History week: unsung Celtics trivia

If you wish to try the harder All-Star edition of the quiz, try to answer the questions without looking at the multiple choice offerings.

Layup: What Celtic finished second in three-point percentage and third in triples made in the first season the trey was a new NBA rule? (*Bonus: what season was it?)

A) Jeff Judkins B) Chris Ford

Dunk: Which Boston sharpshooter sank all 11 of his field goal attempts in Game 1 of the 1985 Finals, leading to a 148-114 shellacking of the Lakers?

A) Danny Ainge B) Scott Wedman

Free throw: What Celtic led the NBA in field goal percentage in 1979-80?

A) Dave Cowens B) Rick Robey C) Cedric Maxwell

Free throw: Which former Laker hit a 15-footer late in Game 7 of the 1969 Finals to burn his old team and provide the final margin of victory in a dramatic 108-106 Celtic win?

A) Larry Siegfried B) Don Nelson C) Bailey Howell

Jump shot: What Celtic led the NBA in foul shooting twice in the 1960s?

A) Bill Sharman B) Larry Siegfried C) Don Nelson

D) Sam Jones

Jump shot: What Celtic was a perfect 9-0 in Game 7s and averaged 27 points a game in those do-or-die contests?

in the corner on the ensuing play for an extra point

A) Bill Sharman B) Bill Russell C) Sam Jones

D) Tom Heinsohn

Hook shot: What Celtic was 1956-57 NBA Rookie of the Year and won a total of 10 titles with Boston as a player and coach?

A) KC Jones B) Tom Heinsohn C) Frank Ramsey D) Bill Russell

3-pointer: What Celtic forward averaged 16.7 points on 50 percent field goal shooting, while pulling down 8.4 rebounds per game for Boston from 1993-97?*what number did he wear

A) Xavier McDaniel B) Antoine Walker C) Ed Pinckney

D) Dino Radja E) Eric Williams

3-pointer: Which Celtic became the first player in league history to lead an NBA team over a season in total points, rebounds, assists, blocked shots and steals in 1977-78?

A) Dave Cowens B) John Havlicek C) JoJo White

D) Charlie Scott E) Sidney Wicks

20 points is the highest possible score; extra points only apply if the correct answer is given first.

Answers

Layup-B) Chris Ford finished second in three-point percentage (42.7) and third in triples made (70) during the first season the home run shot was introduced into the NBA in *1979-80.

Rookie Larry Bird finished third in three-point accuracy at 40.6 on 58-143 triple tries. "Downtown" Freddie Brown of Seattle led the NBA at 44.3 percent, but made only 39 treys.

Judkins, a good-shooting 6-6 swingman reserve from Utah, sank 11 of his 27 three-point tries that season, good for 40.7 accuracy.

Dunk-B) Sweet-shooting Scott Wedman, a two-time All-Star forward with Kansas City, came off the Boston bench to drain all 11 of his field goal attempts (including four three-pointers) in Game 1 of the 1985 Finals. His 26 points helped lead Boston to a 148-114 whipping of the Lakers, and the blowout became known as the Memorial Day Massacre.

Free throw-C) Cedric Maxwell, a 6-8.5 forward with unorthodox but effective inside moves, led the NBA in field goal percentage in 1979-80 at a 60.9 accuracy clip. He nosed out 7-2 league MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Lakers, who shot 60.4 from the field.

Free throw-B) Don Nelson, a Laker castoff, hit a 15-footer that bounced high off the back rim and into the basket late in game 7 of the 1969 Finals to provide the final margin of victory in a dramatic 108-106 Celtic win.

The cerebral Nellie, a sharpshooting 6-6 forward and future coaching great, also led the NBA in field goal shooting in 1974-75 at 54 percent - at age 35 in his 13th and penultimate season.

Jump shot-B) Underrated guard Larry Siegfried led the NBA in foul shooting twice in the 1960s. He shot a league-best 88.1 percent at the line in 1965-66, and 86.4 percent in 1968-69 as he averaged a career-best 14.2 ppg.

Siegfried shot 85.5 percent from the charity stripe for Boston from 1963-70, and averaged 11.6 ppg for five Celtic title teams. Sharman led the NBA in foul shooting seven times, but only once in the 1960s. In his last season of 1960-61, he canned an incredible, league-high 92.1 percent from the foul line.

Jump shot-C) Clutch guard Sam Jones never lost in nine playoff seventh games and averaged 27 points a game in those win or go home contests. Bill Russell called Sam the "real Mr. Clutch."

Hook shot-B) Tom Heinsohn beat out Russell (who missed half the season due to playing in the Olympics) to win the 1956-57 NBA Rookie of the Year award. He won a total of eight titles in nine seasons with Boston as a player, and captured two more as coach of the Celtics in 1974 and 1976.

3-pointer-D) Dino Radja, a 6-10 Yugoslavian import, averaged 16.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game for Boston from 1993-97. In his best season of 1995-96, he averaged 19.7 points and 9.8 rebounds a game. He wore number 40* but struggled with injuries his last two seasons.

3-pointer-A) Amazing Dave Cowens became the first player in league history to lead his team in total points (1,435/18.6 avg.), rebounds (1,078/14.0), assists (351/4.6), blocked shots (67/0.9) and steals (102/1.3) over a season in 1977-78.

He also shot 49 percent from the floor and 84.2 percent from the foul line, but the aging Celtics were just 32-50 in Havlicek's last season.

Cowens started the 1978 All-Star Game for the East but was nosed out for all-league honors by NBA MVP Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar that season.

Dave scored 14 points on 7-9 shooting and grabbed 14 rebounds with five assists in the 1978 All-Star Game, his sixth and last showing in the mid-season classic. He was chosen two other times, including 1980, but missed those times due to injury and an excused absence.

To contact the quizmaster directly, contact Cort Reynolds at cdrada2433@yahoo.com.