Naming every MVP in franchise history is a relatively easy task for most fans of the Boston Celtics. After all, there are only four MVPs in franchise history and it's a who's who of basketball legends. A much harder task is naming every player in franchise history to ever receive a single MVP vote.
There are 79 instances in Celtics history where a player earned at least one MVP vote for his efforts in that season. Most of these votes are shared between a collection of players who are household names in New England. But not all.
We all know who the big names are. But do you have what it takes to pinpoint the surprising MVP vote-getters that many have forgotten about? The Sporcle quiz below is the ultimate test of your Celtics fandom and just how much attention to pay to MVP voting.
Can you name every Celtics player to receive an MVP vote?
First, the obvious. Any Celtics fan with a modicum of historical knowledge knows that Bill Russell (five), Larry Bird (three), Bob Cousy (one) and Dave Cowens (one) are the four MVP winners in franchise history.
Knowing those players took out almost half the quiz. The quartet of all-time greats received MVP votes 35 times, 10 of which yielded an MVP award. Russell and Bird received MVP votes 12 times, Cousy seven times, and Cowens four times.
Throw in the recent stars to grace the hardwood for the Celtics and the list gets even closer to completion. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Isaiah Thomas, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo bring the total up to 51. Just having that base level of knowledge completes over 60 percent of the list.
There are some other obvious all-time greats that are easy to guess. Most fans would quickly guess John Havlicek, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Sam Jones without thinking twice. That inches the list even closer to completion and becomes the inflection point for Celtics fans.
Those who can keep rattling off names clearly know their Celtics history. Those who are roadblocked there need to dust off the history books.
The Celtics players who sabotaged your quiz may surprise you
There are some familiar names that some may have forgotten about, but most should remember. Antoine Walker is the epitome of this phenomenon. As good as Walker was, did you remember that he received an MVP vote in 1998? oOnly 57.9% of people who took the quiz remember.
Dennis Johnson also falls into this bucket. Johnson's prime was primarily spent before he became a Celtic, but he still received an MVP vote in 1986. Ironically, this didn't line up with Johnson's lone all-star trip as a member of the Celtics. Johnson received one singular vote with an 18th-place MVP finish.
Jo Jo White, Tom Heinsohn and Tiny Archibald were all guessed less than 50% of the time by those who took the quiz. White and Archibald are recognizable names from the late '70s and early '80s, with Heinsohn being the true test of your historical knowledge. Heinsohn's playing career ended four years before the USA landed on the moon.
He still isn't the least-guessed player on the list, though. That honor goes to Paul Silas, who garnered just 14.8% of correct guesses. Silas was also a surprising inclusion in the Celtics' all-time all-stars list, so it's no surprise to see him tanking scores in this quiz as well.
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