With 18 championships, the Boston Celtics rank as the most accomplished franchise in the National Basketball Association. The team's championship victories have come at various points in the franchise's history, though the team endured a more than two-decade drought between Boston's 1986 championship and Celtic's success during the 2008 NBA Finals. The 2008 victory came with several hardships, as the Celtics were forced to set four unique NBA records en route to the franchise's 17th championship.
Boston remained highly competitive for several seasons following the 1986 championship, returning to the NBA Finals in 1987 and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 1988. By the time of Larry Bird's retirement in 1992, Boston had fallen back in the Eastern Conference hierarchy, a position that further declined in his absence. The 1991-1992 Celtics won 51 games, while the 1993-1994 team won just 34 games. Three seasons later, Boston went 15-67, the worst record in franchise history.
The 15-win season, followed two years later by a 19-win season, came amidst a six-year post-season drought, the longest such run in Boston Celtics history. The addition of small forward Paul Pierce helped elevate Boston's prospects and led to a surprise Eastern Conference Finals run in 2002. However, Boston continued to struggle to impact the NBA Playoffs over the following years.
In many ways, the franchise reached a nadir during the 2006-2007. The team managed to win only 24 games that season, one of the worst marks in team history, and at one point dropped 18 consecutive games, the franchise's longest losing streak. Although the team's future outlook appeared bleak, general manager and former Celtics guard Danny Ainge made several bold moves during the 2007 offseason that completely changed the team's fortunes.
After trading for prolific three-point shooter Ray Allen, Boston set their first unique NBA record: Ainge pulled off a trade for All-Star power forward Kevin Garnett in the largest trade for a single player in NBA history. Boston traded five players, plus two picks, for Garnett, leaving Ainge and his front office scrambling to put together around their star nucleus of Pierce, Garnett, and Allen.
The second NBA record set by the 2007-2008 Celtics unfolded over the course of the season, as Boston pulled off the largest single-season turnaround in NBA history. The team began the season with eight consecutive wins, the first of four winning streaks of at least eight games. The team did not lose consecutive games until January, an event that occurred only three times during the regular season. Boston ultimately finished the season with a record of 66-16, a 42-game improvement from the season prior.
The Celtics entered the post-season as the top seed. However, the team still had two more unique NBA records to set. Despite sporting a healthy road record during the regular season, the Celtics could not win a road game against the Atlanta Hawks during the opening round of the playoffs, though the decisive Game 7 went the way of Boston via a 99-65 routing. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers proved similarly tenacious, though the eventual Game 7 was far more competitive, with Boston securing a 97-92 victory.
The Detroit Pistons gave the Celtics an early scare in the Eastern Conference Finals by winning Game 2 on the road. Boston responded, however, with their first road win of the playoffs and proceeded to win the series in six games.
The Celtics faced the long-time rival Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals. Up 2-1 in the series, the Celtics trailed the Lakers in Game 4. The Lakers appeared poised to tie the series, leading by 24 points later in the second quarter. Boston proceeded to break another NBA record by storming to a comeback, the largest NBA Finals comeback ever, and winning the game. Los Angeles forced a Game 6 in Boston, but the Lakers were overmatched, 131-92.
By winning the game, Boston not only secured the team's NBA-best 17th championship but completed 26 playoff games, more than any previous team.
