contains a lot of mini-stories about recently deceased Celtics legend John Havlicek. Naturally, this doesn't stop him from delivering another cheap shot at you-know-who:

Picked-up pieces while wondering whether freedom fighter Bob Kraft will make another triumphant, crowd-rousing appearance at a Garden playoff game any time soon . . .

Makes you want to stop reading right then and there, doesn't it?

■ The death of John Havlicek inspired some amazing commentary on Twitter.

“It is getting difficult each time I hear about another contemporary that passes,’’ Bill Russell wrote. “He was not just a teammate & a great guy, but he was family.’’

From Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: “I met John Havlicek at the same time & place that I met Red Auerbach and Bill Russell @ my high school gym in Autumn of 1961 — my freshman year. He was still playing when I entered the league and our friendship grew.”

From Jack Nicklaus, who crossed paths with Havlicek at Ohio State from 1959-61, on Facebook: “John loved the outdoors, loved to fish, and frequently when he played golf at Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, he carried a fishing pole in his bag. But if there is one thing we should all remember about John Havlicek, it is his heart. John always made himself available to help others. Every time there was a charity event, or any time someone could make a difference in someone else’s life, John Havlicek was there.”

Read on for more Kraft cheap shots, a cameo appearance of 'Theo and his minions' and other assorted trivia. No gratuitous Larry Bird mention, though. Maybe next time...

John Havlicek, R.I.P.

As you get older, you see an increasing number of people you felt you knew, liked and were comfortable with pass on. Unfortunately, another one of those persons has passed away.

John Havlicek has died.

And there goes part of your youth if you grew up in New England watching the Celtics in the 1960s and ’70s.

Havlicek scored more points than any other Celtic in history. That’s right. More than Larry Bird or Paul Pierce. He was the connecting tissue between Celtic dynasties. His rookie year was Bob Cousy’s final season (1962-63), and he retired just months before Red Auerbach drafted Bird out of Indiana State (1978).

Worth reading in full.