As Boston Celtics fans sit in their TD Garden seats for a given game, a tilt of the head upward will lead to a sight no other fan base can claim in its home building — 17 NBA Championship banners.

The bulk of those banners — 13, to be exact — come from a dominant stretch that began in the late 50s and tapered off in the mid-70s under the organizational guide of Red Auerbach. Three more were added in the 80s, during the Larry Bird era — the time of the original Big Three.

But, as fans know, it was not always banners, cigars and parades for this franchise. To be initiated as a Celtics fan after that 16th title in 1986 would seemingly be a punishment. The much publicized deaths of promising young players Len Bias and Reggie Lewis, combined with the ping-pong disappointment of the 1997 Draft Lottery and subsequent lackluster reign of Rick Pitino, delivered a stark contrast to the organization’s glory days.

The fan base endured a byproduct of those tragedies — the Celtics failed to make the playoffs for six straight seasons prior to the 2001-2002 campaign. On the heels an Eastern Conference Finals exit, though, owner Paul Gaston sold the organization in December 2002 to Banner Seventeen LLC, a group led by Wyc Grousbeck and his father, H. Irving Grousbeck.

A virtuous plan of attack

“If you’re going to be a playoff team and just make money, that’s maybe not a championship formula. So what we did from Day One is we said, ‘We’re going to invest as much as we possibly can in this team, and the valuation will take care of itself’,” Grousbeck in a recent appearance on NECN’s CEO Corner. “So that’s how it takes four or five years to get that put together, and then luckily we did win.”

When Grousbeck took over as Managing Partner, Governor and Chief Executive Officer of the Boston Celtics in December 2002, he inherited a team that surprised many by nearly making it through a weak Eastern Conference to the NBA Finals. But a surprising team from a weak conference would stand little-to-no chance against Western Conference powers Los Angeles and San Antonio, which boasted bigger stars than Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker — not to mention a better supporting cast.

In May 2003, Grousbeck hired Danny Ainge, a two-time title winner as a player with the Celtics, as the organization’s Executive Director of Basketball Operations and General Manager. It would be his task to assemble a team worthy of restoring the luster long since gone from the Celtics mystique. The right formula would take some time.

In his first big moves at the helm, Ainge acquired point guard Marcus Banks and high school center Kendrick Perkins in Draft Night dealings. Banks never made a huge impact with the Celtics, or any other organization. Perkins, on the other hand, was Exhibit A that patience would prove worthwhile in the hunt for a 17th title.

Over the coming seasons, there would be many bearers of false hope to suit up in the green and white — Ricky Davis, Gary Payton, Al Jefferson, Delonte West, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Wally Szczerbiak and Sebastian Telfair, to name a few. Complimentary players are an easy find in the NBA. But Pierce, the foundation piece identified by Ainge, head coach Doc Rivers and Celtics ownership, required more than young, one-dimensional teammates to make a serious run at an NBA Title.

“My partners and I decided that we would rebuild the team bit-by-bit,” Grousbeck said. “We would stick with Danny (Ainge). And we stuck with Doc (Rivers), during some darker times. We didn’t feel like we’d given them enough time to show what they could do — the drafting and the coaching, and bringing it all together.”

The organization decided to look at the aforementioned role players as an answer, rather than a problem — a group with collective shortcomings incapable of mounting a strong playoff push, even with Pierce leading the way, but enough promise to lure teams with aging veterans to the negotiating table.

“All of a sudden — it seemed like it was all of a sudden — we had the pieces in place to make these trades. In fact, it was the culmination of being patient for four years. So we waited for it, when we were ready to go, we went, we got (Kevin) Garnett and (Ray) Allen and we won the championship,” Grousbeck said of the two deals that immediately changed his team’s fortunes.

On the night of the NBA Draft Lottery, Boston fans, with dreams of Greg Oden and Kevin Durant dancing in their heads, learned that neither would be in a Celtics uniform in 2007. Boston had been awarded the No. 5 overall selection in the upcoming Draft.

The unlucky bounce of ping-pong balls set the Celtics back once before. Boston would not be had twice, deciding to change its future not with a draft pick, but by using it to acquire a veteran player.

