When was the last time the Boston Celtics won a championship?

The Boston Celtics eased past the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, running out 4-1 winners in the best-of-seven series.

For the third successive season the Celtics finished with the divisional title but they are looking to end a comparative championship drought. The last time they were crowned NBA champions was in 2008, when they secured a 4-2 finals win over long-standing rivals the LA Lakers.

Celtics forward Paul Pierce was named NBA Finals MVP in their most recent championship, starring alongside Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Their 2008 triumph gave them their record 17th NBA championship, a tally that has subsequently been equalled by the Lakers.

Which team has won the most NBA championships?

The Celtics-Lakers rivalry is one of the most keenly felt in the history of the NBA and it features the league’s two most successful teams. Both the Celtics and the Lakers have been crowned champions on 17, although the Lakers have found greater success in recent years.

The Lakers clinched their record-equalling 17th championship in 2020 but also enjoyed a back-to-back successes from 2000-2002 and 2009-2010.

The Celtics, meanwhile, have fallen on tougher times in recent decades. Their 2008 banner remains the Celtics’ only national triumph since 1986, a spell of real struggle after winning 16 championships from 1957 to 1986.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla has made a real effort to address the mental side of the game since taking over in 2023. He has made long-term targets the focus this year, aiming to use past failures as “teachable moments” for his upwardly mobile team.

“If you go into something thinking it’s supposed to go a certain way, then your mind and your body is clouded by what is necessary to do in that moment,” Mazzulla explained. “And so, the one thing this team has done a good job of this season is not playing with any expectations. If you’re winning by a lot, if you’re losing by a lot, it doesn’t really matter.”