How Many NBA Championships Do The Celtics Have?

The Boston Celtics have won the most NBA championships with 17 wins. The Los Angeles Lakers are in second place with 16 wins.

Intro

The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of the league’s original eight teams, the team play their home games at TD Garden, which they share with the National Hockey League (NHL)’s Boston Bruins. The Celtics are one of only two NBA teams with 17 championships, and hold the record for the most championships among Eastern Conference teams with 16.

The Early Years

The Boston Celtics were founded in 1946, and they joined the NBA in 1949. In their first season, they won the Eastern Division Championship with a record of 47-11. They went on to lose the NBA Finals to the Minneapolis Lakers. The following year, they won the Eastern Division again with a 49-13 record. This time, they made it to the NBA Finals and defeated the Lakers to win their first NBA Championship.

The Celtics continued to be one of the dominant teams in the NBA over the next few years. From 1954 to 1957, they won four consecutive Eastern Division titles. In 1957, they finally made it back to the NBA Finals and defeated the St. Louis Hawks to win their second championship. They would go on to win two more championships in 1959 and 1960, making them one of only three teams at that time to win three consecutive championships (the other two being the Minneapolis Lakers and the St. Louis Hawks).

In 1961, the Celtics suffered their first losing season since 1947. This began a period of decline for the team that would last for over a decade. They would not make it back to the NBA Finals until 1968, when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. The following year, they lost in seven games to the New York Knicks in what is considered one of the most iconic moments in NBA history: Willis Reed hobbling out onto Madison Square Garden court with a torn muscle in his leg to inspire his team and help them win Game 7.

The Bill Russell Era

The Bill Russell era is often considered the greatest period in the history of the Boston Celtics. From 1956 to 1969, the Celtics won 11 NBA Championships, including an unprecedented eight straight titles from 1959 to 1966. Led by Russell, who was named MVP of the NBA 10 times, the Celtics featured such other legendary players as Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn, Sam Jones, and John Havlicek.

The Larry Bird Era

From 1980 to 1992, the Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals nine times, winning eight of them. Led by Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale, the Celtics won championships in 1981, 1984, and 1986. In addition, they won five Eastern Conference titles in that span. The Celtics lost only three times in the conference finals during that time.

The Paul Pierce Era

The Paul Pierce era of the Boston Celtics was marked by great success, as the team won an NBA Championship in 2008. Led by head coach Doc Rivers, the Celtics – Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen – defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in six games to take home the title. It was the Celtics’ first championship since 1986, and it cemented their status as one of the NBA’s elite teams.

The Kevin Garnett Era

The Boston Celtics won their first NBA Championship in 1957, led by Bill Russell. The team went on to win an incredible 8 championships in a row from 1959-1966. The Celtics’ stranglehold on the NBA ended when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1969 NBA Finals. After winning two more championships in 1974 and 1976, the Celtics suffered through a 22-year championship drought until finally winning again in 2008. That year, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined forces with Paul Pierce to lead the Celtics to their record 17th NBA Championship.

The Rajon Rondo Era

The Rajon Rondo era of the Boston Celtics was marked by some great moments. Rondo became the starting point guard during the 2007-2008 season, and helped lead the Celtics to an NBA Championship that year. The following year, Rondo was named an All-Star for the first time, and he helped lead the Celtics to another NBA Finals appearance.

Rondo continued to be an All-Star for the next few years, and in 2012, he helped lead the Celtics to yet another NBA Finals appearance. This time, however, the Celtics lost to the Miami Heat in seven games.

The following year, Rondo suffered a season-ending injury, and the Celtics began a rebuilding process. Rondo was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 2014, and he eventually signed with the Chicago Bulls in 2016.

The Kyrie Irving Era

Since joining the Boston Celtics in 2017, Kyrie Irving has helped the team to an impressive record of 111-43, including winning a playoff series in each of his two seasons with the team. He’s also been named to the All-Star team twice and was recently named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

But despite Irving’s individual success, the Celtics have yet to win an NBA Championship with him on the team. In fact, they haven’t even made it to the Finals, losing in the Conference Finals in both 2018 and 2019.

So what gives? Why can’t Irving and the Celtics seem to get over the hump?

There are a few explanations. First, it’s worth noting that Irving has missed 26 games over the last two seasons due to injury, including 14 games this past season. When your best player is sidelined, it’s tough to win championships.

Second, the Celtics have had some bad luck in close games. In 2018, they lost seven games by four points or less, including three losses in OT. This past season, they lost six such games. Had just a few of those gone differently, we might be talking about a different story right now.

And finally, it’s worth noting that while Irving is a great player, he’s not necessarily a “superstar.” He’s not on LeBron James’ level, and he doesn’t have the same kind of impact on both ends of the floor as guys like Kawhi Leonard or Giannis Antetokounmpo. In other words, he might not be quite good enough to carry a team to a championship on his own.

Of course, none of this is to say that Irving and the Celtics can’t win a title together someday. If they can stay healthy and catch a few breaks here and there, there’s no reason they can’t hoist the trophy at some point in the near future.

The Current Team

The Celtics have won the NBA Championship 17 times. The most recent championship was won in 2008. The team currently has 8 players who have won a championship with the Celtics.

Conclusion

The Boston Celtics have won the most NBA championships with a total of 17. The Los Angeles Lakers are in second place with 16 championships, followed by the Golden State Warriors with 3.