Banner Years: 1965, when Sam Jones was on fire, and Havlicek stole the ball

NBA history spans 80 seasons, and as CelticsBlog readers well know, the Boston Celtics have won a league-high 18 championships. This month, we are recapping each of those title years.

Celtics’ owner Walter Brown helps Bill Russell with his new team jacket, after the center signed his rookie contract in 1956. Brown, who founded the franchise, passed away September 7, 1964. (Photo by UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)

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The 1964-65 season began on a somber note: Walter Brown, the team’s legendary founder and owner, suffered a heart attack and died a few weeks before opening night. Brown was just 59 years old.

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Brown helped found the Basketball Association of America, which merged with the National Basketball League to form the NBA. He was also instrumental in founding the Ice Capades; managed the Boston Garden; owned the Boston Bruins; was president of the International Ice Hockey Federation; and president of the Boston Athletic Association, which operates the Boston Marathon. Brown also won championships as a hockey coach.

Walter Brown is enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame and was inducted posthumously into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1965. When the season opened, the Celtics retired Number 1 in his honor.

The regular season

The Boston Celtics showed no signs of slowing down as they began pursuit of their seventh straight banner. They posted a 62-18 record, the best in league history, while no other team reached 50 wins. Boston won the first 11 games on the schedule, then added win streaks of seven and 16 games.

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Russell won the Most Valuable Player award for the fifth time. He averaged 14.1 points per game and led the NBA in rebounding average at 24.1. Unfortunately, Russell played before blocked shots were tracked as an official statistic and also before the introduction of the Defensive Player of the Year award. His overall status as arguably the greatest player in NBA history is shortchanged as a result.

Sam Jones (see below for more about him), Tommy Heinsohn and Russell all played in the All-Star game. This would be Heinsohn’s last hurrah, retiring after nine…

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Publish date : 2026-08-12 10:00:00

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