Celebrate the championship glory, Hall of Fame personalities, and passionate fans that make the Boston Celtics one of the most revered teams in basketball Sports Illustrated™ celebrates basketball greatness with The Boston Celtics at 75, an extraordinary collection of classic stories and photographs from the pages of SI. This commemorative book salutes hall of famers like Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, Paul Pierce, and coach Red Auerbach. Fans will unearth countless gems from the Celtics' past on each page of this diamond celebration.

**Selected by the Wall Street Journal among the Best Sports Books of 2021** A New York Times bestselling sportswriter tells the inside story of how three star players joined together to form the most dominant team in basketball and lead the Boston Celtics to their first championship in more than two decades. The first of "The Big Three" was Paul Pierce. As Boston Celtics fans watched the team retire Pierce's jersey in a ceremony on February 11, 2018, they remembered again the incredible performances Pierce put on in the city for fifteen years, helping the Celtics escape the bottom of their conference to become champions and perennial championship contenders. But Pierce's time in the city wasn't always so smooth. In 2000, he was stabbed in a downtown nightclub eleven times in a seemingly random attack. Six years later, remaining the sole star on a struggling team, he asked to be traded and briefly became a lightning rod among fans. Then, in 2007, the Boston Celtics General Manager made two monumental trades, bringing Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to Boston. A press conference on July 31, 2007 was a sight to behold: Pierce, KG, and Ray Allen holding up Celtics jerseys for the flood of media. Coach Doc Rivers made sure the team bonded over the thought of winning a title and living by a Bantu term called Ubuntu, which translates as "I am because we are." Rivers wanted to make it clear that togetherness and brotherhood would help them maximize their talent and win. What came next—the synthesis of the Celtics' "Big Three" and their dominant championship run—cemented their standing as one of great teams in NBA history, a rival to Kobe Bryant's Lakers and LeBron James's Cavaliers. This is the team that brought excitement back to the Garden, and therefore to one of the most storied franchises in all of sports. They met their historic rivals, the Lakers, in the 2008 NBA Finals, winning the series in Game 6, in a rout on their home court with a raucous, concert like atmosphere. Along the victory parade route, Paul Pierce smoked a cigar—as a tribute to legendary former Celtics Coach Red Auerbach. In a city now defined by a wealth of championships, "The Big Three" joined the club. Michael Holley, the premier chronicler of Boston sports, brings their story to life with countless untold stories and behind-the-scenes details in another bestselling tome for New England and sports fans across the country.

A behind the scenes perspective on Boston Celtics history from two-time champion Cedric Maxwell Having won two NBA titles with the Celtics before joining the broadcasting team as a radio analyst, Cedric Maxwell knows what it means to live and breathe Celtics basketball. In If These Walls Could Talk: Boston Celtics, Maxwell opens up about his life and career and provides insight into the team's inner sanctum as only he can, from Larry Bird to the Big Three era and up to the current roster. Featuring conversations with players and coaches past and present as well as off-the-wall anecdotes only Maxwell can tell, this indispensable volume is your ticket to Celtics history.

No team has won more NBA titles than the Boston Celtics. And few teams have a history filled with so many outstanding players. From the pioneers of the 1950s to the global superstars of today, get to know the players who made the Celtics one of the NBA’s top teams through the years.

In 1946, Boston hardly seemed like a city where basketball's most successful franchise would take root and grow. It was a hockey town, and original Celtics owner Walter Brown knew almost nothing about basketball. Still, as head of the Boston Garden-Arena Corporation, he jumped at the chance to own part of the new club. The Boston Celtics Basketball Vault: The History of a Proud Franchise recounts that humble beginning and details how the team rose from mediocrity to become arguably America's most successful sports franchise. Author Roland Lazenby includes tales about such celebrated Hall of Famers as Bob Cousy, John Havlic, Tom Heinsohn, Bailey Howell, Dave Cowens, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Fans will also discover vintage photographs, artwork and memorabilia drawn from the Boston Celtics' archives, including rereproductions of old game programs, historic tickets, stickers and other amazing replicas tucked into dozens of pockets.

Let's say you're the coach of one of the NBA teams with the most championship banners hanging from its rafters, with every current and former player available on your bench. Game 7 of the Finals is approaching and it's time to put your team on the floor. Who's your starting center? Bill Russell, Robert Parrish, or Dave Cowens? Who's starting at guard? Bob Cousy, Jo Jo White, Tiny Archibald, Dennis Johnson, or Kyrie Irving? At power forward, are you playing Kevin McHale or Jayson Tatum? Is Larry Bird your small forward or John Havlicek? Combining statistical analysis, common sense, and a host of intangibles, long-time Celtics writer John Karalis constructs an all-time All-Star Celtics line-up for the ages. Agree with his choices or not, you'll learn all there is to know about the men who played for and coached the most successful franchise in NBA history.