Boston Celtics: basketball quiz

21 October 2026 · Eighteen titles, a famous parquet floor and stories Boston still tells: ten questions about the Celtics.

Quiz questions

1. In Game 1 of the 2008 Finals, Boston's captain hurt his knee and was taken off the court in a wheelchair. Minutes later he was back, hit two threes and went on to be named Finals MVP. Who is he?

   • Kevin Garnett
   • Ray Allen
   • Paul Pierce
   • Rajon Rondo
   Answer

   Paul Pierce spent his whole career in Boston until 2013. In the 2008 Finals the Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers 4-2.

2. This point guard won a title with the Boston Celtics and another with their biggest rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. Twelve years passed between his two rings. Who is he?

   • Rajon Rondo
   • Sam Cassell
   • Isaiah Thomas
   • Kyrie Irving
   Answer

   Rajon Rondo won in 2008 with Boston and in 2020 with the Lakers in the Orlando bubble. Kyrie Irving won his title with Cleveland, before he came to Boston.

3. This centre was league MVP in 1973 and won two titles. In the autumn of 1976 he suddenly took a break from the game and spent some time driving a taxi in Boston. Who is he?

   • Paul Silas
   • Dave Cowens
   • Robert Parish
   • Bill Russell
   Answer

   Dave Cowens won titles with Boston in 1974 and 1976. He came back after a few months away and later spent a season as the team's player-coach.

4. His first head coaching job was in Orlando, where he was Coach of the Year in 2000. He led Boston to the 2008 title and later coached three more NBA clubs. Who is he?

   • Tom Thibodeau
   • Brad Stevens
   • Mike Budenholzer
   • Doc Rivers
   Answer

   After Boston, Doc Rivers coached the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia and Milwaukee. Tom Thibodeau was his assistant in Boston in 2008.

5. The Boston Celtics logo shows an Irish leprechaun spinning a ball on his finger. The club's costumed leprechaun mascot has a name too. What is it?

   • Lucky
   • Paddy
   • Shamrock
   • Clover
   Answer

   Lucky the Leprechaun has danced and done stunts at Celtics games since 2003. The leprechaun is a nod to Boston's Irish roots.

6. Plenty of big stars wore a Celtics shirt at some point, even if only briefly. Which of these players never played for Boston?

   • Shaquille O'Neal
   • Dominique Wilkins
   • Vince Carter
   • Stephon Marbury
   Answer

   Vince Carter played for eight clubs over 22 seasons, but never Boston. Wilkins spent the 1994-95 season there, Marbury came in 2009 and Shaquille O'Neal in 2010-11.

7. These are a Boston big man's averages in the 1986-87 season. That year he led the league in field-goal percentage. Who is he?

   • Larry Bird
   • Kevin McHale
   • Robert Parish
   • Danny Ainge
   Answer

   Kevin McHale shot 60.4 percent that season. Earlier he had been Sixth Man of the Year two years in a row.

8. He came to coach Boston straight from college, where he had reached two NCAA finals in a row. In 2021 he left the bench and became the club's president of basketball operations. Who is he?

   • Ime Udoka
   • Joe Mazzulla
   • Doc Rivers
   • Brad Stevens
   Answer

   Brad Stevens took Butler to the NCAA finals in 2010 and 2011. As president he built the team that won the 2024 title.

9. In 2007-08, after a summer of trades, Boston won 66 games and then the title. Why did that season go into NBA history?

   • They won 42 more games than the year before, the biggest jump in NBA history
   • They won the title without losing a single home game all season
   • All three of their leaders made their first All-Star Game that year
   • It was the first Finals between two 60-win teams
   Answer

   In 2006-07 Boston had won just 24 games and lost 58. With Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen arriving in trades, they won 66.

10. In 2024 this big man from the Dominican Republic finally became a champion with Boston, in his 17th NBA season. He had played 186 playoff games without a title, more than anyone in NBA history. Who is he?

    • Jrue Holiday
    • Kristaps Porziņģis
    • Al Horford
    • Derrick White
    Answer

    Al Horford. Al Horford spent most of his earlier career in Atlanta. Jrue Holiday already had a 2021 title with Milwaukee by then.

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