Fiercely Caring

The story of forgotten Celtics legend Dave Cowens: MVP and occasional cab-driver

“𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗌𝖺𝗂𝖽 𝗂𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗌𝗇’𝗍 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝖽𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝖿𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗂𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗌.”
-𝖣𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖢𝗈𝗐𝖾𝗇𝗌

In the late dog days of the 1970 Cape Cod summer stood a pale 6’ 8” redhead named Dave Cowens, competing in a gym of other tryouts to fill the void left by Bill Russell at the center position. Standing in the corner was a shrewd, assured Red Auerbach next to the Celtics legend himself. Russell was out of breath and energy. After a quick one-on-one against the new rookie, Russell whispered in the Auerbach’s ear as he pointed to the bruised-up redhead, “There is no doubt this kid can play center.” Auerbach took note of the discovery, and with the Bill Russell endorsement, the Celtics knew they had found their cornerstone for the distant future.

The Big Red went to a Catholic all-boys school in Newport, Kentucky. He enjoyed sports but never fantasized about playing in the NBA. In fact, during his freshman year, he decided to quit basketball after an argument with his coach. Nevertheless, by his junior year, Cowens grew to 6’ 6” and with a newly hired coach he decided to give the sport a second try. Once Cowens was a senior, he was close to 6’ 8” and his competitive spirit jolted him to one of the best players in the nation. The Newport team went 29–3 behind Cowens' 13 points and 20 rebounds a game, despite his skinny 190 Ibs size. The center received offers from virtually every major college but ultimately joined Florida State with coach Hugh Durham.

At the time, nearly every headline in college basketball was about the all-mighty UCLA Bruins led by John Wooden and his centers Lew Alcinder and his replacement, Bill Walton. As for Cowens, he committed to the Florida State Seminoles with the hope of competing with the Bruins for the NCAA title. In his senior season, however, when the Seminoles finally had the talent to win, the school was suspended from tournament play due to violating NCAA policy. (The coach had undeclared players come to the facilities — a common practice among Division 1 coaches.) Nevertheless, the NCAA caught FSU, and the 23–3 Seminoles could not play in that year’s March Tournament.

During the 1970s — when the Cleveland Cavaliers considered reading the bios on the back of basketball cards as scouting — Red Auerbach was ahead of his time by routinely showing up at Florida State games to look at his potential next first-round pick. Auerbach, fearing another team would find this paragon of a prospect before the Celtics, would often be seen walking out of games at halftime muttering how disappointed he was in Cowens.

Luckily for the Celtics, who had the fourth pick in 1970, Cowens was likely going to be left on the board. The 1970 draft featured a plethora of all-time talent, including six future Hall-of-Famers. The first pick was one of the six, Bob Lanier. Rudy Tomjanovich was taken second, and then Pete Maravich, third. Most teams and players expected Auerbach to replace Russell with 6' 10" center Sam Lacey, who, with his size, most assumed would be a better fit to play center in the NBA. But to everyone’s dismay, including Cowens, Auerbach took the FSU graduate. The following pick was Lacey — a one-time all-star having a decent fourteen-year career, but in hindsight, there is no doubt the Celtics made the right pick.

Along with growing star, Jo-Jo White, Don Nelson, and superstar John Havlicek, the Boston Celtics were ready to make another run at a title following a short rebuild. Cowens’ speed and conditioning fit perfectly with the up-tempo Celtics’ style of basketball, which ranked second in the league. Cowens racked up 15 rebounds a game in his first season and finished third on the team in points, with 17 per night. That season the Celtics improved their record by eleven games compared to the previous season, going 44–38. After his incredible rookie campaign, Cowens shared Rookie of the Year honors with Portland Trailblazer Geoff Petrie.

Immediately, the Celtics and the entire NBA learned the short redhead was not one to mess with. Every night the parquet floors would have silhouettes of Cowens’ sweat (and usually a little bit of his blood). Cowens reportedly competed with multiple broken bones, sprains, tears, or anything else that should restrict a human, but for Cowens, he had one goal, and nothing could get in his way. Win.

