# 2007–08 Boston Celtics season
The 2007–08 [Boston Celtics](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-celtics) season was the [National Basketball Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-basketball-association) (NBA) campaign in which Boston, after a league-worst-in-the-East 24–58 finish the year before, acquired [Kevin Garnett](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-garnett) and Ray Allen to join Paul Pierce, finished a league-best 66–16, and won the franchise's 17th NBA championship over the Los Angeles Lakers.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2007-08) • [2](https://www.si.com/nba/2008/06/18/18nbas-biggest-turnarounds) • [3](https://www.nba.com/news/legendary-moments-paul-pierce-boston-celtics-2008-finals-mvp)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Regular season record | 66–16 (.805), first in the Eastern Conference, the franchise's best mark since 67–15 in 1985–86[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2007-08) • [4](https://www.landofbasketball.com/teams/records_boston_celtics.htm) |
| Turnaround | A 42-win improvement over the 24–58 finish of 2006–07, the largest single-season turnaround in NBA history[2](https://www.si.com/nba/2008/06/18/18nbas-biggest-turnarounds) • [5](https://www.sportingnews.com/au/nba/news/5-best-single-season-turnarounds-boston-celtics-2008-san-antonio-spurs-phoenix-suns/1gwpjc9lgmr4j1dsykbso9u0jr) |
| Offseason trades | Ray Allen acquired June 28, 2007 for the No. 5 pick (Jeff Green) and other considerations; Kevin Garnett acquired July 31, 2007 for five players and two future first-round picks[6](https://www.nba.com/news/history-top-moments-celtics-win-championship-2008) |
| Playoffs | Defeated Atlanta 4–3, Cleveland 4–3, Detroit 4–2, and the Los Angeles Lakers 4–2 in the NBA Finals[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2007-08) |
| Championship | Game 6 won 131–92 on June 17, 2008, a 39-point margin, the largest ever for an NBA Finals closeout game; Boston's 17th title[7](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-110hconres376eh/pdf/BILLS-110hconres376eh.pdf) • [3](https://www.nba.com/news/legendary-moments-paul-pierce-boston-celtics-2008-finals-mvp) |
| Individual honors | Kevin Garnett, Defensive Player of the Year; Paul Pierce, NBA Finals MVP[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2007-08) |
## Building the Big Three
Boston entered the 2007 offseason after losing the draft lottery despite holding the second-most chances at the top pick, missing the opportunity to select [Greg Oden](https://www.edgepedia.org/greg-oden) or [Kevin Durant](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-durant).[2](https://www.si.com/nba/2008/06/18/18nbas-biggest-turnarounds) The franchise then rebuilt through two trades. On June 28, 2007, draft night, the Celtics and the [Seattle SuperSonics](https://www.edgepedia.org/seattle-supersonics) agreed to a trade sending Allen to Boston in exchange for the No. 5 pick of the 2007 draft, Jeff Green, and other considerations.[6](https://www.nba.com/news/history-top-moments-celtics-win-championship-2008) On July 31, 2007, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded Garnett to Boston for five players and two future draft picks; Basketball-Reference's transaction log lists the outgoing players as Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, and Sebastian Telfair, plus 2009 first-round picks that became Wayne Ellington and Jonny Flynn.[6](https://www.nba.com/news/history-top-moments-celtics-win-championship-2008) • [8](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/2008_transactions.html) Garnett, frustrated by years of postseason eliminations in Minnesota, had been enticed by the earlier Allen acquisition.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2007-08) • [9](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/today-boston-celtics-history-kevin-100045265.html)
The result paired two newcomers with Pierce, Boston's resident star, forming a new "Big Three" of Garnett, Allen, and Pierce.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2007-08) • [10](https://time.com/6301839/winning-time-season-2-celtics-lakers/) Before the season, many observers wondered whether the three could coexist; Boston answered with an 18–2 start.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2007-08)
## Regular season
Boston finished 66–16, the best record in the NBA and the franchise's best since the 67–15 team of 1985–86.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2007-08) The 42-win jump from the previous season's 24–58 set the NBA record for a single-season turnaround, a mark noted in a congressional resolution honoring the team as well.[2](https://www.si.com/nba/2008/06/18/18nbas-biggest-turnarounds) • [5](https://www.sportingnews.com/au/nba/news/5-best-single-season-turnarounds-boston-celtics-2008-san-antonio-spurs-phoenix-suns/1gwpjc9lgmr4j1dsykbso9u0jr) • [7](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-110hconres376eh/pdf/BILLS-110hconres376eh.pdf) The season ended with a 105–94 win over the New Jersey Nets on April 16 that clinched the league-best record.[11](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/boston-celtics/news/this-date-in-nba-history-april-16-chicago-bulls-set-72-win-nba-record-1996-boston-celtics-greatest-turnaround-season-2008/14l2y119dahxq1jq0shmu87tc1)
Garnett anchored the defense and won the Defensive Player of the Year award while averaging 18.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game over 71 games.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2007-08) • [12](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/2008.html) Pierce led the team in scoring with 1,570 points on the season, and Garnett and Allen each averaged 16 or more points per game.[13](https://www.statscrew.com/basketball/roster/t-BOS/y-2007) In the Eastern Conference, Detroit still finished 59–23, with [Cleveland](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland) and Orlando chasing; Atlanta reached the playoffs for the first time since 1999.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2007-08)
