RIP John Havlicek

[wantonebad]

A great guy, classy guy, and he got the most from his talent and skills RIP sir!

[sickened1]

Rip

[Nrmsu]

RIP to an NBA legend. "Havlicek stole the ball!!"

[AzPaul]

A true throwback
RIP Hondo

[Boothroyd]

I always liked him as a player, even though he helped beat my Bucks in the 1974 NBA Finals. RIP...a truly selfless team player for one of the greatest franchises ever.

[THC]

8 rings, first in Celtic minutes and games played, and never “got tired”

This is when the NBA was really about the game, not money and Divas

RIP JH

[Beo3]

I just heard a stat on ESPN this morning. He averaged 42 minutes play time every game!
Amazing.
RIP JH

[Art 1]

Amazing player. RIP.

[Limestonedan]

All-around-great. Person/player. RIP.

[GoingPlaces]

Class guy. RIP.

[nick c]

Rip

[G8RDPM]

Rip

[charger]

Rip

[pandrew]

John Havlicek was an NBA player when the concept of team basketball meant something. The man was the poster boy for that of a Boston Celtic. Mr. Havlicek did not get tired during a game, was never a selfish player, wanted the last pressure filled shot and above all else was a high quality man who treated others with the upmost respect.
RIP John Havlicek I will miss you.

[Headshrinker]

Originally Posted by pandrew

John Havlicek was an NBA player when the concept of team basketball meant something. The man was the poster boy for that of a Boston Celtic. Mr. Havlicek did not get tired during a game, was never a selfish player, wanted the last pressure filled shot and above all else was a high quality man who treated others with the upmost respect.
RIP John Havlicek I will miss you.

[Limestonedan]

Bob Ryan writer for the Boston Globe: (excerpt)

There is a new phenomenon in the NBA called “load management.” Perfectly healthy players are withheld from games for a “rest.” So check this out: The Celtics defeated the Lakers for the title, winning in six in 1968 and seven in 1969. In those 13 games, totaling 629 minutes (Game 5 in ’68 went to OT), care to guess how many of those minutes John Havlicek played? Hmm? How about 627. No typo. He sat less than two minutes out of those 13 playoff games. This is why I don’t want him damned by the faint praise of being a great “sixth man.”

[linesiders]

Legend. Skill.

[hdrazor251]

One of the best. RIP.

[Limestonedan]

Back in the mid '70's, the Boston Celtics used to do pre season practice, in Buzzards Bay, MA. All the greats at the time were there. Havlicek, Dave Cowens, Jo-Jo White, Cedric Maxwell (rookie), etc., etc. Of course Johnny Most, Red, etc, As cadets, we loved seeing them living, eating, and working out around us.

An excerpt below from the Boston Globe regarding Havlicek the "fisherman". BTW, he was an avid fisherman his whole life and hosted a big charity fishing tournament on the Cape/Islands (The Genesis Foundation for Children) every year for 33-34 years.

-------------------------------------------------

Celtics public relations director Jeff Twiss was an intern with the team during the 1976-77 season. The year prior, Havlicek had guided Boston to yet another NBA title, and Twiss was a bit anxious as he drove to the first day of training camp at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay.

As he pulled up about an hour before the start of the first practice, he saw two men fishing in a canal next to the gym. He crept closer and realized that it was Havlicek and team PR director Howie McHugh. They told Twiss they had been there for about an hour already, and had no plans to depart anytime soon.

“They said they’d see me after practice,’’ Twiss recalled with a chuckle. “John says, ‘Yeah, I’ll catch up with the guys later.’ He was already in impeccable shape. And sure enough three or four days left in a week-long camp, Havlicek shows up and starts running up and down the court like he never missed a beat.’’

It is well known, Havlicek had oversized lungs and could run all day..

[Butchh]

Originally Posted by wantonebad

A great guy, classy guy, and he got the most from his talent and skills RIP sir!

He was for sure a classy guy! I met him at a Mercedes charity golf outing in Columbus, Ohio, and he couldn’t have been nicer! One of the greatest Buckeyes to ever come out of the state!!!

[dddrees]

Rip