While this ranking might seem high considering that Ed Macauley did not win the NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics, this was a man who would become a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee primarily from what he did in Boston before they would become the franchise that we all know and (maybe) love.)

Dave Cowens stood at 6'9", which, while it is undoubtedly a tall frame, he played at Center, making him a little undersized for that position in the 1970s.  Cowens made up for that with sheer determination, savvy, and every inch of his body to be one of the most complete players in the game, and this was showcased immediately, as he was the Rookie of the Year in 1970-71.  Cowens would become a two-time NBA Champion with Boston in 1974 and 1976 and was a surprise MVP in 1973 (he was not a First Team All-Pro that year).  An eight-time All-Star, Cowens holds the distinction of being one of the few players in NBA history to lead his team in all five major statistical categories (Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, and Blocks) in a season (1977-78).  At the point of his retirement (he would come out of retirement and play with Milwaukee for half a season), he averaged 18.6 points and 14.0 Rebounds per Game.

Bill Sharman's path to the Boston Celtics arrived when he was traded from the Fort Wayne Pistons, who acquired him in the dispersal draft of the Washington Cougars.  It worked out well for Boston as Sharman entered his second year as a pro, and in his third season, he began an eight-year streak as an All-Star, including three First Team and four Second Team All-NBA Selections.  Sharman, who would help the Celtics win four NBA Championships, would prove to be one of the most efficient shooters of his era and was in the top ten in Points per Game seven times and Field Goal Percentage six times.  Sharman was deadly at the charity stripe as the Shooting Guard would lead the NBA in Free Throw Percentage seven seasons, which included a five-year consecutive streak from 1952-53 to 1956-57.

Sam Jones played at North Carolina Central, not the University of North Carolina, so he was not highly recruited at the NBA level, but Red Auerbach took a chance on him after his scouts told him this was, in fact, the best player in the state.  The gamble proved fruitful as the versatile Jones would prove to be one of the best clutch shooters of his era, so much so that he was nicknamed "Mr. Clutch."