Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics play in the Atlantic Division of the NBA's Eastern Conference. The Celtics were originally founded in 1946 as part of the Basketball Association of America.

They were absorbed into the NBA three years later when the two leagues merged. Under coach Red Auerbach, the Celtics dominated the league during the 1960s, winning the NBA championship 11 times in 13 seasons. Bob Cousy, Ed Macauley and Bill Sharman were key players in what was dubbed "The Dynasty." After several years of trying to match their previous success, Coach Auerbach selected a young Larry Bird in the 1978 NBA draft. Bird joined the Celtics' roster in 1979, immediately making his mark in the league and earning Rookie of the Year honors. Bird led the team to three additional championships in 1981, 1984 and 1986 before retiring in 1992.

From 1994 to 2007, the Celtics had only reached the post-season five times, falling in the first round on three of those occasions. They rebounded in the 2007-08 season by recruiting star players Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to join Celtics mainstay Paul Pierce. The result was the best record in the league and an NBA title.

In 2008, they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in six games to win the NBA title. On October 28, 2008, The Celtics received their NBA championship rings during a ceremony before the start of the 2008 - 2009 NBA season opener. The Celtics also raised their championship banner in the ceremony. Captain Paul Pierce was moved by the ceremony, visibly crying when he received his ring.ESPN.com: Celtics opener, Tears from Pierce, Hunger pangs from LBJ