“I’m on top of the world,” shouted NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett after the Boston Celtics clinched their 17th NBA championship over their arch rival, the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers. Indeed he was on top as were his teammates as the most illustrious franchise in NBA history won their first championship in over twenty years. Peter May, who has covered the Boston Celtics for nearly 25 years for the Boston Globe and the Hartford Courant and the author of the bestselling The Last Banner- an account of the Celtic’s last championship season-chronicles the remarkable 2008 championship run of the team in green. Tracing the biggest single-season turnaround in NBA history of this storied franchise, who went from having the second-worst record in the NBA last year to the best record this year, May charts, both the highs and lows of the season. From losing out on the Number 1 and Number 2 pick in last year's draft lottery to swinging trades for future Hall of Famers, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, from compiling the best record in the NBA and winning Game 4 in the Finals with the greatest come-from-behind victory in NBA Finals history to capping off their remarkable season with the league-leading 17th championship, it’s all here. Drawing on interviews with Defensive Player of the Year, Kevin Garnett, Captain and NBA Finals MVP and captain, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Coach Doc Rivers, among others, May serves up an behind-the-scenes account of the Celtics spectacular return to glory. Finally, May will also profile one opposing player from each playoff series, including LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.

In the mid-1970s, the city of Boston entered a period of upheaval on both its historic cobblestone streets and its legendary parquet basketball court. The Boston Celtics’ long dominance of the NBA came to an abrupt end, and the city's image as a hub of social justice was shaken to its core. When the federal courts declared, in 1974, that the city was in violation of school desegregation rulings and would need to institute a busing program, Boston became deeply polarized.

          Then, just as the city was struggling to pull itself out of economic and social turmoil, the Boston Celtics drafted a forward from Indiana State named Larry Bird. Upon the arrival of the “Hick from French Lick” to Boston in 1979, the fates of team and city were reborn. Pride, championships, reduced crime, and an economic boom re-emerged in Boston.

          In Rebound!, author Michael Connelly chronicles these parallel but intertwining worlds. It is an account of a city in financial, moral, and social decline brought back to life by the re-emergence of the Boston Celtics dynasty and the return of hope, purpose, and pride to “Hub of the Universe.” Interviews with city officials, former players, and others on the frontlines provide a fascinating exploration into this tumultuous time.

The behind-the-scenes story of one of professional basketball's most respected and beloved teams.