Boston Celtics are a professional basketball team that plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team competes in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The Celtics play in the TD Garden in Boston.
The Celtics were formed in 1946 and were an original member of the NBA. The Celtics have been one of the dominant teams in the NBA throughout much of the league’s history, winning 17 championships, more than any other NBA team. The team achieved its first period of greatness from the mid-1950’s to the late 1960’s. The Celtics won a record eight consecutive NBA titles from the 1958-1959 season through the 1965-1966 season under coach Red Auerbach. Stars of those teams included center Bill Russell; guards Bob Cousy, K. C. Jones, and Sam Jones; and forwards Tom Heinsohn, Bailey Howell, and John Havlicek.
Boston’s second great period extended from the 1973-1974 season to the 1986-1987 season. During that time the Celtics won five NBA championships and finished second twice. Stars of those teams included guards Jo Jo White, Dennis Johnson, and Don Chaney; center Robert Parish; and forwards Kevin McHale, Cedric Maxwell, and Larry Bird.
During the 1990’s, the Celtics struggled, making the playoffs only one season from 1993 to 2001. The team showed strong improvement in the 2001-2002 season, making the conference finals. The team was led by forward Antoine Walker and guard Paul Pierce. In 2008, the Celtics won their first NBA championship since 1986, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals. Boston was led by Pierce, forward Kevin Garnett, guard Ray Allen, and coach Doc Rivers. Boston lost to the Lakers in the NBA finals in 2010.
In the late 2010’s and early 2020’s, forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led several competitive Celtics teams. The 2021-2022 team won the conference championship but lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA finals. The Celtics won the NBA championship in 2024 by defeating the Dallas Mavericks in the finals.
