Andrew Pace
Boston, Massachusetts, is home to the Boston Celtics, one of the original eight teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Celtics were founded in 1946 and play their home games at TD Garden, sharing the arena with the Boston Bruins. The team's mascot, Lucky the Leprechaun, is a nod to Boston's historically large Irish population. The Celtics have a notable rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers, and the two teams have played each other a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, with the Celtics winning nine of those encounters. The Celtics hold the record for the most NBA championships won, with 18, and the most recorded wins of any NBA franchise.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the basketball team in Boston | Boston Celtics |
| Year founded | 1946 |
| Team's nickname | The "Celtics" |
| Team's mascot | Lucky the Leprechaun |
| Home ground | TD Garden |
| Number of NBA championships won | 18 |
| Number of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame members connected to the team | 48 |
| Number of retired jersey numbers | 23 |
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What You'll Learn
Boston Celtics: the team
The Boston Celtics are a professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, sharing the arena with the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL).
The Boston Celtics were founded on June 6, 1946, by Boston Garden-Arena Corporation president Walter A. Brown, as one of the original eight teams of the NBA. The team's name and mascot, "Lucky the Leprechaun", are inspired by Boston's historically large Irish population and the Original Celtics, a barnstorming basketball team from the early 20th century.
The Boston Celtics have a rich history in the NBA, having won a record 18 championships. Forty-eight members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame are associated with the Celtics, and the franchise has retired 23 jersey numbers—more than any other American sports team. Additionally, four Celtics players (Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Dave Cowens, and Larry Bird) have won the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, with Celtics players winning a total of 10 MVP awards, another NBA record.
The Celtics have had notable rivalries with other NBA teams, most famously with the Los Angeles Lakers, who are their historical rivals and the second-most successful franchise in the NBA with 17 championships. The Boston Celtics have a passionate fan base and are known for their strong team culture and tradition.
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Celtics' notable rivalries
The Boston Celtics have had several notable rivalries throughout their history in the NBA. Here are some of the most significant ones:
Celtics-Lakers rivalry:
This is arguably the most famous and intense rivalry in the NBA, between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The two teams have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, dominating the league in the 1960s and 1980s. They have won the two highest numbers of championships in the NBA, with the Celtics winning 18 and the Lakers winning 17. The rivalry escalated in the 1960s when the Lakers relocated to Los Angeles and the two teams emerged as the strongest in the league. Notable players during this era included Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, and John Havlicek for Boston, and Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and Gail Goodrich for Los Angeles. The rivalry intensified again in 2008 and 2010 when the two teams met in the NBA Finals, with the Celtics winning in 2008 and the Lakers in 2010.
Celtics-76ers rivalry:
The rivalry between the Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers dates back to the 1960s when Wilt Chamberlain's 76ers became the first and only team to knock the Russell-led Celtics out of the playoffs in 1967. The rivalry continued into the 1980s when rookie forward Larry Bird led the Celtics to face the 76ers in the conference finals. The 76ers, led by Doctor J, won the series, but the following season, Bird, along with Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, returned the favor and defeated the 76ers in the conference finals.
Celtics-Pistons rivalry:
The rivalry between the Celtics and the Pistons was particularly intense in the 1980s. A notable moment was during a game in the 1980s when Larry Bird drove to the basket, drawing a lot of contact but no foul was called. The Pistons gained possession, and Isiah Thomas threw a lob that was stolen by Bird and passed to Dennis Johnson for a layup, giving Boston a one-point lead with one second left. Boston went on to win the series, but the Pistons got their revenge in the following three matchups.
Celtics-Bucks rivalry:
The Celtics and the Bucks also had a notable rivalry, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s. The Kareem-led Bucks faced off against the Cowens/Havlichek-led Celtics in the 1974 NBA Finals, with the Celtics winning the championship. The rivalry heated up again in the 1980s, with the Bucks becoming the only team to sweep the Celtics during the Bird era in 1983. However, the Celtics avenged their loss by sweeping the Bucks in 1986.
