Celtics Greats Return To Bid Garden Goodbye

Most Boston Celtics memories are Boston Garden memories, and many of the players who helped create them returned to the building a final time Friday night to say goodbye.

Larry Bird, who hit more than one game-winning shot on the parquet floor, was there. So were Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Bill Russell, John Havlicek and a host of others.

The old Garden shook again and again as 22 of the all-time players and the architect of the team’s success, Arnold “Red” Auerbach, trotted onto the floor during halftime of the Celtics’ game against the New York Knicks.

It was the last regular-season Celtics game in the Garden.

The former players, dressed mostly in suits and ties, spread out around the court. Auerbach, 77, inbounded the ball to Nate “Tiny” Archibald to start a ceremonial fast break that ended with a Bird layup.

“It’s a mixed-emotions type of thing,” Celtics spokesman Jeffrey Twiss said. “You get to see so many players that you grew up with, and now they’re coming back.”

There also were mixed feelings about the 67-year-old building, to be replaced in September by the new, $160 million FleetCenter.

“I think it’s inevitable,” said Tom Heinsohn, now a Celtics broadcaster. “If you look at all the buildings in the game … this building has had it.”

Cousy, on the other hand, said he “may be the only person who wants to keep (the Garden) another 20 years. You get to be my age, you get a whole slew of memories.”

Among them: 11 championships in 13 years between 1957 and 1969, all recalled in green-and-white banners that crowd the rafters.