Kevin McHale led the Celtics in blocks per game for 3 seasons .
The Celtics are arguably the NBA’s most storied franchise with a long list of hoops legends having played in the iconic green and white. This article will dig into the greatest shot-blocking seasons in franchise history. Note that blocks did not become an official NBA stat until the 1973-74 season, which explains why some of the earlier greats like Bill Russell are not on this list.
Robert Parish – 1981, 2.6 BPG
Parish is the most prolific shot blocker in Celtics history with 1,703, so it stands to reason that he leads the single-season list as well. He made the Celtics look smart for making a big offseason move to trade for Parish as he turned in what would be the best shot-blocking season in franchise history. That season was also the first of nine All-Star berths for Parish, all of which came with the Celtics. As a cherry on top, the Celtics went on to win the NBA Championship in this season.
Robert Parish – 1982, 2.4 BPG
Parish kept things rolling the following season with an impressive 2.4 blocks per game. This was arguably Parish’s best all-around season as he averaged a career-high 19.9 points to go with 10.8 rebounds per game. This netted him a fourth-place finish in NBA MVP voting, which was the best of his career. Only George Johnson, Tree Rollins, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Artis Gilmore finished with a high blocks-per-game rate than Parish.
Kevin McHale – 1983, 2.3 BPG
The Celtics got some of their best shot-blocking performances ever during the early 1980s with Kevin McHale and Robert Parish protecting the rim. McHale had his best shot-blocking season in 1983 and finished 5th in the league in blocks per game at 2.3. This landed him on the All-Defensive Second Team, marking the first of six times he would be named to an All-Defensive team.
Kevin McHale – 1982, 2.3 BPG
Both McHale and Parish finished in the top six in blocks per game during the 1982 season as the Celtics went 63-19 and finished first in the Atlantic Division. This was only McHale’s second season, and it was a campaign in which he really took a step forward. In addition, McHale started 33 games and bumped his scoring average from 10.0 to 13.6 points and his rebounding from 4.4 to 6.8.
Kevin McHale – 1987, 2.2 BPG
Rounding out the list, we have another McHale entry from the 1987 season. McHale and the Celtics would make it to the NBA Finals this season but fall to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. Along the way, McHale had one of his best seasons. In addition to 2.2 blocks per game, McHale averaged a career-high 26.1 points and finished fourth in MVP voting.
