2008 NBA Championship Win
The Celtics' 17th title, led by Paul Pierce and the Big Three.
The 2008 NBA Finals was the championship series of the NBA's 2007–08 season, played from June 5–17, 2008, between the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics and the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics defeated the Lakers in six games to win their first championship since 1986 and their seventeenth title overall. Paul Pierce was named the Finals MVP.
- Head Coach
- Doc Rivers
- Key Players
- Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen
- Finals MVP
- Paul Pierce
- Series Result
- Defeated Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
- Regular Season Record
- 66-16
Lore & Background
The Celtics made their first NBA Finals appearance since a six-game loss to the Lakers in 1987. The 2007 off-season saw Celtics general manager Danny Ainge acquire Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to join franchise star Paul Pierce. The newly formed 'Big Three,' joined by second year point guard and future all star Rajon Rondo, led the Celtics to a dramatic 42-game turnaround, finishing with 66 wins. In the playoffs, the Celtics were pushed to the brink by the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers, and despite not winning on the road, managed to prevail in a pair of Game 7s on their home court. The Celtics would finally break their road woes in a six-game win against the Detroit Pistons, earning their first finals berth since 1987. The Celtics won Game 1 98–88. The series ended with the Celtics winning in six games.
In Their Own Story
The air inside the Staples Center was thick with tension as the clock wound down in Game 6. The scoreboard read a comfortable lead for Boston, but the ghosts of past failures lingered in the minds of the fans back home. Paul Pierce, limping slightly from an earlier injury, looked at his teammates—Garnett roaring in the paint, Allen setting screens with precision, and Rondo controlling the tempo. There was no room for error, only the collective will to finish what they started. As the final buzzer sounded, the roar of the traveling Celtics fans drowned out the home crowd. Pierce fell to his knees, not in exhaustion, but in relief. The long night had ended; the drought was broken.
Reader's Guide
The Celtics won both regular season games. On December 30, 2007, the Celtics routed the Lakers at the Staples Center 110–91. In Game 1, Paul Pierce was injured in the third quarter after a collision with Kendrick Perkins, but returned and scored 15 points in the third quarter. The Celtics won 98–88. Game 2 saw the Lakers establish an early 15–8 lead, but Boston responded with Leon Powe drawing fouls. The series concluded with the Celtics winning in six games.
Did You Know?
- Paul Pierce was named the Finals MVP.
- Kevin Harlan narrated the Boston Celtics' championship season documentary on NBA Entertainment.
- The Celtics would not win another championship until 2024.
- The 2008 Finals was the eleventh Finals meeting in the history of the Celtics–Lakers rivalry.
More in Club History & Eras
Elsewhere in the Boston Celtics universe
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