The 2007-08 Boston Celtics were undoubtedly one of the greatest teams formed in recent NBA history. The Celtics and Danny Ainge managed to trade for All-Stars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett in 2007 to team up with Paul Pierce to form a terrifying Big 3.
Armed with all that firepower, the Celtics dominated the NBA to finish with a 66-16 record. They then proceeded to win it all that season, as they beat Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals. Brian Scalabrine was a role player on that team, and he was recently on Garnett’s KG Certified podcast, where he stated that the 2008 Celtics were the greatest defensive team ever.
Brian Scalabrine: “We were the greatest defensive team to ever play.”
Kevin Garnett: “You think so? One of ’em.”
Brian Scalabrine “No, the (greatest defensive team ever)… You ain’t scoring on that group.”
Sticking to just that season, the Celtics did have the best defensive rating of 98.9, and no one else was particularly close. Garnett was the anchor on that end of the floor and was crowned Defensive Player of the Year, so they do deserve respect. The greatest ever is a stretch, though, as that 98.9 rating doesn’t even rank in the top 10 since the 1999-00 season.
Can The Current Boston Celtics Emulate The 2008 Team And Win It All?
That title in 2008 was the last time that the Celtics were at the top of the mountain. They would lose in their next two trips to the Finals, in 2010 to the Lakers and in 2022 to the Golden State Warriors.
This season, they seem like a team on a mission to finally get over that hump, as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been spectacular. Tatum is arguably the frontrunner for MVP as he looks to make amends for his disappointing displays in the Finals. The Celtics and their fans are desperate to get their hands on that trophy once again, and they seem like a good bet to accomplish it in 2023.
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