The Boston Celtics won their 17th championship in a 131-92 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Danny Ainge deserves a ton of credit for the work he did over the last year. The Celtics had the worst record in the East last season and Ainge orchestrated the biggest turnaround in league history. He essentially turned this group…
Al Jefferson, Delonte West, Ryan Gomes, Wally Szczerbiak, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair and Theo Ratliff (along with three first round picks)
…into this group…
Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, James Posey, Eddie House, Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown
KG and Ray Ray came over in trades, while the other four guys were inexpensive free agent signings looking for an opportunity to play for a ring. The Celtics’ ownership group deserves credit for being willing to spend the money necessary to put this team together.
But most of all, Doc Rivers and this group of players deserves credit for a terrific playoff run, especially the last two series. There were some scary moments against Atlanta and Cleveland, but once the Celtics hit the Detroit series, things started to change. Somehow, Rivers managed to take this roster and develop the chemistry to win at the highest level. This was a career-defining win for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. The trio’s performance in Game 6 couldn’t have been better. They combined for 69 points (on 22-43 shooting), 21 rebounds and 16 assists.
But it was Rajon Rondo’s solid play at point guard that made the blowout possible. The youngster posted 21 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, six steals and just one turnover in the win.
Now the question becomes – will they repeat?
