5 years ago today: Banner #17


On Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 the Boston Celtics won their NBA best 17th championship in franchise history.  It was a rather shocking turn of events; just one year earlier the Green had finished 24-58 in a season that included an all-time franchise worst 18 game losing streak.  When Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined forces with Paul Pierce in the summer of 2007, I thought the C's had a nucleus in place that could win a title, but I figured it would likely to take a year or two for them to gel.  Injuries later derailed our hopes of multiple championships, but we can always look back on what the "New Big Three" accomplished in their first season together.


The final game itself turned out to be very anticlimactic.  I remember sitting in the Garden at halftime (with Boston up 59-35) and actually feeling the slightest hint of disappointed that it was already over.  There would be no dramatic moment, no euphoric outburst, just a slow building roar echoing through the crowd on the way to the Celtics first NBA title in 22 years.  Final Score: Boston Celtics 131, LA Lakers 92


The championship parade two days later.

All three photo's taken with my cell phone circa 2007, not bad.


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