TV-MA | 9 episodes | Documentary, Sports, History | 2025
Since the team’s founding in 1946, the Boston Celtics have won 18 National Basketball Association (NBA) titles, one more than their archrivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. Does this make the Celtics the greatest NBA franchise of all time? In a word, yes.
Success in professional team sports is thoroughly based on statistics with wins and losses providing the final word. There are no second-place trophies.
A franchise that is equally revered and reviled, the Celtics are the New York Yankees (27 World Series titles) of the NBA; you either love them or hate them. You could also say the same thing about the NFL’s Green Bay Packers (13 NFL championships) or hockey’s Montreal Canadiens (24 Stanley Cups). Everybody loves a winner—but only up to a certain point.
In the sprawling, nine-hour HBO Max docuseries “Celtics City,” director Lauren Stowell includes all of the highs and most of the lows contained in the storied Celtics timeline, to varying degrees of success.
An Unbiased Eye
On the upside, Stowell approaches the material with a keen, unbiased eye. If she loves, hates, or is indifferent toward the Celtics, she never reveals her hand here. She adheres to the paramount rule of documentary filmmaking (remain neutral) to the letter, which is no small feat.
This might not be apparent when viewing the opening episode (“Founding Fathers”), which covers the first (and longest lasting) stretch of the Celtics’ glory days. Between 1957 and 1969, the Celtics won 11 of 12 championships with eight consecutive wins and only one loss. This is arguably the greatest achievement in professional team sports history.
All of these victories were led by original Celtics head coach, scout, and general manager Red Auerbach and team leader Bill Russell. Also participating in six of these championships was point guard Bob Cousy who, at age 96, is the only remaining living figure from this period. Still spry and loaded for bear, Cousy provides some of the best interview sound bites of the entire series.
The first episode is also when Stowell includes the factoid that the Celtics were the first NBA team to draft and sign the league’s first black player (Chuck Cooper). It would be impossible, and a disservice to readers, not to mention that Stowell regularly (meaning every episode) touches on race relations. The issue of race relations affected not only the Celtics’ organization but also the NBA in general, and the Boston area specifically.
Russell and Civil Rights
In the early 1960s, Bill Russell became involved with the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement. This put the Celtics organization in something of an untenable position.While it’s hard to argue that Russell’s high-profile participation in the movement was a net positive in the long run, it also acted as something of an irritating distraction at home. Race relations were always at a simmering, near-boiling point, even after Russell, then acting as a player-coach, retired in 1969.
The first episode also sees the initial appearances of LA Lakers legend Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain (the Philadelphia 76ers and later the Lakers) that provide the welcomed, anti-Celtics commentary.
Stowell deserves high marks for her seamless overlap weaving of the Celtics’ eras throughout the series. After the Cousy–Russell years, the mantle was passed to John Havlicek, then Dave Cowens, followed by Larry Bird, Bill Walton, Reggie Lewis, to current de facto team leader Jaylen Brown.
Jaylen Brown
A man who could easily have a movie career after he retires as a player, Brown appears at the beginning of every episode—a huge narrative gamble that pays off in a big way. Camera friendly, understated, humble, and eminently watchable, Brown provides the hook or, if you will, the link that connects the old with the new. Brown was also voted the MVP in the most recent Celtics championship in 2024.Another bold move on Stowell’s part is the considerable time (half an episode) spent on the tragic story of Len Bias. This part of the series was of particular interest to me as Bias played college ball for the University of Maryland, a school I also attended.
On the off chance that you aren’t aware of the details of the 1986 Bias–Celtics subplot, I won’t reveal any spoilers here, but I will state that Auerbach’s handling of the touchy and sensitive aftermath showed immense class and selfless gravitas. It was perhaps his finest hour as the team’s general manager.
Stowell ultimately robs herself and the series of achieving greatness via two easily avoidable unforced errors. No pro sports team has enough A-grade historical material to warrant a nine-hour running time. Stowell ignores the oldest adage in show business: leave them wanting more.
“Celtics City” also makes the same mistake of other recent premium cable sports series such as “The Dynasty: New England Patriots,” “Quarterback,” and “Kelce” by including excessive profanity, thus making it inappropriate for family viewing. It’s beyond disheartening that Stowell and HBO felt the need to take this route.
