HH Tournament: (2) John Havlicek vs (15) Dee Brown

John Havlicek and Dee Brown will face-off in the Hardwood Houdini Tournament

Tom Heinsohn had no problem getting by teammate Frank Ramsey yesterday. He advances to the second round to take on Paul Pierce. We are now down to our final two matchups in round one. Today, John Havlicek and Dee Brown will face-off to decide who moves on to Round Two.

Don’t forget that this is based solely off their playing careers with the Boston Celtics. Any coaching or front office experience shouldn’t be taken into account, neither should their collegiate careers or any other NBA teams they may have played for.

John Havlicek – 1984 Hall of Fame Inductee

20.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.2 SPG

16 Seasons with Boston, 8x Champion, 13x All-Star, #17 Retired by Celtics

There are few players who sport the all-around game that John Havlicek owned from 1962-78. One of the greatest Celtics of all-time, Havlicek did it all. He scored, rebounded, passed, played defense and never stopped moving. His constant movement made him unguardable throughout the years.

Havlicek averaged 19.9 points per game in just his second season, but it took him until his fourth year to make an All-Star team. Once he did, though, Havlicek was named to it for the rest of his career – 13 straight All-Star games. In order to accomplish a feat like that you can’t just be a great player but you also have to be durable.

Havlicek was as durable as they came. He averaged at least 30 minutes per game in 14 of 16 seasons and even led the league two times in the mid-1970s. Not to mention that Havlicek also never played in fewer than 70 games – his lowest being 71 games in 1965-66. In fact, in the middle of his career, he played in at least 80 games for eight of nine seasons.

Sadly, like many greats from that era, we don’t know his defensive statistics until his final five seasons – when he was 33-years-old. Although, to show how great of a defensive player he was, Havlicek never averaged fewer than 1.1 steals per game, even after he turned 35.

He shot a solid 43.9 percent from the field during his career, is the Celtics all-time leader in points and was the most unselfish player you could find – he simply wanted to win. He did so right away as he joined Bill Russell and Bob Cousy after being the seventh pick in the 1962 NBA Draft. The trio ended up winning a title in six of his first seven seasons.

However, his biggest accomplishment was his final two titles in which he won them without Russell. While there was no doubting Havlicek’s greatness, it sort of solidified it by showing the world that he could be the leader and go-to player on a championship team.

16 seasons with one team is incredible. He still has played in the most games and logged the most minutes in Celtics history, while scoring the most points, racking up the second most assists and grabbing the fifth most rebounds.

When it comes down to it, Havlicek did it all. Bill Russell was the star of the 1960s, but John Havlicek represents the still successful era between Russell and Larry Bird. There wasn’t anything Havlicek couldn’t do, and he did it all so well. One of the most complete players the game has ever seen, he was also part of one of the most well-known plays in NBA history.

‘HAVLICEK STOLE THE BALL!!!’

Dee Brown – 1991 Slam Dunk Champion

11.6 PPG, 4.0 APG, 1.4 SPG

8 Seasons with Boston

Dee Brown never made an All-Star team and he never won a championship, but man was he athletic. The high-flyer won the 1991 Slam Dunk Contest as a rookie with the Boston Celtics. Brown was drafted with the 19th pick in the 1990 NBA Draft and put together a solid rookie season.

He contributed 8.7 points, 4.2 assists and a steal per game as he was named to the NBA All-First Team. He was a solid shooter, however his athleticism is how he got most of his points. He relied more on his three-point shot as his career progressed, but he attempted fewer than two-threes per game in each of his first four seasons.

Brown was a bench player for most of his career with Boston, but was the starter for two seasons. He put up solid numbers, but still a far cry from stardom. Brown’s best season came in 1993-94 in which he started 76 of 77 games. He averaged 15.5 points, 4.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and two steals per game.

Brown was a good defender his whole career. He never averaged fewer than one steal per game with Boston. Also, Brown was a much better passer than people think. Many remember him as this high-flying 6-1 guard, but he was also a good playmaker for the Celtics.

Brown made it to the postseason four times with the Celtics, but only made it out of the first round once. He made it to the second round in each of his first two seasons. Brown did average 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and one steal per game as a rookie, but his 18.8 points per game during the 1994-95 playoffs was his best postseason.

Brown was never able to develop into a star, but he was a freak athlete. He still ranks sixth in steals and tenth in threes made in Celtics history. He failed to lead Boston back to the top of the mountain in the 1990s, but not many teams had a chance with Michael Jordan in the league.

At least he gave us some great highlights. But none more impressive than the “dab” dunk in the 1991 Slam Dunk Contest.

Don’t forget to vote on Twitter @HoudiniCeltics! The poll is up for 20 hours. Comments on here don’t count as votes, only the poll on Twitter will be looked at to determine who goes on to round two.

Next: Boston Celtics: Top Five Coaches in Franchise History

Also, look at tomorrow’s match-up to see the results from today’s showdown.