Star Players Of Boston Celtics Who Created History

By Author: Al Terry
Total Articles: 787
Comment this article

No chapter on NBA history will be complete without a mention of the Boston Celtics who captured the attention of basketball fans with their full-court press, fast break and unselfishness on court. More importantly, they have won 16 world titles between the years from 1957 to 1986.

When the league was formed in 1946, the Celtics were just a charter member in the NBA. During their first four years, the team struggled a lot. But all that changed in 1950 with the arrival of two newcomers - Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach - who would cause phenomenal transformations in the game and in the low note of the Celtics. With the addition of several quality players to the Boston Celtics team such as Tommy Heinsohn, Frank Ramsey and Bill Sharman, the Celtics continued on a path of progress. However, the team was actually complete when Bill Russell joined it in 1956. Russell redefined the role of big men in basketball. With his passing, rebounding and shot blocking, Russell soon transformed the team into an unmatched force. Thirteen years on Russell retired, but only after leading the Celtics to 11 championships.

After a few ...
... years of low performance, the coach Auerbach signed on Dave Cowens as rookie center. Although Cowens was quite small for a center with a leading team like Boston Celtics, he made up for the lack of size with his toughness and fierce intensity. In the 1970s, Cowens, star player John Havlicek and a group of other talented players brought in two championship banners to be added to the rafters in the Boston Garden.

In 1979, Auerbach signed on Larry Bird from the Indiana State University. Bird had led the college team to the finals in the NCAA in 1979 before losing to the Michigan State team led by Magic Johnson. In 1980, Bird was also selected as the NBA Rookie of the Year. In 1981, Bird led the Boston Celtics to their 14th championship, setting off an earnest rivalry between the Celtics and the Lakers.

After Bird retired, the Celtics were in for some hard times. In the next few years, the poor performance of the team resulted in fewer wins. In 1996-1997 that finally culminated in the worst recorded franchise score of just 15 wins in 67 games. Hopes were high in the next year when Rick Patino was appointed as the coach cum president of the team. The team also benefited from the addition of Paul Pierce into the team in 1998. Pierce soon developed into an all-round player of the Boston Celtics as well as a team leader. Pierce also became the fastest player of the Celtics to score 10,000 points.

Danny Ainge was appointed as the Director of Basketball Operations of the team in the next year. Ainge completely revamped the team and brought in young, talented and athletic players. With Pierce leading the team as captain, the Celtics are expected to reclaim their days of glory. While some believe that the success of the team is related to the Boston Celtics logo of a smiling leprechaun, any true Celtic fan will tell you that it takes more than just luck to produce 28 Hall of Famers and 16 Championships. To catch this legendary team live in action, contact an online ticket broker and book your tickets today.
The author of this articles cover all events in New York City and has information such as Boston Celtics Tickets Articles and News. His web site is a great resource for anyone looking for Boston Celtics tickets information or any other event in New York City.