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Cousy’s legend was cemented long before that first NBA
title in 1957. By the 1952-53 season he was firmly in
control of the Celtics’ fast-break attack, pushing the
ball at every opportunity and flipping passes from
almost every angle imaginable. This was also the year
that Cousy won the first of eight consecutive assists
titles, averaging 7.7 per game, a remarkable feat in the
pre- shot clock era. Houdini was the biggest star in
the league.
Magnificent during the regular season, Cousy saved his
best for Game 2 of the division semifinals against
bitter rival Syracuse. Playing through a painful leg
injury, Cousy scored 25 points in regulation, heroically
tying the game at 77 on a last-second free throw. He
would tie it again in the waning seconds of the first
overtime, giving him 6 of his team’s 9 points and
forcing yet another extra period. In the second
overtime Cousy accounted for all 4 Celtics points. The
total was matched by the Nationals to force a third
 overtime session. In the third OT he scored 8,
improbably hitting a 25-foot, game-tying jumper with
just three ticks left on the clock. All appeared lost
when the Nationals raced out to a 104-99 lead in the
fourth overtime. Cousy had battled valiantly, but most
in attendance sensed that the Celtics’ season was nearly
over. Houdini, however, had other ideas. Willing his
team back into the game, Cousy scored 5 straight points
to tie the game at 104. The Nationals regained neither
poise nor momentum, scoring just 1 more point as the
Celtics prevailed in a thriller, 111-105. Cousy’s stat
line for this 3-hour, 11-minute marathon included 50
points, 30 of them coming from the free throw line
(where he was 30-of-32 for the game).
The 1956-57 season brought Russell and the team’s first
NBA championship. It was also one of Cousy’s finest
seasons. The prolific guard once again led the league
in assists (7.5 apg), finished eighth in scoring (20.6
ppg), while capturing both the NBA MVP and NBA All-Star
Game MVP awards. Cousy’s selection as the league’s best
player was the first such honor bestowed on a member of
the Boston Celtics.
With Russell triggering the fast-break and Cousy
punching the throttle, the Celtics were nearly
unbeatable. They defeated the St. Louis Hawks in seven
games to win their first crown, needing double-overtime
in the final game to walk away victorious. The Hawks
got even the following season, taking advantage of a
Russell ankle injury (an ironic twist, if ever there was
one) to give Macauley his only NBA title. Boston then
won an unprecedented eight consecutive championships,
finishing with eleven in a thirteen year span. Along
the way Auerbach continued to add to its cache of
Hall-of-Fame talent, drafting players such as K.C.
Jones, Sam Jones and John Havlicek. Cousy retired
midway through that stretch, walking away with six
titles, 13 All-Star Game appearances, ten consecutive
All-NBA First Team selections, two NBA All-Star Game MVP
awards, and one NBA MVP award.
Even Cousy’s retirement at age 35 was an event to be
remembered. Best known as “The Boston Tear Party”,
Cousy’s last regular season game was an emotional
farewell that left hardly a dry eye in the house. The
normally loquacious Cousy was rendered speechless by
emotion during a 20-minute farewell statement – one that
was scheduled to last but seven minutes. Then a voice
cried out from the sold-out Boston Garden, "We love ya,
Cooz." The words came from Joe Dillon, a city water
worker and rabid Celtics fan. The sellout crowd
exploded with heartfelt energy.
Cousy retired a champion. Boston defeated its new
nemesis, the Los Angeles Lakers, in the 1963 NBA
Finals. In the fourth quarter of Game 6, Cousy sprained
an ankle and had to be helped to the bench. He went
back in with the Lakers ahead by a point. And although
he didn't score again, he provided the emotional spark
that propelled the Celtics to victory, 112-109.
Fittingly, the game ended with Cousy heaving the ball
into the rafters.
Cousy didn’t stay away from basketball for long,
accepting the head coaching job at Boston College
shortly after his retirement. He wasted little time
resurrecting the Eagles’ basketball program, directing
the school to a 117-38 record over six years. During
that span he posted four 20-plus winning seasons,
reached the NCAA Regionals twice, and also guided his
team to the NIT Finals. He announced after two early
losses in the 1968-69 campaign that the season would be
his last. The Eagles responded by winning 21 games in a
row.
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