NBA History: Looking at all the NBA Champions since 2000

#5 Boston Celtics - 1 championship (2008)

NBA Finals Game 6: Los Angeles Lakers v Boston Celtics

As an executive for the Boston Celtics, Danny Ainge has become a very shrewd and smart player asset manager. He will forever be remembered in Boston for the following two trades. First, on 28 June 2007, the Seattle SuperSonics traded Ray Allen and Glen Davis to Boston in exchange for Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, and Jeff Green.

Approximate one month later on July 31, 2007, Boston acquired Kevin Garnett in a 7 for 1 swap. The T-Wolves received Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, cash considerations, Boston's 2009 first-round draft pick (top 3 protected), and the 2009 first round pick (Minnesota had traded it to Boston in the Rick Davis-Wally Szczerbiak trade of 2006).

These two player acquisitions fetched Boston the NBA’s most storied franchise as well as an instant return back to the glory days competing for and winning Championships. The Celtics big three of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett, along with the support of PG Rajon Rondo would appear in 2 NBA Finals winning once and appear in 3 ECF in 5 years.

However, it was the 2007-08 season that brought an instant return on the assets traded and acquired when under the leadership of Doc Rivers as head coach, the Celtics amassed a 66-16 regular season record. Boston knocked off the Los Angeles Lakers in a 6-game NBA Finals series. Boston took a 3-1 series lead and eventually blew out the Lakers in Game 6 131-92 to secure the title.

When Boston made it back to the NBA Finals two years later, they did not have the same success in 2010. Due to an injury to center Kendrick Perkins 6:30 minutes into Game 5 of the 2010 Finals, the Celtics squandered a 3-2 series lead losing Game 6 89-67.

In Game 7, reliant upon a 35-year-old Rasheed Wallace to try and contain a hobbled Andrew Bynum (had to have knee drained between games) the Lakers managed to take game 7 by just 4 points 83-79 denying Boston’s big three a second title.