Top 10 NBA stories for '08

It's been a good year for the NBA, all things considered. Players, for the most part, kept out of the headlines for off-the-court problems. The playoffs, as usual, were filled with good games and this time the top two teams from each conference, both with pure-bred pedigrees, made the finals attractive for even casual basketball fans. A group of stars embodied the spirit of the Olympics to return the gold to the United States.

It's not all been perfect, of course. One of the league's referees was sentenced to prison for not having as much integrity as all would have expected. The financial crunch that has hurt many businesses worldwide hit the NBA, with the league offices being forced to incur layoffs and teams having to tighten their belt straps. And coaches, it seems, have become as disposable as Kleenex.

But overall, 2008 will go down in history as one of the good years for the NBA. Here is one person's opinion of the top 10 stories from around the Association this past year:

1. Rebirth of the Celtics.

The most storied franchise in NBA history had, frankly, become a bit of a joke. Boston went 24-58 during the 2006-07 season, which included an 18-game losing streak. They finished with the second-worst record in the NBA.

But then a couple of old Celtics from the franchise's 1980s heydays got together to change all of that. This time it was power forward Kevin McHale assisting guard Danny Ainge. McHale, in his position as general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves, sent star forward Kevin Garnett to the Celtics in a trade with Ainge, the general manager of the Celtics.

Ainge also acquired veteran shooting guard Ray Allen in a trade with the SuperSonics without giving up All-Star Paul Pierce, and suddenly Boston was back in the basketball championship business.

The 2007-08 Celtics completed the biggest turnaround in NBA history, finishing the regular season with a 66-16 record. They had some struggles in the early rounds of the playoffs, but managed to win the conference title where their longtime arch-rivals, the Lakers, represented the West in a series made in a television executive's dreams.

While the Lakers were a slight favorite, the Celtics showed they were the better team, downing L.A. in six games. The clincher was over by halftime, as Boston coasted to a 131-92 victory.

And then, just to prove that last season was no fluke, the Celtics have been even better so far this year. With young point guard Rajon Rondo coming into his own alongside his three superstar teammates, Boston won a franchise-record 19 consecutive games before finally losing on Christmas to the Lakers.