The Boston Celtics are an NBA team that is based out of Boston Massachusetts. They are a member of the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. The Boston Celtics were founded in 1946 and were one of the original eight teams that formed the National Basketball Association. They play in the TD Garden which interestingly is shared with Boston’s hockey team, the Boston Bruins. Both the nickname Celtics and their mascot Lucky the Lepricon are both nods to the heavy Irish population of Boston.
The Celtics are one of the most successful NBA franchises with one of the richest histories in the entire National Basketball Association. Currently, they are tied with their biggest rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, for the most NBA Finals wins in the history of the league. Along with this, the Boston Celtics hold the record for most wins in NBA history as well. Teams have been trying
Boston Celtics Won NBA Titles
The Boston Celtics have won 17 NBA Finals which is tied for first in NBA history. Although they have not won an NBA Finals since 2008, because of the tear that the Celtics went on during the early years of the NBA, they are still one of the most storied franchises in the entire league. Boston won their first NBA title in 1957.
The team won one more NBA title in the 50s in 1959. The Boston Celtics won a plethora of NBA championships in the 60s, winning the NBA Finals in 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, and 1969. This Celtics run was by far the most successful decade in Celtics history and the best run that we have seen and likely ever will see from any NBA franchise. This was the peak of the Celtics dynasty, however, they continued to rack up NBA title after NBA title throughout the following two decades.
They would win two NBA titles in 1974 and 1976. The 80s would be another good decade for the Celtics as they won the NBA Finals in 1981, 1984, and 1986. The Celtics missed winning any championships in the 90s and their most recent win came in 2008.
Boston Celtics Lost NBA Titles
While the Boston Celtics have a plethora of championships, they also have their fair share of losses. Most of the years in which the Celtics lost, it would result in the Lakers winning the NBA championship. The Celtics lost in 1958, 1985, 1987, and 2010.
Boston Celtics Rivalry vs Los Angeles Lakers
As previously mentioned, the Boston Celtics’ biggest rivals through the entire history of the team come against the Los Angeles Lakers. This rivalry spans all the way back to the Bill Russell era. Throughout early league history, the two teams were mainly the only two that were consistently competing for championships and it seems like peaks in the two teams would almost always line up to have the teams face off against each other in the NBA championship.
Boston Celtics Impact on NBA History
The Boston Celtics have one of the biggest impacts on NBA history. This team has had some of the biggest success in NBA playoff history, and have had a large number of Hall of Famers play for their team. Players like Bill Russell, Ray Allen, Sam Jones, Chris Ford (the first player to hit a playoff three in franchise history and league history), John Havlicek, Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, Dave Cowens, and Robert Parish. The Celtics have also been a blueprint on how to run a great franchise for decades that other teams have been trying to replicate to also have some of the Celtics’ success.
How did the Celtics start?
The Boston Celtics were founded on June 6, 1946, by Walter A. Brown who at the time was the president of the Boston-Garden Arena Association. As a result of this, the Celtics played in the Boston Carden for a majority of their existence before eventually switching to the Fleet Center, and then the TD Garden.
In 1950, one of the most important moments of Celtics history occurred. They broke the color barrier in the league and drafted the first African American, Chuck Cooper in the second round of the 1950 NBA draft. Cooper only spent four seasons with the Celtics in which he averaged 6.8 points and 6.6 rebounds.
The Bob Cousy Era
The first major era for the Celtics featured a lot of incredible front office moves that would turn the franchise into a dynasty that would produce a handful of Hall of Famers for the Celtics. It began when the Celtics hired head coach Red Auerbach. However, Red Auerbach took on many more duties than just being the head coach. On top of the typical responsibilities of a head coach, Red Auerbach also was the only coach for the team.
Meaning that he ran all of the practices by himself, and did all of the scouting of the opposing team and college prospects for the Celtics as well. The first major draft selection that the Celtics made in this era came off of a fluke and good luck. Initially, Red Auerbach refused to draft Bob Cousy because he believed that he played too flashy and Cousy would be drafted by the Chicago Stags. However, the Stags went bankrupt and the Celtics selected Cousy in the dispersal draft.
The second major move Auerbach and Boston made in this era came in a trade in which Boston sent Ed Macauley and the draft rights to Cliff Macauley to the St. Louis Hawks and in return, the Celtics received the second overall pick of the draft. To further piggyback on this deal, the Celtics owner promised to send Ice Capades (A figure skating entertainment show that featured retired Olympian skaters) to the owner of the Rochester Royals as long as they did not select eventual Hall of Fame center Bill Russell with the first pick in the draft.