## Playoffs
The postseason tested Boston repeatedly at home. In the first round, the eighth-seeded [Atlanta Hawks](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlanta-hawks) pushed the series to seven games before Boston won Game 7 by a landslide.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2007-08) The Eastern Conference semifinals against Cleveland, led by [LeBron James](https://www.edgepedia.org/lebron-james), also went seven games, with Boston's supporting veterans, including James Posey and P.J. Brown, delivering in the Game 7 win.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2007-08) Boston then eliminated Detroit in six games to reach the franchise's first [NBA Finals](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-finals) since 1987.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2007-08)
[The Finals](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-finals) renewed the [Celtics–Lakers rivalry](https://www.edgepedia.org/celtics-lakers-rivalry). In Game 1, Pierce injured his knee on an awkward fall and was taken off the court in a wheelchair, then returned minutes later to help Boston win.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2007-08) In Game 4, facing a 35–14 deficit while leading the series 2–1, the Celtics climbed back and, aided by a 21–3 run late in the game, stunned the Lakers.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2007-08) After losing Game 5, Boston closed the series in Game 6 at home on June 17, 2008, winning 131–92; the 39-point margin is the largest gap ever for an NBA Finals closeout game, and the title was the franchise's 17th.[7](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-110hconres376eh/pdf/BILLS-110hconres376eh.pdf) • [3](https://www.nba.com/news/legendary-moments-paul-pierce-boston-celtics-2008-finals-mvp) Pierce was named Finals MVP.[1](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2007-08)
## Significance
The championship was Boston's first since 1986, ending a 21-year wait, and it made the record turnaround the first title won by a trio of stars assembled through trades in a single offseason.[5](https://www.sportingnews.com/au/nba/news/5-best-single-season-turnarounds-boston-celtics-2008-san-antonio-spurs-phoenix-suns/1gwpjc9lgmr4j1dsykbso9u0jr) • [14](https://as.com/us/baloncesto/cuantas-veces-han-llegado-los-boston-celtics-a-la-final-de-conferencia-n/) The 2008 model, rebuilding by spending young players and draft picks on established stars, became a template cited alongside later superteams such as the [Miami Heat](https://www.edgepedia.org/miami-heat) and [Golden State Warriors](https://www.edgepedia.org/golden-state-warriors).[15](https://as.com/us/us/2017/08/01/masdeporte/1501588924_402030.html) • [16](https://time.com/5625143/nba-russell-westbrook-james-harden/) Garnett's 2008 title remained his only championship, and the core of Pierce and Garnett stayed together in Boston until both were traded to Brooklyn in 2013, a deal that returned the draft picks Boston later used on [Jaylen Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/jaylen-brown) and Jayson Tatum.[17](https://apnews.com/article/0cdf7b0fb7bc641a5007c8dff836832a)
## References
1. [Season Review: 2007-08, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-2007-08)
2. [NBA's Biggest Turnarounds, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/nba/2008/06/18/18nbas-biggest-turnarounds)
3. [Legendary Moments In NBA History: Boston Celtics defeat Los Angeles Lakers for 2008 championship, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/legendary-moments-paul-pierce-boston-celtics-2008-finals-mvp)
4. [Boston Celtics Records Year by Year, Land of Basketball](https://www.landofbasketball.com/teams/records_boston_celtics.htm)
5. [Five best single-season turnarounds in NBA history, Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/au/nba/news/5-best-single-season-turnarounds-boston-celtics-2008-san-antonio-spurs-phoenix-suns/1gwpjc9lgmr4j1dsykbso9u0jr)
6. [Top Moments: Boston's new 'Big Three' deliver title No. 17 to Celtics, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/history-top-moments-celtics-win-championship-2008)
7. [H. Con. Res. 376, 110th Congress, honoring the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-110hconres376eh/pdf/BILLS-110hconres376eh.pdf)
8. [2007-08 Boston Celtics Transactions, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/2008_transactions.html)
9. [Today in Boston Celtics history: Kevin Garnett to Boston, Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/today-boston-celtics-history-kevin-100045265.html)
10. [The Storied History Behind the Lakers-Celtics Rivalry, Time](https://time.com/6301839/winning-time-season-2-celtics-lakers/)
11. [This Date in NBA History (April 16), Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/boston-celtics/news/this-date-in-nba-history-april-16-chicago-bulls-set-72-win-nba-record-1996-boston-celtics-greatest-turnaround-season-2008/14l2y119dahxq1jq0shmu87tc1)
12. [2007-08 Boston Celtics Roster and Stats, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/2008.html)
13. [2007-08 Boston Celtics Roster, StatsCrew](https://www.statscrew.com/basketball/roster/t-BOS/y-2007)
14. [¿Cuántas veces han llegado los Boston Celtics a la final de conferencia?, AS](https://as.com/us/baloncesto/cuantas-veces-han-llegado-los-boston-celtics-a-la-final-de-conferencia-n/)
15. [¿Cuál va a ser el siguiente gran súper equipo de la NBA?, AS](https://as.com/us/us/2017/08/01/masdeporte/1501588924_402030.html)
16. [The NBA Is Officially Ridiculous, Time](https://time.com/5625143/nba-russell-westbrook-james-harden/)
17. [Celtics win 18th NBA championship, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/0cdf7b0fb7bc641a5007c8dff836832a)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › NBA and WNBA (North American professional basketball) › NBA and WNBA seasons, champions, and records › NBA seasons and team seasons › NBA team seasons*
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