Boston's Quick Turnarounds: The Story of the City's Recent Championships

The city of Boston has seen unprecedented success over the last 10 years. No city has experienced a championship in each of the four major sports in a 10-year span.  

Even more remarkable is the fact that all of these teams turned a dire situation into a championship overnight. Here is a look Boston’s four championship sports franchises and their breakthrough performances, starting with the 2001 New England Patriots.

2001 Patriots

After a disappointing 5-11 season in 2000, coach Bill Belichick faced a tall task turning around a franchise that accumulated fewer wins in each season since their AFC Championship in 1996.

No one expected the Patriots to fare much better in the 2001 season. 

After losing the first two games of the season, the Patriots faced the fact that only one other franchise had started the season 0-2 and won a Super Bowl.

Enter Mo Lewis and Tom Brady.

With five minutes left in the second game, starter Drew Bledsoe scrambled towards the sideline, where Jets linebacker Lewis hit him so hard, he suffered internal bleeding. Sixth-round draft choice Tom Brady was now the starter, and Bledsoe, who had just signed a 10-year, $103 million contract, faced an uncertain future.

The Patriots also faced an uncertain future with a quarterback that had completed one pass in his NFL career.

The Patriots faced Brady’s future rival in Peyton Manning and the Colts in Week 3.

After pummeling the Colts 44-13, the team rallied around Brady to post an 11-5 season, grab an AFC East title, post a memorable win in the “Tuck Rule” game against the Raiders and a road win in the AFC Championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bledsoe came in as a backup to throw a crucial touchdown pass against Pittsburgh.

The magical season culminated with a memorable drive led by Brady in the Super Bowl against the Rams. After we heard John Madden advise Brady to kneel and send the game to overtime, Brady drove down the field and set up Adam Vinatieri’s game-winner from 48 yards out.

2004 Red Sox

Contrary to popular belief, Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS was the most humiliating defeat in Red Sox history.

After the pitching staff had given up 19 runs in a ferocious 19-8 beatdown to the Yankees, the Red Sox faced a 3-0 series deficit. No team in the history of baseball had come from a 3-0 deficit to win a seven-game series.

All this in addition to the humiliating loss in the 2003 ALCS, the one-game playoff loss in 1978 and an 86-year championship drought stared the Red Sox right in the face.

These Red Sox were different, however.

The self proclaimed “idiots” led by Johnny Damon and Kevin Millar were about to pull off a first in a city known for its firsts.

Terry Francona’s calm demeanor, David Ortiz’s clutch hitting, Keith Foulke’s ability to close big games, Dave Roberts' stolen base and Curt Schilling’s gutty performance with an injured ankle led the Red Sox on their way to the greatest comeback in baseball history.

Throw in clutch hitting from unsung heroes Bill Mueller and Mark Bellhorn, and the Red Sox ripped off eight straight wins against the Yankees and Cardinals to reverse “the Curse of the Bambino.” 

2008 Celtics

Twenty-two years had passed since the last championship for Boston’s most successful franchise.

Starting in 1986 with the death of Len Bias, the Celtics had gone on an unprecedented string of mishaps and misfortune. In 1993, the Celtics had experienced another unexpected tragedy with the death of captain and star Reggie Lewis. 

After winning 16 titles in less than 30 years from 1957 to 1986, the Celtics only made it to the Eastern Conference Finals one time after Larry Bird retired in 1992. In addition, they had lost a chance in the 2007 NBA draft lottery to acquire either Greg Oden or Kevin Durant.

The franchise had hit rock bottom with all this bad luck, and were coming off a season in which they finished 26-56. Danny Ainge took control, however, and changed the franchise’s fortunes overnight by acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

With three future Hall of Famers on the roster, the Celtics posted the single biggest turnaround in NBA history, winning 66 games.They beat the record of the 1979-80 Celtics, who improved by 32 games with a rookie named Larry Bird.

They fought through the first two playoff rounds, beating the Hawks and Cavaliers without winning a road game. They then finished off two of their most heated rivals in the Pistons and Lakers, each in six games, to complete their first championship in 22 years.

Doc Rivers won his first championship, out-coaching the overrated and aloof Phil Jackson, and Paul Pierce won the Finals MVP.

2011 Bruins

No championship run surprised me more than the Boston Bruins of 2011. Here are some facts that show how unlikely this run was.

As of 2010, the Bruins had four playoff series wins in 18 years. The Minnesota North Stars had played in a Stanley Cup Final more recently than the Bruins. The Bruins had won one Stanley Cup Final game since the 1978-79 season, none at home.

In 2010 the Bruins became only the third team in NHL history and the fourth team in sports history to blow a 3-0 lead and lose a seven-game series. They had also lost the seventh game of a playoff series four straight times.

Enter the 2010-11 season. 

The Bruins won four playoff series in one year. They won three home games in the Stanley Cup Finals by a score of 17-3. They swept the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round after blowing a 3-0 lead to the same team in 2010.

They also became the first team to win a Game 7 three times in the same playoff year. I attribute this turnaround to formerly apathetic owner Jeremy Jacobs bringing in Cam Neely to change the franchise’s makeup.

The best goaltending performance in the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs by Tim Thomas certainly didn’t hurt.

Most amazing is the Bruins’ ability to win the Cup with same owner, GM, coach and core players that collapsed in the playoffs in 2010. Go figure.