The Boston Celtics are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (the NBA).  The Boston Celtics play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference with four other teams: the New York Knicks, the New Jersey Nets, the Toronto Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers.  Celtics tickets will surely be hard to come by during the 2010-2011 NBA schedule.

Celtics 2009-2010 Outlook

The Boston Celtics finished the 2010-2011 NBA season with a 50-32 record and were the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference in the NBA playoffs.  The Celtics peaked at the right time at the end of the regular season and became a dominant force in the playoffs.  The Celtics took out the 6th seeded Miami Heat in the 1st round of the playoffs.  Then the Celtics used their physical play to upset the top seed in the East - Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 6 games.  The Celtics then knocked out the 2-Seed Orlando Magic and superstud Dwight Howard in a hard-fought Eastern Conference Series.  That led to a rematch against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals - the Celtics defeated the Lakers in 5 games back in 2008 to win the franchise's 19th NBA Title.  The Celtics took the favored Lakers to 7 games, but the Lakers were just too much at home in Game 7 as the Lakers won their 2nd consecutive NBA Title.

The Celtics boast one of the most balanced lineups in all of the NBA.  Superstar Forward Paul Pierce led the team with 18.3 points per game.  Superstar Point Guard Rajon Rondo led the team with 9.8 assists per game during the regular season.  And Big Center Kendrick Perkins led the t eam with 7.6 rebounds per game during the regular season. 

While most NBA teams spent the off-season releasing and trading players in order to try to free enough salary cap space to land one or more super star free agents - Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire or Joe Johnson, just to name a few - the Celtics focused on their own talent for the 2010-2011 NBA season.  Head Coach Doc Rivers confirmed that he would be back for another year as Celtics "skipper".  And the club re-signed free agents Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to keep the talented nucleus intact.  With the addition of Jermaine O'Neal and Shaquille O'Neal via free agency and the drafting of forward Luke Harongody from the University of Notre Dame, the Celtics are poised and confident for the upcoming season.  Anything less than a Championship Title Run at the end of the 2010-2011 NBA regular season will surely be considered a MAJOR disappointment in the sports world and for Celtics fans alike.  Get your Celtics NBA tickets at the TD Banknorth Garden before it's too late.

History

The Boston Celtics were formed in 1946 and initially played in the Basketball Association of America.  The Boston Celtics were one of the founding members of the NBA in 1949 when the Basketball Association of America merged with the National Basketball League to form the NBA.  The Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks are the only 2 original members of the NBA that still play in their original cities.  The Boston Celtics did not record a winning record in any of its 1st four professional seasons and only made the playoffs once, losing in the 1st round to the Chicago Stags, a team that folded in 1950.  When the team hired Head Coach Red Auerbach, the fortunes of the Boston Celtics changed for the better.  Although Red Auerbach initially refused to draft eventual Hall of Famer Bob Cousy, the Boston Celtics later acquired Cousy from the Chicago Stags after the franchise folded for financial reasons.  Following that acquisition, Red Auerbach also orchestrated the trade of Celtic great and future Hall of Famer Ed Macauley to the St. Louis Hawks for their 1st round draft pick.  The Boston Celtics used that pick to select Bill Russell and later acquired Tommy Heinsohn, the 1957 NBA Rookie of the Year.  Cousy, Russell, and Heinsohn formed the talented trio that would bring 11 NBA Championships to the city of Boston.  The Boston Celtics won their 1st NBA Championship in 1956-1957 with a 4-3 series win over the St. Louis Hawks.  The Boston Celtics would lose to the Hawks in the NBA Finals the following year, but then the Boston Celtics would advance to and win 8 consecutive NBA Championships from 1958-1959 through 1965-1966.  And after failing to make the NBA Finals in 1966-1967, the Boston Celtics won back-to-back NBA Championships over the Los Angeles Lakers in 1967-1968 and 1968-1969.  The Boston Celtics won an incredible 11 NBA Championships in 13 years.

The Boston Celtics failed to make the playoffs during the next 2 seasons and started to rebuild a new dynasty.  The Boston Celtics acquired future stars Dave Cowens, Paul Silas and Jo Jo White and the teams was coached by the legendary Tommy Heinsohn.  The Boston Celtics advanced to the NBA playoffs 6 consecutive years from 1971-1972 through 1976-1997 and won 2 more NBA Championships in 1973-1974 and 1975-1976.  After the franchise’s 12th and 13th NBA Championships, the Boston Celtics endured another brief rebuilding process.  Red Auerbach drafted well and made key trades to acquire Larry Bird, Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale.  With that fabulous trio, the Boston Celtics won the franchise’s 14th NBA Championship in 1980-1981 with a thrilling 6 game NBA Finals win over the Houston Rockets.  The Boston Celtics then hired K.C. Jones as their head coach and added key role players, including Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge, Quinn Buckner and M.L. Carr.  The Boston Celtics played in 4 consecutive NBA Finals from 1983-1984 through 1986-1987, winning 2 of them over the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets.  Following the 16th and final NBA Championship, the Boston Celtics could never recapture the glory years of the previous Celtics dynasties.  The team advanced to the playoffs for 5 straight years, but never advanced past the Eastern Conference semifinals.  Larry Bird retired following the 1991-1992 season, and Bird’s planned successor, Reggie Lewis, died tragically following a heart attack (he had been diagnosed with a heart condition but was cleared to play.  Lewis’ #35 has since been retired by the Boston Celtics. 

