Dynasty: The Rise of the Boston Celtics

By Lew Freedman. In the spring of 1957 the Celtics, led by coach Red Auerbach, won an NBA championship for the first time. Auerbach had been building the team throughout the 1950s but was still missing what he considered an essential piece - a single player in the middle who could hoist the team on his shoulders by doing the dirty work of rebounding and playing defense. That player was Bill Russell.