Latest news with #BobCousy
USA Today
3 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Did Boston Celtics point guard legend Bob Cousy just challenge Celtics star Jaylen Brown?
Did Hall of Fame Boston Celtics point guard Bob Cousy just challenge Celtics star forward Jaylen Brown? In an interview with the so-called Hardwood Houdini himself on his 97th birthday, Cooz let it slip that he thinks that Brown is not quite on the level of costar on the wing Jayson Tatum, and that the St. Louis native being injured means that Brown is not going to be able to lead the Celtics back to the NBA finals in so many words. Some fans of the team took that commentary as a slight against the Georgia native. Others saw the words as a refreshing admission of where Boston is as a roster, given the front office has traded away or let walk in free agency a substantial part of the 2024 title core. The hosts of the CLNS Media "First to the Floor" podcast, Jake Issenberg, Ben Vallis, and Wayne Spooney, took some time on a recent episode of their show to talk it over. Check it out below! If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network: Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on: Spotify: iTunes: YouTube:
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Celtics legend gives honest opinion of WNBA star Caitlin Clark
Celtics legend gives honest opinion of WNBA star Caitlin Clark originally appeared on The Sporting News Boston Celtics point guard and NBA Hall of Famer Bob Cousy may have just turned 97 years old, but you can bet your last dollar he's still very invested in what's going on in the game that he loves. One of those instances being the superstardom of Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, and how the popularity for women's basketball has seen a drastic increase since her collegiate days with the Iowa Hawkeyes, a phenomenon commonly called the "Caitlin Clark effect." Despite her talents, she has been seen as a polarizing figure in the sport, many of the other players seemingly jealous of the influence she has given the sport over the past couple years. And Cousy just simply doesn't understand why. 'She's had a tremendous impact on that league and their earning potential. They should be kissing the ground she walks on, not trying to foul her and get her out of the game," the Celtics legend said in an interview with Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy. 'It's a saleable product and she's done a really good job selling it. It's enjoyable. My son-in-law is from Indiana and he's a Clark fan. She's exceptional.' Though the Fever point guard has only played 13 games this year in an injury-plagued season, her rookie season in 2024 certainly proved that her first overall draft selection was no fluke, averaging 19.2 points per game and a WNBA-leading 8.4 assists per game.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Celtics legend gives honest opinion of WNBA star Caitlin Clark
Celtics legend gives honest opinion of WNBA star Caitlin Clark originally appeared on The Sporting News Boston Celtics point guard and NBA Hall of Famer Bob Cousy may have just turned 97 years old, but you can bet your last dollar he's still very invested in what's going on in the game that he loves. One of those instances being the superstardom of Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, and how the popularity for women's basketball has seen a drastic increase since her collegiate days with the Iowa Hawkeyes, a phenomenon commonly called the "Caitlin Clark effect." Despite her talents, she has been seen as a polarizing figure in the sport, many of the other players seemingly jealous of the influence she has given the sport over the past couple years. And Cousy just simply doesn't understand why. 'She's had a tremendous impact on that league and their earning potential. They should be kissing the ground she walks on, not trying to foul her and get her out of the game," the Celtics legend said in an interview with Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy. 'It's a saleable product and she's done a really good job selling it. It's enjoyable. My son-in-law is from Indiana and he's a Clark fan. She's exceptional.' Though the Fever point guard has only played 13 games this year in an injury-plagued season, her rookie season in 2024 certainly proved that her first overall draft selection was no fluke, averaging 19.2 points per game and a WNBA-leading 8.4 assists per game.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bob Cousy Questions Jaylen Brown's Ability To Lead Celtics: 'Won't Bring Them To The Promised Land'
Bob Cousy Questions Jaylen Brown's Ability To Lead Celtics: 'Won't Bring Them To The Promised Land' originally appeared on Fadeaway World. Celtics legend Bob Cousy isn't convinced Boston's future is in safe hands if Jaylen Brown becomes the team's focal point. Speaking to The Boston Globe, the Hall of Famer shared his blunt assessment of Brown's ceiling compared to Jayson Tatum, and why he thinks the franchise could be headed toward a rebuild without its top star. 'In my judgment, Jaylen [Brown] is not quite at the superstar level that [Jayson] Tatum is at,' Cousy said in a chat with the Boston Globe. 'Can he carry the load by himself? I see a major rebuilding effort here. Jaylen certainly won't bring them to the promised land. Derrick White's a good player and he'll produce and he'll be consistent, but his game doesn't lend itself to carrying a team.' Drafted third overall in 2017, Jayson Tatum is the true leading star of the Celtics, or at least he was until his devastating Achilles injury in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Tatum is projected to miss all of next season, and his game may never be the same again. For Cousy (6x NBA champion), last season was their last best chance to win another championship, but they completely dropped the ball with their performance against the Knicks. 'You have to be there to have a sense of what's going on, and I'm not,' he said. 