Luka Doncic fouled out for the first time in his postseason career as the Celtics held off the Mavericks’ fourth-quarter comeback to move one win away from the NBA title.
The Boston Celtics are one of the NBA's most storied franchises.
Led by Hall of Fame players like Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Larry Bird and Paul Pierce, the Celtics are tied for the most championships in league history with 17. But that deadlock with the rival Los Angeles Lakers could soon be broken.
The Celtics are currently battling Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals, looking to win their first title in nearly two decades. After its Game 3 win on Wednesday, Boston is on the brink of clinching the title.
Here's a deep dive into the franchise's championship-winning history:
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When was the last time the Celtics won the NBA Finals?
The Celtics last won the NBA Finals in 2008, when they defeated the Lakers for a ninth time and handed Kobe Bryant his first loss on the championship stage.
Pierce was named Finals MVP after averaging 21.8 points, 6.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds over the six-game series. Head coach Doc Rivers also won his first title that year and Danny Ainge was named Executive of the Year thanks to his offseason trades for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
NBA
Celtics championship history: Records, Finals MVPs, coaches
Here's a year-by-year look at all 17 championships in Celtics history:
1. 1957
- Regular season record: 44-28
- Playoff record: 7-3
- Finals result: 4-3 vs. St. Louis Hawks
- Finals MVP: Award not yet created (Tom Heinsohn averaged 24.0 points, 12.6 assists)
- Coach: Red Auerbach
2. 1959
- Regular season record: 52-20
- Playoff record: 8-3
- Finals result: 4-0 vs. Minneapolis Lakers
- Finals MVP: Award not yet created (Bill Russell averaged 9.3 points, 29.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists)
- Coach: Red Auerbach
3. 1960
- Regular season record: 59-16
- Playoff record: 8-5
- Finals result: 4-3 vs. St. Louis Hawks
- Finals MVP: Award not yet created (Bill Russell averaged 16.7 points, 24.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists)
- Coach: Red Auerbach
4. 1961
- Regular season record: 57-22
- Playoff record: 8-2
- Finals result: 4-1 vs. St. Louis Hawks
- Finals MVP: Award not yet created (Bill Russell averaged 17.6 points, 28.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists)
- Coach: Red Auerbach
5. 1962
- Regular season record: 60-20
- Playoff record: 8-6
- Finals result: 4-3 vs. Los Angeles Lakers
- Finals MVP: Award not yet created (Bill Russell averaged 22.9 points, 27.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists)
- Coach: Red Auerbach
6. 1963
- Regular season record: 58-22
- Playoff record: 8-5
- Finals result: 4-2 vs. Los Angeles Lakers
- Finals MVP: Award not yet created (Bill Russell averaged 20.0 points, 26.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists)
- Coach: Red Auerbach
7. 1964
- Regular season record: 59-21
- Playoff record: 8-2
- Finals result: 4-1 vs. San Francisco Warriors
- Finals MVP: Award not yet created (Bill Russell averaged 11.2 points, 25.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists)
- Coach: Red Auerbach
8. 1965
- Regular season record: 62-18
- Playoff record: 8-4
- Finals result: 4-1 vs. Los Angeles Lakers
- Finals MVP: Award not yet created (Bill Russell averaged 17.8 points, 25.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists)
- Coach: Red Auerbach
9. 1966
- Regular season record: 54-26
- Playoff record: 11-6
- Finals result: 4-3 vs. Los Angeles Lakers
- Finals MVP: Award not yet created (Bill Russell averaged 23.6 points, 24.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists)
- Coach: Red Auerbach
10. 1968
- Regular season record: 54-28
- Playoff record: 12-7
- Finals result: 4-2 vs. Los Angeles Lakers (John Havlicek averaged 27.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists)
- Finals MVP: Award not yet created
- Coach: Bill Russell (player-coach)
11. 1969
- Regular season record: 48-34
- Playoff record: 12-6
- Finals result: 4-3 vs. Los Angeles Lakers
- Finals MVP: Jerry West (first and only time a player from the losing team has won the award)
- Coach: Bill Russell (player-coach)
12. 1974
- Regular season record: 56-26
- Playoff record: 12-6
- Finals result: 4-3 vs. Milwaukee Bucks
- Finals MVP: John Havlicek (26.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists)
- Coach: Tom Heinsohn
13. 1976
- Regular season record: 54-28
- Playoff record: 12-6
- Finals result: 4-2 vs. Phoenix Suns
- Finals MVP: Jo Jo White (21.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists)
- Coach: Tom Heinsohn
14. 1981
- Regular season record: 62-20
- Playoff record: 12-5
- Finals result: 4-2 vs. Houston Rockets
- Finals MVP: Cedric Maxwell (17.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists)
- Coach: Bill Fitch
15. 1984
- Regular season record: 62-20
- Playoff record: 15-8
- Finals result: 4-3 vs. Los Angeles Lakers
- Finals MVP: Larry Bird (27.4 points, 14.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists)
- Coach: K.C. Jones
16. 1986
- Regular season record: 67-15 (best in franchise history)
- Playoff record: 15-3 (best in franchise history)
- Finals result: 4-2 vs. Houston Rockets
- Finals MVP: Larry Bird (24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, 9.5 assists)
- Coach: K.C. Jones
17. 2008
- Regular season record: 66-16
- Playoff record: 16-10
- Finals result: 4-2 vs. Los Angeles Lakers
- Finals MVP: Paul Pierce (21.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists)
- Coach: Doc Rivers
