Boston Celtics: Constructing the Franchise's All-Defensive Team

The Boston Celtics are known for their dominance over the last fifty to sixty years in NBA history and have had some great scoring threats and dynamic offensive players, yet there have also been sound defensive players to come out of Boston.

Top players like Bill Russell, John Havlicek and Dennis Johnson were all talents that made some of their more essential contributions on the defensive end in Celtics history.

Here is the Boston Celtics All-Defensive team.

PG: Dennis Johnson

When you have players like Rajon Rondo and Bob Cousy, it's difficult to decide on the better of the three. Yet in the end it has to be Dennis Johnson taking the top spot as the best defensive point guard in Celtics history.

Teammate Larry Bird argues he is the best player he ever played with. This says a lot with players like Kevin McHale and Robert Parish on the team as well.

Johnson was a six-time NBA All-Defensive team member and was elected as a member of the second team four times. Not to mention he averaged 1.3 steals and 3.9 rebounds per game for his career. Johnson was a tough defender that was known for making plays on defense for the 80's Celtics teams.

SG: John Havlicek

As John Havlicek was a solid scorer on the offensive end, people tend to forget just how sound of a defender a guy like Havlicek was for the Boston Celtics.

From 1968-1971, John Havlicek made the NBA's All-Defensive second team three years in a row. Following the 1970-1971 season, Havlicek would make five consecutive NBA All-Defensive teams until 1976.

In the year the Celtics won the NBA championship in 1974, Havlicek averaged 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals as a shooting guard. Talk about tough numbers on the defensive end.

SF: Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce had his hands full, as Larry Bird will go down as arguably one of the best defenders in Celtics history. Yet Pierce has to get the nod in this match-up, although people might disagree.

Pierce has proven time and time again that he can play defense against some of the better offensive scoring threats in the league. Pierce, unlike Bird, played physical man to man defense, using his body to wear-down opponents. Bird was more of a playmaker, a guy you expected to come up with the big play on defense to keep your team in the game.

For his career, "the Truth" averages 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. In the 2008 NBA Finals, his defense in the series was crucial in the team bringing home it's 17th NBA championship.

PF: Kevin McHale

Kevin McHale was mostly known for his scoring ability, yet he was quite the lock-down defender in his day.

McHale is a guy that 17.9 points per game for his career, yet also 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game too. Not to mention he was a member of the NBA's All Defensive team three times, and the NBA's All-Defensive second team three times as well.

C: Bill Russell

That's right Bill, you get the top spot at the center position.

Besides the fact his defense played an integral role in the team winning 11 championships, including eight consecutive titles, the numbers also more than back up his case.

When you put up 22.5 rebounds per game for your career, something has to be said. If blocks were recorded, who knows what kind of other numbers Russell may have been able to post.

He was a member of the All-NBA team nine seasons and was a five-time NBA MVP.

Bench: Robert Parish

Robert Parish was a player that made his living on the defensive end.

Parish averaged 9.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game for his career and played 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics.

What made Parish such a factor with the 1980's team of Larry Bird and Kevin McHale was his ability to keep the paint on lock-down, establishing a presence in the key that made offenses think twice before taking it to the basket. His contributions on the defensive end of the floor were important in being able to win three championships in the 1980's.

Bench: Larry Bird

Who else but the hick from French Lick, Larry Bird.

Bird was a tough, gritty defender that liked to make plays and get in passing lanes. His raw athleticism as well as his nose for the basketball made Bird one of the best defenders in Celtics history. He was a play-maker at the defensive end, especially down the stretch of games.

For his career, Bird averaged 10 rebounds and 1.8 steals.

Bench: Dave Cowens

Dave Cowens has the misfortune of having players like Bill Rusell and Kevin McHale as players at his position on this list, as Cowens was a power forward and center with the Celtics.

Cowens makes his case as the best power forward defender in Celtics history, yet for this list he was considered a center. During the 1970's, Cowens was a crucial part of the success of the team. A member of both championship teams, his defense played a significant role in both title runs.

In the 1974 run, Cowens averaged 15.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks, while in the 1976 championship run he posted 16 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game. Talk about some numbers.

Cowens goes down as arguably one of the best defenders in Boston Celtics history, as well as one of the best in NBA history at the center position.

Bench: Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett is as feared a defender as there is in the league and goes down as one of the top defensive players in Boston Celtics hisoty as well as NBA history.

In his first season with the team in 2007-2008, Garnett was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year and helped the Boston Celtics capture their 17th NBA championship later that year.

For his career, Garnett averaged 10.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. Today he is evidently not playing at the level he was in his prime, yet his defense has still helped the Celtics to have the number one defense in the league last season. Garnett was arguably the biggest contributor in being able to put together the best defense in the league last season.

Bench: Rajon Rondo, Bob Cousy

For the reserve spot for the point guard position, both Bob Cousy and Rajon Rondo had to be given their fair share of credit here.

Although both players are outright better offensive players than they are defensive players, the two passing greats are also solid defenders, especially Rajon Rondo.

For his career, the guy averaged 1.9 steals and 4.4 rebounds per game while making the NBA's All-Defensive team the last two seasons. Three seasons ago, he was named to the NBA's second All-Defensive team.

Cousy was also solid in his day on the defensive end, as he could rebound as well as any point guard in the league at the time. He brought down 5.3 boards per contest for his career.

Luis Batlle is a Featured Columnist with Bleacher Report and specializes in NBA (Boston Celtics), NFL, International Soccer and Tennis.

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