From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Boston Celtics |
|
|
| Conference |
Eastern
Conference |
| Division |
Atlantic Division |
| Founded |
1946 |
| History |
Boston Celtics
(1946-present) |
| Arena |
TD
Banknorth Garden |
| City |
Boston,
Massachusetts |
| Team Colors |
Green
and White |
| Head Coach |
Doc
Rivers |
| Owner |
Wycliffe
“Wyc” Grousbeck |
| Championships |
16 (1957,
1959,
1960,
1961,
1962,
1963,
1964,
1965,
1966,
1968,
1969,
1974,
1976,
1981,
1984,
1986) |
| Conference Titles |
19 (1957,
1958,
1959,
1960,
1961,
1962,
1963,
1964,
1965,
1966,
1968,
1969,
1974,
1976,
1981,
1984,
1985,
1986,
1987) |
| Division Titles |
25 (1957,
1958,
1959,
1960,
1961,
1962,
1963,
1964,
1965,
1972,
1973,
1974,
1975,
1976,
1980,
1981,
1982,
1984,
1985,
1986,
1987,
1988,
1991,
1992,
2005) |
The Boston Celtics are a National
Basketball Association team based in Boston,
Massachusetts. Their 16 NBA championships are
the most of any basketball franchise.
Franchise History
The Beginning of a Dynasty (1946-1969)
The Celtics were formed in 1946 as a team in the
Basketball Association of America, and became part
of the National
Basketball Association after the merger of the
BAA and the National Basketball League to form the
NBA. The Celtics had struggled during their early
years, but the hiring of Coach Red
Auerbach would change their fortunes. One of
the first major players to join the Celtics was
Bob
Cousy, whom Auerbach initially refused to draft.
Cousy eventually became the property of the Chicago
Stags. When that franchise went bankrupt, Cousy
was acquired by the Celtics in a dispersal draft.
He would become a huge part of the Celtics' success
and eventually became good friends with his new
coach. Under Auerbach, the Celtics acquired rookie
Bill
Russell in 1956. Russell was an even more important
acquistion than Cousy, as he was the player around
whom Auerbach would build the Celticsfor more than
a decade. Russell had an immediate impact during
the 1956 season; the Celtics advanced to the NBA
Finals and defeated the St.
Louis Hawks in seven games, giving the Celtics
the first of their record 16 NBA Championships.
In 1957, the Celtics again advanced to the NBA Finals,
this time losing to the Hawks in 6 games. However,
with the acquisition of K.C.
Jones, the Celtics began a dynasty that would
last for over a decade.
In 1959, with Russell and Jones, the Celtics won
the NBA Championship after sweeping the Minneapolis
Lakers. Still coached by Auerbach, the Celtics
won another seven championships, thus winning eight
in a row. During that timespan, the Celtics met
the Lakers in the Finals six times, starting an
intense and often bitter rivalry. The Celtics would
eventually meet the Lakers a total of 10 times in
the NBA Finals. After the 1966 championship, Auerbach
retired as coach but remained General Manager, a
position he would hold well into the 1980s. Russell
took over as player-coach. However, that year the
Celtics' string of NBA titles was broken as they
lost to the Philadelphia
76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The
aging team managed two more championships in 1968
and 1969, each against the Lakers
in the NBA Finals. Russell retired after the 1969
season, effectively ending a dominant Celtics dynasty
that had garnered 11 NBA titles. The streak of 8
consecutive NBA championships is the longest streak
of consecutive championships in U.S. sports history.
Other important players during this era included
Sam
Jones, John
Havlicek, and Tommy
Heinsohn.
Rebuilding the Dynasty (1970-1978)
The next season was one of rebuilding as the Celtics
had their first losing record in a long time. However,
with Dave
Cowens, Paul
Silas, and Jo
Jo White, the Celtics became dominant again.
In 1974 the team bested the Milwaukee
Bucks in the NBA Finals, and in 1976 the team
won yet another championship after defeating the
Phoenix
Suns. The 1976 NBA Finals featured one of the
greatest games in the history of the NBA. With the
series tied at two games apiece, the Suns trailed
early in the Boston Garden, but came back to force
overtime. In double overtime, a Gar
Heard turn-around jumper at the top of the key
sent the game to an unprecedented third overtime,
at which point the Celtics prevailed. Tommy
Heinsohn coached the team for those two championships.
