The decade 2K has seen the Celtics go from bottom feeders in 2000, to World Champions in 2008, with their sights set on another one in 2010. Much of what got them back to the top of the pile is listed below, in 17Banners.com's "Top-10: Best of the Decade":

10. The Firing of Rick Pitino

The Celtics first regular season game under Rick Pitino was memorable, as they knocked off the defending champion Chicago Bulls. What happened after that was also memorable - the signings of Travis Knight and Andrew DeClercq; the trading of DeClercq and their first round pick in '99 for Vitaly Potapenko (available in the draft had they kept the pick? Andre Miller, Shawn Marion, and Ron Artest, to name a few); and, of course, the famous tirade referring to how some Celtics legends were not "walking through that door". While there are some things that I actually don't blame him for (the Chauncey Billups trade, for example, as it took Billups 5 more years to become what he is now), he was still a train-wreck.

9. Trading for the draft rights of Rajon Rondo

On the same night that Ainge traded the draft rights to the Celtics' 7th overall pick (which became Randy Foye), he also acquired the Celtics point guard of the future. In sending the Phoenix Suns their 2007 1st round pick, the Celtics received Rajon Rondo in return. It has turned into another example of brilliance by Ainge, who said he would've considered taking him with that 7th pick - something that would've sent Celtics fans into a frenzy had it occurred then.

8. Celtics sold to Boston Basketball Partners, LLC

In 2003, then-owner Paul Gaston sold the Celtics to Boston Basketball Partners, LLC. Celtics fans know them as Wyc and Steve. The new ownership wasted no time in making changes, bringing in Danny Ainge to right the ship. While Ainge has done a remarkable job in rebuilding the franchise, it's the new ownership that has opened up the checkbook in order to obtain and sustain success.

7. The Antoine Walker trade in 2003

At the time, the Antoine Walker trade to Dallas appeared to be heavily lop-sided in Dallas' favor. While Celtic Nation was appalled that new GM Danny Ainge would do such a thing to one of the faces of the franchise, little did we know the domino effect that would follow. There were other key moves that resulted from this trade (for example, the first round pick acquired in this deal was used to select Delonte West, who was later traded to Seattle as part of the Ray Allen deal), but the Celtics key acquisition was Raef LaFrentz' eye-popping contract that still had 5 years and 50 million dollars left on it. LaFrentz and his contract were later traded (in 2006) for Theo Ratliff's expiring contract, which was then used in the trade that landed Kevin Garnett.

6. The hiring of Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers

When the Celtics were sold in 2003, new ownership brought in some new blood to help get the franchise back to where it belonged. First, Danny Ainge was hired to take over the front office, pushing Chris Wallace out. Ainge's first order of business was shipping out Antoine Walker (see above), which ultimately led to head coach Jim O'Brien's departure. In 2004, Ainge hired Doc Rivers to be the new head coach. While many questioned the hiring, and often called for Doc's head during his first three seasons, it has proven to be the right fit.

5. 2002 Playoffs

It had been six long and miserable seasons since the Celtics had made the playoffs, before their memorable run in 2002. While no one realistically expected them to win the title that summer, Celtics basketball returned with a roar. They eliminated Allen Iverson and the 76ers, winning the 5th and deciding game by 33 points, and introducing the country to the Walker Wiggle. Then, they knocked off Detroit decisively in 5 games. The feel-good story would end against the Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals, but not before the Celtics made history in erasing a 21-point 4th quarter deficit in Game 3, coming back to win it and take a 2-1 series lead.

4. Trading for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett

Some may wonder why this isn't #2 on the list, or why they don't have their own place on it. Well, they aren't #2 for two reasons, as you'll see below. And they aren't separated because one could not have happened without the other. Before the trade for Ray Allen, Danny Ainge had already inquired about Kevin Garnett, and Garnett made it perfectly clear that he didn't not want to come to Boston, as they lacked the talent to immediately contend for a title. So, Ainge swung the deal for Ray Allen (which also included the draft rights to Glen Davis) on draft night 2007. This deal ultimately changed Garnett's mind, and KG became a Boston Celtic later that summer.

3. The 2007 NBA Draft Lottery

Durant or Oden. Oden or Durant. That was the debate for much of the winter and spring prior to the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery. And when it became clear that the Celtics were likely going to get one of those two guys, the debate raged on. However, Tommy Heinsohn's face reflected what every single Boston Celtic fan felt when their envelope was pulled. The 5th pick in the draft was pretty much worthless to the Celtics. They needed Durant or Oden as their franchise centerpice. Instead, they'd be forced to pick between the likes of Jeff Green, Corey Brewer, or Yi Jianlian. As we now know, Ainge pulled off the deal for Ray Allen, which triggered the deal for Garnett. None of that would've happened without the shocking events of Lottery Night 2007.

2. Paul Pierce

One could argue that the Allen or Garnett trades is the 2nd best thing to have happened to the Celtics during this decade. They're not, but Paul Pierce is. During the past 10 years, we've seen a boy grow into a man. Immaturity transform into maturity. And an All-Star turn into a Celtics legend. While he has endured his criticisms, he has also shown us what it takes to become one of the greatest Celtics ever. His number will hang from the Garden rafters, and when all is said and done, #34 will be mentioned among the best players the Celtics have ever had.

1. The 2007/2008 season

The 2007/08 season started long before training camp even broke. Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett were joining Paul Pierce to become the New Big Three. There were skeptics, and some "experts" were picking the Celtics to finish near the bottom of the conference. Most agreed that it would take them a while to mesh. But we saw differently in Rome during the pre-season. The team came together almost immediately, and the cast of characters was almost perfect. The troika of All Stars, the personalities of Scot Pollard and Brian Scalabrine, and the veteran presence of guys like Eddie House and James Posey (and later Sam Cassell and PJ Brown). We saw 66-16. We nearly saw them get thumped out of the playoffs - twice. We saw Paul Pierce will his way to a tipped ball against Cleveland in Game 7 (what I still consider the play that won them the title). We heard "Beat L.A." chants that once again meant something. And we all got to enjoy a summer-long hangover that comes with watching your team win something that has evaded them for so long.