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Kalan Hooks, ESPN
The Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 in Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals to clinch the franchise’s 18th title.
Boston was led by Jayson Tatum, who had 31 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds. He joins Stephen Curry, Michael Jordan, James Worthy and Walt Frazier as the only players in NBA Finals history to have 30 points and 10 assists in a series-clinching win, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Jaylen Brown added 21 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, while Jrue Holiday had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
The Celtics last hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2008 when they faced the Los Angeles Lakers for the 11th time in NBA Finals history. Under the direction of then-head coach Doc Rivers, Boston overcame a Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles team in six games. Paul Pierce was named Finals MVP after averaging 21.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists.
“Anything’s possible,” then-Celtics forward Kevin Garnett famously exclaimed in a postgame interview.
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On this date: ‘Anything is possible,’ as Garnett, Celtics win title
On June 17, 2008, Kevin Garnett gives his famous postgame interview after the Celtics knock off the Lakers in Game 6 of the Finals.
Here is what the world was like the last time the Celtics won an NBA title on June 17, 2008.
Lil Wayne topped the charts
Rapper Lil Wayne’s hit single “Lollipop” featuring Static Major led the Billboard Top 100 charts the week the Celtics won the title. The song debuted on March 13, 2008 and was featured on the New Orleans rapper’s sixth studio album, “Tha Carter III.”
The record, produced by Deezle and Jim Jonsin, earned a Grammy Award in 2009 for Best Rap Song.
The remix to Lollipop was released on June 10, 2008, and featured rapper Kanye West.
The Lakers forward was deemed “The Chosen One” before being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. In 2008, Lionsgate released a documentary titled “More Than a Game.”
The film told the story of James and his childhood friends’ journey of playing AAU basketball together along with the trials and tribulations they faced during their high school playing days at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio.
The documentary featured James himself, his teammates Dru Joyce III, Romeo Travis, Sian Cotton, Willie McGee and long-time coach, Dru Joyce II.
Al Horford had a dominant rookie season
Celtics center Al Horford made his NBA debut in the 2007-08 season. The Atlanta Hawks selected Horford as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft after his junior season with the Florida Gators where he averaged 13.2 points and 9.5 rebounds.
As a rookie, Horford played in 81 games and started 77 games for the Hawks.
The 6-foot-9 rookie picked up where he left off in college, leading Atlanta with 9.7 rebounds per game and helping the Hawks make the postseason for the first time since the 1998-99 season.
Horford’s impact led to him finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Kevin Durant.
As fate would have it, the Hawks faced the team Horford would go on to win a championship with — the Celtics — in the first round of the 2008 NBA playoffs. Horford started in all seven games of the series, averaging 12.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
Joe Mazzulla played for West Virginia
Mazzulla was wrapping up his junior season and heading into his senior year with the West Virginia Mountaineers when Boston was crowned champion again.
The lefty from Johnston, Rhode Island, averaged 5.8 points for West Virginia. He shot 45.8 percent from the field and 45 percent from deep.
Mazzulla played a prominent role in the Mountaineers’ upset against the No. 2-seeded Duke Blue Devils in the NCAA men’s tournament Round of 32. He posted 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in West Virginia’s 73-67 win before losing to the No. 3 Xavier Musketeers in overtime in the Sweet 16.
Grand Theft Auto: IV hit the shelves
As we await the release date of the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI video game, it’s only fitting that Grand Theft Auto IV was released on April 28, 2008, the same year the Celtics last won the title.
Looking to capitalize on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the open-world game was set in Liberty City, which was based off New York City.
In its opening week, the game sold over six million copies on PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360 gaming consoles, generating over $500 million in sales.