After the 1976 victory, however, Boston went into
another phase of rebuilding.
The Bird Years (1979-1992)
The rebuilding phase only lasted two years. Auerbach
selected Larry
Bird in the 1978 NBA Draft. Bird elected to
remain in college for his senior year but the Celtics
retained his rights (something that couldn't happen
in today's NBA). Bird would debut for the Celtics
during the 1979-80 season, a year after his selection,
and go on to win Rookie of the Year honors. In the
following season, Bird was joined by another Celtics
draft pick, Kevin
McHale, and trade acquisition Robert
Parish. With these three future Hall of Famers
in place, the Celtics yet again became a dominant
team in the NBA. At this time the Celtics also had
Cedric
Maxwell, a solid veteran who was part of the
first "Bird Era" championship team. The Celtics
went on to capture the NBA Championship in 1981,
just two years after Bird had been drafted, under
head coach Bill
Fitch.
K.C.
Jones was named head coach after Fitch's reign
ended. Under their new coach, the Celtics would
fail to achieve postseason glory for a few more
years. During this time, the Celtics added players
like Danny
Ainge, Dennis
Johnson, and M.L.
Carr. In 1984 the Celtics would come back from
a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Los
Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, thus winning
their 15th championship. Bird renewed his college
rivalry with Lakers (and former Michigan
State) star Magic
Johnson during this series. In 1985, the Lakers
and Celtics would meet again, but this time the
Lakers would take home the championship. During
the following offseason the Celtics acquired Bill
Walton from the Los
Angeles Clippers in exchange for Cedric
Maxwell. Walton was a future Hall of Famer and
had been a big star with the Portland
Trailblazers, but injuries had kept him from
living up to expectations. He was also a lifelong
Celtics fan. He would be a big part of the Celtics'
success in 1986. That year, the Celtics fielded
one of the best teams in NBA history. They would
win their 16th and last championship to date, easily
defeating the Houston
Rockets in the NBA Finals. Jones had led the
Celtics to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances
against the Lakers and Houston
Rockets when all was said and done. Unfortunately,
Bill
Walton would not stay with the team much longer
as injuries would force his retirement. The Celtics
would remain competitive for the rest of the 80's,
but would only return once more (1987 - losing 4-2
to the Lakers) to the NBA Finals again after 1986.
The Celtics drafted Len
Bias in 1987 NBA Draft and had high hopes for
the young University
of Maryland star. Fans believed Bias, who had
superstar potential, would be the perfect complement
to the aging but still strong Celtics, and he ensured
the franchise would remain a powerhouse after Bird,
McHale and Parish retired. Tragically, Bias passed
away the night after he was drafted, after experimenting
with cocaine at a party and overdosing. It would
be the first in a long string of bad luck for the
Celtics, and many fans believe the Celtics have
never recovered from the loss of Bias.
Tragedy and Decline (1993-2003)
The era of the great teams of the 1980's drew to
close as Larry
Bird began to experience back trouble and Kevin
McHale and Robert
Parish's skills began to diminish with age.
In 1992, the Celtics won the Atlantic Division title,
an achievement they would not attain again until
the 2004-2005 season. After thirteen seasons with
the club, Bird retired due to his back injuries.
By this time former player Chris
Ford was the coach of the Celtics. 26-year old
Reggie
Lewis was seen as Bird's successor and became
the new franchise player for the Celtics. In 1995
the Celtics moved from the Boston
Garden into the Fleet
Center (recently renamed the TD
Banknorth Garden).
Lewis, a forward, fainted during a playoff matchup
with the Charlotte
Hornets. It was later revealed that Lewis had
heart problems, yet he was able to get doctors to
clear him for a comeback. He died of a heart attack
after parcipating in a pickup basketball game during
the offseason. The Celtics honored his memory during
the following season by retiring his number.
Former player M.L.
