| BOSTON CELTICS HISTORY
Quick facts:
Arena: TD Garden
Origin: Boston Celtics(1946)
Birthdate: June 16, 1946
Colors: Green, Gold, and White
Eastern Division titles: 9(57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65)
Eastern Division Championships: 11(57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,68,69)
Atlantic Division titles: 25(72,73,74,75,76,80,81,82,84,85,86,87,88,91,92,05,08,09,10,11,12,17,22,23,24)
Eastern Conferance Championships: 11(74,76,81,84,85,86,87,08,10,21,24)
NBA Titles: 18 (57,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,68,69,74,76,81,84,86,08,24)
Best Season: 1972-73 (68-14)
Worst Season: 1997-97 (15-67)
Most Career Points - John Havlicek, 26,395
Most Career Rebounds - Bill Russell, 21,620
Most Career Assists - Bob Cousy, 6,945
Highest Single Season Points Per Game - Jayson Tatum, 30.01 (2022-23)
Highest Single Season Rebounds Per Game - Bill Russell, 24.7 (1963-64)
Highest Single Season Assists Per Game - Bob Cousy, 9.5 (1960-61)
Most Points in a Single Game - Larry Bird, 60 (1985)
Jayson Tatum, 60 (2021)
Most Rebounds in a Single Game - Bill Russell, 51 (1960)
Most Assists in a Single Game - Bob Cousy, 28 (1959)
Boston first's:
The first season of the Boston Celtics was a disaster, but several firsts were nonetheless accomplished.
First 20 point game, was by Jerry Kelly on December 12, 1946, vs Detroit.
First player to foul out, was also Jerry Kelly on December 27, 1946. Art Spector also fouled out this game, making it the first game where multiple players fouled out.
First overtime game was a 64-62 loss at St Louis
First overtime win was on December 13, 1948, a 83-79 win over St Louis
First double-overtime game was a 94-92 loss to St Louis
First win was a 53-49 win vs the Toronto Huskies
First road win was a 46-44 win at Pittsburgh
First win streak was a 2 game win streak from December 12-14, 1946
First playoff win was an 81-77 victory over the Chicago Stags on March 31, 1948
First 100 point game was a 102-83 victory over St. Louis on February 25, 1949
First time giving up 100 points was on January 14, 1949, in a 104-79 loss to Philadelphia
First game where both teams scored 100 points was on March 11, 1949. Celtics won 108-100
Saving Graces:
With the Providence Steamrollers struggling, owner Lou Pieri sought the advice of Red Auerbach, a upstart young coach of the Tri-Cities Blackhawks ; now the Atlanta Hawks. Auerbach told Pieri that his team needed talent; needed a new arena and a huge infusion of cash to become competitive. Armed with this information as well as his team's dwiddling attendance, Pieri folded the Steamrollers.
In 1950, he was approached by Celtics owner Walter Brown, who was desperately short of cash. Pieri offered a lifeline, an investment to become minority owner in the Boston franchise. However, his offer came with conditions - that Brown hire Auerbach as the Celtics' head coach and that the Celtics play some games in Providence. Brown agreed and Pieri held an interest in the Celtics until 1964
The deal ended up being a saving grace for the Celtics and for Auerbach, who guided Boston to 9 NBA titles and is considered one of the greatest coaches in NBA History.
News paper clipping about the Celtics playing the Chicago Atomics. The Atomics were in actuality the Chicago Stags. This newspaper clipping is about the first ever Boston Celtics game.
Celtics vs Falcons.
Game Program from a game between the Boston Celtics and Indanapolis Jets on February 4, 1949.
St Patrick's Day ad.
Bob Cousy goes for a layup vs Rochester.
Bill Russell Fouls Wilt Chamberlain.
Bill Russell shooting a free throw
Bill Russell blocks a shot
Red Auerbach
Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain
1980s Celtics
Larry Bird throwing one down
Larry Bird and Bill Russell
Boston Garden before being demolished
Larry Bird wearing #42 in 1991.
Jaylen Brown raises his NBA finals MVP as Boston Wins its 17th NBA title.
The Boston Celtics First Season
On a cold dreary Saturday night in Providence, Rhode Island, one of the greatest dynasties in sports would begin. But to the 4,000 or so people who packed the Rhode Island auditorium, never would have guessed it.
On November 2, 1946, just shy of 4,000 people showed up at the home opening of the Providence Steamrollers – a new basketball team in the newly former Basketball Association of America. Now you may be thinking, who the hell are the Steamrollers and what is the Basketball Association of American? They're not a dynasty! But it would be the lowly team that the Steamrollers would beat that would go on to form one of the greatest dynasties in North American sports.
It was on November 2, 1946, that the Providence Steamrollers eked out a 59-53 win vs the Boston Celtics. The Game was fairly close through out, but no Celtics player reached double figures in the game. Red Wallace lead Boston in scoring with just 9 points.
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The Oldest Continually Operated NBA Teams
The NBA began in 1946 as the BAA, this is a fact most fans know. But what many fans do not know is that some of the leagues teams predate the formation of the NBA.
Only three of the original 11 teams are still in existence today. The 1946-1947 had many teams fans are familiar today, they include: The Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia Warriors. Those are the 3 oldest purely NBA teams, but what often gets left out of NBA history is the history of other leagues besides the NBA, most notable the NBL.
The National Basketball League or NBL was a league born out of other Midwest leagues in the mid 1930s. The League was able to survive the Great Depression and World War II before it finally merged with the BAA to form the NBA. The NBA pretty much washed away the NBL's history and the history of the teams who joined.
Still, most NBL and BAA teams from before 1960 did not make it. Of the 18 teams who were in the NBA during the 1949-50 season, only the Celtics, Knicks, Warriors, Minneapolis Lakers, Syracuse Nationals, Rochester Royals, Tri-Cities Blackhawks, and Fort Wayne Pistons are still around today. And there you have it, the oldest 8 teams in NBA history. But the age of a team does not tell its history, and in some cases a teams history goes way-way back.
So here we go, the 10 oldest teams in the NBA.
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