Boston Celtics Details
The Celtics are one of the NBA’s oldest and most historic teams. Since the franchise first began playing in 1946, the Celtics have won an NBA-best 17 championships and have also won 21 conference titles. The Celtics share their home arena, TD Garden—which opened in 1995, a whole nine inches north of the famous Boston Garden—with the NHL’s Boston Bruins.
Some of the NBA’s best players have worn the iconic green uniform of the Celtics, and the Celtics have retired a whopping 21 jersey numbers, include Larry Bird’s 33 and Kevin McHale’s 32. Jim Loscutoff, who won seven championships with the Celtics, declined to have his number 18 retired, so the team hangs his nickname “LOCKSY” from the rafters of the Garden instead.
The Celtics have had many of their most successful seasons in two separate “Big Three” eras. The first Big Three consisted of dominant shooter Larry Bird, power forward Kevin McHale, and clutch center Robert Parish. The trio won a championship for the Celtics in 1981, and then won four in a row between 1984 and 1987.
In 2007, the Celtics formed another Big Three, this time composed of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. The new trio took the Celtics to the 2008 finals, where they defeated the Celtics’ old rival, the Los Angeles Lakers, in six games. The 2008 Celtics set a record with 26 games played in the playoffs, as they played in two series that went to seven games and two others that lasted for six.
After some crafty trading involving Kevin Garnett, the Celtics won the 2017 draft lottery (with a pick acquired from the Brooklyn Nets) even though they finished first—above even LeBron James’ defending champion Cavs team—in the East. Although they lost in the Conference Finals to the Cavs, it’s an exciting road ahead for Boston. The team has clearly improved over the offseason, signing Gordon Hayward away from the Jazz. The Celtics traded their first overall pick to the Sixers to draft NBA-ready Jason Tatum with pick number 3. Hayward and Tatum will join a strong team that already includes Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford, and Jae Crowder.
Boston Celtics Top Matchups
The Boston Celtics have a number of exciting matchups this season, see below for their top rivalries.
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