Dave Cowens

Dave Cowens was the toughest player in the NBA during the 1970s — a 6'9" center who gave away four or five inches to most opposing big men and compensated with an intensity, motor, and physicality that intimidated players much larger than him. His 1973 MVP season and two championships with the Celtics (1974, 1976) established him as the best center in the post-Russell, pre-Kareem era of Boston basketball.

Cowens was an anomaly for his time — a center who could run the floor, shoot from the outside, and defend with a ferocity that bordered on reckless. He would chase opposing centers out to the perimeter, dive on the floor for loose balls, and throw his body into picks with an abandon that earned him the respect of every opponent. He once famously tackled a fan who ran onto the court during a game.

His partnership with John Havlicek gave the Celtics a two-headed monster that bridged the Russell era and the Bird era. Cowens's relentless energy — he played every game like it was Game 7 — made him the heart of two championship teams and one of the most beloved Celtics of all time. An MVP, two rings, and a playing style that embodied everything Boston basketball stands for.