Remembering John Havlicek: A Tireless Champion Who Never Stopped Running

Though he was often the first man off the bench, John Havlicek produced many indelible Celtics moments—none more memorable than his game-clinching steal in Game 7 of the 1965 Eastern Division finals. Sports Illustrated remembers the Boston legend and the history he created.

To tell you the truth, I never really saw the resemblance, so I never really got the nickname. When John Havlicek arrived in Boston in 1962, it was said that he'd picked up the nickname Hondo because he looked so much like John Wayne. To my eyes he looked as much like John Wayne as he did Geraldine Page, Wayne's costar in the forgettable 1953 Western of the same name. Havlicek had the height, but he was broad-faced,…