Boston Celtics

    For a while, the Celtics have been one of the top basketball teams in the Eastern Conference. History has gone to prove that the Celtics have remained an elite basketball team for a while considering their organization has won more national basketball championships (17) than any other organization. Their last time winning was in the 2007-2008 season. That year, the team was able to rally against the Los Angeles Lakers in six games to win the NBA Finals. Entering the league in 1946, The Celtics came across a few respective legends of their generation. Names like Bill Russell and Larry Bird are normally among the first to pop into the minds of individuals. In their combined careers, the two of these outstanding men won fourteen out of the seventeen championships the Celtics have won all-time. Russell won eleven while Bird won only three, but both men were equally respectable. Although these guys are all-time greats that could never be replaced, there have been a few players of considerable talent that have come along since their prime time has passed.

 

   To more recent Celtic fans, names such as Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen are three names that typically come to mind when thinking of great players of Boston's team. Together, this dynamic group worked together in the season of 2008 to win the championship against the Lakers. Although the "big three", as they were referred as, were relatively old when they came to the Celtics' team, these three veterans were quickly able to meld together and play together as a team. With Kevin Garnett providing a huge improvement on the defensive end and Paul Pierce continuing to be a dynamic scorer, the Celtics quickly became a championship level basketball team. In time period of 2007-2013, the big three constantly made the Celtics a threat and respectable championship contender in Eastern Conference. In 2010 they were able to make it to the NBA Finals again, only to fall short to the Lakers in game 6. In last their season as Celtics teammates (2012), these three athletes gave it their all to win one more championship for the organization. Despite all their hard effort, they lost in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat, who were favored by sports analyzers to win the NBA Finals. In the offseason after that season, the Celtics traded all three individuals were traded. The team has not been able to be the same explosive team as before.

    In recent years, since the three players have been traded, the Celtics have been struggling. Under the inconsistent leadership of their starting point guard, Rajon Rondo, the NBA team was not the same offensive, aggressive team as their reputation once was. Rondo, even though he is a very talented star, cannot stay healthy and lead the team in every season like he needs to. In the year of 2013, the Celtics barely made it into the playoffs with the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and did not make the playoffs at all in the season of 2014. During the 2013-2014 season, Rondo officially went down with a gruesome ACL tear in his knee, a season ending injury. Without his presence and play, the Celtics were nothing and couldn't compete with other teams. Going forward into 2014-2015 season, the Celtics are looking to bounce back in the competition with a healthy Rondo and new acquired rookie Marcus Smart from Oklahoma State.