Editing Boston Celtics (section)

===1950–1958: Arrival of Bob Cousy and Red Auerbach===
[[File:Bob Cousy NYWTS.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Bob Cousy]] played 13 years for the team, 6 of them ending in NBA titles]]
The Celtics struggled during their early years, until the hiring of coach [[Red Auerbach]].<ref>Hilton, Lisette [https://www.espn.com/classic/biography/s/auerbach_red.html Auerbach's Celtics played as a team], espn.go.com/classic. Retrieved August 28, 2009.</ref> In the franchise's early days, Auerbach had no assistants, ran all the practices, did all the scouting—both of opposing teams and college draft prospects—and scheduled all road trips. One of the first great players to join the Celtics was [[Bob Cousy]], whom Auerbach initially refused to draft out of nearby [[College of the Holy Cross|Holy Cross]] because he was "too flashy".<ref>{{cite news|last=Schwartz|first=Larry|title=Celtics triedltimate passer|url=https://www.espn.com/sportscentury/features/00014144.html|publisher=ESPN|access-date=January 8, 2017|archive-date=April 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426074519/https://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00014144.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Cousy's contract eventually became the property of the [[Chicago Stags]],<ref>[http://www.nba.com/history/players/cousy_bio.html Bob Cousy Biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628183941/http://www.nba.com/history/players/cousy_bio.html |date=June 28, 2011 }}, nba.com/history, accessed February 1, 2008|</ref> but when that franchise went bankrupt, Cousy went to the Celtics in a dispersal draft.

After the [[1955–56 NBA season|1955–56 season]], Auerbach made a stunning trade, sending perennial All-Star [[Ed Macauley]] to the [[St. Louis Hawks]] along with the draft rights to [[Cliff Hagan]] for the second overall pick in the draft.<ref name="Hall of Fame">[http://www.hoophall.com/halloffamers/bhof-ed-macauley.html Ed Macauley], hoophall.com, accessed May 26, 2008. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071003101707/http://www.hoophall.com/halloffamers/bhof-ed-macauley.html |date=October 3, 2007 }}</ref> After negotiating with the [[Rochester Royals]]—a negotiation that included a promise that the Celtics owner would send the highly sought-after [[Ice Capades]] to Rochester if the Royals would let Russell slide to No. 2—Auerbach used the pick to select [[University of San Francisco]] [[center (basketball)|center]] [[Bill Russell]].<ref>[http://davidkamp.com/2006/09/only_the_ball_was_brown_2.php Only the Ball Was Brown] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320130826/http://davidkamp.com/2006/09/only_the_ball_was_brown_2.php |date=March 20, 2012 }}, daviskamp.com. Retrieved August 15, 2008.</ref> Auerbach also acquired Holy Cross standout, and 1957 NBA Rookie of the Year, [[Tom Heinsohn]].<ref name="recap1950s">[http://www.nba.com/celtics/history/Recap_1950s.html Season Recap&nbsp;– 1950s] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209150816/http://www.nba.com/celtics/history/Recap_1950s.html |date=February 9, 2012 }}, nba.com. Retrieved February 17, 2008.</ref> Both Russell and Heinsohn worked extraordinarily well with Cousy, and they were the players around whom Auerbach would build the champion Celtics for more than a decade.<ref name="recap1950s" /> With [[Bill Russell]], the Celtics advanced to the [[1957 NBA Finals]] and defeated the St. Louis Hawks in seven games, earning their first NBA title.<ref>[http://www.nba.com/history/players/pettit_bio.html Bob Pettit Bio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628184005/http://www.nba.com/history/players/pettit_bio.html |date=June 28, 2011 }}, nba.com/history. Retrieved February 28, 2007.</ref> In 1958, the Celtics again advanced to the [[1958 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]], this time losing to the Hawks in 6 games.<ref>[http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/stlhawks/stlhawks.html St. Louis Hawks (1955–1968)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111228121102/http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/stlhawks/stlhawks.html |date=December 28, 2011 }}, sportsecyclopedia.com. Retrieved February 28, 2007.</ref>