The Boston Celtics then endured the failed Rick Pitino tenure.  Pitino had been a successful college basketball coach with the University of Kentucky, but his dual role as president and head coach of the Boston Celtics, and his hard-nosed coaching style did not translate well on the professional basketball level.  The Boston Celtics never had a winning record under Pitino and he resigned in 2001.  Head Coach Jim O’Brien replaced Pitino and he, along with Antoine Walker and a cast of quality role players, were able to lead the Boston Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001-2002.  But the New Jersey Nets upset the Boston Celtics in 6 games, and the Boston Celtics endured another tough stretch where the team did not advance past the Eastern Conference semifinals.  The Boston Celtics recorded losing seasons in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007, but the city of Boston has high hopes for the 2007-2008 season following the acquisitions of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen during the summer of 2007.  The Boston Celtics and its loyal fan base would love to add a 17th NBA Championship to their mantle.               

The Boston Celtics have retired 21 players’ numbers throughout the team’s 62-year history – the most of any professional sports franchise in North America.  Banners hang in the rafters of TD Banknorth Garden for the following Boston Celtics players:  Founder and first owner Walter Brown’s #1 (retired October 1, 1974) – the #1 signifies his status as the most significant person in franchise history; Head Coach Arnold “Red” Auerbach’s #2 (retired January 4, 1985) – the #2 signifies his status as the 2nd most significant person in franchise history; Dennis Johnson’s #3 (retired December 13, 1991); Bill Russell’s #6 (retired March 12, 1972); Jo Jo White’s #10 (retired April 9, 1982); Bob Cousy’s #14 (retired October 16, 1963); Tom Heinsohn’s #15 (retired October 15, 1966); Tom “Satch” Sander’s #16 (retired January 1973); John Havlicek’s #17 (retired October 13, 1978); Dave Cowens’ #18 (retired February 8, 1981); Don Nelson’s #19 (retired 1978); Bill Sharman’s #21 (retired October 15, 1966); Ed Macauley’s #22 (retired October 16, 1963); Frank Ramsey’s #23; Sam Jones’ #24 (retired March 9, 1969); K.C. Jones’ #25 (retired February 12, 1967); Cedric Maxwell’s #31 (retired December 15, 2003); Kevin McHale’s #32 (retired January 30, 1994); Larry Bird’s #33 (retired February 4, 1993); Reggie Lewis’ #35 (retired March 22, 1995); Robert Parrish’s #00 (retired January 18, 1998); and Jim Loscutoff’s #18 – “Loscy” played all of his 9 NBA seasons with the Celtics helping them win 7 NBA Championships during that span.  After his career with the Celtics ended, he requested that his #18 not be retired so that a future Celtic could wear it.  Dave Cowens did just that and had the number retired following the end of his illustrious career. 

Celtics TV/Radio

All Boston Celtics basketball games can be seen on the Comcast SportsNet television networks in the greater Boston area.  NBC, ESPN and TNT may also televise Boston Celtics games based on the popularity of the game.  Tune into 850 WEEI on your AM dial to catch each Boston Celtics basketball game on the radio.

The Boston Celtics play their home games at TD Banknorth Garden.  TD Banknorth Garden is located right in the heart of the West End neighborhood of Boston.  In addition to hosting Boston Celtics NBA home games, TD Banknorth Garden also hosts all of the home professional hockey games for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (the NHL) and will host all of the home professional lacrosse games for the new Boston Blazers of the National Lacrosse League (the NLL) starting in 2009.  TD Banknorth Garden is named after its corporate sponsor – TD Banknorth – but has the nickname “The Garden” or the traditional “Boston Garden”. TD Banknorth Garden holds a capacity of 18,624 devoted die-hard Boston Celtics fans.  It has played host to numerous memorable and historic NBA basketball games, NHL hockey games, concerts and boxing events, including the annual Beanpot Hockey Tournament, the annual Hockey East Championships, Men’s and Women’s NCAA College Basketball Tournament games, the 2001 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the 1998 and 2004 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four and the 1996 NHL All-Star Game.  

2007-2008 Celtics
2009-2010 Celtics