The previous offseason was filled with fireworks for the Celtics.

On June 28, 2007, Boston made a draft-night deal that sent Jeff Green, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and a second-round pick to the Seattle Supersonics for Glen Davis and Ray Allen, the latter of whom was coming off an age-31 season in which he averaged 26.4 points and 3.0 threes while shooting 37.2 percent from deep.

But Boston wasn't done there. Just over a month later, it traded Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair and two first-round picks for Kevin Garnett. The 2003-04 MVP had just averaged 22.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.7 blocks for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"I couldn't ask for a better situation," Garnett said after the trade. "I asked for veterans, I didn't expect to get a seven-time All-Star or a [10-time] All-Star. This is a dream come true. I feel like a rookie again."

The 10-time All-Star he was referring to, of course, was Paul Pierce, the longtime Celtic he and Allen would be joining in Boston. From the outset, all three seemed to fit together perfectly.

Boston went 66-16 during the 2007-08 season. Among the teams sampled from 2000 to 2009 for this exercise, the Celtics finished first in simple rating system, net rating and relative defensive rating, and it's that last number that really sets this team apart.

These Celtics were a defensive juggernaut. The 1963-64 and 1964-65 Celtics, the 2019-20 Milwaukee Bucks and the 2003-04 San Antonio Spurs are the only teams in league history with better relative defensive ratings.

When KG was on the floor, Boston's opponents scored 97.6 points per 100 possessions and had a 45.0 effective field-goal percentage. The league averages for those marks in 2007-08 were 107.5 and 49.7, respectively.

Seemingly every rotation was made perfectly. KG was the vocal middle linebacker who managed everything, and everyone on the roster appeared committed to their assignments. Leon Powe was the only player with at least 500 minutes and a below-average defensive box plus/minus.

On the other end, the Celtics weren't quite as dominant, but the three superstars and second-year point guard Rajon Rondo did more than enough to carry the offense. When all four were on the floor, Boston scored 112.5 points per 100 possessions.

With a star-studded starting five and a deep and dedicated defense, Boston ran roughshod through the NBA and capped a championship season with a 4-2 win over Kobe, Pau and the Lakers in the Finals.