Almost ten years ago around 2007, the Boston Celtics were the worst team in the entire NBA with a disgusting 24-58 record, winning only about 29% of their games. their victories. games throughout the season. After hearing this, I bet you would think it would be crazy if I said that a year from now they would bring the Larry Brien Trophy back to the TD Garden, but that's exactly what they would do the following season. From that point on the team had gone more than twenty-one years without a single NBA Finals appearance. To put that in perspective, their last appearance was in the mid-1980s, when they were led by future hall of famers: Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, all of whom had their jerseys retired by the team. After an overall horrendous season the previous year, Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge was determined to turn the franchise around over the summer with two trades that no one saw coming and that would change them forever. Ainge would immediately turn his gaze to one of the best offensive players the game of basketball has ever seen, Seattle Supersonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder) All-Star guard Ray Allen, who had averaged over twenty-six in the previous season points per game. season. Now, for those of you who don't know who Ray Allen is at all, here's a little update. According to Basketball Reference, Ray Allen was originally drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth pick of the 1996 NBA Draft. Throughout his career at that point he jumped from several teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat, and no matter where he went, he had a absurd average of over twenty points a night with a three-point field goal percentage of around forty percent. It was a pain for many defenders, night after night, trying to stop this man from putting up points. On draft night in 2007, the Celtics and the Supersonics agreed to a trade that would send All-star guard Ray Allen to Boston in exchange for the Celtics' number five pick in that draft, who would later be known as Jeff Green, along with other business considerations such as cash. This acquisition would add substantially more offensive power to a Celtics team that has struggled to put up points all season, with the exception of future Hall of Famer Paul Pierce who single-handedly ran the offense. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Now, after hearing about the Ray Allen acquisition, most people would see that we would get a boost on offense, but we were still lacking on defense, especially in the statistical rebounding and defense category. That's when Danny Ainge started his site about one of the best defensive players our league has ever seen, Kevin Garnett. According to ESPN, Kevin Garnett was drafted straight out of high school with the fifth overall pick in the 1995 draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. From the start of his career to the 2007 season, Kevin consistently averaged twenty points per game, ten rebounds, and two blocks per game. These impressive statistics that he left on the field would earn him several Defensive Player of the Year awards and even many All-Star Game honors. During the 2007 season, All-star Kevin Garnett, who had blocked any type of trade with the Boston Celtics, allegedly threatened the organization that he would terminate his contract the following season if they attempted to acquire him. However, once Ray Allen was added to the roster, Garnett finally stopped preventing the trade and decided to finally give apossibility to the city of Boston. This would lead to one of the largest one-sided trades for a single player in NBA history. The deal that ultimately brought Kevin Garnett to Boston featured the Celtics sending several players, but the most surprising of the bunch was current Boston Celtics starting center, Al Jefferson who is averaging sixteen strong points and eleven rebounds in the previous season. Along with four players, the Celtics sent over two first-round picks and money to the Timberwolves just for Kevin Garnett. It was a hugely successful trade for a recently transformed 31-year-old power forward who many analysts thought his best years were starting to come to an end. This however would not be the case as he would go on to produce some of the best numbers of his long and distinguished career. Established veterans Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen had now joined the Celtics' only All-Star forward in Paul Pierce to form Boston's new "Big Three," a term not heard in the great state of Massachusetts since Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish led the Celtics to several title runs during the 1980s, including seven consecutive championship games. Together, those new “Big Three” would lead the franchise to one of the greatest single-season turnarounds the National Basketball Association has ever seen. From a paltry twenty-four wins to an astonishing sixty-six win season, the Celtics' 42-game turnaround was simply breathtaking and almost too good to be true. That year, the Celtics sold out nearly every home game, and the basketball atmosphere throughout the city was that of the years when Boston won seven straight titles. Boston would finish that season with the NBA's best record of 66-16 overall, the Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen were all named All-Stars, and Kevin Garnett would win another Defensive Player of the Year. award and, ultimately, Danny Ainge would be named Executive of the Year. Regardless of how great their season was, the Big Three would still have many tests to face once they reached the Playoffs. According to Sports Quotient, in the first round of the playoffs, the Boston Celtics would face the Atlanta Hawks who were ahead. the time led by Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Mike Bibby and future Boston Celtics Al Horford. The Atlanta Hawks were a disappointing 36-46 that year, and no one would have thought they would give Boston a run for their money. The teams, however, went back and forth in the series before Boston eventually won a dazzling Game 7 by a score of 99-65 with Paul Pierce leading the way with twenty-two points. The next series would not be any better as the Celtics would face the man many believe to be the greatest basketball player of all time, Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. For those of you who don't know Lebron James during this time he seemed almost impossible to beat, especially when he was averaging thirty points, eight rebounds and seven assists a night. Once again, this series would also go the distance until the Celtics finally eliminated them in a thrilling Game 7 by a score of 97-92, which was once again led by team captain Paul Pierce who delivered a performance dominant with forty -one points. Remember: This is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Request a custom essay After battling in two close series, the Boston Celtics were finally facing the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals led by Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace. Once again in a 3-2..