It was June 6th in 1946, 41 year old business man and executive of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Walter A. Brown made one of the most important decisions in sports history. He founded the Boston Celtics. They started out in the BAA, which was also founded that day. Lead by Connie Simmons and coached by John “Honey” Russell, they went 22-38, finishing 5th out of 11, and missing the playoffs. But that would just be the start of greatness. The second year, they finished 3rd out of 4 and the third year they would finish 5th out of 6. Their total record in the 3 seasons of BAA was 67-101 (.399%) which wasn’t too good. But things would take major changes soon.
On August 3rd, 1949, the BAA and NBL merged, creating the basketball league we now know and love, the NBA. On November 3rd, 1949, 3 months after the merger, the Celtics played their first game, against a team called the Sheboygan Red Skins. Their first victory would come on November 12th against the Washington Capitols. The first year was rough, they finished 22-46 which was good enough for last in the East. Head coach Alvin Julian would not return and he would be replaced by Red Auerbach. That year, Bob Cousy was drafted to the Tri-Cities Blackhawks but refused to report which caused him to be moved to the Celtics. Now, with Auerbach and Cousy, the Celtics were ready for more, and they got it.
The Celtics would go 39-30 and finish 2nd in the East that year, Cousy put up 16-7-5, and Boston looked like a contender in the making. Cousy would continue to improve over the next 5 years averaging around 20 points and nearly reaching 9 assists a game by the time that span ended. But what happened next would change the NBA forever. With the first overall pick in the 1956 NBA draft, the Rochester Royals selected Sihugo Green, one of the worst misses in NBA history. The next pick, the St Louis Hawks would select Bill Russell but immediately trade him to the Celtics. The package they got was quite disappointing, they received Ed Macaulay and Cliff Hagan, who both became hall of famers, but were never nearly as much as Russell. The Celtics would also select Tommy Heinsohn and KC Jones in that draft.
The next 13 years could be described in so many ways. That was the era that defined what it meant to play Boston basketball. In Russell’s first year, he averaged 15-20-2 and helped Cousy lead the Celtics to their first title, beating the team that traded him just months earlier and launching the greatest dynasty in Sports history. Russell would peak at about 19 points and 24 rebounds per game, leading the Celtics to ring after ring after ring. From 1959 to 1966 there was only one team to win the ring, it was the Celtics, that is 8 years of one team. In the past 8 years, there has been no team that has won the title in back to back years. There hasn’t even been a team that has won the title multiple times. That stretch of dominance will never be matched again. By the time Russell’s career was winding down he ended up becoming the coach for the Celtics after Red Auerbach chose to take a role in the front office. He won two titles, retiring as a champion and the greatest player ever at the time.
Russell didn’t leave the team in bad hands though, they had a star waiting to be the man in the spotlight. John Havlicek was already budding into a superstar, before the retirement, his career averages were 18-6-4 on 32 minutes a game, he was an elite role player, being the great co-star with Russell as he aged. But after that, a flipped a switch. For the rest of his career, he would average 23-7-6, peaking at a ridiculous stat line of 29-9-8 on more than 45 minutes per game. This man was taking less than a 16th of the game off and putting up close to a triple double at the same time. But one of the best parts was often overlooked. No one understands how good Dave Cowens really was.
Dave Cowens was drafted 4th overall in the 1970 NBA draft. Though he was only 6’9, Bill Russell told the Celtics that he would be awesome which influenced the pick. That pick would be one of the best decisions in that dynasty. Cowens was one of the only people who was able to guard Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. At that time, Kareem was tearing up the league, even winning a title with the Bucks. But despite that and the half a foot height difference, Cowens would go out there and play like his life was on the line. He would do anything and everything to stop Kareem, and it worked. In 1973, Cowens would win the MVP, he lead the Celtics to a 68-14 record while putting up 20-16-4. He had a game where he put up 20-32-9, if anyone came close to that in this era then Bam Adebayo would soil his pants.
Cowens and Hondo would win the first Post-Russell ring in 1974, beating out the Bucks behind Cowens’ 28 points and 14 boards. Just two years later they would beat the Suns for their second title. But it wasn’t just Cowens and Hondo, there was so much behind those teams. Tommy Heinsohn would take over at coach after Russell, hoping to be nearly as good as he was. Red Auerbach made a move that would change everything though, he make the defining move of the decade, drafting point guard JoJo White. Though JoJo wasn’t the man in the spotlight, or even the second best player on that team, he brought everything that Hondo and Cowens didn’t, he was the last piece to the puzzle. With him, they were more than just special.
The Celtics would decline after the second ring, landing the 6th pick in the 1978 draft, where they made a decision that would change basketball again. They drafted Larry Bird out of Indiana State. But there was a question around that, he hadn’t declared, therefore, the NBA would implement a rule against doing that. But Bird would still be a Celtic. Bird would use his last year of eligibility and return to college before joining the Celtics after that. In Bird’s first year the Celtics immediately flipped things around, turning into a contender and looking like a future dynasty with superstar Larry Bird. But things would get hard out west.