'I get the impression that Mazzulla did a good job and had their attention. But in the playoffs, in my experience, the best team wins. There are upsets occasionally, but I have no understanding of how the Celtics could collapse, especially against the Knicks. As the Knicks proved in the next round, they were not a legitimate contender.' At 27 years old, Jayson Tatum is young enough to bounce back and make a full recovery, but there's no telling when he'll return, or how much of his game will change. When he does take the court again, the Celtics may be a completely different team, and their place in the East will be entirely uncertain. The good news is, the Celtics can lean on Jaylen Brown to rise to the occasion and make up for some of what they lost. Unfortunately, his ability to carry a team as a primary option remains unproven. With averages of 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game last season, Brown was a sidekick for the Celtics, and he seems comfortable in the role that has suited him well for his entire career. With Jaylen calling the shots and Tatum's game forever compromised, it may be better for the Celtics to undertake a roster overhaul and start over. They did it back in 2013 with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, and it helped them get a head start on rebuilding. If they pull a similar stunt this summer, it will mark the end of an era for Boston, but it also might help them build up for the next one. This group has already won a championship, and if they want to stay ahead of the game, they'll take action now and make moves that'll add to their future stockpile. If Cousy's assessment proves accurate, Boston could be facing a crossroads much sooner than fans expect. The Celtics' core is still talented enough to be competitive, but without Tatum's two-way dominance, their margin for error shrinks dramatically. Brown may be capable of carrying the offense in stretches, but doing it over an entire season, and in the high-pressure environment of the playoffs, is a different challenge entirely. The franchise has navigated this type of transition before, shipping out Pierce and Garnett at the perfect moment to reset for the future. Whether they choose to push forward with Brown as the centerpiece or pivot toward another rebuild will determine not just the next few seasons, but the franchise's trajectory for the next decade. In Cousy's eyes, the decision may already be story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Aug 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"The problem is that the weakest part of his game is better than what 90 percent of the other players can do" - Bob Cousy was in awe of Larry Bird leading the NBA in 3-pointers
"The problem is that the weakest part of his game is better than what 90 percent of the other players can do" - Bob Cousy was in awe of Larry Bird leading the NBA in 3-pointers originally appeared on Basketball Network. Larry Bird's first MVP award in 1983-84 was just the beginning of his rule in the Association. The man from French Lick had found that next level, and the scary part for the rest of the league was that he wasn't coming down anytime soon. Advertisement Bird carried that same MVP form straight into the following season, and by the time the All-Star Game rolled around, it was clear he was onto something special. So special, in fact, that it caught the eye of another Boston Celtics legend, the great Bob Cousy. "It's unheard of, a 6-foot-9 power forward leading the league in something like three-pointers," Cousy said at the time, per the LA Times. "You would assume that a guard would lead the league in shooting from 21 or 22 feet." "No one's found a way to play him, he has an answer to whatever teams might do. This year he's not going to the line that often, because they are giving him the outside shot, which is considered the weakest part of his game. He's just taking what they give him, but the problem is that the weakest part of his game is better than what 90 percent of the other players can do," Bob added. An impressive feat at the time That was Bird's prime in a nutshell, turning what his opponents thought was a weakness into yet another weapon in his arsenal. Advertisement That 1984-85 campaign marked Bird's sixth All-Star selection in as many seasons. Every year since he entered the league, he had proven himself to be one of the top players on the planet. And while the game has evolved a ton since then, what Bird was doing from beyond the arc during that season was way ahead of its time. Today, we're used to guys lighting up eight or nine threes a night. But back then? The three-pointer wasn't the focus of offenses the way it is now. And yet there was Bird — a 6-foot-9 forward, not some small, speedy guard — leading the NBA in makes and hitting them at a ridiculous 48% clip. But Bird was never just about the long ball. His all-around game that season spoke volumes: over 27 points a night, double-digit rebounds, and a free-throw percentage north of 90%. He didn't force anything; Larry just took what defenses gave him and made them pay. Related: Rick Fox explains why Kobe never hung out with other teammates: "He was on a course and any minute or day wasted doing something else was going to slow him down getting to that point" Bird always went all out When people wonder how Bird managed to stay at that level, it all comes back to his mindset. The man played every game, every possession, like it mattered. And nobody put it better than Bird himself. Advertisement "My game is all-out. If I don't play like that, I'm not going to play that well. If you don't go all-out, but just play half-way, it will catch up with you. Otherwise, you'll start playing with just half the ability you can use," said the best player ever to come out of French Lick, Indiana. That's what separated Bird, except for the one-of-a-kind talent he possessed, the motor, the commitment, the refusal to coast around not doing enough for his team. Larry Legend understood that greatness came from pushing yourself to the limit, night in and night out. And push himself he did. The Celtics legend captured two more consecutive MVP awards after that 1984-85 campaign, making it three in a row — a feat that cemented his place among the all-time greats and is still discussed today. Related: When K.C. Jones called Larry Bird the best of all time after just six seasons: "Go down the list of the greats and I doubt you'll come up with anyone with all those credentials" This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
