2008 NBA Finals Game 6 vs Los Angeles Lakers

Lore & Background

The Celtics made their first NBA Finals appearance since a six-game loss to the Lakers in 1987. Over the next 20 years the Celtics endured lean years, not making the playoffs in nine of those years. Following the dissolution of the team's original 'Big Three' through the retirements of Larry Bird and Kevin McHale and the departure of Robert Parish, the Celtics suffered through several tragedies such as the passing of Reggie Lewis in 1993; a franchise-worst 15-win 1996–97 season; the ill-fated hiring of head coach Rick Pitino; and the deaths of franchise patriarch Red Auerbach and former player Dennis Johnson, which culminated in a 24-win 2006–07 season, highlighted by a franchise-worst 18 straight losses. Nevertheless, the 2007 off-season saw Celtics general manager Danny Ainge acquire Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to join franchise star Paul Pierce. This new formation became regarded as the most talented Boston Celtics team since the duo of Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce in the early 2000s. 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 perennial Eastern Conference powerhouse Detroit Pistons, earning their first finals berth since 1987.

In Their Own Story

The air inside TD Banknorth Garden wasn't just heavy; it was electric, crackling with twenty-two years of pent-up history. Every pass felt like a heartbeat, every dribble a drumbeat for the returning dynasty. When Paul Pierce, still limping slightly from his Game 4 knee injury, drained that opening three-pointer, the roar didn't just rise—it detonated, shaking the rafters and silencing even the most optimistic Lakers fans. By halftime, the gap wasn't just wide; it was a chasm Los Angeles couldn't hope to bridge. As the fourth quarter wound down, the players weren't merely competing; they were exorcising ghosts of 1986. The final buzzer didn't signal the end of a game; it shattered a generational curse. Confetti rained like snow in July as strangers wept into each other's shoulders, hugging in a sea of green, united by the sudden, overwhelming realization: the Big Three had finally done it.

Reader's Guide

The series was played from June 5–17, 2008. The Celtics won Game 1 at home 98–88. Game 2 saw the Lakers establish an early lead, but the outcome is not fully detailed in the source. The Celtics won the series in six games. Paul Pierce was named Finals MVP. The Celtics would not win another championship until 2024.

Did You Know?

• Paul Pierce was named the Finals MVP.
• Rodd Houston narrated the Boston Celtics' championship season documentary on NBA Entertainment; the made-for-TV version is narrated by Kevin Harlan.
• The Celtics would not win another championship until 2024.
• The Celtics won both regular season games against the Lakers in 2007–08.