“𝖸𝗈𝗎’𝗏𝖾 𝗀𝗈𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽𝗌. 𝖨𝗍’𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝗐𝗂𝗇. 𝖤𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒𝖻𝗈𝖽𝗒 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗐𝗂𝗇. 𝖨𝗍’𝗌 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝗅𝗈𝗌𝖾.”
-𝖣𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖢𝗈𝗐𝖾𝗇𝗌

The next year, in the 1971–2 season, the Celtics made a notable improvement, finishing at 56–26, winning the division, and controlling the top seed in the East. In the first round, Beantown easily handled business against the 36-win Atlanta Hawks but then matched up against the reigning champions, New York Knicks leading to another era of the classic Northeast, New York versus Boston rivalry. (Ironically, at the same time, the Bruins were facing off against the Rangers in the NHL playoffs.)

The Celtics’ throughout their dominant run in the fifties and sixties, seemed to always have the edge in experience, competitiveness, and wit. Nevertheless, against a team with several future head coaches, a future Ph.D., and a senator, the Celtics were outsmarted and outplayed. In game one the Celtics were handled by the Knicks, en route to a 116–94 loss. Cowens went 3–10 but still did mustard 15 rebounds in the effort. Game two was much narrower throughout, but once again, the Knicks came through, even after the Celtics started the game out on a 14–0 run. MVP Willis Reed, Clyde Frazier, and the immense amount of depth were too much for the Celtics to handle.

But then the series headed to Boston. On the shoulders of a triple-double by John Havlicek, the Celtics closed the series gap. Still, the next two games were a walk in the park for the Knicks who went on to face the Lakers in the finals. As for Cowens, he finished the series with an inefficient 13.6 points per game and added 14.4 rebounds. In the finals, with an innovative coach, Bill Sharman, and perennial all-stars, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, the 69-win Lakers trounced the Knicks.

After a bitter end to the 1972 season, The Big Red had a newly formed grudge that propelled him to league MVP. He was apathetic towards the award (partly because he was not named an All-NBA first-teamer), but mostly because what mattered for Cowens was the playoffs. (Insert Jim Mora clip.)

”𝖭𝗈 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖽𝗂𝖽 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖢𝖾𝗅𝗍𝗂𝖼𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇 𝖣𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖽𝗂𝖽.”
-𝖩𝗈𝗁𝗇 𝖧𝖺𝗏𝗅𝗂𝖼𝖾𝗄

With the help of recently gained forward Paul Silas, who was, according to Cowens, the best rebounder ever, the Celtics seemed unstoppable. Both White and Cowens were in their primes and dominant in every facet. It was a common understanding by the players on the team that this was the best Celtics team they ever played on, winning all but one game on the road and blowing out nearly every team they faced. But the 68 wins were not going to matter in the playoffs. Again, unsurprisingly, the Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they faced the New York Knicks. (And once again, the Bruins were facing off against the Rangers.)

Both the Celtics and Knicks knew the winner of the series was going to win the championship. The Lakers, the likely finals opponent, were seen as undetermined and battered down. In that Knicks series, the lineup for the Celtics included White at the point guard, Don Chaney, who was the nemesis of Walt Frazier’s explosive offense, John Havlicek, Don “Nellie” Nelson, Cowens, with Silas coming off the bench.

Game one was an easy win for the Celtics. But the Knicks came back in game two winning by 33 points. The series was split until game three. In which, Dave DeBusschere hit Havlicek with a hard (illegal) screen, and the Celtics lost their top scorer. Game four occurred exactly three years after what Knicks fans called the Easter Resurrection, following an 18-point comeback against the Bucks. As if a Holy Spirit was there again, the Knicks did the impossible, overcoming a 16-point deficit against the Celtics, winning game three in double overtime. Still, the Celtics were able to tie it up to 3–3 heading home to Boston.

At this point, no one in history has been able to beat the Celtics in the Garden in game seven. With the antics of Auerbach and the Boston crowd, the Knicks were entering a war zone. But without a healthy Hondo and a poor shooting night by Nelson, the Knicks did the unimaginable, winning the Eastern title. And without much difficulty, beat the Lakers, winning the NBA championship.

For a second time, Cowens and the Celtics’ desires were thwarted by New York. The next year, Willis Reed, Dave Debusschere, and Bill Bradley’s bodies were giving in, and the Knicks were no longer the Celtics’ most prominent challengers. Without much competition in the East, the path to the finals was much easier.

