Yesterday, I posted some unique Celtics records from The Unofficial Guide to Basketball's Nastiest and Most Unusual Records (Unofficial Guide)by Kerry Banks. I highly recommend this book for a fun offseason read. You will find every kind of unusual record in this book. Here are a few more of the Celtics related records to whet your appetite for this fun book and to help you pass the time during the offseason.
First NBA player to break a backboard
Chuck Connors, Boston, Nov. 5, 1946
Connors, who would later go on to much greater fame as the star of TV's "The Rifleman," broke the backboard at Boston Arena before the Celtics' maiden home opener against the Chicago Stags. Contrary to popular belief, he did not do it with a dunk."During the warm-ups, I took a harmless 15- to 20-foot set shot, and, crash, the glass backboard shattered," Connors recalled in a 1986 interview. The backboard crumbled because a worker had not installed a piece of protective rubber between it and the rim. The game was delayed an hour while a truck picked up a spare backboard from Boston Garden, where a rodeo was taking place in front of a packed house.
In 53 career games with the Celtics, Connors averaged 4.5 points per game. After leaving basketball, he tried his hand at baseball, playing briefly for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, before finding his niche in Hollywood as The Rifleman
Only NBA teams to trade Owners
Boston Celtics and San Diego Clippers 1978
Faced with declining attendance, Buffalo Braves owner John Y. Brown went looking for a new city for the Braves franchise at the 1977 owners' meeting. The Boston Celtics were owned by Irv Levin, a Beverly Hills resident who wanted to own a club that played closer to his home state. NBA attorney David Stern (who is now the league's commissioner) proposed a novel solution: the Buffalo Braves would move to San Diego, and Brown and Levin would flip franchises. In June 1978, NBA owners voted 21-1 in favor of the swap. The deal included a complicated seven player trade but the most important detail in the transaction was that Boston retained the draft rights to Larry Bird.
Most Regular Season Wins by a Non-Champion
68: Boston Celtics, 1972-73
By adding rising young stars Dave Cowens and Jo Jo White to its veteran cast of John Havlicek, Paul Silas, Don Chaney, Tom Sanders and Don Nelson, Boston raced to the top of the standings. The Celtics notched 68 victories, one shy of the record set by the NBA Champion Lakers the year before. But the Celtics came unglued in the playoff, losing in seven games to the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals. No other NBA team has won so many games and not emerged as champion. [Dallas came close, winning 67].
Only Coach to Punch Out an Opposition Owner During the Pre-Game Warm-Up
Red Auerbach, Boston, April 6, 1957
A dispute over the height of the basket at Kiel Auditorium before game 3 of the 1957 NBA Finals led to a confrontation between Celtics coach Red Auerbach and Hawks owner Ben Kerner. When Kerner began screaming obscenities at Auerbach, the Boston coach decked him at midcourt in front of a sold out crowd. Kerner, who suffered a bloody nose, was escorted back to his seat while Auerbach returned to the Boston bench and the game proceeded. Auerbach was fined $300 for the punch. If the move was designed to fire his team up, it failed to work. St. Louis won 100-98. Most Cigars Smoked by a Coach during Games
Several Hundred: Red Auerbach, 1946-1966
Fidel Castro, Winston Churchill, and George Burns may rank as the world's most famous cigar smokers, but Auerbach is the king of the sports world. He liked to fire up a fat stogie on the bench during the final minutes of NBA games when his team had the victory well in hand. Considering that Auerbach coached the Celtics to nine NBA Championships, he had plenty or opportunities to blow smoke at the opposition. The fact that Auerbach lit up before the game was over struck many as arrogant, though he viewed it differently. Auerbach believed that casually puffing on a cigar when your team is far ahead was more sportsmanlike than aggressively pushing your team to pad the score. As he once said: "You got a team by 30 points, there's three minutes to go. The coach is still pacing up and down on the sidelines and yelling. For what? He's on TV. He wants to show that his team fights and is active for the full 48 minutes and he's and integral part of it. My feeling was that once the game is decided - and you could tell - then sit down and relax." Tempting as it may be, not other coach will copy Auerbach's trademark gesture or threaten his unofficial record. Since smoking is now prohibited in NBA arenas, the victory cigar has become an indulgence reserved for post game celebrations. Although, when Darko Milicic was with the Pistons, he was never put into games until the game was decided and they called him "the human victory cigar." Most Game 7 Wins in Playoffs, Career
10: Bill Russell, 1956-1969
Statistically speaking, Russell usually came out second best to his great rival Wilt Chamberlain, but not in the stat that mattered most. Russell won 11 NBA titles to Chamberlain's two, and was an incredible 10-0 in Game 7 during his storied career. Of the 10, eight were won in Boston and two on the road, and five came in the NBA finals.
Most Premature Postgame Celebration in a Finals
Los Angeles Lakers, May , 1969
Before game 7 of the 1969 finals, Boston's Bill Russell got his hands on a script that described plans for a post game Lakers celebration that included a rendition of Happy Days Are Here Again to be played by the University of Southern California band. When the Celtics walked out on the court to begin the game against the heavily favored Lakers, they saw 5,000 balloons suspended in nets from the ceiling. But as was often the case during that era, the Celtics found a way to win. Don Nelson's late jumper, which bounded off the back rim straight up into the air and down into the basket, was the key to a 108-106 victory. The triumph gave the Celtics their 11th title in 13 years. 
FLCeltsFan
8/03/2010 03:35:00 PM
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Lol at Red knocking out the Hawks' owner.
come on man, the paul pierce one is kinda tasteless
Yeah seriously I agree with the dude above me... the paul pierce stabbing where he almost died is a record to you? Please don't be a fan if that's the case.. very tasteless.
Sorry if it offended you. I just copied the records as recorded in the book that dealt with the Celtics. I removed it as I don't want to offend anyone. I love Paul Pierce and it is a credit to his toughness that he was stabbed 11 times and never missed a game because of it.
FL is probably the biggest Celtics fan out there. No need to ever question her fan hood.
Red was a beast, obviously! Cool stuff. Best part is the game continued. Today? Imagine that Stern theater!
FL don't worry, the article is great and those Anonymous comments? Well, they're ANONYMOUS COMMENTS! lol
I have a strong suspicion that if Mark Cuban was an owner back in the 50's, Red would have knocked him out too.
Red´s stories are amazing. I´ve been watching football for a long time, and there was a "similar" person working for LIVERPOOL at the same time. Sports fans will know him right away. I´m talking about BILL SHANKLY. His life, work,commitment, sense of humour...
In LIVERPOOL, you can find a statue. It´s a tribute to SHANKLY, carved from a famous picture. What happened seconds before the photo was taken is what matters most. In the lower part of the statue you can read a single line:
"HE MADE THE PEOPLE HAPPY"
I think there is a huge paralellism between Red Auerbach and Bill Shankly. When you peel away the clothes, muscles, skin & bones, you will find the heart. These two individuals had it, and their passion, courage and strenght is burning as we speak or write. They used their talent and knowledge to expand the abilities of the people who where beside them, and the achievements speak for themselves. Auerbach and Shankly, they made us better...
Like Ray sweet Ray said when he signed his contract a few weeks ago: "MORE FUEL FOR THE FIRE".
Was that 68 wins by the 1972-1973 team the most by a Celtics team ever?