At the conclusion of the 2006-07 season, the Boston Celtics stood in second to last place, in front of only the Memphis Grizzlies. Their 24-68 record was the Celtics’ second-worst in franchise history and it had been 21 years since the Celtics had made an NBA Finals appearance. The lure of Boston as a basketball city was fading and it was clear that big moves needed to be made in order to bring the franchise back to prominence.
Danny Ainge made his first move in an attempt to turn things around on the night of the 2007 NBA draft. After selecting Jeff Green with the fifth overall pick, the Celtics finalized a trade with the Seattle SuperSonics to acquire Ray Allen, Glen Davis and the 2007 35th overall pick in exchange for Green, Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak.
After adding Allen to a roster that already had Paul Pierce, Ainge looked to add one more piece to put the Celtics over the top. In a blockbuster deal, the C’s traded Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, two first-round picks and cash considerations to Minnesota in exchange for Kevin Garnett.
Championship-caliber basketball was back in Boston as a new “Big Three” assembled at TD Garden. The Celtics had high hopes of bringing yet another title to the city of Boston, and fans were not disappointed.
The Celtics finished with a league-best record of 66-16, a 42-game improvement over the previous season. Pierce, Garnett and Allen all made the All-Star team and Garnett was recognized as the Defensive Player of the Year.
The Celtics’ regular-season success carried into the playoffs. After tough Eastern Conference matchups against Atlanta, Cleveland and Detroit, the Celtics were set to face off against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals for the 11th time and the first time since the days of Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson.
