About

Tommy Heinsohn: The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Tommy Heinsohn is a ten-time NBA Champion, six-time NBA All-Star, and NBA Hall of Fame Member. He has been with the Boston Celtics since 1956, as a player, coach, and now commentator. Along with partner Mike Gorman, Tommy Heinsohn has commentated Celtics broadcasts since 1981. His zealous commentary and clear appreciation for the Celtics organization give him wide appreciation and notoriety among New England fans.

Tommy Points: Background

Tommy Points are, as their name suggests, the creation of Celtics' announcer Tommy Heinsohn. They are awarded to players for displaying extraordinary effort on a particular play -- laying out for a loose ball, fighting for an offensive rebound, and putting forth the sort of effort Tommy himself always displayed as a player.

Tommy Points: The Rules

1. Tommy Heihnson is the usually the only person with the authority to sanction Tommy Points. However, once in a while Mike Gorman or Donnie Marshall will take the liberty of awarding Tommy Points in the absence of Heihnson.
2. Tommy Heinhson sanctions Tommy Points by explicitly awarding a Tommy Point or by acknowledging a request or suggestion for a Tommy point.
3. Any person or object, inside or outside of the game, is eligible for a Tommy Point.
4. During the course of the season, Tommy occasionally makes proclamations about Tommy Points rules. As these rules are his inventions, they may be applied capriciously or not at all. We document them here for completeness: 
   1. "If they call a time-out, that's a double Tommy Point!" -- 3rd quarter, November 21st, 2004, vs. Seattle
   2. All redheads with Celtics jackets get Tommy Points." -- 4th quarter, December 6th, 2004, at Golden State
   3. When you go into the seats, it's an automatic Tommy Point." -- 2nd quarter, January 5th, 2005, vs. Golden State