Carr soon became the team's General Manager
and drafted young players like Eric
Montross and Eric
Williams. He later fired Chris
Ford and took the coaching reins himself. After
a somewhat disappointing season, the Celtics made
the playoffs only to be eliminated in the first
round by the Orlando
Magic.The Celtics wallowed in mediocrity for
the next few years and would fail to make the playoffs.
Carr stepped aside to another job in the organization
when the Celtics acquired Rick
Pitino to serve as the team's President, Front
Office Manager, and Head Coach. Pitino had led the
University
of Kentucky to an NCCA
Championship and was a very successful head
coach, with a short NBA stint with the New
York Knicks several years prior. Unfortunately
for the Celtics, Pitino was not the savior everyone
expected him to be, although he did bring several
talented young players to the team during his tenure.
The Celtics, at 15-67, had the worst record in franchise
history and the worst record in the NBA overall
during the 1996-97 season, failing to win the NBA's
Draft Lottery to determine who would receive the
first pick in the college draft (the team that finishes
last has the highest probability of picking first).
Instead, the Celtics received the third and sixth
picks. They drafted Chauncey
Billups and Ron
Mercer and seemed ready to pair them with Antoine
Walker, the second-year player out of Kentucky,
who had a solid rookie season. Unfortunately, two
of these players would not remain as fixtures on
the team in the long term (although Billups would
go onto later success with the Detroit
Pistons). The following year the Celtics drafted
Paul
Pierce, a college star who had been expected
to be drafted much higher than the Celtics' number
10 pick overall. Other notable players Pitino acquired
were Walter
McCarty, Tony
Delk, Eric
Williams (re-acquired after leaving the team),
and veteran Kenny
Anderson.
Pitino failed to coach any successful teams and
resigned in 2001, leaving the Celtics in the hands
of assistant coach Jim
O'Brien, a friend of Pitino's who subsequently
took the reins as interim head coach. Chris
Wallace became the general manager of the team.
Ironically, the Celtics improved greatly after this
coaching change. Paul
Pierce matured into an NBA star and was complemented
by Antoine
Walker, along with the other young veteran players
acquired over the years. O'Brien was later made
the permanent head coach. The Celtics had three
picks in the draft that year, but Wallace used them
on players who did not work out in the long run
(including Joe
Johnson, who would have later success with the
Phoenix Suns). The Celtics made the playoffs for
the first time in years the following season. The
team made it as far as the Eastern Conference Finals,
losing to the New
Jersey Nets. In 2003 the Celtics were sold by
owner Paul
Gaston to Boston Basketball Partners LLC, led
by H. Irving Grousbeck, Wycliffe Grousbeck, Steve
Pagliuca, Robert Epstein, David Epstein, and John
Svenson. The team made it back to the playoffs but
were eliminated in the second round this time, again
by the Nets.
Rebuilding a Contender (2003-present)
Before their elimination, the team hired Danny
Ainge to take over the front office, pushing
Chris Wallace to another job in the organization.
Ainge believed the team had reached its peak and
promptly traded many of its stars throughout the
next season. Antoine
Walker was the most notable player to go, being
traded to the Mavericks (along with Tony
Delk) during training camp. Eric Williams and
Kenny
Anderson also left during that year. They were
replaced by Ricky
Davis, Mark
Blount, Raef
LaFrentz and others. The team struggled a bit
as they tried to find their new identity. Jim O'Brien
stepped down during the 2004 season to be replaced
by interim coach John
Carroll. The Celtics made the playoffs only
to be swept in the first round by the Indiana
Pacers. Ainge received a lot of critism for
breaking up the previous team, but he was able to
have a few successful drafts, including picks like
Marcus
Banks, Al
Jefferson, Kendrick
Perkins, Delonte
West and others. During his second off-season,
Ainge was able to unload some payroll when he acquired
veterans Gary
Payton and Rick
Fox from the Los Angeles Lakers. Fox retired
before playing with the team while Payton threatened
not to show up at training camp, but the latter
eventually ended up playing for the team during
the 2004-05
season. The Celtics were a young team under
new coach Doc
Rivers, yet they seemed to have a core of good
young players, led by rookie Al
Jefferson, with a selection of able veterans
(Paul Pierce, Raef LaFrentz, and Ricky Davis). Before
the trading deadline in the winter of 2005 the Celtics
re-acquired Antoine Walker when they dealt Gary
Payton to the Atlanta
Hawks (Payton would re-sign with the team after
being released from the Hawks a week later). With
Walker back in the fold, the Celtics improved enormously.
