Dave Cowens is the perfect example of how Boston Celtics players were undervalued during their prime. As a two-time All-Star, he may be the most underrated player ever to wear green and white.
Dave Cowens was a great player, but he is not the most appreciated Boston Celtic. He is not even in the top 10 of all time. Read more in detail here: dave cowens.
It’s difficult to believe that anybody in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is underrated. Dave Cowens was an NBA All-Star eight times and was just voted one of the greatest 75 players in NBA history.
Cowens was well-known, but he may not have been as well-liked. The small center for the erstwhile Boston Celtics wasn’t dazzling. In no statistical area did he ever lead the league. Cowens was a genuine team player who may be the squad’s most undervalued player.
Dave Cowens had to compete with the big guys all the time.
During a game at the Boston Garden on Feb. 4, 1977, Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, right, tries to block a jumper from Boston Celtics Dave Cowens, left. | John Blanding/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Cowens was “just” 6-foot-9 and 230 pounds when he was killed. Because he played center, he was considered tiny in the NBA. He wasn’t as powerful as the NBA’s conventional centers, but he held his own against them. He couldn’t always match up physically with the large guys, but he often outworked and outhustled them to obtain the upper hand.
“Watching him wear out the Bob Laniers, Lew Alcindors (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) was one of my great joys,” veteran Celtics writer Bob Ryan told The Athletic. “He’d simply run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, “It was an attrition game for him.”
It didn’t matter to Cowens whether it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals or the first preseason game. He went all out for it. Maybe he felt compelled to do it because he was up against seven-footers. Maybe it was simply who he was – a dedicated athlete who never stopped working. In any case, the Cowens motor was constantly on.
“Classic Dave, he’s playing against the Carolina Cougars in an exhibition game in Asheville, North Carolina in the 1974-75 season, and Ollie Taylor steals the ball,” Ryan recalled. “Dave pursues him, blocks his shot, and crashes into the basket support, breaking his foot.” Because he didn’t play any other manner, he missed the first 17 games of the season making a play in an exhibition game.”
Dave Cowens never got the recognition he deserved.
HBD Dave Cowens, who completed the following feats in just 11 seasons.
Rookie of the Year 2 x NBA Champion MVP 8 x All-Star All-Star MVP All-Defense 1st Team All-Defense 1st Team Hall of Fame NBA 50 Team
pic.twitter.com/WmyHW9dodH
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 25, 2020
Cowens was well-known among his contemporaries. In 1991, the NBA inducted him into the Hall of Fame. Cowens, on the other hand, does not get the praise he deserves from the supporters. When it comes to Celtics legends, Larry Bird and Bill Russell are generally mentioned. The whole Cowens period, in fact, tends to be ignored, as he conceded in The Athletic.
“When I see the Celtics advertising the game, you seldom see any guys from the 1970s, like Havlicek, JoJo (White), and myself,” Cowens remarked. “They move from Russell to Bird to Garnett in a straight line.” And they sort of ignore us. And I’m not really sure why.”
Cowens was unconcerned about his reputation. It was the outcomes that changed everything. In 1991, during his Hall of Fame speech, he recognized this.
“To me, the larger the person is the higher the reputation, the lower the ego,” he added.
Cowens was forced to play quickly in the NBA. That was his high school approach, and he continued it in the Boston Garden.
“In high school, we averaged more over 90 points every game in 32 minutes,” Cowens remarked. “We averaged 92 points per game and restricted our opponents to 78 points per game during my final year at Florida State. Jim Connor in high school and Hugh Durham at Florida State were both great coaches who pushed us to play quickly. On defense, we were constantly pushing, and on attack, we were always rushing.
“When I went to the professionals, it was the Celtics’ style of play, so it was a natural match for me.”
Cowens put up some impressive statistics for a tiny center.
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Cowens spent ten seasons with the Celtics, making the All-Star team in all but two of them. Over the course of his 11-year career, he averaged a double-double, averaging 17.6 points and 13.6 rebounds.
It was all about the work for Cowens. He was always improving his game. As a tiny center, this meant moving out from the paint and honing his jump shot in order to draw his large opponent out to protect him.
Cowens told Sports Illustrated in 2020, “If you have really strong depth perception, you should be able to build a pretty decent jump shot or shooting in general.” “It all boils down to being willing to put in the effort required to get there.”
“I’ve never had an issue working hard.”
Cowens was named MVP in 1973 after setting career highs in both points and rebounds (20.5). (16.2). He led the Celtics to their first of two NBA titles the following season.
Cowens’ former colleague John Havlicek famously claimed, “No one ever accomplished more for the Celtics than Dave Cowens.”
And not many fans are aware of this.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the most iconic Boston Celtics player of all time?
A: Larry Bird.
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Who was the best center for the Celtics?
A: Isaiah Thomas.
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