Boston Celtics: Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history

4. Dave Cowens (PF/C) — No. 4 pick in 1970 NBA Draft

Career stats (with the Celtics):  726 GP, 18.2 PPG, 14.0 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.2 STL, 1.0 BLK, 2.4 TOV, 46.0 FG%, N/A 3P%, 78.2 FT%

I went back and forth between Dave Cowens and McHale at No. 4. Admittedly, I probably should have slotted the latter one spot higher than the former, but the fact that Cowens won an MVP trophy swayed me into doing the opposite.

Not to mention, his peak as a player, three seasons from 1974-76 were just a bit more impressive; over that span, Cowens averaged 19.4 points, 15.5 rebounds (3.7 offensive), 4.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.

In addition to his 1973 MVP, the former Florida State Seminole was a two-time champ, an eight-time All-Star, and earned All-NBA Second Team honors three times. (Yes, he somehow won MVP once and still had zero First Team All-NBA appearances for his career. I don’t get it either.)

Cowens also had a few pretty clutch performances throughout his playing days. In Game 7 of the 1974 Finals, on the road, Cowens dropped a vital 28-point, 14-rebound, four-assist, two-steal stat line against some guy called Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, earning his Celtics a title in the process.

The 1974 championship was of added importance because it was the first in the post-Bill Russell era. Cowens (and one of his teammates we’ll talk about momentarily) helped usher in a new age of Celtic dominance — one that acted like a bridge connecting Russell and the transcendent Boston teams of the ’80s.