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By Ben Couch
June 4, 2008 -- The Boston Celtics are back.
After 21 years, the Celtics return to the NBA Finals, where they'll take on the Los Angeles Lakers -- who ousted them in six games during Boston's last Finals appearance (the 1986-87 season).
One year after winning only 24 games, Boston led the league with 66 victories, spurred by the Defensive Player of the Year, Kevin Garnett, and their captain, 10-year vet Paul Pierce. The acquisition of KG was the culmination of a summer restructuring that began with a draft-night trade that netted the team Ray Allen. The machinations that created Boston's "Big Three" earned General Manager Danny Ainge recognition as Executive of the Year.
After crushing all regular-season competition, the Celtics struggled through the early rounds of the playoffs, needing seven games to dispatch Atlanta and then Cleveland. But they managed to win twice on the road in Detroit, sending the Pistons home in six. That accomplished, the East's best team now faces the winner of the West.
On the left side of the page you'll find links to our coverage of the Celtics, in all their incarnations, and on the right side you'll find a collection of photo galleries featuring the team, followed by a vast array of video highlights documenting this storied franchise.
There's plenty to feast your eyes on, so you might want to exercise your mouse hand before click your way through this tonnage of Celtic tradition. You could be here for a while.
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Draft 2008 Preview: Boston Celtics 
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