For the 23rd time in its history, the Boston Celtics are in the NBA Finals — the place their fans, and the franchise itself, expect to be.
The Celtics are one of the grand and most historic franchises in the NBA, a history littered with the great names of the game: Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Larry Bird, John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, Kevin McHale, Paul Pierce — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Let’s look at the Boston Celtics NBA Finals history.
How many NBA titles do the Boston Celtics have?
Boston has 17 NBA titles, tied for the most in league history with its rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. If Boston can beat Dallas this year, it will put the Celtics alone in first place and ahead of their West Coast nemesis.
How many times have the Celtics lost the finals?
Five times. That includes their most recent trip to the NBA Finals in 2022 when Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown learned some hard lessons in their first trip to the league’s biggest stage, falling at the hands of the more experienced Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
When did the Celtics last win a championship?
Boston last won a title in 2008, when Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen — along with young upstart point guard Rajon Rondo — knocked off the Kobe Bryant Lakers in six games.
When was the last time the Celtics were in the NBA Finals?
Boston was in the NBA Finals just two years ago, 2022, but lost to the Golden State Warriors. That was a very different Boston team. While Tatum and Brown were still the leaders, that roster leaned on players no longer with the team, including Marcus Smart, Robert Williams (who was battling knee issues even then), and Grant Williams.
How many titles does Jayson Tatum have?
Zero. That’s the next step in Tatum’s legacy, as great a player as he has been — five-time All-Star, four-times All-NBA, 2022 Eastern Conference Finals MVP — in Boston legacies are measured in rings. If Tatum wants to ascend to become one of the Celtics’ all-time greats, he needs a title (or titles). That can start this year.
Who has won Finals MVP for the Boston Celtics?
Five Celtics have been named NBA Finals MVP. Larry Bird did it twice in the 1980s (1984 and 1986) and has the most of any Boston player. Other Celtics who have been voted NBA Finals MVP are John Havlicek (1974), Jo Jo White (1976), Cedric Maxwell (1981), and Paul Pierce (2008).
Bill Russell’s name is not on that list because the NBA Finals award did not exist until 1969, the final season of Russell’s 13-year Hall of Fame playing career. The Celtics did make the Finals in 1969, and the Celtics won the title that season, but the Finals MVP went to the Lakers’ Jerry West, the only time in NBA history the award winner was on the losing team in the series. If the Finals MVP award existed prior to 1969, Russell would have a trophy case full of them.
Did the Celtics win 8 championships in a row?
Yes, and that doesn’t even tell the story of the Celtics’ dominance from the late 1950s through the 1960s.
Boston won 11 titles in 13 seasons during the Bill Russell era, starting in the 1957 Finals and running through Russell’s final season in 1969. Those teams were stacked with talent, including Russell, Cousy at the point,Tommy Heinsohn, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones, Frank Ramsey, and Bill Sharman, and they were coached by the legend Red Auerbach.
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