37 Facts About Boston Celtics

1. The Boston Celtics were able to take down two of the NBA's more explosive teams in the Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder.

2. The Boston Celtics had been winners of four consecutive games prior to their five-game road trip.

3. The Boston Celtics finished off their trip in Utah and Portland, two teams expected to be fighting for not only a playoff spot in the West but home-court advantage.

4. The Boston Celtics avenged an early-season loss to the Toronto Raptors in a battle between two of the elite teams in the conference.

5. The Boston Celtics have shown flashes of brilliance early in the campaign, including Friday's.

6. The Boston Celtics wore a black band for reasons not related to the franchise, such as the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, and the death of Isaiah Thomas' younger sister during the 2017 NBA Playoffs.

7. From 2005 to 2017, the Boston Celtics wore alternate green uniforms with black lettering and trim featuring the word "Boston" on the front side.

8. In January 2017, the Boston Celtics signed a multi-year deal with General Electric where they became the "exclusive Data and Analytics partner" for the team.

9. Boston Celtics have an NBA record 17 Championships including 8 in a row, and 11 championships in 13 years.

10. Boston Celtics were once rivals of the New Jersey Nets during the early 2000s due to their respective locations and their burgeoning stars.

11. The Boston Celtics were swept by the second seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.

12. On July 3, 2013, the Boston Celtics announced that Brad Stevens, the head coach of Butler University, would replace Doc Rivers as head coach.

13. In the playoffs, the Boston Celtics faced the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, beating them in six games led by strong play from Pierce and Garnett.

14. The Boston Celtics would end up making the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference in the 2012 NBA Playoffs.

15. The Boston Celtics defeated the Detroit Pistons in six games of the Eastern Conference Finals, winning two road games.

16. The Boston Celtics selected Kentucky point guard Rajon Rondo, who was to become a key piece in the team's revival.

17. The Boston Celtics made the playoffs, only to be swept in the first round by the Indiana Pacers, losing all 4 games by blowout margins.

18. In return, the Boston Celtics received the often-injured Raef LaFrentz, Chris Mills, Jiri Welsch, and a first-round pick in 2004.

19. Boston Celtics received the third and sixth draft picks in the 1997 NBA draft, and used the picks to select a brand new backcourt through Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer.

20. In 1995, the Boston Celtics moved from the Boston Garden to the Fleet Center.

21. The Boston Celtics made the playoffs, losing to the heavily favored Orlando Magic in 4 games.

22. The Boston Celtics signed aging Dominique Wilkins as a free agent, who led the team in scoring with 17.8 PPG.

23. The Boston Celtics honored his memory by retiring his number 35.

24. In the playoffs the Boston Celtics collapsed after winning the first two games in a best-of-five series against the New York Knicks, losing 3 straight, including the decisive fifth game at Boston Garden.

25. In 1988, the Boston Celtics lost in six games to future champion Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals.

26. Boston Celtics won the second pick in the 1986 NBA draft after a remarkably poor year by the Seattle Supersonics, whose draft pick rights had been included in the 1984 trade of Gerald Henderson.

27. The Boston Celtics defeated the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals in six games, the franchise's 16th championship and last of the 20th century.

28. In 1985, the Lakers and Boston Celtics met again in the championship round, with the Lakers winning.

29. In 1983 the Boston Celtics were swept in the playoffs for the first time by the Milwaukee Bucks; afterward Fitch resigned and the team was sold to new owners led by Don Gaston.

30. Boston Celtics owned two of the top eight picks in the 1978 NBA draft.

31. The Boston Celtics returned to the playoffs the next year, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals in 1974 for their 12th NBA Championship.

32. In 1964, the Boston Celtics became the first NBA team to have an all African-American starting lineup.

33. In 1959, the Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship after sweeping the Minneapolis Lakers, the first of their record eight consecutive championships.

34. One of the first great players to join the Boston Celtics was Bob Cousy, whom Auerbach initially refused to draft out of nearby Holy Cross because he was "too flashy.

35. Boston Celtics struggled during their early years, until the hiring of coach Red Auerbach.

36. In 1950, the Boston Celtics signed Chuck Cooper, becoming the first NBA franchise to draft a black player.

37. Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts.