“Cousy was the extension of Auerbach on the court” - How Bob Cousy embodied Red Auerbach’s style of basketball

The Boston Celtics were the most dominant team during the 1950s and 1960s. Head coach Red Auerbach was Boston’s coach for most of those titles, cementing himself as one of the most reliable coaches to lead a team.

During his time with Boston, he always had a strong connection with point guard Bob Cousy . Everyone knew how much Red loved Bob because he trusted him to lead the team whenever they needed someone to spearhead the offense.

“Your guard in my estimation becomes the extension of the coach on the court. Cousy was the extension of Auerbach on the court. Cooz was a lot like Red in the sense that ‘You gotta satisfy me to get the ball’” Tom Sanders said about Cousy.

Cousy was the right choice

After some reluctance , Auerbach knew he had his point guard when the Celtics got Cousy in 1950. Cooz became the league’s most promising point guard, cementing his spot as an All-Star in his rookie season, an accolade he would get for the rest of his career. Red knew this, so he made Cooz the focal point of his team.

Bob delivered as he was a six-time NBA champion, a regular season MVP in 1957, and an eight-time assists leader from 1953 to 1960. Every time The Houdini of the Hardwood was on the court, things happened for Boston. That playmaking got lost on many players during that time, but Cousey made it look easy to spearhead the team’s offense.

He had natural leadership, which meant he was the obvious choice to represent Auerbach on the court. Cooz’s basketball IQ was a significant part of his game, making him a true extension of Auerbach on the court for the Celtics. Cousy was a superb playmaker but was also a reliable scorer.

That reliability made Cooz the go-to guy for decision-making on the court because he would do what Auerbach would want most of the time. It was the right decision because Cooz and Red won six championships alongside a superstar like Bill Russell running the center position.

Russell credits Auerbach and Cousy for the Celtics’ success

When Russell arrived in 1956, he became the star player for the team. However, he grew to respect the organization because Auerbach and Cousy had significant roles within the team.

According to Russell, they are two of the three most vital people about the Celtics , with team owner Walter Brown being the third one. It was a fantastic partnership between everyone within the Celtics organization during the ‘50s and ‘60s. They were superb, proven by their success at the highest level. It was tough to succeed, but Boston moved the game forward with its style.

Red and Bob were vital parts of the system as one came up with the ideas, and the other was relied upon to execute the system on the court. Auerbach and Cousy had a fantastic relationship, which led to the best period in Boston Celtics history.

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