So, in 1974 it was no surprise that the Celtics found themselves in the finals. It was the first time the Celtics made it this close to the promised land since 1969. However, they had a demanding challenge, facing Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bob Dandridge. The Bucks were clear favorites, with that season’s MVP, Abdul-Jabbar ready to bring a ring to Milwaukee. The Celtic’s strategy was to put as much pressure on Roberston as possible while leaving Cowens with the duty of limiting Kareem. With the speed of Don Chaney and Jo Jo White, the Celtics were able to tire out the older Oscar Roberston; however, the 6’ 8” Cowens could only restrict Abdul-Jabbar so much.

Nevertheless, after a split 2–2 series, the Celtics gained a 3–2 advantage. And it appeared sealed, with the sixth game in the Garden. Despite Auerbach being at his peak chicanery phase, the injured, tired Bucks stayed competitive. In that game six, Cowens had one of the most iconic plays in his career — and in Celtics history. While switching on Oscar after a pick-and-roll play, Cowens decided to go for the ball. The risk entailed a possible bucket for the Bucks that would have likely sealed the game. Somehow, Cowens swatted the ball out of Oscar’s hand while stumbling across the court and, then diving in front of Oscar, and finally, he hit his révérence, wrapping his body around the ball.

The execution of the move gave the Celtics one more chance to win the game. Yet, they missed the shot, and the game went into overtime. Havlicek made a clutch shot at the end of the first overtime, sending the game to an additional period. In the second overtime, it did not take long for Cowens to foul out, and the Celtics were forced to put backup center Hank Finkel on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Needless to say, it did not go well. Abdul-Jabbar won the game on an insoluble hook shot over Finkel on the baseline. The series was heading to game seven, and the Celtics had to figure out how to win in Milwaukee.

With advice from unofficial team consultant, Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn revised the Celtics defensive scheme. The team changed their lineup, having Silas help Cowens on Kareem. The team took a risk, planning to leave Cornell Warner open the whole game in order to shut down Kareem. “If it didn’t work I might have been out of a job,” Heinsohn later acclaimed. Either Cornell Warner would be a hero or Heinsohn would be a genius.

Cowens brought his whole family up from Kentucky to, hopefully, win his first title and instead of staying with the team, Cowens stayed with his family, carrying his large suitcase down the streets of Milwaukee back and forth from the stadium. Not to deviate too much, the Celtics’ strategy worked to perfection, and Boston won 102–87. “We knew we weren’t going to stop Kareem. Kareem was like Wilt (Chamberlain) — you don’t stop ’em. But you try to slow ’em down,” Heinsohn recalled after the game as the weary Kareem hobbled off the court. The speed and conditioning of Cowens and Silas ultimately won Boston that championship. By game 7, the older Robertson and Abdul-Jabbar, who each logged 50 minutes in game 6, as well as a hurt McGlocklin, were drained. After a strong first quarter by Kareem, his play ebbed. Cowens later recalled the 1973–74 season as his favorite in the league, due to the sheer dominance of that Celtics team.

Game 7 key stats:
Kareem Abdul Jabbar 10–21 | 26 PTS | 13 TRB
Oscar Robertson 2–13 | 6 PTS | 11 AST
Cornell Warner 0–3 | 1 PTS | 9 TRB

Dave Cowens 13–25 | 28 PTS | 14 TRB | 2 STL | 1 BLK
John Havlicek 6–20 | 16 PTS | 9 TRB | 6 AST | 3 STL

“𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝗍𝖾𝖺𝗆 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝖼𝖾𝗉𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇 𝗐𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗅𝖾. 𝖶𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝖽𝗃𝗎𝗌𝗍𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝗐𝖾 𝗍𝗋𝗂𝖾𝖽, 𝗐𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽𝗇’𝗍 𝖼𝗈𝗉𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗂𝗍. 𝖡𝗈𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗇 𝗂𝗌 𝖺 𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝖾𝖺𝗆 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗇𝗈 𝗐𝖾𝖺𝗄𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗌𝖾𝗌. 𝖠𝗍 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗍 𝖨 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾𝗇’𝗍 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖿𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝗒.”
-𝖡𝗎𝖼𝗄𝗌 𝖼𝗈𝖺𝖼𝗁, 𝖫𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗒 𝖢𝗈𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗈

As soon as the series ended, Cowens, without his shoes and four bottles of champagne, headed back to Boston. For the first time in his life, The Big Red was a winner. Rightfully, it was his time to celebrate, and he certainly did. For hours, Cowens traveled around the city, seeing all his friends, celebrating from house to bar. Dave the Rave somehow ended up on a park bench in the Boston Commons. Cowens woke up as businessmen were heading to work, hearing the sounds of a parade in the Celtics’ honor. Before it arrived at the Commons, he was able to sneak his way into the parade clandestinely and continue to celebrate with the rest of the team.