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Celtics' head coaches
The Boston Celtics are a professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The Celtics were founded in 1946 as one of the NBA's original eight teams and have won an NBA-record 18 championships.
The Boston Celtics have had many successful head coaches throughout their history. Here is a list of some of the most notable Celtics head coaches and their achievements:
- K.C. Jones: Jones was the head coach of the Celtics during their NBA Championship wins in 1984 and 1986.
- Red Auerbach: Auerbach led the Celtics to an impressive nine NBA Championships in a row, from 1957 to 1966. He was also named Coach of the Year in 1965-66.
- Bill Fitch: Fitch was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1979-80 and led the Celtics to the championship in 1981.
- Doc Rivers: Rivers is another recent successful coach, leading the Celtics to the NBA Championship in 2008.
- Brad Stevens: Stevens was the head coach of the Celtics from 2013 to 2021, overseeing a period of consistent success.
Other notable mentions include Alvin Julian, Tom Heinsohn, Rick Pitino, and Bill Russell, who have all earned induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame as coaches. The Celtics have a rich history of successful coaches, contributing to their legacy as one of the most storied franchises in NBA history.
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Celtics' players
The Boston Celtics were formed on 6 June 1946 and have since become one of the most successful teams in the NBA. They have won the most NBA regular-season games of any team as of December 2023 and their players have won a record 10 MVP awards.
Some of the most notable Celtics players include Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Dave Cowens, and Larry Bird, who have all won the NBA Most Valuable Player award. In fact, Bird was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice—once as a player and once as a member of the 1992 Olympic team. Russell was also inducted into the Hall of Fame twice, as a player and a coach. Chuck Cooper, who signed with the Celtics in 1950, was the first black player drafted in the NBA.
In 1994, the Celtics' original Big 3 era came to an end with the retirement of McHale and Robert Parish's signing with Charlotte. The team then hired former player M. L. Carr as the vice president of basketball operations.
Some of the current and recent Celtics players include Garza, who joined the team after the Timberwolves declined to renew his contract, and Luke Kornet, who has since joined the Spurs.
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Celtics' logo and mascot
The Boston Celtics is an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The team was formed in 1946 by Boston Garden-Arena Corporation president Walter A. Brown. The name "Celtics" is a nod to Boston's historically large Irish population and the Original Celtics, a basketball team that played in the early 20th century.
The Boston Celtics logo features a leprechaun spinning a basketball, named Lucky, originally designed by Zang Auerbach, the brother of Celtics head coach Red Auerbach. Lucky is depicted with a tan face and hands, wearing a vest, bow tie, and hat, with a brown ball and shillelagh, and black pants and shoes. The logo has undergone some changes over the years, with the addition of colour in the 1996-97 season and a silhouette version introduced in 2014.
The team's mascot, Lucky the Leprechaun, is based on the logo and reflects the Irish heritage of Boston. Lucky is often described as having stepped out of a box of Lucky Charms cereal, with his green clothing and hat, mischievous grin, and pipe. The leprechaun mascot is unique in that it is a mythical creature rather than a human character, similar to an elf for a Scandinavian team.
The Celtics uniforms have also evolved since the team's early years, with adjustments in lettering, stripes, and the inclusion of player names. The basic template features green and white colours, with the home and away designations removed by Nike in 2017. The uniforms now feature the Nike logo and that of the team's jersey sponsor, with minimal changes to the design since the 1950s.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Boston has a basketball team called the Boston Celtics.
The Boston Celtics are commonly regarded as the most successful team in NBA history. They hold the record for most NBA championships won, with 18, and most recorded wins of any NBA franchise.
The Boston Celtics have a notable rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers, who they have played a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, defeating them nine times. They also have a rivalry with the Hawks, having played them eleven times in the NBA Playoffs, and the Celtics-Knicks in the National Basketball Association.
