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His college career over, Cowens
eagerly went about
the business of preparing for the NBA draft and life as a
professional basketball player. Meanwhile, a reconstruction of sorts was going
on in Boston.  The Celtics, built and coached by the legendary Red Auerbach, had
dominated the National Basketball Association for more than a decade. That
dynasty came crashing
down following the 1968-69 NBA season when Russell retired
as the Celtics’ player/coach, leaving Auerbach the arduous task of retooling
the once-mighty Boston franchise. Many doubted Auerbach’s legendary Midas
touch, claiming that the sheer luck of coaching Russell had everything to do
with his genius. Undaunted, Auerbach confidently predicted a return to glory.
The new era began with the selection of crafty point guard Jo Jo White and the
appointment of former Celtic Tommy Heinsohn as head coach. Still, there were
holes. Plenty of them. The center position topped the list of priorities, and
for good reason: Weak in the paint, the 1969-70 Boston Celtics finished the
season with 34 wins and a sixth-place showing in the Eastern Division – placing
the team fourth overall in the 1970 NBA Draft.
It was a draft long on talent,
and peppered with names that would make plenty of noise throughout the
run-and-gun ‘70s. Future stars Bob Lanier, Rudy Tomjanovich and “Pistol’
Pete Maravich went 1-2-3. Auerbach snatched Cowens with the next pick, much
to the chagrin of Bob Cousy and the Cincinnati Royals, and celebrated with a
deep drag on his trademark cigar. A new era of Boston Celtics basketball
was born.
Cowens arrived in town unafraid
of the long shadow cast by Russell and the other ghosts of Celtics past.
Holdovers from those great teams included Satch Sanders and John Havlicek,
and Cowens wasted little time earning their respect. The rookie averaged
17.0 points and 15.4 rebounds per game, standout numbers that garnered him
co-Rookie of the Year honors with Portland’s Geoff Petrie. His
full-throttle style also struck an instantaneous chord with the Boston
Garden faithful, who identified with the rookie’s work ethic and blue collar
attitude. So intense was Cowens that he led the league in fouls that first
season, committing 350 (4.2 per game). Reigning in the fiery young talent
was discussed by the Boston Celtics cognoscenti, but the subject was
entertained half-heartedly at best. Why? Because hustle and desire were
the cornerstones of this player who, despite an obvious size disadvantage,
consistently held his own against the best big men in the league. To take
that away would be to rob him of his most valuable weapon. Imagine Sampson
without hair, and you begin to get the idea.
With Cowens the catalyst, the
Celtics improved from 33-48 to 44-38 – hardly the big move orchestrated
behind the play of Larry Bird nearly a decade later, but the 1970-71 Boston
Celtics were hardly as deep and as talented as Bird’s first team either.
Still, it was obvious to all that the Celtics were simply a much better team
with Cowens in the paint, and word of Boston’s burgeoning young superstar
was spreading quickly through the league.
When you talk to those who
played both with and against Dave Cowens, the topic inevitably turns to
those armor-piercing eyes. They were an intimidating glimpse into the soul
of the ultimate warrior, and time has done little to dull the image of
Cowens, eyes ablaze, ripping down rebounds among the goliaths of the day.
Bird had that same stare. Michael Jordan, too. All of the great ones have
it to some degree. Cowens’ lasers were the stuff of legend.
Former teammate Paul Westphal:
“The look in his eyes is something that I can’t find words to adequately
describe. You had to see that look for yourself to know what I’m talking
about. It was scary. He was so focused on the game. It didn’t matter
whether it was ripping down a big rebound or diving for a loose ball. It
was pure intensity.”
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