The following season was underwhelming considering the enormous expectations of the reigning champs. The Celtics won their division with a 60–22 record, securing home-court advantage in the playoffs. Cowens overtook the 34-year-old Havlicek as the leading scorer and became a top facilitator on the team. However, the team did not have the same momentum that led them to the finals the year before. The Celtics faced the Wizards, with a stronger and faster version of Cowens named Wes Unseld and a more efficient version of John Havlicek named Elvin Hayes. The Bullets who had a 39–6 home record, had an easy time going 3–0 at home in the series. And with their game one victory in Boston, the Wizards defeated Boston. In the finals, though, the Wizards got swept by Rick Barry-led Warriors in a quick four-game series.

With the 35-year-old John Havlicek and Don Nelson regressing, it was the last shot for this Celtics core to win another title. In the offseason, the Celtics traded for shooting guard, Charlie Scott, who became an indispensable part of the team. Scott was a Celtic for the first two seasons of his career but left to fulfill a contract with the ABA at the time. But through his time with Boston, he learned the Celtic way. The Celtics and their five all-stars won 54 games which was enough to earn the team home-court advantage in the playoffs once again.

In the first round, the Celtics faced the 46–36 Buffalo Braves. Cowens had to guard 24-year-old, three-time reigning scoring titleholder, Bob McAdoo. Although Cowens was not able to deter the efforts of McAdoo, he was able to match McAdoo’s scoring with six equally impressible outings himself. The Celtics won the series in six games moving on to the Conference Finals where they faced the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers were an easy test for the Celtics as they assuredly gallivanted their way into the finals.

On the other side of the basketball world, the Suns faced the Golden State Warriors. Last season’s champions were heavy favorites, winning 59 games with three all-stars and a 35–6 record at home. No one wanted to play the Warriors, least of all Dave Cowens, who was scarred by the massacres Rick Berry and the rest of the Warriors committed in Boston earlier that season. In comparison, the Suns barely made the playoffs due to a strong run at the end of the season. Their talent was trivial compared to Golden State. Somehow, though, the Suns were able to extend the series to seven games.

The Suns, led by former top Celtics guard, Paul Westphal, and two of the top rookies in the league, did have two significant regular-season wins against the Warriors that year. And against the odds, after taking the series to a seventh game, the Suns won by 12 points, as an irate Rick Barry tried his best to sabotage his team, going 30 minutes without scoring, watching his team fall apart. So, the Celtics' match-up in the finals was Paul Westphal and the Phoenix Suns.

With a masterful triple-double, Cowens helped the Celtics win game 1. In the next three games, the respective home team won. Thus, the series was tied at 2 with a pivotal game 6 in Boston. With the commentary of CBS NBA Finals announcer Rick Barry, the scene was set for the greatest game in NBA history.

The Celtics started with a 38-point first quarter and took a 22-point lead. But Phoenix head coach, John MacLeod, believed, “They came out all jazzed up. It’s an unnatural way to play, so unrestrained as that. You have to pay for it later, and that’s just what Boston did.” By the third quarter, the Suns narrowed the lead to 7, helped by Alvan Adams, who scored 11 consecutive points. Near the end of the fourth period, it was tied at 95 with three seconds left.

The Suns with one more chance to score, inbounded the ball from half-court. Gar Heard threw the ball down the floor. Suddenly, Dave Cowens jumped to intercept the ball with one second left. Paul Silas called for a timeout, but the referees did not seem to notice, a relief for the Celtics — as the Celtics were out of timeouts, and it would have led to a technical foul and last-second technical free throws for the Suns. Luckily, Tom Heinsohn’s favorite referee was right in front of Silas, Richie Powers. Powers later exclaimed, that he did not call the timeout, because he “did not want the game to end on a technicality.” (Powers was let go by the NBA two years later.) Consequently, the game headed to overtime.

