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Updates

2022-23 Season

February 19, 2023: Jayson Tatum scored 55 points and was named MVP of the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. He became the first player in history with 50 points in a regular-season game, a playoff game and an All-Star Game.

Season Preview: After reaching the NBA Finals last season, the Celtics are the favorites to win the Eastern Conference once again. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart are three of the finest all-around players in the game. Playing behind Smart is newcomer Malcolm Brogdon, a team leader with the Pacers and a player who should improve the Boston defense.

2021-22 Season

Season Recap: After a so-so start, the Celtics turned it on and finished with 51 victories, and then reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010. Jayson Tatum was sensational all year, leading Boston in scoring and being named First-Team All-NBA and MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals. Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Robert Williams played well at both ends of the court along with Tatum. Boston’s tight defense helped them win two of the first three games in the Finals against the Golden State Warriors. But the Warriors turned up their own defense and won the last three games of the series to take the championship.

May 25, 2022: Jayson Tatum was named to the All-NBA First Team, reaching career-highs in points, rebounds and assists. He would go on to lead Boston to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.

April 18, 2022: Marcus Smart was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He was the first guard to win the award since Hall of Famer Gary Payton, in 1996.

March 28, 2022: Jayson Tatum was named Player of the Week for the third time in four weeks. He averaged 32 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in three wins that boosted Boston to a first-place tie in the Eastern Division.

February 15, 2022: The Celtics became the first team in history to win three games in a row on the road by 30 points or more.

January 23, 2022: Jayson Tatum hit a career-high 9 three-pointers in a victory over the Washington Wizards. He also had 51 points and 10 rebounds in the game.

Season Preview: Boston fans had no major complaints about the team’s superstar forward, Jayson Tatum. He continues to improve and should soon be one of the top players in the NBA for years to come. The team’s defense was leaky last season, so it will be up to new coach Ime Udoka to fix it. Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams, Enes Kanter, and Al Horford will share front-line duty and have to step up against the league’s big men for Boston to make a playoff run.

2020-21 Season

Season Recap: Boston fans got to watch Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown blossom into young superstars during 2020–21. The dup averaged more than 50 points a night. Veterans Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker provided experienced leadership, but the team was not healthy entering the playoffs and lost to the Brooklyn Nets 4 games to 1 in the opening round. In their lone victory, Tatum scored 50 points.

Season Preview: Boston’s strong front line—featuring All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown—is even stronger this season with the signing of center Tristan Thompson. With guard Kemba Walker running the show, the Celtics look like a good bet to make a run at the NBA Finals if everyone stays healthy in 2021.

2019-20 Season

Season Recap: Boston fans had high hopes for a spot in the NBA Finals after the Bucks were knocked out of the playoffs, but they lost to the Miami Heat in the conference finals 4 games to 2. Young leaders Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown averaged over 20 points a game, as did veteran Kemba Walker. Several role players, including centers Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter, made valuable contributions all season long.

March 4, 2020: Jayson Tatum scored 32 points in a win over the Cavaliers. It was his fifth 30-point game in a row, including a 41-point game against the Lakers. The 41 points matched a career-high set earlier in the season.

Season Preview: Kyrie Irving is gone and Kemba Walker takes his place. How Walker works with young stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown—and whether the defense comes together after Al Horford moved to Philadelphia—could be the difference between a so-so record and a 50-win season. If Marcus Smart plays shutdown defense and Gordon Hayward finds his pre-injury form, 50 could easily become 55 or 60.

2018-19 Season

Season Recap: Boston won 49 times in 2018–19, but could not make it back to the conference finals, as they had the two previous years. Six players averaged double-figures in scoring, led by Kyrie Irving at 23.8 points per game. Irving also led the Celtics in assists. Young Jayson Tatum continued to improve in his second year as a pro, leading the club with 477 rebounds. Veteran center Al Horford followed up his All-Star year with another solid season in the middle. Boston fans watched their team blow a lot of big leads, and at times the players squabbled, but it was still a shock to watch them lose in five playoff games to the Milwaukee Bucks.