They won their first Atlantic
Divison title since 1993. The Pacers, however,
defeated them in the first round yet again.
Payton and Walker both became free agents. Walker
and Payton were traded to the Miami
Heat in a multi-team sign-and-trade deal that
brought the Celtics some young talent. Ainge brought
in a few more young players during the draft, including
Gerald
Green, Ryan
Gomes, and Orien
Greene.
During the 2006 season, Ainge traded Davis, Blount,
Banks, Justin
Reed, and two conditional second-round draft
picks to the Minnesota
Timberwolves for forward Wally
Szczerbiak, centers Michael
Olowokandi and Dwayne
Jones, and a first-round pick. The team's direction
is still skeptical, and Boston as a result currently
displays a mediocre record at the 2006 All-Star
break. However, Ainge has stated more than once
that he is committed to continuing the rebuilding
process under team captain Paul
Pierce, who is seen by many as playing the best
basketball of his distinguished career so far.
As
of 2005 the Celtics have never lost a Game
7 in the NBA Finals. They are a perfect 7-0
in these games, winning in 1957, 1960, 1962, 1966,
1969, 1974, and 1984.
Historical Rivalries
The Boston Celtics have had a longstanding rivalry,
especially throughout the 80s, with the Los
Angeles Lakers. At the height of the rivalry,
the Lakers and Celtics would win 8 NBA Championships
in the decade (The Lakers won 5 while the Celtics
won 3), and would play each other in the NBA
Finals 3 different times. The rivalry was cooled
off as the Celtics slipped into mediocrity in the
90s, but Lakers-Celtics is considered by many NBA
fans to be the league's greatest rivalry. The Celtics
also have historical ties with the Philadelphia
76ers, who played with the Celtics in tense
playoff series in the 60s and 80s.
Players of note
Not to be forgotten:
Retired numbers:
- 00 Robert
Parish: C, 1980-94
- 1 Walter
A. Brown: team founder; owner, 1946-64
- 2 Red
Auerbach: Head Coach, 1950-66; Executive,
1950-present
- 3 Dennis
Johnson: G, 1983-90
- 6 Bill
Russell: C, 1956-69; Head Coach, 1966-69
- 10 Jo
Jo White: G, 1969-79
- 14 Bob
Cousy: G, 1950-63; Broadcaster
- 15 Tom
Heinsohn: F, 1956-65; Head Coach, 1969-78;
Broadcaster
- 16 Satch
Sanders: F, 1960-73
- 17 John
Havlicek: F, 1962-78
- 18 * Jim
Loscutoff: F, 1955-64
- 18 Dave
Cowens: C, 1970-80; Head Coach, 1978-79
- 19 Don
Nelson: F, 1965-76
- 21 Bill
Sharman: G, 1951-61
- 22 Ed
Macauley: C, 1950-56
- 23 Frank
Ramsey: F, 1954-64
- 24 Sam
Jones: G, 1957-69
- 25 K.C.
Jones: G, 1958-67; Head Coach, 1983-88
- 31 Cedric
Maxwell: F, 1977-85
- 32 Kevin
McHale: F, 1980-93
- 33 Larry
Bird: F, 1979-92
- 35 Reggie
Lewis: G, 1987-93
- Microphone Johnny
Most: Broadcaster, 1953-90
* Note: Loscutoff's #18 was retired, but kept active
for Dave Cowens. Instead of two 18s on the Celtics'
retired number banners, Loscutoff is reprsented
by a square with the letters "LOSCY."
Other notable figures
Current Roster (updated January 27, 2006)
2004/2005 Season Coaching Staff
HEAD COACH: Doc
Rivers
ASSISTANT COACHES: Dave Wohl, Tony Brown,
Jim Brewer, Kevin Eastman, Armond Hill and Paul
Pressey
2005 Draft picks
See also
External links