After the first possession, Suns’ superstar Paul Westphal got hurt. With Alvan Adams fouling out, the Suns’ hopes were quickly diminishing. But somehow the first overtime stayed contentious, and after an awkward shot by Hondo (with a very generous timekeeper allowing it to count), the game headed to a second overtime. The second overtime, like the first, was back and forth as both teams started to exhaust themselves. The Celtics down by one, once again called upon the Houdini. John Havlicek, playing with a torn plantar fascia, took a leaning jumper and it banked in. The crowd thought the game was over and mobbed the court.

In the meantime, Havlicek ran back to the locker room and began to undress, taking off his shoes and tape. Fans, media, and drunk Boston fans swarmed the court. Nonetheless, Richie Powers indicated that there was one second left on the clock. Still, the Suns could not get to their bench to form a play. One fan, in particular, went to Richie Powers and punched him in the face. The two started grabbing each other until the police could break it up. Within minutes, thousands of fans were being escorted off the court, and play resumed.

During the interim, Westphal had devised a strategic loophole to give the Suns one more shot. The Suns were out of timeouts, with their only chance of winning, by making an improbable full-court heave. Alternatively, Westphal elected to call a timeout, which led to a technical free throw for the Celtics, making it a two-point game. This allowed the Suns to bring the ball out from half-court. The Suns, then, made a shot to send the game to yet another overtime.

In the third overtime, more players fouled out, including Cowens. One of the biggest games in NBA history was going to be decided by the bottom of the benches. For the Celtics, Glenn McDonald started to lead the charge. With fresh legs, he put up eight points and made the game-sealing free throws.

After the game, fans once again stormed the court, while Jo-Jo White — who played 60 minutes — laid down on the floor motionless as people trampled over him. After the game, everyone knew who was going to win the series. “We knew the first team that could bend over and tie their sneakers for the seventh game was going to win. And we did.” Heinsohn forty years later, is still exhausted from the greatest game in NBA history.

“𝖬𝗈𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗂𝗌 𝖺 𝖻𝗂𝗀 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽 𝗂𝗇 𝗌𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗐. 𝖨𝗍 𝗂𝗌𝗇’𝗍 𝖾𝗇𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝗍𝗈 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝗒𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾. 𝖲𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝖺𝗍𝗁𝗅𝖾𝗍𝖾𝗌 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 ‘𝗆𝗈𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽’ 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗆𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆. 𝖶𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾, 𝗂𝗍’𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗇𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀. 𝖶𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗂𝗍’𝗌 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗒. 𝖶𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾, 𝗂𝗍’𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖾𝗇𝗃𝗈𝗒𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝖺𝗆𝖾. 𝖠𝗇𝖽 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖣𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖢𝗈𝗐𝖾𝗇𝗌, 𝗂𝗍’𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖺𝗋𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝖾𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗁𝖾 𝖽𝖾𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗁𝗂𝗆𝗌𝖾𝗅𝖿.”
-𝖭𝖾𝗐 𝖸𝗈𝗋𝗄 𝖳𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗌 𝗐𝗋𝗂𝗍𝖾𝗋, 𝖣𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖠𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗈𝗇

After winning his second championship in 1976, Cowens joined the NBA all-star team in Japan, then spent at least 14 hours a day going back and forth between his eleven basketball camps. Meanwhile, Don Nelson retired and Red Auerbach traded away Paul Silas. Despite the changes, the Celtics were still title favorites. The team started 4–0 but then went on a demoralizing four-game losing streak. After a frustrating loss against Washington, Dave Cowens met with Red Auerbach.

When Cowens signed with the Celtics, he held a particular clause in his contract that allowed Cowens to take a leave of absence whenever he wanted. Auerbach knew he could not argue against The Big Red. Even though the Celtics offered to continue paying the center, he declined, also canceling all endorsement opportunities. And it seemed that the lore of Dave Cowens was over, at least for now.