After Bird’s rookie year, the Celtics had the 1st and 13th overall picks in the 1980 draft, which would cause one of the biggest trades of that era to happen. Red did it again, trading the 1st and 13th picks to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for the 3rd overall pick, and young center Robert Parish. The Celtics would end up selecting Kevin McHale 3rd overall, creating the big 3 of Bird, McHale, and Parrish. The big 3 would win their first ring in the 1981 season, beating the Rockets 4-2 and establishing themselves as the new big deal in the NBA. A couple years later, in 1984, they would win their second title in the Bird era, beating the Lakers, Bird won his second finals MVP. In the ‘84-‘86 stretch, Bird would also win 3 straight MVPs, averaging around 25-10-7 each year. But that last year was special.
The 1986 Celtics can be described in 3 words. Greatest, Team, Ever. Dennis Johnson, the elite passer and defender, manning the point. Danny Ainge, sharpshooter and one of the greatest minds in basketball at the 2. Larry Legend, a top 5 player all time at small forward. Kevin McHale at the 4, who as Bill Simmons said, has more low post combos than a Panda Express has menu combos. And Robert Parish at center, one of the most underrated big men of all time. But no one can forget the 6th man, Bill Walton. 6 of the best basketball players in the league, united. Under KC Jones, that team would finish 67-15, blowing through the playoffs and all the way to the finals where they would match up against the Rockets once again. They would take a 2-0 lead, looking poised to win it all before dropping 2 of the next 3. The Celtics were up 3-2 before a Larry Bird masterclass. 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists, allowing the Celtics to soar past the Rockets, winning 97-114, capping off the greatest basketball season ever.
But then, tragedy would strike. 9 days after winning the title, the Celtics had the second overall pick in the draft. They drafted promising shooting guard, Len Bias out of Maryland. Just 2 days later, Bias was found dead after overdosing on cocaine. Bias was supposed to lift the weight off of Bird and McHale and rival MJ, but in seconds, it was ruined. The Celtics were never the same, they wouldn’t win again for more than 20 years. The next year, the Celtics would draft Reggie Lewis, who was a solid player, but never what Bias would have been. On August 18th, 1992, Larry Bird would announce his retirement, signaling the end to the iconic era of Celtics basketball. Not even a year later, Kevin McHale would retire too, leaving the hands of the team to Reggie Lewis, who would shockingly pass away from a medical condition just 2.5 months after McHale’s retirement.
The bad luck would stick with the Celtics throughout the rest of the ‘90s. In 1996, the Celtics drafted forward, Antoine Walker, who would be a key part of the return to greatness. The next year would be heartbreak, the Celtics, heavy favorites to earn the number one pick, landed pick 3, drafting Chauncey Billups who would be traded in the middle of his rookie year. That next year, they would select Paul Pierce, the true cornerstone of the franchise. But the luck wouldn’t turn right away, on September 25th, 2000, young star Paul Pierce was stabbed 11 times at a club in Boston. With the track record of young guards dying, the Celtics were put in a terrifying spot, their new star was next in line. Luckily, Pierce survived, only suffering from a collapsed lung, which as severe as it was, wasn’t nearly as bad as the worst outcome. Pierce would make a full comeback and play for a long time after.
The next notable event was one of the greatest years of the Post-Bird Celtics. In 2006, the Celtics would trade for point guard Rajon Rondo, starting one of the greatest trade runs in NBA history. On June 28th, 2007, the Celtics made a blockbuster deal, trading Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, and 5th overall pick, Jeff Green to the Seattle SuperSonics for shooting guard Ray Allen and the draft rights to Glen Davis. But that trade was nothing compared to the next one, on July 31st, 2007, the Boston Celtics traded Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, and two first round picks who turned out to be Wayne Ellington and Jonny Flynn for superstar power forward Kevin Garnett. Now, with the new core of Rondo, Allen, Pierce, and KG, the Celtics were ready to take on the world and win it all again.
That season was special, from close wins, to Ubuntu, to so much more, that team was something special. They won 66 games with an awesome team. Pierce averaged 20-5-5, showing that he didn’t have to always be the true 1. KG averaged 19-9-3 with nearly 3 stocks, absolutely dominating opposing bigs. Ray Allen was a sniper, averaging 17 on nearly 40% from three. And then there was Rondo and Big Perk closing out that awesome starting lineup. Their dominance stretched past the regular season too. They beat the Hawks in 7, including limiting them to 65 points in the last game. Then they beat LeBron and the Cavs in 7 behind a defensive masterclass by KG. Then they took out the Pistons in 6 to match up against their greatest rival. But Kobe and the Lakers stood no chance against Kevin Garnett and the Celtics won in 6, taking home banner 17 and capping off a legendary season.
