The history of professional American basketball cannot be understood without the presence of one of the most successful franchises in the history of the sport: the Boston Celtics. This team will now seek to storm the NBA‘s Olympus by facing in the Finals the most powerful rival of the last 5 years: the Golden State Warriors.
After finishing first in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference, the Celtics were paired with the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the Playoffs, where they continued their dominating run by eliminating them 4-0. The difficulty then increased, but they managed to come out on top with 4-3 wins over the Milwaukee Bucs and Miami Heat.
The expectation for the Boston Celtics is high because of the great moment they are living, but also because of their history: they are, along with the Los Angeles Lakers, the teams that have won the NBA championship the most times. After a long wait, their fans can finally enjoy again the anxiety that only a Finals game can give. Will this be the season in which the Celtics can smile again?
Boston Celtics, for the NBA’s unique throne
Right off the bat, the Boston Celtics will have the motivation to put themselves at the top of NBA history when they take on the Golden State Warriors. If they can beat Stephen Curry and company, the Celtics will become the winningest team or franchise in the history of professional basketball in the United States.
The current tie between Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers is 17 championships won each. However, the percentage effectiveness in the NBA Finals favors the Celtics, as they have played this series 22 times and have only lost 5; while the Lakers have reached the decisive instance 32 times, but have lost 15 times.
Boston Celtics’ title drought in the NBA
As is often the case with the greats of any sport, there are times when their results do not match their greatness and tradition at all. The Boston Celtics find themselves in precisely this stage. Their last appearance in the NBA Finals was in the 2009-2010 season, but their last championship was not won at that time.
While 09-10 had the Boston Celtics playing in the deciding game of the NBA Finals, they lost 4-3 to the Los Angeles Lakers on that occasion. The most recent championship won by the 17-time champions was in 2007-2008, when they defeated the Lakers 4-2.
Since then, the closest the Boston Celtics have come to glory is their 4-2 conference finals loss to the Miami Heat in the 2019-2020 season. So against the Golden State Warriors they will want to pay off that nearly 14-year debt they owe their large fan base.
Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics, 2008-2009 NBA season. (Getty Images)