On Draft Night 2007, Ainge traded West, Szczerbiak and the 5th overall pick (Jeff Green) to Seattle for the 35th overall pick (Glen “Big Baby” Davis) and Ray Allen, a sharpshooter from beyond the arc and the key to convincing the final piece of the New Big Three to join the Celtics. A little over a month later, Kevin Garnett became that final piece. The high-scoring Jefferson, Gomes, Telfair, Green, Theo Ratliff, cash and two first round draft selections in 2009 netted The Big Ticket, who was leaving the only NBA team he had known, the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Grousbeck’s patience with Ainge and Rivers culminated in the organization’s 17th NBA Title in that first season the New Big Three played together. It was an amazing run capped by the six-game defeat of longtime rival the Los Angeles Lakers.

Patience is a funny thing, though. What if the Timberwolves and Sonics were not prepared to deal Garnett and Allen? What if the ping-pong ball had landed Boston the No. 1 overall pick in 2007? Would Ainge have gone the way of former New York Knicks boss Isiah Thomas, now coaching a little-known NCAA program after a series of moves put franchise well behind the eight ball? One will never know for sure.

Sentimental value

“I think of myself as a trustee of the Celtics — it’s really not mine. It’s everybody’s in Boston and it’s Red Auerbach’s and Bill Russell’s and everybody back in the past,” Grousbeck said. “The chance to take care of one of those franchises and try to hang another banner and add to the pride and tradition is so unique that it’s hard to place a value on it.”

Grousbeck’s group originally purchased the Celtics for $360 million. In 2008, Forbes placed a $447 million valuation on the franchise. Grousbeck noted that the team’s rich history and current level of performance bumps its value, in his eyes, far beyond that $447 million figure.

The opportunity to own an NBA franchise is quite limited, as there are only so many teams to be had, and at a steep price. Accordingly, simply seeing the fruits of one’s negotiations on the court can be a thrill worth taking on the responsibility of being an NBA owner. Grousbeck admitted as much in his CEO Corner appearance.

But for him, it is more than that. Having tasted the league’s ultimate success, there is no turning back — his competitive spirit is tied to the on-court ups and downs of his team. It is the type of attitude a true fan — one that hit Powerball and purchased his hometown team — would display with pride. Because going from fan to owner takes the experience to a completely different level.

“It’s actually much more fun to win, and even when we lose I’m so devastated, but I’m so much more wrapped up in the games. I’m not just a fan anymore and I love it,” Grousbeck said.

‘Let’s have a parade in the end’

At the time of his CEO Corner appearance, Grousbeck’s Celtics were a perfect 4-0 on the young 2009-2010 season. Following Friday night’s 110-103 loss to Phoenix, the team sat at 6-1 — now 7-1.

“Well, I can’t expect that we’re going to be undefeated for the whole year, but I’d like to really cause some problems for our opponents in the league,” Grousbeck said.

Problems would be one way opponents could term a first team unit that boasts Pierce, Allen, a healthy Garnett, Rajon Rondo and Perkins. Heck, a second team consisting of new additions Rasheed Wallace, Marquis Daniels and old guard members Eddie House and Glen Davis, would be problematic for a healthy percentage of teams in the NBA.

Seven years later, one can look back on the moves made by Grousbeck’s management team with wonderment. That is not to say his goal is accomplished, mission complete. His plan of investing in the team — the players on the court — from the start worked to increase the value of his investment, and his chances of hanging yet another banner — the 18th.

“I’m really competitive, and there’s nothing better than beating the heck out of everybody else,” Grousbeck said of this 2009-2010 campaign. “And let’s have a parade in the end.”

The Duckboats people, one would think, will be happy to hear that.

As part of the process of approving a new NBA owner, Boston Celtics owner and CEO Wyc Grousbeck met with Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov in recent weeks.

Prokhorov, 43, earlier this year was ranked No. 40 on the Forbes World’s Billionaire’s List with a net worth of $9.5 billion. He reached a deal in September to purchase 80-percent of the Nets’ shares for $200 million.

“I just did meet Mr. Prokhorov last week in New York as part of the interview process and was favorably impressed,” Grousbeck said in a recent appearance on NECN’s CEO Corner. “For a billionaire, he’s a people’s billionaire. He’s a regular guy with a whole bunch of money, seems like to me.”

Prokhorov was once held in a prostitution investigation, but never charged. He would become the first NBA owner not from North America.

Twenty-five years ago, the prospect of a Russian owning an NBA franchise would have been an outrageous one, as Cold War tensions only began to ease with a series of summits between President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. But this is a different global landscape, one which may find the league expanding overseas in the relatively near future.

“Whether we add teams in Europe, South America, the Middle East or China, it remains to be seen. My guess is, we will,” Grousbeck said.

In that case, would the league abandon its current domestic format in favor of true geographical Eastern and Western Conferences — divided by hemispheres? Likely not.

“There may be a Chinese league or a European league, and then their champion plays our champion,” Grousbeck said.

The case for international expansion is that growing the league’s popularity, and therefore its profit capabilities, is limited so long as the NBA remains a domestic league. Fans in Israel and China may cheer for the Celtics, Lakers or Rockets, but the investment is not as deep without a team to call their own.

“The biggest growth opportunity for a team like the Celtics and a league like the NBA really is international,” Grousbeck said. “Local teams have been globalized, but it’s the same local team.”

The way Grousbeck talks, the NBA could soon be fulfilling its manifest destiny.

Following an early morning fight with a childhood friend the day prior to the season opener, which left him sidelined for six-to-eight weeks with a broken thumb, Celtics forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis will not face a suspension from the team.

The announcement was made by Celtics President of Basketball Opertations Danny Ainge prior to the team’s third game of the season Friday night against the Chicago Bulls.

“We have decided as an organization not to suspend Glen,” Ainge said. “We’ve levied a fine against him, and we want him around the team, we want him with the team on the road, we want him working out and conditioning with the team.”

The team’s fine against Davis was for an undisclosed amount.

Ainge said that Davis had apologized to his coaches, teammates and owners. Davis is wanted around the team as he works to keep in shape to make a seamless transition from the bench to the court once cleared to play, according to Ainge.

“It’s been tough, watching those guys and not being there and experiencing those experiences with them,” Davis said. “I just want to move on and work hard to stay in shape to make sure I’m ready to play.”

When asked for his overall reaction to the incident, Davis said, “It was…” and paused to find the right words. Ainge jumped in to help him out.

“Stupid,” Ainge said, drawing laughs from the media in the room and a smile from Davis.

“It was a stupid mistake, like Danny said, and something I learned from,” Davis said. “I wish it had never happened — I wish I could have learned without making this huge mistake.”

Davis averaged 15.8 points in 14 playoff games for the Celtics in his second NBA season, seeing an increased role in the stead of injured forward Kevin Garnett. He re-signed with Boston this season without signing an offer sheet with another team as a restricted free agent.

Davis had surgery on his thumb Tuesday morning.

On a night in which the Los Angeles Lakers received their NBA Championship rings, the Boston Celtics were recipients of their own prize — the return of Kevin Garnett.

In his first non-exhibition action since going down for good with a knee injury last season, Garnett provided sound defensive presence and hit a big shot down the stretch for Boston in its season opener on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Big Ticket, as he is known, scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, battling Cleveland’s newly acquired Shaquille O’Neal down low.

The win was not an easy one for the Celtics. One of the best home teams in the 2008-2009 season, the Cavaliers jumped out to a quick 11-point lead to start the game.

“We never really panicked,” head coach Doc Rivers said of an early 13-2 deficit that was slowly erased before halftime. “We just kind of chipped away at it. We talked about it in that stretch during that timeout that we wanted to have the lead by halftime.”

It was Boston’s depth which proved too much for LeBron James and the Cavs, as the Celtics bench outscored Cleveland’s 26-10. New additions Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels paced Boston’s second team with 12 and 7 points, respectively.

“We’re going against some of the five greatest guys to play this game, right now every day in practice,” Wallace said. “That just makes us better.”

“I liked what happened tonight because everyone contributed — I thought as much of a team win as you can get,” Rivers said. “The second unit saved the game for us.”

Boston’s bench systematically cut into Cleveland’s lead, finally evening the score at a few points in the second quarter. And it was captain Paul Pierce who broke through to give Boston its first lead of the game — 39-38 on a long jump shot — with 4:54 remaining in the first half. After jostling for the lead, the Celtics never turned back after the halftime break.

