Boston Celtics Top 25 Moments In Franchise History

By Bill Speros | Mar 24, 2016

BOSTON - 1996: Red Auerbach, former head coach and General Manager of the Boston Celtics poses for a portrait in front of Celtics championship banners in Boston Massachesetts in 1996. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1996 NBAE (Photo by Greg Foster/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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21. “Larry Bird is not walking through that door.”

Rick Pitino’s time in Boston as head coach, GM and team CEO began with high promise in 1997, especially given his Bay State basketball roots as a player at UMass Amherst and coach at Boston University.

He enjoyed great success at Kentucky and would draft Paul Pierce for the Celtics. But Pitino’s Boston Cred forever crumbled after a loss to the Toronto Raptors on March 1, 2000. Pitino’s post-game meltdown is the still of quote-book legend.

“Larry Bird is not walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale is not walking through that door, and Robert Parish is not walking through that door. And if you expect them to walk through that door, they’re going to be gray and old … I wish we had $90 million under the salary cap. I wish we could buy the world. We can’t; the only thing we can do is work hard, and all the negativity that’s in this town sucks. I’ve been around when Jim Rice was booed. I’ve been around when Yastrzemski was booed. And it stinks. It makes the greatest town, greatest city in the world, lousy.”

Pitino would resign from the team less than 10 months later.

Next: No. 20

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