RIP John Havlicek
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The Boston Celtics playoffs are going well, but we need to take an opportunity to talk about a sad moment for C's fans.
The Celtics lost one of their all-time best players on Thursday: John Havlicek, as multiple outlets are reporting. The 79-year-old had been battling Parkinson's Disease.
Havlicek was a Celtics lifer. He spent 16 seasons with the team and was exceptionally successful in the process. He helped them win eight NBA titles, four of which came in the first four seasons of his NBA career. That put him third all-time amongst NBA players for most championships won, trailing Bill Russell and Sam Jones, who won 11 and 10 respectively. It just so happens both of those guys were his teammates as well.
Russell paid tribute to his former teammate on Twitter, reacting to the tragic news. He tweeted out, "It is getting difficult each time I hear about another contemporary that passes! What is harder is when we lose guys like John Havlicek, he was not just a teammate & a great guy, but he was family. That is how our @celtics teams were. #RIP Hondo @NBA #RIPJohnHavlicek @NBAonTNT"
Sure, Havlicek had a fantastic career and is a Basketball Hall of Famer and all that, but if one had to pin his career down to one play, it's one of the most iconic in Celtics history. In the final game of the 1965 Eastern Conference Finals, Bill Russell turned the ball over with five seconds remaining. But as the Philadelphia 76ers tried to inbound the ball, Havlicek intercepted the pass, passed the ball to Sam Jones and the C's ran out the clock to secure the victory.
Definitely a sad time for Celtics fans. He had a fantastic career. Hopefully the C's can play in his honor in this upcoming series.
Russell paid tribute to his former teammate on Twitter, reacting to the tragic news. He tweeted out, "It is getting difficult each time I hear about another contemporary that passes! What is harder is when we lose guys like John Havlicek, he was not just a teammate & a great guy, but he was family. That is how our @celtics teams were. #RIP Hondo @NBA #RIPJohnHavlicek @NBAonTNT"
It is getting difficult each time I hear about another contemporary that passes! What is harder is when we lose guys like John Havlicek, he was not just a teammate & a great guy, but he was family. That is how our @celtics teams were. #RIP Hondo @NBA #RIPJohnHavlicek @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/VP9MGPjrmZ
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) April 26, 2019
Sure, Havlicek had a fantastic career and is a Basketball Hall of Famer and all that, but if one had to pin his career down to one play, it's one of the most iconic in Celtics history. In the final game of the 1965 Eastern Conference Finals, Bill Russell turned the ball over with five seconds remaining. But as the Philadelphia 76ers tried to inbound the ball, Havlicek intercepted the pass, passed the ball to Sam Jones and the C's ran out the clock to secure the victory.
Definitely a sad time for Celtics fans. He had a fantastic career. Hopefully the C's can play in his honor in this upcoming series.