“𝖨 𝗀𝗎𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝖣𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗅 𝗀𝖺𝗆𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗎𝗉 𝗍𝗈 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗂𝗍 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝖻𝖾. 𝖳𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽𝗇’𝗍 𝗀𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗀𝗂𝗏𝖾. 𝖧𝖾’𝗌 𝗌𝗎𝖼𝗁 𝖺 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝖾𝗍𝗂𝗍𝗈𝗋, 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝖻𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗁𝗂𝗆.”
-𝖩𝗈 𝖩𝗈 𝖶𝗁𝗂𝗍𝖾

Cowens was tired of basketball. No one knew when Cowens would be ready to come back, not even Dave himself. “It gives you a perspective,” Cowens once said. “You think about being idolized because you are a basketball player. It’s absurd. A basketball player is nothing important. He really doesn’t contribute to making peoples’ lives happier. Not like a plumber or a fireman, or even a businessman.” Cowens spent the next few months trying to discover what makes him happy.

Beat writers started to speculate why Cowens decided to leave. Some deduced that it was because of how Red Auerbach handled getting rid of a close friend, Paul Silas, trading him away even after Cowens demanded that Auerbach give Silas a new contract. Or, it was because his best friend, Don Nelson, retired. Others speculated it was because Dave Cowens and coach Tom Heinsohn were not on good terms, a rumor that both denied. Some even linked his absence to a lawsuit against Cowens after he allegedly struck a fan during a game. Not to mention, the week before, a fight broke out in San Antonio where a Celtic player ended up with a gun. All these conjugated notions were reasonable, but, to this day, no one knew why Dave left the game.

He began his sabbatical by spending time fishing with his brother in Buffalo and then moving to his 30-acre family farm in Newport, Kentucky. Cowens got a job selling Scotch Pine trees while exploring other opportunities. In late December of 1976, Cowens returned to Massachusetts. Somehow Cowens got a job as assistant general manager at the New England Raceway in Foxboro, Mass. Pres Hobson hired Cowens likely for the press, but Cowens, who was willing to work for free, did not care.

Although Red Auerbach was nonchalant about Cowen’s decision to leave the Celtics, Auerbach ardently asked Cowens to resign from his new job and not get hurt.

Was it the words of Red Auerbach? Was it the desire to play? Or was Cowens just bored? Either way, two days after being hired, Cowens ended his brief career as assistant general manager of the New England Raceway and was once again ready to suit up for the bleeding green. “It was getting to me. I didn’t like hearing that I was hurting the team.”

Cowens made it clear when he left, that if any significant player had a major injury, he would come back. So it was probably no coincidence that after Charlie Scott broke two bones in his arm, Cowens met with the executive group. Dave acknowledged that he was not in the most suitable condition to play, but he was still working out during his break. In Cowen’s first game back, he played just 21 minutes. But by his sixth game, he was playing well over 40 a night again. Cowens averaged 16 and 13.5 throughout the rest of the season, and the Celtics finished with a 44–38 record, enough to make the playoffs.

In the first round, the Celtics faced George Gervin and the San Antonio Spurs, who also finished with 44 wins. The Celtics swept the Spurs in relatively uneventful fashion, but after winning the series in San Antonio, Cowens met up with a friend. Naturally, he ended up driving his friend’s cab for the night. One of his customers happened to be a Sports Illustrated writer who decided to write a story on the encounter. Urban legends were created about Cowens and the taxi, but he proclaimed it was a one-time occurrence, but I digress. In the next round, the Celtics lost to Julius Erving and the 76ers, commencing a lengthy rebuilding process.

In 1978, the Celtics won 30 games. After the Celtics got off to a 2–12 start the next season, Auerbach noticed the discomfort Cowens felt, promoting Cowens to head coach, the last player-coach of all time. Although the team improved from their 2–12 start, Boston still finished last in the division. The humble Cowens said he did not do much coaching and did not relish the role, stepping down after less than half a season. Rumors speculated that it was in part because of disagreements with former Celtics owner John Y. Brown.

Still, Cowens committed to staying with Boston. In 1980, Beantown was led by a burgeoning Cedric Maxwell as well as rookie Larry Bird, backing a 61-win season finish, good enough for the best in the league. In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Celtics handily swept the Houston Rockets. But the young Bird was not enough to defeat the high flyer, Julius Erving, in an intense seven-game series. After containing Moses Malone against the Rockets, Cowens’ body gave out in the 76ers’ seven-game series against 22-year-old Darryl Dawkins.

