Remembering Tom Heinsohn: His Best Moments vs. the Lakers

BUFFALO, NY - 1976: Head coach Tom Heinsohn of the Boston Celtics sits on a chair on the sideline before a National Basketball Association game against the Buffalo Braves as Celtics radio announcer Johnny Most (R) looks on at the Memorial Auditorium in 1976 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

Sweeping the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959

Although the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award (now named after fellow Celtics great Bill Russell) didn’t exist in the 1950s, Heinsohn was by far the most consistent and efficient player in the 1959 NBA Finals.

In a four-game sweep of our then Minneapolis Lakers, Tom Heinsohn led the Boston Celtics in scoring with an impressive 24 points per game. He also chipped in on the boards with a respectable 8.8 rebounds a game as well.

In a time where shooting percentages were woeful, Heinsohn was one of the first frontcourt players to have a solid touch from outside of the paint.

In this series, Heinsohn shot an impressive 47.5% from the field and 81 percent from the free-throw line. The latter was incredibly efficient for a big man at the time. Even to this day, only a few big men shoot that well from the charity stripe.

The 1959 title was only the second of Heinsohn’s eight titles, but it was the first of many against the Lakers. Unfortunately, even the move to Los Angeles couldn’t save our Lakers from the Celtics. I hate to spoil it and say that the results will be similar, but let’s travel ahead to 1963 for number two on our list.

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