Last Updated on August 7, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

League Search Page > NBA > Boston Celtics > Roster & Statistics

The 1970–71 Boston Celtics were led by John Havlicek, whose scoring, playmaking, and versatile all-around production made him the focal point of the offense. Dave Cowens emerged as the team’s primary interior force with strong rebounding and efficient scoring, while Jo Jo White added backcourt scoring and playmaking. The statistics reflected a balanced team that relied on shared offensive responsibility, frontcourt rebounding, and well-rounded contributions rather than a single dominant scorer.

Here’s the Boston Celtics 1970–71 roster and regular season player statistics. This season marked a bounce-back year under coach Tom Heinsohn, and the Celtics finished with a 44–38 record, making the playoffs.

Roster

No. Player Pos Height Weight Birthdate College
10 Jo Jo White G 6-3 190 lbs Nov 16, 1946 Kansas
16 Tom Sanders F 6-6 210 lbs Nov 8, 1938 NYU
17 John Havlicek G/F 6-5 203 lbs Apr 8, 1940 Ohio State
18 Don Nelson F 6-6 210 lbs May 15, 1940 Iowa
20 Larry Siegfried G 6-3 190 lbs May 22, 1939 Ohio State
21 Emmette Bryant G 6-1 175 lbs Nov 4, 1938 Minnesota
24 Hank Finkel C 7-0 240 lbs Apr 20, 1942 Dayton
25 Jim Ard F/C 6-8 200 lbs Sep 19, 1948 Cincinnati
27 Bailey Howell F 6-7 210 lbs Jan 20, 1937 Mississippi State
28 Steve Kuberski F 6-8 215 lbs Nov 6, 1947 Bradley
— Art Williams G 6-1 180 lbs Sep 29, 1939 Cal Poly Pomona

Head Coach: Tom Heinsohn

Regular Season Per Game

PLR POS AGE GP GS MIN PPG RPG APG STL BLK TOV FGA FGM FG% 3PA 3PM 3P% FTA FTM FT%
John Havlicek SF 30 81   45.4 28.9 9.0 7.5       24.5 11.0 .450       8.4 6.8 .818
Jo Jo White PG 24 75   37.2 21.3 5.0 4.8       19.9 9.2 .464       3.6 2.9 .799
Dave Cowens C 22 81   38.0 17.0 15.0 2.8       16.1 6.8 .422       4.6 3.4 .732
Don Nelson SF 30 82   27.5 13.9 6.9 1.9       10.7 5.0 .468       5.2 3.9 .744
Don Chaney SG 24 81   28.3 11.5 5.7 2.9       9.5 4.3 .454       3.9 2.9 .748
Steve Kuberski PF 23 82   22.8 9.3 6.6 1.0       9.1 3.8 .420       2.2 1.6 .727
Hank Finkel C 28 80   15.4 6.5 4.3 1.0       6.1 2.7 .438       1.6 1.2 .732
Art Williams PG 31 74   15.4 4.9 2.8 3.1       4.5 2.0 .455       1.1 0.8 .723
Bill Dinwiddie PF 27 61   11.8 4.9 3.4 0.6       5.4 2.0 .375       1.2 0.9 .730
Rex Morgan SG 22 34   7.8 3.4 1.8 0.6       3.0 1.2 .402       1.6 1.0 .648
Garfield Smith C 25 37   7.6 2.9 2.6 0.2       3.1 1.1 .362       1.5 0.6 .393
Tom Sanders SF 32 17   7.1 2.3 1.0 0.6       2.6 0.9 .364       0.5 0.4 .875
Rich Johnson C 24 1   13.0 8.0 5.0 0.0       5.0 4.0 .800       0.0 0.0  
Willie Williams   24 16   3.5 0.9 0.6 0.1       2.0 0.4 .188       0.3 0.2 .600
Totals     82   241.2 117.2 58.9 25.0       105.1 46.4 .442       32.3 24.4 .755

Playoff Per 36 Minutes

PLR POS AGE G GS MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TPG FGA FGM FG% 3PA 3PM 3P% FTA FTM FT%
John Havlicek SF 30 81   45.4 22.9 7.1 5.9       19.4 8.7 .450       6.6 5.4 .818
Rich Johnson C 24 1   13.0 22.2 13.8 0.0       13.8 11.1 .800       0.0 0.0  
Jo Jo White PG 24 75   37.2 20.7 4.9 4.7       19.3 9.0 .464       3.5 2.8 .799
Don Nelson SF 30 82   27.5 18.2 9.0 2.4       14.1 6.6 .468       6.8 5.1 .744
Dave Cowens C 22 81   38.0 16.1 14.2 2.7       15.2 6.4 .422       4.4 3.2 .732
Rex Morgan SG 22 34   7.8 15.8 8.3 3.0       13.8 5.5 .402       7.3 4.7 .648
Hank Finkel C 28 80   15.4 15.2 10.0 2.3       14.3 6.2 .438       3.7 2.7 .732
Bill Dinwiddie PF 27 61   11.8 15.1 10.5 1.7       16.5 6.2 .375       3.7 2.7 .730
Don Chaney SG 24 81   28.3 14.6 7.3 3.7       12.0 5.5 .454       4.9 3.7 .748
Steve Kuberski PF 23 82   22.8 14.6 10.4 1.5       14.4 6.0 .420       3.5 2.6 .727
Garfield Smith C 25 37   7.6 13.6 12.2 1.2       14.9 5.4 .362       7.2 2.8 .393
Tom Sanders SF 32 17   7.1 11.6 5.1 3.3       13.1 4.8 .364       2.4 2.1 .875
Art Williams PG 31 74   15.4 11.4 6.5 7.4       10.4 4.7 .455       2.6 1.9 .723
Willie Williams   24 16   3.5 9.6 6.4 1.3       20.6 3.9 .188       3.2 1.9 .600
Totals     82   241.2 117.2 58.9 25.0       105.1 46.4 .442       32.3 24.4 .755

