`Ever Green’ a fascinating history of Boston Celtics

EVER GREEN: The Boston Celtics, by Dan Shaughnessy, St. Martin’s Press, 259 pages, $18.95.

From “Curse of the Bambino” to “Ever Green: The Boston Celtics,” Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy seems to be on a course to documenting the storied histories of the “Big Four” Boston professional sports teams: the Red Sox, the Celtics, the Bruins, and the Patriots.

His first effort, “Curse of the Bambino,” was an entertaining walk through Red Sox history. His latest work, “Ever Green,” should prove to be the same to Celtics fans.

The book details the history of professional sports’ most successful franchise from its shaky beginning in 1946, through its eight straight world championship seasons in the 1950s, past its 16th NBA crown in 1986, all the way to the present-day, Chris Ford-coached team.

The book should be especially entertaining for Maine natives and residents to read since much of the recollections of the Celtics’ early years by Red Auerbach, the patriarch and inspirational leader of the Celtics, is sprinkled with references to Bangor and the Maine turnpike.

An example:

“Only Auerbach’s players and his friends knew what a bad driver he could be. Frank Ramsey remembers, `Walter Brown (the Celtics’ founder and first owner) tried to sell basketball up there (New England), and we would play 14 straight days during exhibition season. We would get in cars and drive all the way up to Houlton, Maine. We played in every little gym. Red would go on the Maine turnpike at night. He’d hit Portland circle and start on the Maine turnpike at night.”

Aside from the misspelling of Houlton (spelled Holton) in the book, there’s very little wrong with this in-depth look at the NBA franchise that has produced 16 championships and sent 11 representatives to the NBA Hall of Fame.

Besides the expected recounting of the championship seasons and the glory years, the book also reviews the low points such as the death of No. 1 draft pick Len Bias from Maryland in 1986.

It also includes fascinating bits of trivia such as the reasons the Celtics wear black shoes and green jerseys, why Boston still plays on the antiquated parquet floor, and how the Celtics got their nickname.

Just to satisfy a little of your curiosity. Auerbach decided to keep his team in the old-style black, high-top sneakers because the team couldn’t afford to keep changing them like they do today. Auerbach figured he’d rather have his team go out in black sneakers rather than dirty-looking white ones.

Shaughnessy also writes about the classic Bill Russell-Wilt Chamberlain confrontations and the present-day Larry Bird-Magic Johnson duels. He also addresses the race controversy that has hounded Boston in past years, despite the Celtics being the first sports team to hire a black coach, draft a black player, and field the first all-black starting lineup.

The fresh format of this book is due to the inclusion of comments and recollections not just from former and present Celtics, but from opponents as well. Celtics followers will want to reserve a special spot on their bookshelf for this one.

Andrew Neff is a staff writer on the NEWS sports desk.