2. Bailey Howell — 1967–1968 season
One of the lesser-known Celtics players from the team’s reign of dominance over the 1960s is Bailey Howell.
He joined the Celtics in 1966 via a trade from the Baltimore Bullets. This deal became yet another steal trade for Boston and it turned out to be a crucial x-factor in why they won two more titles over the decade.
Howell spent a good four seasons with the Celtics. The 1967–1968 season is where Howell became a hometown hero. He averaged 19.8 points per game and became the third-leading scorer on the team behind John Havlicek and Sam Jones. The forward posted 46 20-plus point games over the campaign.
Once the playoffs came around, Howell turned his play up a notch. In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, he recorded 17 points against Wilt Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers. Howell provided the most clutch performance of his career in Game 6 of the 1968 NBA Finals against Jerry West and the Los Angeles Lakers; he went for 30 points in a championship-clinching win.
For a player who came up big in multiple crunch time moments, Howell’s season certainly deserves more recognition.