History week: ex-Celtics who coached 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.

Backdoor layup: Which former Celtic player is the all-time NBA leader in games won as a head coach? (*Bonus: how many regular-season wins?)

A) Bill Sharman B) Don Nelson

Dunk: Which former Celtic coached Washington to a 4-2 win over defending-champion Boston in the 1975 Eastern Conference finals?

A) KC Jones B) Sam Jones

Layup: What team did Rick Carlisle coach to the 2011 NBA title over Miami, 4-2?

A) Detroit B) Indiana C) Dallas

Free throw: Which ex-Celtic star guided Houston to the 2015 Western Conference finals?

A) Rick Carlisle B) Jerry Sichting C) Kevin McHale

Free throw: Which Celtic guided Phoenix to the 1993 Finals in his first season as the Suns’ head coach?

A) Charlie Scott B) Danny Ainge C) Paul Westphal

Free throw: Who led the Indiana Pacers to their best NBA record ever and to their only NBA Finals showing?

A) Rick Carlisle B) Larry Bird C) Dave Cowens

Jump shot: Which Celtic replaced his former 1970s teammate Dave Cowens as head coach of the Charlotte Hornets 15 games into the 1998-99 season? (*Bonus: which Celtic did Cowens replace as Boston head coach in 1978?)

A) Paul Silas B) Don Nelson C) Paul Westphal

D) Don Chaney

Jump shot: For which of the following teams did Dave Cowens NOT serve as head or assistant coach?

A) Cleveland B) San Antonio C) Golden State

D) Charlotte

Hook shot: Which ex-Celtic was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1990-91? (*Bonus: name the team)

A) Dave Cowens B) KC Jones C) Don Chaney houston 52-30, fired next year after 26-26 start D) Don Nelson

3-pointer: Which team did former Celtic star guard Dennis Johnson serve as an assistant coach for four years before a brief 24-game stint as interim head coach there in 2002-03?

A) Boston B) Indiana C) LA Clippers D) Golden State E) Minnesota

3-pointer: Which ex-Celtic player won the most pro titles as a head coach? (*Bonus: name the teams he won with)

A) Tom Heinsohn B) KC Jones C) Bill Sharman D) Paul Westphal E) Bill Russell

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

Answers

Backdoor layup-B) Don Nelson, 11-year Celtic player, is the all-time NBA leader in games won as a head coach. He won 1,335* regular season games and lost 1,063 from 1977-2019 with Milwaukee, Golden State, Dallas and New York.

His teams went 75-91 in 18 playoff seasons, but never won reached the FInals after winning five rings as a player. Four times his teams reached the conference finals, but each time lost to the eventual champuion (1983 76ers, 1984/86 Celtics, 2003 Spurs).

Dunk-A) KC Jones, eight-time Celtic champion player, coached Washington to a 4-2 win over defending champion Boston in the 1975 Eastern Conference finals. The Bullets then were upset 4-0 by Golden State and Finals MVP Rick Barry.

Layup-C) Rick Carlisle of the mid-1980s Celtic dynasty coached Dallas to the 2011 NBA title over Miami, 4-2. he also won 50 or more games in successful tenures with Indiana and Detroit.

Free throw-C) Kevin McHale, who as a star player helped Boston beat the Rockets twice in the NBA Finals (1981, 1986) coached Houston to the 2015 Western Conference finals, their first such showing since 1997.

But after a slow start the next season, he was unceremoniously fired.

Free throw-C) Paul Westphal, a young key reserve guard on the 1974 champion Celtics, guided Phoenix to the 1993 Finals in his first season as the Suns head coach.

He also won an NAIA national title at Grand Canyon University in 1988.

Free throw-B) Larry Bird led his home state Indiana Pacers to their best NBA record ever as a rookie in 1997-98 as he won Coach of the Year honors. Bird also guided the Pacers to their only NBA Finals showing in 2000. His assistant and ex-teammate Rick Carlisle later became Pacer head coach in 2003.

Jump shot-A) Paul Silas replaced his buddy and 1972-76 teammate Dave Cowens as head coach of the Charlotte Hornets 15 games into the 1998-99 season. Silas also coached Cleveland, the Clippers and with the Knicks as an assistant.

Cowens went 109-70 as Hornet head coach before stepping down. Dave replaced ex-Celtic defensive ace *Tom Satch Sanders as Boston head coach 14 games into the 1978-79 season as a player-coach, going 27-41.

Jump shot-A) Cleveland. Dave Cowens was head coach for Boston, Golden State (25-80) and Charlotte.

Cowens also was an assistant for the mid-1990s Spurs and the early-2000s Pistons.

Hook shot-C) Don Chaney, starting guard on the 1974 Celtic champs, was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1990-91 after leading Houston* to a 52-30 record. Yet he was fired the next season after a 26-26 start.

3-pointer-C) LA Clippers. California native Dennis Johnson was an assistant coach for four years with first Boston and then the Clippers before serving an 8-16 stint as interim head coach in 2002-03 for LA's other team.

3-pointer-C) Bill Sharman, ex-Celtic superstar shooter on four title teams, is the only man to win titles as a head coach in three major leagues.

He won the inaugural 1962 American Basketball League championship for Cleveland, captured the 1971 ABA crown for Utah ABA, and then led the Lakers to their first title as Los Angeles in 1972 with KC Jones as his assistant.

Jones, Russell and Heinsohn also won two titles as head coach of Boston, with Russell's coming in 196-69 as player-coach.

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