Doc Rivers led the Boston Celtics to their 17th NBA championship in 2008. Boston defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 4–2 in the NBA Finals, with Rivers earning his first championship as an NBA head coach.
The title completed a dramatic turnaround for the Celtics. Before the 2007–08 season, Boston had finished with one of the NBA’s worst records. The team then acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to join Paul Pierce, creating a veteran “Big Three” that quickly became a championship contender.
Boston finished the regular season with the NBA’s best record and defeated the Lakers in six Finals games. The Celtics’ 131–92 victory in Game 6 remains one of the largest margins in NBA Finals history. Rivers later guided Boston back to the Finals in 2010, but the Lakers won that rematch in seven games.
A common mix-up is confusing Rivers with Phil Jackson, who coached the Lakers in the 2008 Finals. Jackson won championships with the Lakers, while Rivers was the Celtics coach who captured Boston’s first title since 1986.