The Boston Celtics were the first ever NBA franchise to 17 championships. And it's no wonder that they have had a lot of great talent come through their doors.

But for now, let's just focus on the power forward position of their numerous storied depth charts.

Here are the top five power forwards in Celtics history.

5. Tom Sanders

Also known as “Satch,” Tom Sanders was a vital component of the Celtics' unbelievable run in the 1960s. Playing alongside of Bill Russell, Sanders helped comprise one of the most lethal defensive frontcourts this game has ever seen.

Because he did a lot of the dirty work, Sanders was never really recognized for his contributions, as evidenced by the fact that he never made an All-Star team. Yes, he is in the Hall of Fame, but even to this day, very few people outside of Boston would even mention Sanders when discussing those great Celtics teams that won eight championships between 1961 and 1969.

Sanders owns career averages of 9.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, but don't let his rather pedestrian numbers fool you: Satch was a terrific player.

4. Tommy Heinsohn

Good old Tommy.

While most fans today know Heinsohn for his incredibly biased commentary on Celtics broadcast, he was one heck of a player in his day.

Heinsohn only had a nine-year NBA career between 1956 and 1965, but he made six All-Star teams and played a prominent role in Boston winning eight titles during his tenure.

The Union City, N.J. native averaged over 20 points per game in three straight seasons between 1960 and 1962 and averaged a double-double twice in his career. His best year came during the 1959-60 campaign, when he registered 21.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.

Heinsohn also stepped his performance up significantly in the playoffs, especially in 1963 when he posted 24.7 points per game en route to helping the C's win one of their many championships.

3. Kevin Garnett

When Kevin Garnett is third on any team's list, you know that team had it good.

Of course, Garnett was well past his prime for most of his time in Boston, as he joined the Celtics in 2007 after spending 12 seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

However, KG was still a dominant force throughout his entire six-year tenure in Beantown.

Garnett paved the way to the Celtics' first championship since the '80s during his first season with the C's in 2008 and helped lead them to another finals appearance in 2010.

Had it not been for a knee injury in 2009 that caused Garnett to miss those playoffs and clearly had an adverse effect on him for the remainder of his career, Boston may well have three-peated between 2008 and 2010.

Garnett is considered the second-best power forward of all-time behind Tim Duncan for a reason.

2. Kevin McHale

A lot of what Garnett learned, he learned from Kevin McHale.

Remember: McHale was the Timberwolves' primary decision-maker during much of Garnett's time in Minnesota, and he taught KG an arsenal of post moves that few other players in the history of the game could match.

Charles Barkley frequently says that McHale was his toughest matchup, and it's not hard to understand why.

McHale was a dominant presence on the block and was absurdly efficient, boasting a lifetime field-goal percentage of 55.4 percent. As a matter of fact, he shot over 60 percent in back-to-back seasons between 1987 and 1988 and owns a career true-shooting percentage of 60.5 percent.

The University of Minnesota product spent all 13 of his NBA seasons with the Celtics, helping them win three championships in the 1980s.

McHale made seven All-Star teams and averaged over 20 points per game five times in Boston.

1. Larry Bird

While Larry Bird is mostly known as a small forward, he played a lot of power forward with the C's, as well.

Bird is one of the most unique players in NBA history and will probably fall somewhere in the top five of most people's lists when discussing the best players ever.

He could shoot. He could slash. He could pass. He could dribble. He could rebound. He was an underrated defender. Larry Legend did it all.

Bird is also arguably the greatest passer to ever play the game, possessing inhuman floor vision and a knack for threading the needle between multiple defenders.

It's hard to believe that Bird's career only lasted 13 seasons due to back problems, but he spent his entire NBA tenure with the Celtics and led them to three championships. He made 12 All-Star teams, won three MVP awards and captured Finals MVP honors twice.

Bird lays claim to career averages of 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 49.6 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from three-point range and 88.6 percent from the free-throw line.