February 15, 2019: Jayson Tatum led all players with 9 rebounds in the 2019 Rising Stars Challenge.

Season Preview: With LeBron James now playing the West, the Celtics are preseason favorites to play for the NBA championship. If Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward stay healthy, and Jason Tatum continues to improve, Boston will be tough to beat. Guard Jaylen Brown and center Al Horford round out a starting five that can beat opponents in a dozen different ways.

2017-18 Season

Season Recap: The Celtics won 55 games and played well in playoff victories over the Bucks and 76ers. Rookie Jayson Tatum emerged as a team leader after an injury sidelined Kyrie Irving, but he was unable to push Boston past LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Season Preview: Only a handful of players remain from last year’s 53-win squad, but newcomers Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward will lead a fast-paced offense that hopes to challenge for the Eastern Conference title. Will the Boston defense and rebounding improve? That may be the big question come playoff time.

2016-17 Season

Season Recap: Boston returned to the top of the Eastern Conference for the first time in nine years with a 53–29 record. The team opened the season with three first-round draft picks, but it was 5’9” Isaiah Thomas who led the team with 28.9 points and 5.9 assists per game. The Celts beat the Bulls and Wizards to reach the conference finals, but fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

2015-16 Season

Season Preview: Boston did a great job making it back to the playoffs last season. New forwards Amir Johnson and David Lee will make the Celtics stronger up front, but the team still needs to find an All-Star player to go deep into the playoffs this year. Until then, Isaiah Thomas and Jared Sullinger will have to keep the team competitive.

2014-15 Season

Season Recap: Boston traded away floor leader Rajon Rondo in December but still managed to finish with the second-best record in the Atlantic Division. Avery Bradley and Jared Sullinger took leadership roles, while Evan Turner provided veteran experience to the young Celtics.

Season Preview: The Celtics will continue to rebuild their team in 2014–15, using the many draft picks the piled up over the past couple of seasons. Veterans Jeff Green and Rajon Rondo will lead a team that includes some exciting young players, including Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olnyk, and Avery Bradley.

2013-14 Season

Season Recap: After trading away Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics embarked upon a rebuilding season that saw them win just 25 games and finish out of the playoffs. Young veterans Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green provided leadership for young stars Jared Sullinger, Jordan Crawford, and Avery Bradley.

More Go-To Guys

This rare pin came out before Bill Russell was a Celtic, and Easy Ed was the star of the team. (Author’s Collection)

Jo Jo White poses for the cover of the team’s 1976–77 yearbook. Boston was coming off a championship season. (Boston Celtics)

  • Ed Macauley — 6′ 8″ Center/Forward
    Born: 3/22/1928
    Died: 11/9/2011
    Played for Team: 1950–51 to 1955–56
    “Easy Ed” Macauley was an All-Star in each of his six seasons with the Celtics. His speed, agility, and shooting skill made him almost impossible to guard. Macauley was a huge star, and the second highest-paid player behind George Mikan in the 1950s.

  • Sam Jones — 6′ 4″ Guard
    Born: 6/24/1933
    Played for Team: 1957–58 to 1968–69
    Sam Jones was a skilled scorer who often took the final shot for the Celtics in close games. He retired with 10 championship rings—the second-most in history. Jones might have been the best player ever when it came to hitting bank shots.

  • Bailey Howell — 6′ 7″ Forward
    Born: 1/20/1937
    Played for Team: 1966–67 to 1969–70
    Bailey Howell was in his 30s when he came to Boston. The Celtics played him about 30 minutes a game, and he often gave them more than 20 points and 10 rebounds a night. Howell could score inside and also hit long-range jump shots.

  • Jo Jo White — 6′ 3″ Guard
    Born: 11/16/1946
    Played for Team: 1969–70 to 1978–79
    Jo Jo White was the floor leader of the Celtics during the 1970s. He led the team to two NBA titles and was the MVP of the 1976 Finals. He and Don Chaney gave Boston a great defensive backcourt. White was a good scorer, too. He averaged between 18 and 25 points a game seven years in a row.

