Boston Celtics Tickets

Based in Boston, Massachusetts, The Boston Celtics are a professional basketball team. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Their 16 NBA championships are the most for any NBA franchise.

Franchise history:

The beginning of a dynasty (1946-1969):

The Boston 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 in the fall of 1949. The Boston Celtics had struggled during their early years, but the hiring of Coach Red Auerbach changed 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, the Boston Celtics in a dispersal draft acquired Cousy. He became a huge part of the Celtics' success and eventually became good friends with his new coach.

Rebuilding the dynasty (1970-1978)

The next season was one of rebuilding as the Boston Celtics had their first losing record since the 1949-50 season, the year prior to Auerbach's arrival. However, with Dave Cowens, Paul Silas, and Jo Jo White, Boston Celtics soon became dominant again. After losing in the Eastern Conference Finals in 1972 the Celtics regrouped and came out determined in 1973 and posted an excellent 68-14 record, still they were upset in 7 games by the New York Knicks in the Conference Finals.

Tragedy and decline (1993-2001)

At the time of Bird's retirement former Boston Celtics guard Chris Ford was the coach of the Boston Celtics. 26-year old Reggie Lewis was seen as Bird's successor as the franchise player for the Celtics. In Bird's final season it was Lewis who led the team in scoring, and made his first All-Star appearance in the 1992 All-Star game. Lewis, a small forward, fainted during a 1993 playoff match up with the Charlotte Hornets.

Boston Celtics took another hit after the season, as Kevin McHale retired after 13 seasons in the NBA. Boston Celtics were now down to one member of the "Big Three" for the 1993-94, as well as without Lewis, their captain and young star. Boston Celtics drafted Acie Earl in the first round of the 1993 NBA Draft, and planned on making him Parish's successor in the middle.

The Pitino years

Carr stepped aside to another job in the organization when the Boston Celtics convinced Rick Pitino to join the franchise as the team's President, Front Office Manager, and Head Coach. Pitino had led the University of Kentucky to an NCAA Championship and was a very successful head coach at the college level, with a short NBA stint with the New York Knicks several years prior.

Rebuilding a contender (2001-present)

Following the resignation of Rick Pitino, the Celtics improved greatly. Paul Pierce matured into an NBA star and was ably complemented by Antoine Walker, along with the other role players acquired over the years. The team finished the season going 24-24 under O'Brien and following the 2000-01 season O'Brien was given the job of head coach on a permanent basis. As a result of numerous trades, the Celtics had three picks in the 2001 NBA Draft.

2006-07 Season

The 2006-07 seasons began with the death of Red Auerbach at the age of 89. He was one of the few remaining people who had been a part of the NBA since it's inception in 1946. Boston Celtics went 2-22 from late December 2006 through early February 2007 after losing Paul Pierce to injury, the result of a stress reaction in his left foot. At first, the Celtics received a much-needed boost from guard Tony Allen but he tore his ACL on a dunk attempt after drawing a foul in a January 10, 2007 game against the Indiana Pacers. The Celtics are 23-52; including a franchise record 18 games losing streak that lasted from January 5 to February 14.

Historical rivalries

The Boston Celtics have had a rivalry, especially throughout the 80s, with the Los Angeles Lakers. At the height of the rivalry, the Lakers and Boston Celtics won 8 of the 9 NBA Championships awarded from 1980-1988, and played each other in the NBA Finals on 3 occasions. The rivalry cooled off as the Celtics slipped into mediocrity in the mid and late-90s, but Lakers-Celtics is considered by many NBA fans to be the league's greatest rivalry. Another fierce rivalry formed in the 1980s between the Celtics and the Detroit Pistons. The two franchises met in the playoffs 5 times between 1985 and 1991. The Celtics also have historical ties with the Philadelphia 76ers, which played the Celtics in tense playoff series in the 60s, 80s and 2000s.