For the Celtics, the 1980s can be summed up in one word: dominance. The original Big Three rose to power with superstars Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Celtics legend K.C. Jones made his triumphant return to Boston as the team’s head coach. And the Celtics made the playoffs every season of the decade, […]

Hall-of-Famers Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Larry Bird looked at home on the parquet floor at Boston Garden. The legendary trio brought dominance to Boston in the 1980s. Indiana State phenom Bird got his start in 1979. One year later, Red Auerbach traded two first-round draft picks to the Golden State Warriors for Parish and […]

The Red Auerbach Youth Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament helped raise money to encourage children, especially those without normal access, to play sports. Held at various prestigious private golf courses around the greater Boston area over the years, Celtics players from Bob Cousy and K.C. Jones to Kevin McHale and Danny Ainge participated, helping their old […]

The Boston Celtics-Los Angeles Lakers rivalry was the highlight of the NBA and arguably all professional sports during the 1980s. It featured the “Showtime” Lakers of Pat Riley, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar against the more workman-like Celtics of K.C. Jones, Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale. Boston fans reveled in their team’s blue-collar […]

Boston fans had their sign game on display during the 1984 celebration honoring the NBA World Championship title-winning Celtics. These pieces of support for Kevin McHale and Dennis Johnson were just a few of dozens spotted in the crowd that day.

Just one day after winning the 15th NBA World Championship title in franchise history, members of the Celtics were feted by President Ronald Reagan at the White House. Just back from a trip to his ancestral Ireland, Reagan compared Boston’s basketball team to the Celtic warriors of old. “You threw yourselves into that final battle […]