Pierce led Boston’s balanced attack with 23 points and 11 rebounds. He did the little things down the stretch to close out the 95-89 win.

The Celtics captain scored eight points in the final 1:02, making four free throws to put the icing on the cake.

“It’s great, psychologically, to go in here and get a win. Now we know next time we come in here we’ve done it and we’re capable of doing it again,” Pierce said.

While pleased to win on the road against one of the game’s best players, Pierce cautioned anyone from getting too excited about a victory this early in the season.

“It was a good Day One, but you’ve got to expect Cleveland’s going to be a better team down the road, come February, March, but also we’re going to be better,” Pierce said.

The Celtics open at home Wednesday night against the Charlotte Bobcats.

With preseason games just around the corner, and the start of the regular season a month away, Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen has been getting himself in shape for another run at the NBA Championship — when not leaving shoes throughout the Commonwealth, of course.

Allen, playing in the final year of a contract that will pay him $19.7 million this season, said that he has not entered negotiations with the Celtics on a potential extension.

“We haven’t talked about an extension,” Allen said. “Now we’re in a time where we can’t do that, but right now the focus is to win a championship this year. I want people to know that’s what my focus is.”

Allen has made good money during his 14-year NBA career, but won his first championship with the Celtics in 2007-2008. For Allen, the fact that he is in a contract year does not make him any different than his teammates who are working toward the goal of winning a second NBA Title in three years.

“Whether it gets done throughout the year or going into the summer next year, (winning a championship) is the focus,” Allen said. “I don’t want to cheat myself of having that opportunity — I don’t want to cheat anybody on this team or any of the fans in Boston — because that’s what everybody’s focus on our team needs to be is to win the championship.”

Allen averaged 18.2 points-per-game during the 2008-2009 season. The team’s championship hopes were derailed by a season-ending knee injury to Kevin Garnett. And though the new “Big Three” is a year older, the addition of Rasheed Wallace should help bolster a Celtics team that is a favorite in 2009-2010.

“I think we are the team to beat, but we have to prove it,” Allen said, noting that the Celtics look good on paper. “We have to go out there and put that down on the floor.”

And the nine-time NBA All-Star realizes that part of translating a good lineup into a winning season is focus — even in a contract year.

“I’ve been in contract years before and I feel blessed to be able to play the game, I feel blessed to be able to compete at this level and even blessed to be here in Boston,” Allen said. “This has been the best sports town that I’ve ever played in.”

Rasheed Wallace was in Boston yesterday. He spoke to the media.

Michael Jordan took his place among the greats in Springfield, Massachusetts at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

There was no debate about Air Jordan getting into the Hall, as he was arguably the greatest to ever play and the man who defined a generation of basketball.

NECN’s Carolyn Manno caught some of the festivities. Watch them in this video player.

The Celtics have had a busy off-season with the signings of Rasheed Wallace, Glen Davis, and Sheldon Williams. Marquis Daniels is on the way. What does Eddie House have to say about the moves?

The Cleveland Cavs have reportedly signed free agent Leon Powe to a two-year contract at the league minimum salary. The 6-8 forward is recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee.

The Cavs appear to hold the cards in this deal. The second year is a team option. Powe is not expected to return until the All-Star break.

The Celtics had a chance to retain his rights, but decided not to make him a qualifying offer in the off-season because of his injury history. Powe has had several major knee injuries. They did express a desire to sign him when he was completely healthy. But they appartently did not want to use a roster spot or pay a player who doesn’t appear to be able to play until February.

Here is some reaction following today’s Big Baby Contract Announcment.

“Glen is a really good player,” Danny Ainge said. “He’s proven that when he’s gotten opportunities to play, that he can step up in big games and make big plays. Its really good to have him back.”

“Teams that were offering him money but the restricted status prevented them, or scared them off thinking the Celtics would match. So I think that hurt his value in the open market.”

Ainge said the team’s front court is the best its been since the team had Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale and Robert Parish.

“The Celtics organization is a great thing to be a part of,” said Davis. “Just to be here and be amongst all these great players, and be around that winning feeling. You Gotta love it.”