Boston Celtics Franchise History Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The Celtics were the first NBA franchise to draft an African-American player. What was the name of the player?

Answer: Chuck Cooper

Chuck Harrison Cooper was born on September 29, 1926. Chuck was not the first African-American to play in an NBA game. Early Lloyd was the first, as his team started four days before the Celtics. Chuck went on to play four seasons with the Celtics and he was then traded to the Milwaukee Hawks. Chuck ended his playing career with the Ft. Wayne Pistons. Chuck passed away on February 5, 1984.

2. How many consecutive NBA Championships did the Boston Celtics win, starting in 1959?

Answer: 8

Starting with the 1959 NBA Championship, the Celtics won until the 1966-67 NBA season. Red Auerbach coached the Celtics every year when they won the eight consecutive NBA Championships. The Celtics didn't make it to the 1967 NBA Championship. The next season, the Boston Celtics would return to the NBA Finals and win the 1968 NBA Championship.

They would also win again the next season. Bill Russell coached the Boston Celtics when they won the 1968 and 1969 NBA Championships.

3. In the 1973 season, the Boston Celtics had a record of 68-14. The Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference Finals and played the New York Knicks. What was the record of the series?

Answer: 4-3 Knicks

The Celtics lost the seventh game. The New York Knicks went on to win the 1973 NBA Championship in five games. They played the Los Angeles Lakers. That year, Dave Cowens a Boston Celtic won MVP. Tom Heinsohn, the Celtics coach in the 1972-1973 season, won the Coach of the Year Award.

4. In the first round of the 1978 NBA Draft, the Celtics had two picks. Who did they draft with those picks?

Answer: Larry Bird & Freeman Williams

The Boston Celtics had the sixth and eighth picks of the 1978 NBA Draft. With the six pick they drafted Larry Bird out of Indiana State. Larry wasn't through with college at the time. He didn't join the Celtics on the court until the 1979-80 season. Now there is a rule that makes teams choose players that are through with their college careers. With the eighth pick, the Celtics selected Freeman Williams from Portland State. Freeman wouldn't ever suit up as a Celtic, for he would be traded to the then San Diego Clippers.

5. The Celtics went to the 1974 NBA Finals and won. With that win, this made the Celtics' _________ NBA Championship title.

Answer: 12th

In the 1974 NBA Finals they faced the Milwaukee Bucks. The Celtics won in seven games. The Celtics won game seven 102-87, thus clinching the NBA Championship. Tom Heinsohn was the Celtics coach for the season. John Havlicek was the NBA Finals MVP.

6. Larry Bird was a Boston Celtic for his entire career. Larry had surgery in the 1988-89 season. What did the surgery remove?

Answer: Bone spurs in both his feet

Just six games into the season, Larry Bird had surgery. Larry was out for the rest of the regular season. He came back in the playoffs. He went to Indiana State for college. During his career, Larry won three straight MVP Awards from 1984-1986. Larry was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998, six years after retiring.

7. During the 1993 NBA Playoffs, a Boston Celtic player died during a game.

Answer: False

The Celtics were playing the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA Playoffs. Reggie Lewis fainted in the first game of the series. The Celtics would lose the series in four games to the Hornets. Reggie was examined and the results showed that he had shown signs of heart problems. Just three months later, Reggie was playing a pick-up game at Brandeis University where he died from sudden cardiac death.

The autopsy showed his death was cause by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a heart defect.

In honor of Reggie, the Celtics retired his number #35. Reggie was born on November 21, 1965 and died on July 27, 1993. Reggie was only 27 years old.

8. In 2003, the Boston Celtics were sold. Who was the owner that sold the team?

Answer: Paul Gaston

Paul Gaston bought the Celtics in 1992. Paul sold the Celtics to the Boston Basketball Partners LLC in 2002. The people that made up the Boston Basketball Partners LLC were Wycliffe "Wyc" Grousbeck, Stephen Pagliuca, and H. Irving Grousbeck. The Boston Basketball Partners LLC is their company.

9. The Celtics won the 2008 NBA Championship. That was their first NBA Championship in how many seasons?

Answer: 22

The Boston Celtics won the 1986 NBA Championship. The next season the Celtics went to the NBA Finals again, they faced the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers won the series in six games. In 2008 the Celtics would win the 2008 Championship in six games against the Los Angeles Lakers.

10. Johnny Most was an announcer for the Boston Celtics. He was there for over 30 years. When he died, the Celtics retired a few letters in honor of him. What were those letters?

Answer: MIC

Johnny Most was born on June 15, 1923. He was the Boston Celtics announcer from 1953 through 1990. He retired do to health issues. On January 3, 1993 Johnny had a heart attack that would prove to be fatal. In honor of him, the Celtics had his microphone permanently emplaced with a green frame surrounding it.

Source: Author ThurstAsh

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

This is a quiz about the history of the Boston Celtics.

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