In the days since the the Basketball Association of America merged with the National Basketball League in 1949 to form the National Basketball Association, the Boston Celtics, almost every year, are one of the most successful teams.
Boston has been home to 17 National Basketball Association titles, and at the same time, they have welcomed in some of the greatest names in the history of the game. Legendary coach Red Auerbach ushered the team into the legacy of victory. And he did it by finding, obtaining and coaching players like Tommy Heinsohn, Bob Cousy, and Bill Russell. The Celtics squad won its first world championship in 1956.
In 1959, the team won the first of its eight straight championships. And six times in that eight-year span, they defeated the Minneapolis Lakers, starting what is to this day what is arguably the greatest rivalry in the world of sports, even though the Lakers long ago relocated from Minnesota to Los Angeles. It was also in 1959 that Coach Auerbach brought in KC Jones to the lineup, beginning his long association with the franchise that continued for decades.
Red Auerbach gave up coaching following the 1966 basketball season, and he was replaced by Bill Russell. Russell was the team’s player-coach, and at the same time, becoming the first African-American to coach any sport. Russell held the job through the 1969 season, and as he ended his playing career, it also ended a string of Boston winning the title 11 times in 13 years.
1970 was a bit of a down year for the Celtics, ending the year with their first losing record in two decades. But soon after bringing on a new batch of players with names like Paul Silas, Jo Jo White and Dave Cowens. The Celtics quickly returned to the top of the basketball world, winning a 12th championship in 1974.
Another legendary player, and truly one of the biggest names in the game, joined the lineup in 1979, when a former college star named Larry Bird joined the club. Bird came to the Celtics from Indiana State University, and he was the first of another new batch of names that would soon become familiar to basketball fans everywhere. Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish helped add to the history of the team, and another league championship was won in 1981.
The Bird-Parish-McHale trio worked for more league championships in 1984. And it was in 1986 that the franchise came up with one of the most famous years in history. The Celtics won 67 games, lost only 15, and they were an amazing 40-1 on their home court. Not surprisingly, the Houston Rockets were easy pickings in the league finals, making it 16 titles in history.
But the Celtics also have had tragic times. Two days after being drafted with the a first round pick in 1986, Len Bias, a star player from the University of Maryland, died of a drug overdose. And in 1993, All-Star player Reggie Lewis died during the off-season, after suffering a heart attack.
Coaches and players aside, the team also is known for its radio voice. Although he never made a basket, and never drew up a play, Johnny Most is one of the most famous names in basketball history. Most was the radio announcer for the Celtics, and he was behind the microphone for more than four decades, calling games from 1953 to 1990. After health problems forced him from the game in 1990, he died in 1993, due to a heart attack.
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