  • Robert Parish — 7′ 0″ Center
    Born: 8/30/1953
    Played for Team: 1980–81 to 1993–94
    Robert Parish was an All-Star in each of his first seven seasons with the Celtics and averaged a double-double in eight different seasons. When Parish retired from basketball he had played 1,611 games—more than any NBA player.

More Fun Facts

Paul Westphal signed this photo that shows him dribbling on the team’s famous parquet floor. (Author’s Collection)

  • FINALS PHENOM
    Paul Westphal is remembered as the Phoenix Sun who nearly beat Boston in the 1976 NBA Finals. As a member of the Celtics in 1974, he played a key role in that team’s championship. In Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Bucks, the 23-year-old was inserted into the game to control all-time great Oscar Robertson. Westphal limited The Big O to just two baskets as Boston clinched the championship on Milwaukee’s home court.

  • NOW YOU SEE HIM
    Red Auerbach had a rule about drafting players: he would only take them if he had personally seen them play twice. The one time he broke that rule was in 1957, when he took Sam Jones with the #1 pick. Auerbach took a scout’s word for Jones’s shooting ability and never regretted it. Jones helped Boston win 10 championships.

  • EASY TO FORGET
    Most Celtics fans know Ed Macauley as the player the team traded to get Bill Russell—and forget how great “Easy Ed” was for Boston. He was the MVP of the first NBA All-Star Game (held on his home court in Boston) and later became the youngest player (at age 32) to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

League Leaders

Those rebounding stats look like mistakes, don’t they? Well, believe me, they’re for real. (Berkley Press)

Bob Cousy was the first player to dribble behind his back and throw no-look passes. He changed the way NBA teams played defense. (Macfadden Publications)

  • SCORING
    No member of the team has led the league in scoring.

  • REBOUNDING
    1956–57 — Bill Russell — 19.7
    1957–58 — Bill Russell — 22.7
    1958–59 — Bill Russell — 23.0
    1963–64 — Bill Russell — 24.7
    1964–65 — Bill Russell — 24.1

  • ASSISTS
    1952–53 — Bob Cousy — 7.7
    1953–54 — Bob Cousy — 7.2
    1954–55 — Bob Cousy — 7.9
    1955–56 — Bob Cousy — 8.9
    1956–57 — Bob Cousy — 7.5
    1957–58 — Bob Cousy — 7.1
    1958–59 — Bob Cousy — 8.6
    1959–60 — Bob Cousy — 9.5
    2011–12 — Rajon Rondo — 11.7
    2012–13 — Rajon Rondo — 11.1

  • STEALS
    2009–10 — Rajon Rondo — 2.3

    Steals did not become an official statistic until 1973–74.

  • BLOCKED SHOTS
    No member of the team has led the league in blocks; blocks did not become an official statistic until 1973–74.

Playing for the Championship

Paul Pierce is featured on this ticket stub from the 2008 NBA Finals. The Celtics defeated the Lakers for the 9th time with a championship on the line. (Boston Celtics)

CELTICS in the FINALS

SEASON OPPONENT SCORE
1956–57 St. Louis Hawks Won 4–3
1957–58 St. Louis Hawks Lost 2–4
1958–59 Minneapolis Lakers Won 4–0
1959–60 St. Louis Hawks Won 4–3
1960–61 St. Louis Hawks Won 4–1
1961–62 Los Angeles Lakers Won 4–3
1962–63 Los Angeles Lakers Won 4–2
1963–64 San Francisco Warriors Won 4–1
1964–65 Los Angeles Lakers Won 4–1
1965–66 Los Angeles Lakers Won 4–3
1967–68 Los Angeles Lakers Won 4–2
1968–69 Los Angeles Lakers Won 4–3
1973–74 Milwaukee Bucks Won 4–3
1975–76 Phoenix Suns Won 4–2
1980–81 Houston Rockets Won 4–2
1983–84 Los Angeles Lakers Won 4–3
984–85 Los Angeles Lakers Lost 2–4
1985–86 Houston Rockets Won 4–2
1986–87 Los Angeles Lakers Lost 2–4
2007–08 Los Angeles Lakers Won 4–2
2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers Lost 3–4

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