While the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics have had a history of illustrious players, perhaps none is as closely associated with a single moment in the team's history as John Havlicek. Few Celtics fans cannot imitate long-time Celtics' announcer Johnny Most's raspy yell, "Havlicek Stole the Ball, Havlicek Stole the Ball," describing the player's crucial steal as time ran out in the seventh and deciding game of the 1965 Eastern Division Finals against perennial Boston rival Philadelphia, which preserved a narrow one-point win for Boston and opened the way for another Boston championship.

Perhaps it is ironic that Havlicek is so famed for a single play, for his career was marked by a longevity and consistency which few players in NBA history have been able to match. Havlicek's steal came early in a distinguished career, during which he played on eight NBA Championship teams and...