The Boston Celtics are a professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The team is owned by Wycliffe Grousbeck and coached by Doc Rivers, with Danny Ainge as the general manager. Founded in 1946, the Celtics have been playing in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association for over 60 years. Their 16 NBA Championships are the most for any NBA franchise, while the 1959-to-1966 domination of the NBA Championship, with eight straight titles, is the longest consecutive championship winning streak of any North American professional sports team to date. They currently play their home games in the TD Banknorth Garden.
The Celtics either dominated the league or played a large part in the playoffs in the late 1950's through the mid 1980's. After the death of their top draft pick Len Bias, just two days after the draft, the team fell into a steady decline, only making the playoffs four times from 1996 to 2007. The franchise has recently returned to dominance with the acquisition of power forward Kevin Garnett and shooting guard Ray Allen during the 2007 off-season.
