Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics

Lore & Background

The Celtics' rise to dominance began in the late 1950s, after the team, led by coach Red Auerbach, acquired Bill Russell in 1956, later becoming the cornerstone of the Celtics dynasty. Led by Russell, Bob Cousy, and Tom Heinsohn, the Celtics won their first NBA championship in 1957. Russell, along with a talented supporting cast of future Hall of Famers including Heinsohn, Don Nelson, K. C. Jones, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, Satch Sanders, and Bill Sharman, would usher the Celtics into the greatest period in franchise history, winning eight consecutive NBA championships from 1959 to 1966. After Russell became the team's player-coach, as well as the first African American head coach in any United States sport, they won back-to-back titles in 1968 and 1969. The Celtics entered a period of rebuilding after Russell retired in 1969. In the mid-1970s, the Celtics became contenders once again, winning championships in 1974 and 1976 under the leadership of head coach Tom Heinsohn with Dave Cowens, Havlicek, and Jo Jo White. In the 1980s, the Celtics returned to dominance. Anchored by the 'Big Three' of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish, the team experienced a renewed rivalry with the 'Showtime' Lakers and won championships in 1981, 1984, and 1986, the latter two with head coach K. C. Jones. After the retirements of Bird and McHale, the departure of Parish, and the untimely deaths of 1986 draft pick Len Bias and star player Reggie Lewis, the Celtics struggled through the 1990s and much of the early 2000s. After another period of rebuilding, the Celtics assembled a new 'Big Three' around team captain Paul Pierce by acquiring Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett in the 2007 off-season. Under the leadership of head coach Doc Rivers, the team defeated the Lakers to win their 17th championship in 2008, while also losing to the Lakers in the 2010 Finals. Allen, Garnett, and Pierce were no longer with the team by the start of the 2013–14 season, with Garnett and Pierce being traded to the Brooklyn Nets for four total future first round picks. With two of these first round picks, the team drafted Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Led by 'The Jays', the team returned to the NBA Finals in 2022, losing to the Golden State Warriors, and defeated the Dallas Mavericks in 2024 to secure their 18th championship.

In Their Own Story

The TD Garden arena hums with a nervous energy that only exists when Boston faces Miami. The air is thick with the scent of popcorn and the roar of thousands chanting 'Celtics!' as the Heat's defense sets up, eyes locked on the inbound pass. In this moment, decades of playoff battles collide; every foul feels personal, every rebound a statement of dominance.

Reader's Guide

The 'Celtics' team name and the team's mascot 'Lucky the Leprechaun' are nods to Boston's historically large Irish population, and also to the Original Celtics, a barnstorming basketball team that played in the early 20th century. The Celtics have a notable rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers, who are second in NBA history with 17 championships. The teams' rivalry was especially pronounced in the 1960s and 1980s. The Celtics have played the Lakers a record 12 times in the NBA Finals and have defeated them nine times. 41 members of Basketball Hall of Fame have played for the Celtics at least once in their careers. Four Celtics players (Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Dave Cowens and Larry Bird) have won the NBA Most Valuable Player award; overall, Celtics players have won an NBA-record 10 MVP awards. In May 2025, the team was sold to private equity investor William Chisholm for $6.1 billion, making it the highest ever valued transaction for a sports franchise in North America. However, the Celtics' record was surpassed later in 2025 when the Los Angeles Lakers were valued at approximately $10 billion in the sale of a majority stake—making the Celtics' deal the second-highest valued sports franchise transaction in U.S. history.

Did You Know?

• The Celtics were formed on June 6, 1946, by Boston Garden-Arena Corporation president Walter A. Brown as a team in the Basketball Association of America.
• In 1950, the Celtics signed Chuck Cooper, becoming the first NBA franchise to draft a black player.
• Chuck Connors of The Rifleman fame was an original member of the Celtics in 1946.
• The Celtics' run of 8 consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966 is the longest championship streak in U.S. professional sports history.
• Bill Russell's 11 titles are the most won by an NBA player.