Along with getting Russell out of this draft, the Celtics also Tom Heinsohn who would go on to win the Rookie of the Year award. Along with this, it created a young big three for the Celtics that would turn them into a dynasty for the following decades. Also, Heinsohn would go on to coach the Celtics after he retired and would win a championship against the Milwaukee Bucks as the head coach.
The Bill Russell Era
The Celtics won championships in 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, and 1969, all led by Bill Russell. These eleven championships made Russell the most decorated player in history and this accomplishment is something that likely will never be eclipsed.
In 1957, the Boston Celtics beat the Hawks in seven games. In 1958, the Hawks took down the Celtics in six games. After this season, the Celtics acquired K.C. Jones and this would be the final piece in the dynasty that the Celtics needed to truly take over and dominate the league. In 1959, the Celtics won their first championship matchup against the Lakers and would begin their record-setting eight straight championships. In 1964, the Celtics would once again make history when they became the first team in the history of the league and possibly the first team in a major sports league to put out a starting lineup of all African American players.
The final piece of history came towards the end of this era. Auerbach would retire from being the head coach of the Celtics. Bill Russell would take his place as the teams’ coach, becoming the first African American head coach in the history of the sport. Auerbach would take the general manager job.
The Dave Cowens, John Havlicek, and JoJo White Era
After Russell retired, the Celtics went through a rebuilding phase which featured their first losing record since the 1949-1950 season. After the team acquired Dave Cowens, John Havlicek, and JoJo White, they were once again contenders. They would lose twice in the Eastern Conference Finals before once again bringing home another championship.
The rest of this era consisted of the Celtics winning a Finals in what is considered one of the best games in the history of the league. They were in the final game of the Finals with the series tied against the Phoenix Suns. The game went into triple overtime and the Celtics would end up winning it all.
Things became very difficult for Auerbach as the general manager of the team. Havleckick retired after sixteen seasons. Along with this, the owner of the team decided to swap franchises with the owner of the Buffalo Braves. This is somewhat of an unprecedented move and something that would not fly in today’s NBA, however, they played by a different set of rules during this era. Shortly before the swap was made official, there was a six-player trade between the two franchises. The Celtics gave up Freeman Williams, Kevin Kunnert, and Kermit Washington and in return, they received Nate Archibald, Billy Knight, and Marvin Barnes.
The only positive that came from the second half of this era was the fact that Arbach selected Larry Bird even though Bird was going to remain in college the following season. Although this was a major risk as Bird could have suffered a career-ending injury his final season in college before even suiting up for the Celtics, it is a move that obviously paid off.
The Larry Bird Era
Things continued to sour between Auerbach and the new owner as the owner traded three first-round picks (that Auerbach planned on using to rebuild the franchise) for Bob McAdoo. Once again going behind Auerbach’s back and not consulting him about the deal. As a result of this, the Celtics struggled and once again had a losing record.
Luckily for the Celtics, Bird would join the franchise the following season. They would lose in the Eastern Conference Finals in Bird’s rookie season. However, Auerbach would once again work his magic and pulled off what is considered one of the most lopsided trades in the entire history of the NBA. The trade consisted of sending two of the Celtics’ first-round picks to the Golden State Warriors.
In return, the Celtics would receive Hall of Fame level talent in Robert Parish along with Golden State’s first-round draft pick. They would use that pick to select another Hall of Fame quality player in Kevin McHale. This resulted in the Celtics once again having a big three and were again ready to take over the league. While they did not quite dominate the way they did in the 50s-60s, they still went on an incredible run in a much more competitive league.
The final piece from this era that will be covered is one of the biggest what-ifs in league history. That being what could have been on Len Bias’s career. The Celtics selected Bias with the second overall pick of the 1986 draft. He was one of the most sought-after prospects of the era and even drew some comparisons to Michael Jordan. Sadly, less than 48 hours after being drafted to the Celtics, Bias would pass away due to an accidental cocaine overdose.
If this tragedy would have been avoided, there is a chance that the Celtics could have been neck and neck with the Chicago Bulls, if not better than the Chicago dynasty if they had a player of Bias’s talent on their roster. Along with this, we missed out on watching what could have been a generational player and someone who could have even held their own in a rivalry with Michael Jordan.
