Danny Ainge shares how Red Auerbach was excited when the Celtics' players got into a fight: "He wanted to take me out to dinner and throw a party"

Before he became one of the best executives in the NBA, Danny Ainge once competed in the league. During his playing career, Ainge was one of the most hated players because the 6-foot-5 guard was brash, feisty, and never backed down from anyone, even willing to dust it up when he felt necessary.

It's rare to see players throwing punches or getting into fights in today's NBA because of the rule changes and stiff penalties. But during an era where starting a bench-clearing brawl only cost him $750, Danny wasn't shy to instigate a fight.

It probably also helped that Boston Celtics president Red Auerbach 'tolerated' fighting among his players for as long as they followed a crazy rule.

"We kind of had a team rule that if you go down swinging," said Ainge. "You got to take someone equal or better on the other team with you."

Red wasn't afraid to get into fights too

Auerbach's fight rule wasn’t surprising, given his history of stirring up trouble, despite being best known for winning nine championships as a head coach and seven more as an executive.

During Game 3 of the 1957 NBA Finals, then head coach Auerbach punched St. Louis Hawks owner Ben Kerner. In a 1983 preseason game, a 65-year-old Auerbach also stepped onto the court and challenged Moses Malone to a fight in the middle of a players' altercation.

"I mean, I could score 35 in a game, and Red would come in and pat me on the butt and say, 'Nice job, way to go,'" added Ainge. "But if I got in a fight like he wanted to celebrate, he wanted to take me out to dinner and throw a party for me. Like it was unbelievable how excited Red was when the fights happened. He loved that. He loved that intensity."

Related: "You could just feel it, the lack of respect" - Alonzo Mourning on the tense environment in the gold medal game against France in the 2000 Olympics

Auerbach also had a near-fight with Wilt Chamberlain

That intensity also almost put the 1965 NBA Coach of the Year in harm's way against the 7-foot-1 Wilt Chamberlain . Fortunately for Red, Celtics superstar and Wilt rival Bill Russell stepped in between and prevented what could have been a disaster .

"I had called a timeout, I said, 'Come here,' talk to the referee," recalled Auerbach. "He ignored his own coach and came over. I said, 'Who's he? What's he doing here? He's nothing but a damn player. Get him outta here.' He'd go crazy. Then one time he comes after me, that's when Russell stepped in front of him says, 'You're going to after Red, you gotta come through me.'"

While Red was fortunate that Russell was there in that incident, Ainge wasn't as lucky when he got into an altercation with Sedale Threatt in 1986 because no one stepped in between them, and Danny nearly got knocked out after getting punched in the face. I wonder if Auerbach threw a party after that game.

Related: Danny Ainge shares why he loved Bill Walton: "He was a legend in our minds"