Bob Cousy is one of the greatest point guards in the history of basketball. A 13-time All-Star and 6-time NBA champion, he transformed the game from plodding and deliberate to fast and flamboyant. Cousy led the NBA in assists for eight straight years, and compiled career averages of 18.4 points and 7.5 assists over a 924-game career.

Much has been written about Cousy's exploits on the hardcourt, both as a Boston Celtics player and as a coach, but little is known about his personal life, especially his family. We do know that he and wife Missie were both into the civil rights movement, but a recent article published in the Worcester Telegram has shed light on the dynamics between the couple, especially because it reveals that Missie Cousy suffered from dementia for 13 years before passing away last week.

The Telegram article, written by Dianne Williamson, detailed Cousy's game plan for helping his wife cope with dementia.

"The game plan, as he called it, rarely varied. Each morning, he'd awaken first and set things on the kitchen table — her pills, the newspaper, a fiber bar, a banana. Then he'd return to the bedroom and rouse his wife. Often, she balked at leaving the warmth of the covers, so he'd gently coax her. Always, he was gentle," the first paragraph reads.

The Cousy couple had been married for 50 years when the effects of cognitive dysfunction set in. Missie started asking Bob the same questions, over and over. She also suffered from hallucinations and found herself struggling with balance. The one constant throughout was her husband, who decided to play along.

In an attempt to convince Missie that she could still drive, Bob shipped the family station wagon to their vacation home in Florida during the winter just so she could see it. He also had artificial flowers planted in their garden, and let her think she was the one who planted them.

Their daughter Marie told Williamson that she was simply amazed by her father's game plan.

"My dad provided an environment that allowed her, in her mind, to be a fully functioning adult."

This setup continued until the night of Sept 7, when, after dinner at a local country club, Missie suffered a stroke. She passed away two weeks later.

Bob Cousy, who never showed any sign of being a hopeless romantic as an NBA player, is glad that he was given the chance to make his wife happy despite her dementia. He only has two regrets about Missie's passing.

"I can't put the pills out in the morning. And I can't care for her anymore."

As of last count, the article has had over 20 thousand shares on Facebook and about as many Twitter mentions, reminding the Internet that in these days of "Basketball Wives" and Lamar and Khloe, true love does win in the end.