Where does this Celtics championship rank among the other 17? - The Boston Globe (2024)

1. — 1985-86

Coach: K.C. Jones

Hall of Famers: Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Dennis Johnson, Bill Walton

Record: 67-15

Postseason record: 15-3

Notable: The front line was, unarguably, the greatest one ever … Only reason they didn’t win 70 was that it didn’t occur to them to make it a goal … They could outrun you, out-execute you, out-defend you, and they were as good a passing team as the league has ever known … They were 37-1 in the Garden and 3-0 in Hartford … They won their final 12 home games by an average of 18 points ... Walton and Parish were the best 1-2 center duo in history … Walton was more than a great Sixth Man; he was a life force … Bird was at his peak, culminating in a memorable Game 6 clincher vs. Houston in which he was as dominant on defense as he was on offense.

Team song: “Hats Off To Larry”

2. — 2023-24

Coach: Joe Mazzulla

Hall of Famers: TBA

Record: 64-18

Postseason record: 16-3

Notable: This team entered the playoffs with unprecedented pressure. Of the 16 teams, 15 were playing with house money, and one — guess who? — had the weight of the world and franchise history on its shoulders. The response? A 16-3 romp through the playoffs in which half their wins were by 15 points or more … Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown finally silenced their critics … Jrue Holiday and Derrick White were a hoop PhD pair in the backcourt … They won three regular-season games by 50 — 50! — which no team had ever done … In a league where the 3-pointer is the currency, their first eight players all could shoot them at a high level, and this list includes 7-foot-2-inch Kristaps Porzingis … Won a franchise-record 11 straight playoff games … Who wasn’t rooting for Al Horford to get a ring?

Team song: “We’ve Only Just Begun”

3. — 2007-08

Coach: Doc Rivers

Hall of Famers: Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce

Record: 66-16

Postseason record: 16-10

Notable: Talk about going from agony to ecstasy: The ‘06-07 bunch went 24-58 with an 18-game losing streak ... Allen, Garnett, and Pierce were three title-starved vets who blended beautifully … But there’s no question Garnett was the heartbeat of the team … Rajon Rondo was the Little Brother point guard whose precious contributions as team quarterback were often taken for granted … They announced themselves with a 20-2 start while peaking at 41-9 … Couldn’t have done it without the bench contributions of James Posey and Eddie House, not to mention a late-season boost from vet center P.J. Brown … Absolutely delighted their fans with a Finals-clinching 131-92 destruction of the hated Lakers.

Team song: “The (Im)possible Dream”

4. — 1964-65

Coach: Red Auerbach

Hall of Famers: Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones, Satch Sanders (contributor)

Record: 62-18

Postseason record: 8-4

Notable: I’ve often wondered what a 29-year-old Russell would have been worth had there been an open market in 1965. He was at his absolute peak on a team winning its seventh straight title and eighth in nine years … Sam Jones broke out with a 25.9 ppg campaign … They opened up 11-0 and that was that … After a stiff playoff encounter with the 76ers, culminating with Havlicek making a career-defining play you may have heard about to save Game 7, they toyed with the valiant Jerry West (40 points per) in the Finals. Up, 3-1, and leading by 16 entering the fourth period of Game 5, they ran off 20 straight points to start the quarter … Along the way, they became the first NBA team to start five African-Americans (Russell, Sanders, Willie Naulls, Jones, and Jones).

Team song: “The Beat Goes On”

5. — 1973-74

Coach: Tom Heinsohn

Hall of Famers: John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, Jo Jo White, Paul Westphal, Don Nelson (coach)

Record: 56-26

Postseason record: 12-6

Notable: Yes, I’m cheating. This is actually a two-parter, because what this team did is complete the job begun by the 1972-73 team, which won a franchise-record 68 games but could not get by the Knicks after Havlicek sustained a shoulder injury in the Eastern Conference finals … After a 35-7 start, they eased up in the second half of the season, but they were ready for the playoffs, and after taking out the young Buffalo Braves, they got their revenge on the aging Knicks in five relatively easy games … That set up a memorable seven-game series with Milwaukee, which was carried by the magnificent Kareem Abdul-Jabbar … Game 6 was a double-OT epic decided by a devastating Kareem corner hook … But the Celtics took charge in Game 7 to become the fourth consecutive road victor, and fifth in all … As you might expect, Havlicek was the Finals MVP. It was the first non-Russell title, and thus a milestone.

Team song: “The Second Time Around”

Do me a favor. Give them a month to strut around before you start worrying about No. 19.

(Team songs with all appropriate apologies to Globe alumnus Peter Gammons.)

Bob Ryan can be reached at robert.ryan@globe.com.