Regular Season Totals

PLR POS AGE GP GS MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV FGA FGM FG% 3PA 3PM 3P% FTA FTM FT%
John Havlicek   30 81   3678 2338 730 607       1982 892 .450       677 554 .818
Jo Jo White   24 75   2787 1601 376 361       1494 693 .464       269 215 .799
Dave Cowens   22 81   3076 1373 1216 228       1302 550 .422       373 273 .732
Don Nelson   30 82   2254 1141 565 153       881 412 .468       426 317 .744
Don Chaney   24 81   2289 930 463 235       766 348 .454       313 234 .748
Steve Kuberski   23 82   1867 759 538 78       745 313 .420       183 133 .727
Hank Finkel   28 80   1234 521 343 79       489 214 .438       127 93 .732
Art Williams   31 74   1141 360 205 233       330 150 .455       83 60 .723
Bill Dinwiddie   27 61   717 300 209 34       328 123 .375       74 54 .730
Rex Morgan   22 34   266 117 61 22       102 41 .402       54 35 .648
Garfield Smith   25 37   281 106 95 9       116 42 .362       56 22 .393
Tom Sanders   32 17   121 39 17 11       44 16 .364       8 7 .875
Willie Williams   24 16   56 15 10 2       32 6 .188       5 3 .600
Rich Johnson   24 1   13 8 5 0       5 4 .800       0 0  
Totals     82   19780 9608 4833 2052       8616 3804 .442       2648 2000 .755

HeatingUp Impact Index: Team Impact Spotlight

Player Name Role Tier MPG Usage Tier PPG RPG APG STK (SPG+BPG) Impact Index* Notes (with Sources) Awards
John Havlicek Team’s Offensive Engine / Two‑Way Scorer 45.4 High 28.9 9.0 7.5 — 22.70 Led the Celtics in scoring, assists, and minutes; played virtually entire games, driving offense and acting as the fulcrum for transition and half‑court sets. His versatile scoring and playmaking anchored a team that rebounded from a non‑playoff season to solid NBA competitor. MVP‑6, All‑Star, All‑NBA, All‑Defensive
Dave Cowens Interior Force / High‑Motor Rebounder 38.0 High 17.0 15.0 2.8 — 17.40 Rookie of the Year center who immediately became the team’s primary rebounder and interior catalyst; his intensity and physicality on the glass and in the paint set the tone for Boston’s effort and floor balance. ROY
Jo Jo White Lead Ball Handler / Secondary Star 37.2 High 21.3 5.0 4.8 — 15.55 Established as the team’s steady point guard with capable scoring and floor leadership; balanced scoring with facilitating, often playing complementarily with Havlicek to orchestrate the offense. All‑Star
Don Nelson Role Scoring Forward / Floor Spacer 27.5 Medium 13.9 6.9 1.9 — 11.35 Veteran wing who provided efficient scoring and spacing; his shooting and basketball IQ added offensive value in second units and key stretches. —
Don Chaney Perimeter Defender / Secondary Contributor 28.3 Medium 11.5 5.7 2.9 — 10.05 Known for active defense and hustle; contributed reliable scoring and length on the perimeter to disrupt opponents and complement Boston’s offensive stars. —
Steve Kuberski Frontcourt Depth / Spot Energy 22.8 Low 9.3 6.6 1.0 — 8.45 Served as a role frontcourt contributor with size and physical rebounding; provided energy in rotations when starters rested. —
Hank Finkel Backup Big / Paint Presence 15.4 Low 6.5 4.3 1.0 — 5.90 Reserve center offering interior minutes; his role was limited but he provided a physical interior presence when called upon. —
Art Williams Secondary Ball Handler / Bench Facilitation 15.4 Low 4.9 2.8 3.1 — 5.40 Bench guard tasked with backup facilitation and pace control; added passing and tempo relief for starters. —
Bill Dinwiddie Reserve Forward 11.8 Low 4.9 3.4 0.6 — 4.45 Provided occasional scoring and frontcourt depth; role limited to spot minutes. —
Rex Morgan Deep Rotation Wing 7.8 Low 3.4 1.8 0.6 — 3.90 Appeared in limited games with minimal impact; served as depth reserve. —
Garfield Smith Fringe Rotation Big 7.6 Low 2.9 2.6 0.2 — 2.85 Limited role with few minutes; stayed in rotation for depth reasons. —
Tom Sanders Short Stint Veteran Wing 7.1 Low 2.3 1.0 0.6 — 2.00 Veteran presence added experience and defense in very limited action in his final NBA season. —
Willie Williams Brief Appearance / Depth 3.5 Low 0.9 0.6 0.1 — 0.80 Played in very few games with negligible statistical impact. —