

"In two decades of National Basketball Association coaching, Auerbach won 938 games, a record when he retired in 1966, as well as a record nine NBA championship titles, a number he shares with Phil Jackson. He was like a shark at a poker table raking in huge hands every 20 minutes, puffing on that damned cigar, making everyone else feel inferior.

As long as Red was around, the Celts were in good hands. For every Celtic fan growing up in New England in the '70s and '80s, Red became part of our families, the crusty old grandfather, the patriarch, the guy who made everyone else feel safe. He's arguably the most important non-player in NBA history - really, it's either him or David Stern - the one person who transcended a franchise and became a one-man Mount Rushmore. He drafted Bird, Cowens and Havlicek, traded for Russell, traded for McHale and Parish, lucked into Cousy.
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He was competitive enough that he announced his coaching retirement before the '65-66 season so every team would have one last crack at him. He was the first to start five black players at the same time. He built 16 championship teams and coached nine of them. "After his death on Saturday night, Red Auerbach was remembered as the greatest basketball coach/executive who ever lived.