Sadly the big 3 would struggle with injuries and never quite be the same. Rondo blossomed into a star but no one could stay healthy so they ended up breaking up the superteam. Ray Allen left in free agency, signaling the end to the big 3, but the best was yet to come. On July 12th, 2013, Danny Ainge and the Celtics agreed to a trade that would send the aging duo of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce along with Jason Terry and DJ White to the Nets for Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Keith Bogans, Kris Joseph, unprotected firsts for 2014 (James Young), 2016 (Jaylen Brown), 2018 (Traded for Kyrie Irving), and a 2017 swap (Jayson Tatum). At the time the trade was seen as a make or break for the Nets and now we know it was just a break.
After the trade, the Celtics were stuck in mediocrity, never being the elite team they were before, but not being the worst of the worst. But after the picks were made, things changed. Tatum and Brown blossomed into superstars, reaching levels that no one expected. They became one of the best duos in the league. And before we knew it, it was 2022, Tatum was averaging 30 a game, Brown was averaging 25. The depth around them was solid, they were a real contender. That year they made a trade that would truly change the franchise. They traded Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, a 2022 first round pick (Blake Wesley), and a 2028 swap for combo guard Derrick White. Though they lost that year, adding White was the first step to reaching banner 18.
Celtics GM Brad Stevens would agree on a deal starting another awesome run, when the Celtics made a 3 team deal with the Wizards and Grizzlies. They sent Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies which broke the hearts of many fans, they also sent out Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala, but they received Kristaps Porzingis, the perfect big for their system. On October 1st Brad would strike again, agreeing on a deal with the Trail Blazers to send Jrue Holiday to Boston for Malcom Brogdon, Robert Williams, a 2024 first (Bub Carrington, traded with Brogdon for Deni), and a 2029 first. Now, their lineup was complete, with Holiday, White, Brown, Tatum, and Porzingis. And they did not disappoint the fans.
They would end up winning 64 games with Tatum and Brown leading and the two major trade additions looking like perfect fits. The ball movement on that team was something we will never see again. Holiday was the perfect role player, White was playing defense like his life depended on it. Brown was the perfect robin. Tatum was the perfect leader for the super team, and Porzingis was even better than we expected. They would start the playoffs by beating the Heat in 5, showing that they meant business. They would then beat the Cavs in 5 including a close out game where Tatum would be one assist away from a triple double and have 4 steals. Then there was the conference finals where they would sweep the Pacers, including one of the clutchest games ever by Jrue Holiday. After that, it was just Luka and Kyrie between them and the title.
I remember watching that game, Celtics up 3-1, taking a crushing loss the game before, but still up with the chokehold. I remember, school was almost done, if not done already, and I was so excited for summer. But what I was most excited for, was that last game. Watching that game was like watching a movie. From Derrick White’s awesome dive that knocked his teeth out just to grab a loose ball, to all of the other awesome plays, that game was pure cinema. To think it was 2 years ago already is crazy. I remember walking into my dad’s room to tell him that we won and Jaylen won finals MVP. And I sure do remember how good I slept that night. That was my favorite season I’ve ever watched. Everything was looking perfect for Celtics fans.
Sadly, things don’t always go as we want them to, and that’s what happened for the Celtics. The next year, the Celtics would deal with more injuries, but push through to the second round where tragedy would strike. Jayson Tatum would tear his achilles, ending all hope of a series come back, and signaling the end of the super team and a deadly cap cut. The Celtics would trade Kristaps Porzingis to the Hawks for Georges Niang and a second, Niang would be rerouted to Utah for RJ Luis Jr. They would then trade Jrue Holiday back to the Blazers for Anfernee Simons straight up. By the time the 2026 season started, the team looked very different. Starting Pritchard, White, Brown, Queta, and a mix of young players including Walsh, Baylor, and Minott, they looked like they weren’t gonna contend.
But they proved everyone wrong. They would go 56 and 26, beating most predictions by 15-20 wins and showing that Jaylen Brown alone was an MVP level player. That team was so much more than what they were supposed to be. Derrick White was a top 5 defender, blocking shots like someone a foot taller than him. Queta went from out of the rotation to one of the better defensive centers in the league, Baylor and Walsh became two of the best rotational wings in basketball, and the Celtics established themselves as a contender despite the doubt. Despite that, they would lose in the first round due to injuries and mistakes that looking back, could have been handled better.
But that puts us to today, the Celtics are currently thought of as a middle of the pack team, but have potential to contend again. No matter how they do, they still have history on their side, time and time again they prove that they are the greatest franchise in NBA history. Whether it was the Bill Russell era where they dominated an entire decade, or if it was Larry Bird and the ‘86 Celtics going one the greatest run ever. Or if it was something newer, such as the big 3 or the 2024 superteam, the Celtics have proven time after time again, one thing. They are, and forever will be, the greatest team in NBA history.