NBA: Each team’s best starting five of all-time

Boston Celtics. 2. player. 18. <p>One of the most historic franchises in basketball — a Mount Rushmore of basketball candidate — is the Boston Celtics. They have had not only strings of dominant teams but decades of completely owning the NBA in more ways than one. From multiple All-Stars to strings of seemingly endless championships, the Celtics are what you think of when you think of a historic sports franchise.</p> <p>It’s not surprising that they’ve had a handful of NBA legends come through town, making it hard to pick out just who deserves to be in their all-time starting five.</p> <p><span style=. 1946 - Present. Eastern Conference

<p>It’s hard to pick out Bob Cousy’s best season with the Celtics, but the argument can be made that he was at his best towards the end of the 1950s. He was shooting nearly 40 percent at the time and managed to dish out over 700 assists, embodying the type of scoring point guard that would become the norm over half a century after his season in 1959-60. He’s a Hall of Famer, a true Celtic and someone that has set the bar high as far as what you need to strive for if you want to be the point guard of the Boston Celtics.  </p>. Point Guard. Boston Celtics. BOB COUSY. PG

SG. <p>Sam Jones was a part of 10 Boston Celtics championship teams — stick <em>that</em> in your pipes and smoke it, LeBron, MJ and Kobe. While Jones isn’t in the discussion as the best player ever, he’s no doubt one of the most legendary Celtics players to come through Boston in his day. Jones scored over 2,000 points in 1964-65 and shot over 45 percent from the field. That’s just <em>one</em> season of his many great years with the Celtics. Having him in your lineup at his best is going to be hard to defend against and stop.  </p>. Shooting Guard. Boston Celtics. SAM JONES

<p>What’s a list of all-time Celtics greats without Larry Bird on it? Next to Bill Russell, Bird is the most iconic player to ever put on a Celtics jersey during his basketball career. Michael Jordan could have come to Boston instead of Washington in 2001 and he’d still be the third wheel to Bill and Bird. His resume speaks for itself, and while Pacers fans may bemoan him for his front office moves, he is still one of the greatest players we’ve ever seen in basketball.  </p>. Small Forward. Boston Celtics. LARRY BIRD. SF

Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen, Kobe had Shaq and Larry Bird had Kevin McHale. He’s not always mentioned in debates about the greatest sidekicks ever, mostly because it’s almost insulting to McHale to deem him nothing more that a sidekick. He was so much more than that to the great Celtics teams of the 80s, and he deserves to be in any all-time lineup Boston puts together.. Power Forward. Boston Celtics. KEVIN MCHALE. PF

Boston Celtics. BILL RUSSELL. C. Bill Russell. All you have to do is say his name and you instantly are engulfed by basketball greatness. The NBA Finals MVP award is named after him, which right away speaks for itself when considering his legacy. Bill Russell is what all NBA players aspire to be — even MJ and LeBron. While the debate rages about who the best player of all-time is, the argument is easily made that Russell deserves that crown. You don’t win the number of titles he did, the number of MVPs and hold the stature Bill Russell has and <em>not</em> include him in the discussion as the greatest player of all-time. . Center