The 1961-1962 Boston Celtics were known as the best defensive team in the league. In an era defined by quick shots, porous defense and extremely fast pace, the Celtics held teams to and NBA-low 111.9 points per game while averaging 121.1 ppg themselves.

On their way to the first 60-win season in franchise history (their final regular season record was 60-20), the 1961-1962 Boston Celtics emphasized team play and a team-wide selfless attitude.

Sam Jones cracked the starting five in 1961-1962, along with Frank Ramsey, Bob Cousy , Tom Heinsohn and Bill Russell. All the starters averaged at least 15 points per game, and Tom “Satch” Sanders came off the bench to average 11.3 points.

Bill Russell was once again named the MVP, averaging 18.9 points and 23.6 rebounds per game. Despite the gaudy numbers, Russell was named MVP more for the effect he had on his teammates. His great defense, outstanding rebounding and unselfish play lifted his teammates and allowed the team to be greater than the sum of its parts.

In the 1961-1962 playoffs, the Boston Celtics struggled past Wilt Chamberlain’s Philadelphia Warriors, four games to three, and met the recently relocated Los Angeles Lakers (previously located in Minneapolis). Against the Lakers, the 1961-1962 Boston Celtics prevailed in a hotly contested series, winning four games to three and giving the organization its fourth straight NBA championship.

The 1980-1981 Boston Celtics were a young, talented group led by the talented frontcourt duo of Larry Bird and Robert Parish. Bird was in only his second year, after his rookie year had ended in the biggest single-season turnaround in NBA history (a record later beaten by the 2007-2008 Celtics), but he was already one of the NBA’s best players. Parish, a fifth-year center, was a consistent player, both offensively and defensively.

Bird and Parish were aided by the play of Cedric Maxwell, Nate “Tiny” Archibald and Kevin McHale, a young rookie out of the University of Minnesota, all of whom averaged double figures in points.

The team finished the regular season with a 62-20 record, and went into the playoffs as the #1 seed. After getting a first-round bye, the Celtics swept the Chicago Bulls in the second round, four games to zero.

That set up a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, who had pummeled the Celtics in only five games the year before. This time, though, the Celtics got the best of Julius Erving and the 76ers, winning in seven games. That victory sent the Celtics to the NBA Finals, where they beat the Houston Rockets in six games for the franchise’s 14th championship.

The 1962-1963 Boston Celtics went 58-22 on their way to the franchise’s fifth straight championship season. For the season, the Celtics outscored their opponents by an average 7.2 points per game, scoring 118.8 themselves while allowing 111.6 for the other teams.

A young rookie from Ohio State named John Havlicek cracked the starting lineup in place of the aging Frank Ramsey, joining Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn, Sam Jones and Bill Russell. Ramsey and Tom “Satch” Sanders came off the bench to provide double-digit scoring and solid minutes, giving the 1962-1962 Boston Celtics seven players in double digit scoring.

In 1962-1963, Bill Russell won his third straight NBA MVP, averaging 16.8 points and 23.6 rebounds. Showing the great balance and talent the Celtics possessed, Russell won the MVP as only the team’s third leading scorer. He provided everything else the 1962-1963 Boston Celtics needed, from shot-blocking to rebounding to outlet passes to even assists.

The 1962-1963 season also marks Bob Cousy’s last season with the Celtics. He would later return to play seven games as the Cincinatti Royals’ player-coach, but he will forever remain a Celtic in the eyes of Boston fans. During his last campaign with the Boston Celtics, the 34 year-old Cousy averaged 13.2 points and 6.8 assists, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team.

In the playoffs, the 1962-1963 Celtics once again struggled in the Eastern Conference Finals, barely edging Oscar Robertson’s Cincinnati Royals in seven games. In the Finals, playing against the Los Angeles Lakers, the 1962-1963 Boston Celtics prevailed against a very talented Lakers team starring Elgin Baylor and Jerry West for their fifth straight NBA title.

The 1959-1960 Boston Celtics were the first Celtics team to repeat as NBA champions, but far from the last. Playing a fast-paced, run-and-gun style, the athletic Celtics averaged 124.5 ppg on their way to an outstanding 59-16 record.

The 1959-1960 Boston Celtics were led in scoring by Tom Heinsohn (21.7 ppg), rebounding by Bill Russell (24.0 rpg), and assists by Bob Cousy (9.5 apg).

The 1959-1960 Celtics team will also be known for dispatching Wilt Chamberlain from the playoffs. Wilt, or “The Big Dipper”, won the league’s MVP trophy that year in addition to being named its Rookie of the Year. Despite all his individual accolades, Wilt never quite had the team success as Russell did, bowing out of the playoffs to Russell’s Celtics on several occasions. In 1959-1960, the Boston Celtics dispatched Wilt in the playoffs for the first time, marking the beginning of an exciting rivalry between the league’s two premier centers, Russell and Chamberlain.

After beating Wilt’s Philadelphia Warriors in the Eastern Division Finals, four games to two, the Celtics won a tightly-contested seven game series over the St. Louis Hawks.

The 1964-1965 Boston Celtics continued their stretch of dominance, winning an unprecedented seventh straight NBA title. The Celtics finished with a final record of 62-18, what was, at the time, a Boston Celtics franchise record for single-season wins.
Sam Jones led the way in scoring, averaging a career-best 25.9 points, but it was Bill Russell, averaging only 14.1 points (but leading the league with 24.1 rebounds per game), who was the NBA MVP for the fourth time.

The 1964-1965 Boston Celtics had amazing scoring balance, with six players (Sam Jones, John Havlicek, Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, Tom “Satch” Sanders, and Willie Naulls) averaging double figure points per game and another three (K.C. Jones, Ron Bonham, and Larry Siegfried) all averaging at least six.

In a little-known fact, the Boston Celtics had a young rookie named John Thompson, Jr. While Thompson never amounted to much as a player (he played two seasons for the Celtics, averaging 3.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game), Thompson would go onto coaching fame, leading the Georgetown Hoyas to their best seasons ever.

The 1964-1965 season also marked the end of Tom Heinsohn’s storied career. The shoot-first player won eight championships in his nine seasons with the Boston Celtics, and could always fill it up.

The 1964-1965 Boston Celtics continued to be a thorn in Wilt Chamberlain’s side, beating his Philadelphia 76ers four games to three in the Eastern Division Finals. After defeating the 76ers, the Celtics played the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals and prevailed in five games, 4-1.

The 1960-1961 Boston Celtics won 57 games, compared to 22 losses, to finish first in the NBA’s Eastern Division. They played at a breakneck pace, averaging 119.7 points per game and winning their third straight NBA championship.

Led by the starting five of Bob Cousy , Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn, Frank Ramsey and Bill Russell , the 1960-1961 Celtics had six players average at least 15 ppg (Sam Jones was the other). They were known for their balanced scoring attack, fast break, and vaunted interior defense.

In the 1960-1961 playoffs, the Boston Celtics handily beat the Syracuse Nationals in the Eastern Division Finals to earn the right to play the St. Louis Hawks in the NBA Finals. Once again, the Celtics demonstrated their superiority, winning the Finals’ series 4-1.

1960-1961 also marked Bill Russell’s first MVP season. The award was clearly attributed to the ability he had to raise his teammates play and win basketball games, as Wilt Chamberlain had better statistics more or less all the way across the board, except the one stat that mattered the most: championships – Russell and the 1960-1961 Celtics won their third straight NBA title.