A new championship era in Boston began in the 1980-81 season with the additions of Robert Parish and Kevin McHale to a young team that already featured Larry Bird, Gerald Henderson and Cedric Maxwell. The roster combinations worked out for Coach Bill Fitch as the Celtics captured their 14th NBA World Championship title. Bird had […]

Larry Bird had been out of the lineup for weeks when Boston met the Indiana Pacers in the 1992 Eastern Conference First Round. Thankfully, the Celtics didn’t require any heroics from the Indiana native and swept the Pacers in three games. The next matchup in the semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers proved more challenging. Although […]

The Celtics wore special warmup shirts highlighting the 30th, 40th and 50th anniversaries of three of Boston’s NBA World Championship title teams on April 13, 2016. Given the occasion, the Celtics pulled off an inspiring comeback from a 24-point halftime deficit to beat the Miami Heat, 98-88. A galaxy of Boston stars attended the special […]

The early 1980s Celtics didn’t have “Showtime” (that belonged to their rivals in Los Angeles), but they did have the original Big Three of Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale. Joining the trio were running mates like future Hall-of-Famer Nate “Tiny” Archibald and 1981 NBA Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell. Together, these five Celtics players […]

While great offensive players always grab headlines, the Celtics played fantastic defense during much of their long run of success in the 1980s. Under Head Coach K.C. Jones, the Celtics finished in the top five for defensive rating from 1984 to 1986. Said Jones, “We had strong defense, leading to strong offense.” Boston showed off […]

Stung by watching the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate their 1985 NBA Finals victory at Boston Garden, the Celtics put on one of the most dominating performances in NBA history in 1986. Boston tore through the Eastern Conference in the playoffs, losing only once in 12 games against the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks. […]

After defeating the Washington Bullets in four games in the 1984 Eastern Conference First Round, the Celtics faced the New York Knicks in the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. The physical semifinals went seven games, but Boston came out on top. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics took revenge on the […]

Some changes in the Celtics front office unfolded ahead of the 1990-91 season. Big East Conference commissioner and future Hall-of-Famer Dave Gavitt became team CEO and former Celtics player Chris Ford took over as head coach. Young stars Reggie Lewis, Brian Shaw, Kevin Gamble and Dee Brown paired well with mainstays Larry Bird, Robert Parish […]

The Celtics seemed to be back at full strength in the 1989-90 season with Larry Bird’s return from injury, productive seasons from Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Dennis Johnson, and the emergence of Reggie Lewis as a starter. The team improved its win total by 10 and won the first two games of their opening-round […]

Imagine what the final season of the Boston Garden could have been with Len Bias and Reggie Lewis. Bias would have been just 31 early in the 1994-95 season and Lewis just 28. The loss of these young stars resonated deeply in the mid-1990s as the superstars of the past retired – first Dennis Johnson, […]