Love them or hate them, the Boston Celtics have a long history in the sport of basketball. In fact, the Celtics have been around since before the NBA even existed. As they look to have a winning 2019-20 season, let’s check out some interesting facts about Boston’s team in green.
Five Must-Know Facts About the Boston Celtics
1 – The Boston Celtic’s Legacy
The Boston Celtics were founded in 1946 as one of the league’s original eight teams. Since that time, they have won 17 championships, making them the most successful team in NBA history. The Celtics rose to dominance in the late 50s with the acquisition of the legendary center, Bill Russell. Along with a number of other future Hall of Famers, the Celtics would go on to win eight consecutive NBA championships. All of them throughout the 1960s.
2 – The Big Three
During the 1980s the Celtics saw another surge of success on the court, winning NBA championships in ‘81, ‘84, and ‘86. This was largely thanks to the dynamics of “The Big Three”: Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. During a time of high competition in the NBA (think Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, etc.), these three players managed to snag impressive wins thanks to the way in which they complimented each other on the court.
Bird, Hale, and Parish were not the only Celtic’s “Big Three” to make basketball headlines. In fact, Bleacher Report has the dynamic trio of the 80s only ranked as the second-best in the Celtics history.
3 – Boys of Boston
The Celtics are one of only two teams in the NBA that have never moved from the original city in which they were founded. From 1946-55 the Celtics played at Boston Arena and then moved to the famous Boston Garden, where they played from 1955-95. In ‘95 TD Garden was built as a replacement for the Boston Garden, and that is where the Celtics and the Bruins currently play.
Interestingly enough, the owners of TD Garden have recently indicated a desire to get in on mobile sports betting, leading to a discussion about conflict of interest. Owners are still seeking to partner with a mobile operating company. This will bring more sports betting options to Massachusetts, but stated that “integrity of the game is of the utmost importance and we do not want any appearance of a conflict of interest”.
Although online casinos have become increasingly popular, it is still illegal in the state of Massachusetts to participate in sports gambling. However, legislation is in progress to potentially change that in 2020, with a focus on using smartphone technology to allow residents from throughout the state to place wagers on non-NCAA sporting events.
4 – Beat LA
You can’t discuss the history of the Boston Celtics without mentioning their epic rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers. The two teams had their first NBA Finals meeting in 1959. They have gone on to face each other in 12 finals since then. The Celtics have won nine of those 12 contests. However, Los Angeles is only one championship title away from matching the Celtics record. These two team’s last Finals matchup was in 2010, in which the Lakers took the win in Game 7.
5 – Lucky the Leprechaun
Lucky has been the mascot of the Celtics for over 50 years. The Celtic’s are so named as a nod to Boston’s Irish heritage. Lucky has been a part of the team logo and fan apparel since the organization’s early days. Fans who have been to Celtic’s games have also seen Lucky on the court, often performing acrobatic stunts and slam dunk tricks to get the crowd revved up.
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