Quotes

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. Ray Allen had 26 points and Paul Pierce added 17 points for Boston, which last won an NBA championship with a team led by Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. This season's All-Star trio of Garnett, Allen and Pierce helped the Celtics win a league-best 66 regular-season games and the championship a year after the club finished with the second- worst record in the NBA at 24-58. ``This feels unbelievable knowing we were at rock bottom a year ago,'' said Pierce, who's spent his entire 10-year NBA career with the Celtics. ``To climb all the way to the top feels so good and I'm going to cherish this forever.'' Boston was given 75-1 odds to win a championship following last season's NBA Finals. The Celtics' odds dropped after the offseason addition of Garnett and Allen, who joined Pierce to spark the team's 42-game improvement, the biggest one-year turnaround in NBA history. The trio entered the playoffs with a combined 25 All-Star appearances and no championship rings.