*Originally published on Suite101.com in 2010; minor revisions made pertaining to Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett joined Paul Pierce and a new look Boston Celtics roster to win the 2008 NBA Championship.
With a 24-58 record, the 2006-2007 Boston Celtics were the second-worst team in the NBA. However, they failed to land one of the top 3 draft picks in the NBA Draft Lottery. Instead of being in position to draft Ohio State center Greg Oden or Texas forward Kevin Durant, the Celtics were looking at the #5 pick in the 2007 Draft.
Danny Ainge Recreates the Boston Celtics Big Three
Celtics Executive Director of Basketball Operations and General Manager Danny Ainge had his work cut out for him. Fans had grown weary of mediocre basketball and had counted on a top pick to help revive the historic NBA franchise. Both Ainge and Head Coach Doc Rivers were considered on the hot seat. The team had gone as far as All-Star forward Paul Pierce could take them.
Then, Ainge put together a miraculous roster upgrade. On the night of the 2007 Draft, the Celtics acquired All-Star guard Ray Allen and Louisiana State post player “Big Baby” Glen Davis from the Seattle Supersonics. One month later, Ainge reached out to former teammate and original Celtics “Big Three” hall-of-famer Kevin McHale, who was the Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves. In another landmark trade, Boston acquired All-Star forward Kevin Garnett. The new Boston Celtics “Big Three” was born: Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett were now teammates on a team favored to win the 2008 NBA Championship.
Molding the Rest of the 2007-2008 Boston Celtics Roster
Despite trading away half their roster, the Celtics managed to retain some good role players. This included young point guard Rajon Rondo, who Ainge refused to include in the trades for Allen and Garnett. Center Kendrick Perkins also remained, no longer having to compete for minutes with Al Jefferson and a collection of veteran players. Guard Tony Allen and forward Brian Scalabrine were a couple young veterans capable of spot starting and playing key minutes when asked. Likewise, forward Leon Powe was a hardworking prospect with the potential for a solid NBA career.
Still, more shaping was needed to fill out the roster. The team targeted veteran players with playoff experience. First, they added guard Eddie House. Next, they added center Scot Pollard. Then, they added the most important piece of their free agent class—guard/forward James Posey—who had built up a reputation as a feared physical defender and clutch 3-point shooter in winning the 2006 NBA Championship with the Miami Heat. The 2007-2008 season saw the Celtics adding two more key pieces to their bench: clutch shooting veteran point guard Sam Cassell and formerly retired veteran post player P.J. Brown. With these five players joining “The Big Three” and the rest of the core, the Celtics were ready to challenge for the NBA Championship.
2008 NBA Championship
The 2008 Playoffs were quite the challenge for the Celtics. Overall, it would take them 26 games (16 wins) in order to win the NBA Championship. This began with the young underdog Atlanta Hawks, who took the heavily favored Celtics to 7 games in the first round playoff series. The home team won every game in the series.
Securing home court advantage with a 66-16 record during the regular season again proved critical to the Celtics in a second round playoff series with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers had upgraded their roster at the trade deadline, acquiring 4 new players, including 3 former teammates of the Big Three. Again, the home team won every game in the Celtics-Cavaliers series. Clutch play by P.J. Brown, combined with Pierce’s heroic 41 points, offset a monstrous offensive game by LeBron James, who scored 45 points in Game 7. The Paul Pierce-LeBron James duel was reminiscent of the Larry Bird-Dominique Wilkins showdown from Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals, a game in which Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers had witnessed as players.
The Eastern Conference Finals brought another capable championship contender to face the Celtics. In making their sixth straight Conference Finals appearance, the Detroit Pistons were poised to make another run at the NBA Championship. The teams had developed an NBA playoff rivalry over the years through a number of memorable games. Despite suffering their first home loss of the 2008 Playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Pistons, 4-2, in order to advance to the 2008 NBA Finals.
In the 2008 Finals, the Celtics faced their storied rivals: the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers had bolstered their roster with the return of clutch shooter Derek Fisher and the midseason acquisition of All-Star post player Pau Gasol. These two joined superstar Kobe Bryant and forward Lamar Odom in hopes of capturing the NBA Championship.
Yet, Paul Pierce earned 2008 NBA Finals MVP honors in averaging 21.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.17 steals per game in the 4-2 series victory. Leon Powe turned in a memorable performance in Game 2 of the Finals, scoring 21 points in less than 15 minutes played. Likewise, Rajon Rondo made his mark in Game 6, earning 21 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 6 steals to help the Celtics defeat their rival Lakers for the 2008 NBA Championship. With that, the 2007-2008 Boston Celtics went from 2007 NBA Draft Lottery losers to fulfilling their destiny as the 2008 NBA Champions.
Sources:
Ayres, Andrew. “Celtics-Pistons rivalry: Top 10 games.” Updated May 30, 2008. ESPN.com. Accessed June 13, 2010.
Basketball-Reference.com. Accessed June 13, 2010.
“Danny Ainge, Executive Director of Basketball Operations and General Manager.” NBA.com. Accessed June 13, 2010.
“Dominique Wilkins’ 21 Greatest Moments.” NBA.com. Accessed June 13, 2010.
Hollinger, John. “New-look Celtics aren’t (just) ‘The Big Three’.” Updated October 10, 2007. ESPN.com. Accessed June 13, 2010.
“Kevin McHale Bio.” NBA.com. Accessed June 13, 2010.
May, Peter. “9 Stories on No. 9: The Legend of Rondo – Chapter 7: The untouchable.” June 8, 2010. ESPN.com. Accessed June 13, 2010.
Partington, Phil. “2008 NBA Championship Contenders: Kobe Bryant Hopes to Capture Another Ring.” Suite101.com. Accessed June 13, 2010.
Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett joined Paul Pierce and a new look Boston Celtics roster to win the 2008 NBA Championship.
With a 24-58 record, the 2006-2007 Boston Celtics were the second-worst team in the NBA. However, they failed to land one of the top 3 draft picks in the NBA Draft Lottery. Instead of being in position to draft Ohio State center Greg Oden or Texas forward Kevin Durant, the Celtics were looking at the #5 pick in the 2007 Draft.
Danny Ainge Recreates the Boston Celtics Big Three
Celtics Executive Director of Basketball Operations and General Manager Danny Ainge had his work cut out for him. Fans had grown weary of mediocre basketball and had counted on a top pick to help revive the historic NBA franchise. Both Ainge and Head Coach Doc Rivers were considered on the hot seat. The team had gone as far as All-Star forward Paul Pierce could take them.
Then, Ainge put together a miraculous roster upgrade. On the night of the 2007 Draft, the Celtics acquired All-Star guard Ray Allen and Louisiana State post player “Big Baby” Glen Davis from the Seattle Supersonics. One month later, Ainge reached out to former teammate and original Celtics “Big Three” hall-of-famer Kevin McHale, who was the Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves. In another landmark trade, Boston acquired All-Star forward Kevin Garnett. The new Boston Celtics “Big Three” was born: Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett were now teammates on a team favored to win the 2008 NBA Championship.
Molding the Rest of the 2007-2008 Boston Celtics Roster
Despite trading away half their roster, the Celtics managed to retain some good role players. This included young point guard Rajon Rondo, who Ainge refused to include in the trades for Allen and Garnett. Center Kendrick Perkins also remained, no longer having to compete for minutes with Al Jefferson and a collection of veteran players. Guard Tony Allen and forward Brian Scalabrine were a couple young veterans capable of spot starting and playing key minutes when asked. Likewise, forward Leon Powe was a hardworking prospect with the potential for a solid NBA career.
Still, more shaping was needed to fill out the roster. The team targeted veteran players with playoff experience. First, they added guard Eddie House. Next, they added center Scot Pollard. Then, they added the most important piece of their free agent class—guard/forward James Posey—who had built up a reputation as a feared physical defender and clutch 3-point shooter in winning the 2006 NBA Championship with the Miami Heat. The 2007-2008 season saw the Celtics adding two more key pieces to their bench: clutch shooting veteran point guard Sam Cassell and formerly retired veteran post player P.J. Brown. With these five players joining “The Big Three” and the rest of the core, the Celtics were ready to challenge for the NBA Championship.
2008 NBA Championship
The 2008 Playoffs were quite the challenge for the Celtics. Overall, it would take them 26 games (16 wins) in order to win the NBA Championship. This began with the young underdog Atlanta Hawks, who took the heavily favored Celtics to 7 games in the first round playoff series. The home team won every game in the series.
Securing home court advantage with a 66-16 record during the regular season again proved critical to the Celtics in a second round playoff series with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers had upgraded their roster at the trade deadline, acquiring 4 new players, including 3 former teammates of the Big Three. Again, the home team won every game in the Celtics-Cavaliers series. Clutch play by P.J. Brown, combined with Pierce’s heroic 41 points, offset a monstrous offensive game by LeBron James, who scored 45 points in Game 7. The Paul Pierce-LeBron James duel was reminiscent of the Larry Bird-Dominique Wilkins showdown from Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals, a game in which Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers had witnessed as players.
The Eastern Conference Finals brought another capable championship contender to face the Celtics. In making their sixth straight Conference Finals appearance, the Detroit Pistons were poised to make another run at the NBA Championship. The teams had developed an NBA playoff rivalry over the years through a number of memorable games. Despite suffering their first home loss of the 2008 Playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Pistons, 4-2, in order to advance to the 2008 NBA Finals.
In the 2008 Finals, the Celtics faced their storied rivals: the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers had bolstered their roster with the return of clutch shooter Derek Fisher and the midseason acquisition of All-Star post player Pau Gasol. These two joined superstar Kobe Bryant and forward Lamar Odom in hopes of capturing the NBA Championship.
Yet, Paul Pierce earned 2008 NBA Finals MVP honors in averaging 21.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.17 steals per game in the 4-2 series victory. Leon Powe turned in a memorable performance in Game 2 of the Finals, scoring 21 points in less than 15 minutes played. Likewise, Rajon Rondo made his mark in Game 6, earning 21 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 6 steals to help the Celtics defeat their rival Lakers for the 2008 NBA Championship. With that, the 2007-2008 Boston Celtics went from 2007 NBA Draft Lottery losers to fulfilling their destiny as the 2008 NBA Champions.
Sources:
Ayres, Andrew. “Celtics-Pistons rivalry: Top 10 games.” Updated May 30, 2008. ESPN.com. Accessed June 13, 2010.
Basketball-Reference.com. Accessed June 13, 2010.
“Danny Ainge, Executive Director of Basketball Operations and General Manager.” NBA.com. Accessed June 13, 2010.
“Dominique Wilkins’ 21 Greatest Moments.” NBA.com. Accessed June 13, 2010.
Hollinger, John. “New-look Celtics aren’t (just) ‘The Big Three’.” Updated October 10, 2007. ESPN.com. Accessed June 13, 2010.
“Kevin McHale Bio.” NBA.com. Accessed June 13, 2010.
May, Peter. “9 Stories on No. 9: The Legend of Rondo – Chapter 7: The untouchable.” June 8, 2010. ESPN.com. Accessed June 13, 2010.
Partington, Phil. “2008 NBA Championship Contenders: Kobe Bryant Hopes to Capture Another Ring.” Suite101.com. Accessed June 13, 2010.