“𝖨’𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗋𝗂𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗇 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝖺𝖼𝗁𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝖾𝖺𝗆𝗆𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗌, 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗒 𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝗍𝗈 𝗂𝗆𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝖺𝗌 𝖺 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗒𝖾𝗋, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝖺 𝗌𝗎𝖼𝖼𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝖺𝗌 𝖺 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗈𝗇.”
-𝖣𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖢𝗈𝗐𝖾𝗇𝗌

On October 1st, 1980, Red Auerbach got the call he was expecting. This did not make Auerbach any less upset when Cowens finally told him that he was officially retiring. With a new daughter and a deteriorating body, Cowens felt like it was the right decision. Throughout his career, Cowens broke almost every bone in the lower half of his body but never thought about stopping until he made that call. Throughout the league, showers of lamentation rained over Cowens, from rivals, friends, and every person to see him play.

Auerbach told the Times that day, “Dave is a special kind of person. He takes great pride in how and the way he plays. What I don’t understand about his decision is that he has been playing so well during the exhibition season.” As Cowens matured as a father and human being, his interest in basketball gradually diminished. Later that week, Cowens addressed the team after an exhibition matchup at Indiana State.

Dave Cowens was, then, working as the athletic director of a small women’s school in the Boston area. Reminiscing about hellacious rivalries back in the day, Cowens wanted to make a return to the NBA. With Parish and McHale filling his old role for the Celtics, Cowens requested a trade before he returned. Auerbach fancied the idea, understanding the little leverage he had trying to trade away an asset that was not even 100% committed to returning.

Cowens asked to join the Phoenix Suns, believing he would fit in perfectly besides Alvan Adams. But the obstinate Red Auerbach’s asking price was too high for Phoenix. Cowens also expressed interest in the Milwaukee Bucks, whose coach was former teammate Don Nelson. Without approval from owner Wayne Embry, Nelson traded for Cowens on a plane to Milwaukee in exchange for starting Bucks point guard Quinn Buckner. After Embry told Nelson not to guarantee Cowen’s contract, Nellie turned a deaf ear.

“I’m going to go to work, go to practice and do the things I’m supposed to do and hope things fall into place,” Cowens said doubtfully, regarding the deal. Don Nelson made the move in part because he believed that Milwaukee, with Sidney Moncrieff and Marques Johnson, were genuine title contenders. “I don’t know if my job is on the line but it should be,” the confident Nelson recalls. He was convinced that Cowens would fill the void at the four.

As it turns out, Nellie was correct. The Big Red scored 22 points and grabbed 11 boards in a mere 20 minutes after the two-year hiatus. Dave the Rave finished the season averaging 8.1 points a game with 6.9 rebounds in just over 25 minutes a game. In the playoffs, Cowens was unable to play due to a leg injury, but they still were a fairly talented team. In the first round, the Bucks faced, no other than the Boston Celtics. There, Larry Bird missed most of the series with the flu, and the Bucks were able to sweep the Birdless Cs in four games. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bucks matched up against Moses Malone and the 65–17 76ers. The 76ers won the series 4–1 and then swept the Lakers en route to a title for Philly. With another leg injury, Cowens opted to retire for a final time.

Since his retirement, Cowens still was unable to stay away from the sport. He held his own sports camp for nearly 30 years while coaching in the CBA, NBA, and WNBA. In 1996, Cowens became head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, helping the 41-win team improve to a title contender. But after his third year as a coach, the NBA experienced a lockout. Once the NBA returned, the Hornets got off to a bad start, and he was replaced by, strangely enough, Paul Silas. Now he resides on the retired players’ board in the NBA.

Cowens was unlike anyone else, but at the same time perfectly defined his wonky era of 1970s basketball. An era filled with chaotic harmony. An era filled with Dave Cowens.

“𝖬𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗂𝗇 𝗁𝗎𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗒. 𝖣𝗈 𝗀𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗌. 𝖱𝗂𝗌𝖾 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝖺𝖽𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗒. 𝖢𝗈𝗆𝗉𝖾𝗍𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝖼𝗁𝗂𝖾𝗏𝖾.”
-𝖣𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖢𝗈𝗐𝖾𝗇𝗌

This is something I wrote a few years ago but recently wanted to revisit and slightly revise. Hope you enjoy