Unlike Bill’s or Tommy’s, many of the names on that list of young champs are underwhelming, if not downright obscure – Benny Swain (1959), Rick Weitzman (1968), Carlos Clark (1984). Several (Don Chaney, John Thompson, Larry Siegfried, KC Jones) would enjoy subsequent hoops success.
Only five of those rookie Celtic champions, however, can be considered to have done the “heavy lifting” involved in earning a professional basketball championship – add Tom Sanders (1961), John Havlicek (1963) and Kevin McHale (1981) to the ’57 pair of aces.
OK now, just what is it that constitutes the “heavy lifting” that distinguishes these five players?