UHND.com - Notre Dame Football, Basketball, & Recruiting

" Any dynasty had multiple great players. Bob Cousy is one of the all-time great guards. However, Russell won 5 championships without him. John Havlicek is also one of the 15 all-time greatest players in history. Russell won 5 championships without him. He won multiple championships without every one of his teammates (except Sam Jones, whom he won 1 without, but Jones was a backup for his first 4 seasons).

Also, the 1955 Celtics had Cousy, Bill Sharman, Frank Ramsey, and "Easy" Ed McCauley (at center). That is FOUR hall of famers. They were coached by Red Auerbach. They were 36-36 and finished in 3rd place in the division. The next season, they went 39-33. The season after that, Russell joined (and only played 48 games due to the Olympics), and they went 44-28 and won the championship.

Look at his first title team (1957) and look at his last title team (1969). Who was the only constant? Bill Russell at center.

After the last title, Russell and Sam Jones retired. The Celtics drafted Jo Jo White to replace Jones. The dropped 3 ppg at that position. White is in the hall of fame. Hank Finkel replaced Russell. The Celtics missed the playoffs."