After losing to the Hawks in the 1958 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics came back with a vengeance in the 1958-1959 season.

The Celtics blitzed through the regular season, finishing an NBA-best 52-20 for the season. They pushed the tempo more than ever, running a vaunted fast break that resulted in the Celtics scoring 116.4 points per game, including six players averaging double figures.

K.C. Jones was 1958-1959’s new addition, as the rookie provided valuable minutes from a sixth-man role. Bill Russell led the league in rebounds (23.0 rpg), Bob Cousy led the league in assists (8.6 apg), and the Celtics were officially an NBA juggernaut.

In the 1958-1959 playoffs, the Boston Celtics defeated the St. Louis Hawks four games to three in the Easter Division Finals, then easily swept the Minneapolis Lakers in the finals.

The 1968-1969 Boston Celtics found themselves in pretty much uncharted territory at the end of the regular season – They were seeded fourth in the Eastern Division heading into the playoffs, with a record of 48-34. While for most teams that would be desirable, the Celtics were accustomed to finishing at the top of the Division, and anything less was a letdown.
The Celtics were an aging crew in 1969. The sun was setting on Bill Russell and Sam Jones’ careers, and the 1968-1969 season would prove to be the last season for both those Celtics legends.

While they were aging, the Celtics did not lack championship mettle. Though they had poor seeding heading into the playoffs, the Celtics had the toughness and experience that winning ten of the previous twelve NBA championships had provided. They went into the playoffs still confident with the belief they would still win the title.

And win it they did. Though the Celtics were old, though they had their worst regular season in years, they somehow won the title. While all the other titles were amazing, the last title of the Russell Era exemplified the term “Celtic Pride”. The Celtics did not win the championship in 1968-1969 because they had the most talented team; instead, they won it because they were winners and because the players were all willing to sacrifice their individual statistics for the good of the team.

They pummeled the Philadelphia 76ers four games to one in the first round, ruining the 76ers 55-27 season. Next, they tore apart the New York Knickerbockers, four games to two, to reach the finals. In the finals, the Celtics prevailed over the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers, four games to three. The Lakers had three of the best players to ever play basketball, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, and Jerry West, but the Celtics still had the best team.

For the first time since Bill Russell was drafted, the 1965-1966 Boston Celtics failed to win the NBA’s Eastern Division. With a final record of 54-26, the Celtics finished second to the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Division, meaning they had to play an extra round in the playoffs.

In the first round, the Eastern Division Semifinals, the Boston Celtics matched up against Oscar Robertson and the Cincinnati Royals. The first round was only five games in those days, and the Boston Celtics won a tight series, three games to two. Next, the Celtics played the Philadelphia 76ers, the team who had taken over their long-standing hold on the Eastern Division.

Though the 76ers won the Eastern Division in the regular season, the Celtics continued to have their number in the postseason, destroying Wilt Chamberlain and the rest of the 76ers in a quick, five-game series. That earned them the right to play the Los Angeles Lakers for the NBA Title, and the 1965-1966 Boston Celtics prevailed, four games to three, to win their eighth straight NBA Championship.

The 1965-1966 season was the dawning of an era in Boston. Red Auerbach, who led the Celtics to eight straight championships and nine overall, called it quits after the campaign. While he would stay in the organization in varying capacities until he passed away on October 28, 2006, the 1965-1966 Boston Celtics would be the last team he ever coached.

For the season, the Celtics had seven players average double figures, continuing the Celtics’ tradition of incredible offensive balance. Winning their eighth championship in a row is an NBA record that will likely never be matched.

The 1963-1964 Boston Celtics had to adjust to the retirement of their floor general, Bob Cousy. With Cousy’s Boston Celtics’ career over, the team adjusted to a different style of play, and averaged 5 fewer points while playing a far slower pace. Still, the slower Boston Celtics were still the Boston Celtics, and the Celtics won 59 games, compared to 21 losses, in the first season post-Cousy.
K.C. Jones filled Cousy’s giant shoes (figuratively speaking), bringing a solid hand to lead the Celtics. While he was not quite the player Cousy was, Jones was a solid player and, above all, a winner. With Jones manning the point guard position, the Celtics hardly missed a beat.

The 1963-1964 Boston Celtics, despite playing at a slower pace and scoring fewer points, still had five player average double figures (Tom Heinsohn, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, Bill Russell and Tom “Satch” Sanders) and another, Willie Naulls, acquired in the offseason from the San Francisco Warriors, averaged 9.8 points.

The 1963-1964 Boston Celtics displayed an aura of dominance in the NBA playoffs, dispatching Oscar Robertson’s Cincinatti Royals in five games in the NBA Eastern Division Playoffs and then dismantling the San Francisco Warriors in another five game series to win the NBA Championship for the sixth straight time.

The 1985-1986 Boston Celtics are still considered by some to be the greatest team in NBA history.

Already possessing a terrific frontcourt with Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale, the Celtics’ frontcourt got even better with the addition of Bill Walton. Walton, though injury prone, was an incredible passer, a great rebounder, and a good scorer, as well. His talents meshed almost perfectly with the rest of the team, as his selfless play allowed the Celtics to move the ball as crisply as any team in NBA history.

The team was still led, of course, by Larry Bird. Bird won his third straight MVP in 1986, averaging 25.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game to become just the third player in NBA history to win three straight (the other two were Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell).

Besides the powerful frontcourt (which also included Scott Wedman off the bench), the Celtics also featured Danny Ainge, a deadly shooter and fiery competitor, and Dennis Johnson, a solid player best known for his terrific defense.

In the playoffs, the Celtics dismantled the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks to get to the finals, where they beat the Houston Rockets in six games to win the franchise’s 16th championship.

The 1973-1974 Boston Celtics set the bar After Bill Russell and Sam Jones retired, the Celtics had a bit of a championship lull (only by their standards). Tom Heinsohn became the coach, and with Heinsohn coaching and John Havlicek taking the reigns as the team’s star, the Celtics struggled (once again, by their standards) for a few years.

In 1972-1973, the Celtics had the league MVP (Dave Cowens) and the league’s best record in the regular season at a Celtics’ all-time best 68-14, before seeing Havlicek get hurt in the playoffs and championship hopes go down the drain.

In ’73-’74, the Celtics again featured Havlicek and Cowens as the stars, and surrounded them with a great supporting cast consisting of Jo Jo White, Paul Silas, Don Nelson, Don Chaney, and a young Paul Westphal.

The Celtics finished best in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, with a 56-26 record. They placed six players in double digit scoring, and were known for their tenacity down low, provided by Silas and Cowens.

They would go on to defeat the Buffalo Braves, New York Kickerbockers and Milwaukee Bucks to become NBA champions, dispatching the Bucks in a tightly-contested seven-game series.