Dave Cowens – From Way Downtown

Kevin Porter: The Game I’ll Never Forget, 1979

I was happy, too. Of course, I had reason to be happy. Having a game with a total productivity of 80 points doesn’t happen very often.

Rick Robey: The Ultimate Backup Center, 1982

Adjustment to the life of a sub requires a subjugation, not abandonment, of ambition, and it appears that Robey has acquired the perfect professional attitude.

Paul Silas: He Doesn’t Leave Fingerprints, 1972

“All of us in the league play with a part of a comradeship. This is our living. This is what we do. It doesn’t make sense to go out and get mad. This is a job. But you can be fierce.”

John Havlicek: A Farewell to Remember, 1978

“My suggestion,” said Dave Cowens, the Celtic’s center for the past eight years, “is that they retire his number from the league. Don’t let anyone wear No. 17 again. That’s how much I think John’s meant to the NBA. Just take 17 and stash it up there in lights.”

Red Auerbach: An Old Friend’s Telling You to Hang ‘Em Up, 1979

Heed those words, Red. Sit back, light up a cigar and relax. You don’t need the aggravation anymore.

Bob McAdoo: Was He a One-Man Basketball Revolution? 1975

McAdoo is dangerous near the basket, but he also gets a lot of points on 15 and 20-foot jump shots, which he unleashes with a noticeable snap of the wrist, rather than a pushing maneuver.

Who is the Celtics’ MVP—Havlicek or Cowens? 1975

John Havlicek and Dave Cowens don’t look alike, and they are not built alike. But they are emotional twins, playing every game to the breaking point, giving 100 percent of themselves.

Bill Sharman: There’s Too Much Grabbing, 1976

“Pro basketball isn’t supposed to be shuffleboard, but it shouldn’t be football and hockey either.”

Dave Cowens: Behind Basketball’s Revolution, 1974

Cowens is a towering Huckleberry Finn in appearance, but he plays basketball like King Kong tearing up the town.

Cedric Maxwell: A Late-Bloomer Who Made Good, 1981

Much has gone into the making of Cedric Maxwell, the very efficient power forward for the Celtics who emerged as one of the NBA’s superstars with his brilliance in the playoffs.