The Rebuild Era
With the Larry Bird aging and his era on the Celtics coming to an end, the Celtics were once again forced into a rebuild. This was the most unsuccessful rebuild in the history of the team. While they landed a couple of solid players during this era, they did not remain on the team for too long and did not lead the team to any major success. This rebuild took around five seasons to complete before the Celtics were once again a contending team.
The Paul Pierce Era
The Celtics returned to relevancy in the 1998 draft when the team selected Paul Pierce. In his prime, Pierce was one of the most talented players in the league. He could get the job done on both sides of the ball and was an incredible scorer. During this era, Boston struggled to put a team around a young Pierce and could not find the right coach for the organization.
The Big Three Era
All of the problems from the Paul Pierce era were put to rest during the big three era. They found the perfect coach for the team in Doc Rivers. Along with this, they put together an enormous package to make blockbuster trades for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Boston sent the 5th overall pick, Jeff Green, Wally Szczerbiak, and Delonte West to Seattle for Ray Allen and a second-round draft pick. They then sent Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Rattliff, Sebastian Telfair, and a first-round draft pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Garnett.
With the new acquisitions, the Celtics had the biggest single-season turnaround in the history of the NBA. They finished the season with a 66-16 record which was a 42-game improvement from the previous season. They would also draft Rajon Rondo to the team and the core team was locked in for the remainder of the big three era.
In this era, Boston finished with two Finals appearances (2008 and 2010). They ended up taking home the title in 2008 over the Lakers.
The End of the Big Three
The big three began to age and could not keep up with the superteam Miami Heat. It was clear that it was time to trade their core before they had no trade value. This began with the Celtics allowing Rivers to terminate his contract. Boston would end up getting a first-round pick out of the Los Angeles Clippers in return for Rivers. They then traded Pierce and Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets.
This is another one of the most lopsided trades in the history of the league. The Celtics sent Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry, and D.J. White to the Nets and received Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Kris Joseph, Gerald Wallace, and three unprotected first-round picks. The value of this trade came from the draft picks.
Where the Boston Celtics Stand Today
There isn’t a particular era that the Isiah Thomas season really fits into but it would not be right to not bring it up. This was the year that Thomas came out of nowhere and led the Celtics into a deep playoff run and finished the season as an MVP finalist.
The Celtics used those picks to select the two players that make up their core today. They used one pick to select Jalen Brown. The Celtics front office once again pulled a rabbit out of their hat for this. They originally held the number one pick and made everyone think that they were going to select Markelle Fultz. They then made a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers that landed the Celtics the third pick (Jalen Brown) and some other future picks.
The next season, the Celtics used their Nets pick to select Jayson Tatum. In that offseason, they would make the biggest splash in free agency and brought in Gordan Hayward. Lastly, after Thomas suffered a hip injury, they would trade him to the Cleveland Cavaliers along with a Nets pick and Jae Crowder to Cleveland for Kyrie Irving. It would later be found out that the hip injury was more serious than anticipated, however, the trade still went through.
In the 2017 season, Kyrie Irving and Gordan Hayward would both suffer season-ending injuries, however, the young core of the Celtics still managed to make it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals in which they took the Cavaliers to seven games (one of which LeBron James was forced to play 48 minutes).
Eventually, with time, this core would prove their doubters wrong by putting together the best defense in the league and reaching the 2022 NBA Finals. However, poor performances by Jayson Tatum eventually doomed the team’s chances of beating the Golden State Warriors, losing in six games.
The Celtics still have a young core with promising players and an up-and-coming coach in Ime Udoka, so they should still be favored to rule the Eastern Conference for years to come. Hopefully, that experience will help Tatum take a step forward and prove why he can be a franchise player.
Why are they called the Boston Celtics?
Brown had a sudden realization, saying “I’ve got it – the Celtics. The name has a great basketball tradition from the old Original Celtics in New York (1920s). And there are plenty of Irishmen in Boston. We’ll put them in green uniforms and call them the Boston Celtics.”
What was the Celtics original name?
The Original Celtics were a professional basketball team that drew national attention to the sport for the first time. The team was formed in 1914 by Frank McCormack, who used teenage players from Manhattan’s West Side, and named the New York Celtics.
How many times has the Celtics been to the playoffs?
They’ve been to the playoffs 58 times in their 73-season history.
