The remaining pieces of Boston's Big 3, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, had just been shipped to Brooklyn, and a "trade" with the Clippers recently sent head coach Doc Rivers to Los Angeles. The Celtics were officially in major rebuild mode, and felt they found their guy in the former Butler Bulldogs head coach, who led the team to back-to-back Final Fours in 2010 and 2011.
Fast forward three years, and Stevens is now considered one of the best coaches in the NBA. He finished 6th in Coach of the Year voting, a fantastic feat in its own right, but most felt he deserved more credit.