“Sustained Excellence” is a periodic series looking back at the 50th anniversary of Bill Russell’s coaching debut season, and at the Celtic dynasty in general.
On the Ides of December in 1966, the defending champion Boston Celtics suffered their sixth defeat as they wrapped up the first third of their 81-game regular season – the second time they’d fallen to player-coach Richie Guerin’s St. Louis Hawks.
The game was staged at the Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence, the second of four C’s tip-offs to be held at that particular “neutral” venue in Coach Bill Russell’s inaugural campaign.