Celtics Win 17th NBA Championship With 39-Point Rout of Lakers
Jun 18
The Boston Celtics capped the greatest single-season turnaround in National Basketball Association history by winning their record 17th championship with a 131-92 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers. Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 14 rebounds for the Celtics, who won the best-of-seven NBA Finals four games to two for their first title in 22 years. The Celtics have now won 9 of 11 NBA Finals matchups against the Lakers, whose 14 championships are the second-most in league history. The two franchises have combined for half of the NBA’s 62 titles. Rajon Rondo added 21 points, 8 assists and 6 steals for Boston, which last won an NBA championship in 1986 with a team led by Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. This year’s club was led by the All-Star trio of Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Allen scored 26 points and Pierce 17.
After losing Game 5 in Los Angeles to send the series back to Boston, the Celtics outscored the Lakers 34-15 during the second quarter at TD Banknorth Garden to open a 23-point halftime lead. Garnett’s eight baskets at halftime were as many as the Lakers scored as a team during the first half. Boston extended its lead to as many as 42 points in the second half to finish 13-1 at home during the postseason. NBA Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 22 points on 7 of 22 shooting.
The Celtics’ championship capped a campaign in which they won a league-best 66 games during the regular season. It was a record-setting turnaround for the franchise, which had the second-worst record in the NBA last season at 24-58 and finished in last place in the Eastern Conference. Boston was given 75-1 odds to win a championship after last year’s NBA Finals. The Celtics’ odds dropped after the offseason addition of All-Stars Garnett and Allen, who joined Pierce to spark the team’s 42-game improvement, the biggest one-year turnaround in NBA history. The Celtics finally won on the road in the next round to capture the Eastern Conference title against the Detroit Pistons in six games and set up another meeting with the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Boston won the first two games at home and after losing Game 3 in Los Angeles, took control of the Finals by rallying from a 24-point deficit to win Game 4 on the road. It was the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history.
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