Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals ended with Tim Thomas and the Bruins celebrating a championship. (AP)

Even though 2011 wasn’t the most successful year for all of Boston’s teams, it certainly was a memorable one. Playoff rivalries were renewed for the Celtics, Bruins and Patriots, while the Red Sox added another chapter to their legacy of heartbreak.

Picking out the 10 most memorable games of the year was not an easy task. The Bruins easily could have dominated this list, with all of their dramatic playoff victories en route to winning the Stanley Cup. But we’ve attempted to include fair representation from all four of Boston’s major pro sports squads, featuring games that were memorable for the local teams’ success or failure.

10. April 8: Red Sox 9, Yankees 6

The Red Sox’ season started much the way it ended, with a sense of impending doom around the corner. After the Sox started the season 0-6, swept by both Cleveland and Texas, the offense finally clicked when the Yankees paid a visit to Fenway for the home opener. Dustin Pedroia hit his first home run of the season and the Red Sox erupted for 12 hits, giving them — and John Lackey – their first win of the season.

9. April 17, Eastern Conference quarterfinals, Game 1: Celtics 87, Knicks 85

Ray Allen’s 3-pointer with 12 seconds left in the game made sure the Knicks’ return to the playoffs (their first appearance in seven years) was a painful one. The Knicks led for almost the entire game, but the Celtics came up big down the stretch (and yes, a questionable call went their way). “Down the stretch we found a way to win,” Paul Pierce said. “And that was because of our experience.” The Celtics went on to win the series in four straight.

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For the final 10 days of 2011, WEEI.com will count down the top 10 stories of the year in Boston sports. Our next entry in the countdown is No. 8: The Celtics’ playoff loss to the Heat.

Check out our previous entries:
No. 10: NBA lockout
No. 9: NFL lockout

Ray Allen and the Celtics tried to hang around against the Heat in the playoffs but were eliminated in five games. (AP)

Even before the start of the 2010-11 NBA season, Doc Rivers knew that there was one team the Celtics were going to have to face if they were to put together another championship run. When the Heat formed their own Big Three with Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, it was evident that Boston and the new superteam on South Beach would end up in a postseason showdown at some point.

So it was no surprise that after sweeping the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs, the Celtics were preparing to face the Heat win what many called the most anticipated second-round matchup in NBA history.

“We assumed when they put this team together, at some point if we want to put another banner up then we’ll probably have to go through them,” Rivers said of the Heat days before the series began.

The Celtics were 3-1 against Miami in the regular season, but all three wins came before the All-Star break, when Boston was 40-14, tied with the Heat atop the Eastern conference standings. After the All-Star break, the Celtics were just 16-12, dropping to third in the Eastern conference, while the Bulls and Heat rose to the top to secure the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively.

Many attributed Boston’s poor play in the second half the season to the trade of Kendrick Perkins. The menacing center was traded to the Thunder along with guard Nate Robinson on Feb. 24 in exchange for center Nenad Kristic, young forward Jeff Green and a 2012 first-round pick.

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Former Patriot Asante Samuel is one of the headliners in a highly regarded defensive backfield in Philadelphia, leading to lofty expectations for the Eagles this season. (AP)

The recent frenzy of NFL free agency has yielded a bevy of high-profile signings, with a good portion of the spoils going to the Eagles. Some are calling them the “all-hype team,” and with several big-name players being added to the Eagles roster, the name certainly fits. Since 2000, many teams have gone all-in during the offseason and attracted a fair amount of attention in the process. With that in mind, we’ll take a look at some of the most hyped teams in recent years, including some that lived up to expectations and others that didn’t.

10. 2010 Cincinnati Bengals

Looking back on last season’s Bengals, it’s hard to believe there was any hype at all over this 4-12, self-destructive Cincinnati squad. However, following a 2009 season in which the Bengals won the AFC North with a 10-6 record, the team paired Terrell Owens with Chad Ochocinco to create one of the most outspoken and talented receiving corps in the NFL. Unfortunately for Bengals fans, the receivers’ full potential was never realized, due in small part to Carson Palmer‘s 20 interceptions and 82.4 passer rating. Ochocinco started the season by asking, “How in the world are you going to stop this duo?” Cornerbacks around the league answered, “Easily.”

9. 2005-06 Miami Heat

The Heat have been the subject of significant hype in the past, even before LeBron James took his talents to South Beach. Amidst the ongoing drama between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in the 2004 offseason, the big man was traded to Miami for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and a first-round draft pick. Dwyane Wade had already dazzled NBA fans as a rookie, and the Heat dreamed of creating a Lakers-like dynasty on the East Coast. Miami fell short in the Eastern Conference finals that year but added more talent (and hype) in 2005-06 with Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, James Posey and Gary Payton. The Heat, under Pat Riley, took down the Mavericks in six games for the title.

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Welcome to Tuesday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

WHAT’S HAPPENING LOCALLY MONDAY:
MLB: Red Sox at Blue Jays, 7:07 p.m. (NESN; WEEI)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ Three seat-side servers at Yankee Stadium are suing the park’s concessionaire, Legends Hospitality, because they claim they are not getting a share of the 20 percent delivery charge listed on customer’s bills. “They wonder where it’s going if it’s not going to you,” server Evelyn Ryan said of customer’s inquiries. Legends Hospitality is owned in part by the Yankees.

♦ According to documents released Monday by the FBI, George Steinbrenner assisted the organization so that he could receive a pardon for his 1972 conviction for illegal campaign contributions. Steinbrenner also blamed bad legal advice for that conviction.

♦ The NBA’s All-Defensive team was announced Monday, and Celtics Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo are on the first team. So is Kobe Bryant, although Zach Lowe at The Point Forward writes that Bryant does not deserve that accolade, one of a few problems Lowe has with the selections.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On May 10, 1970, Bobby Orr scored 40 seconds into overtime of Game 4 to give the Bruins the Stanley Cup with a sweep of the Blues. Who served as captain of that Blues team before embarking on a Hall of Fame coaching career the following season?

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “These are those moments. I look forward to it. Everybody on this team, we know what to do. We can’t talk about it; we just have to put our best foot forward. It’s not easy. It just makes it that much more special if we’re able to do it.” — Ray Allen, after the Celtics lost to the Heat Monday night to fall behind 3-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals

STAT OF THE DAY: 2 — Games this season in which the Twins have been held to three or fewer runs, including Monday night’s 2-1 loss to the Red Sox

‘NET RESULTS: Georgia high school basketball player Shaquille Johnson shows off his leaping ability with a thundering slam dunk.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Al Arbour, who led the Islanders to four straight titles from 1980-83

SOOTHING SOUNDS: U2 lead singer Bono turns 52 Tuesday.

After the Heat’s 87-86 loss to the Bulls on Sunday, the team’s fourth straight defeat, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said there were players crying in the locker room. That got us thinking about other incidents of athletes shedding tears. Here are 10 crying athlete moments:

10. Oct. 5, 2007: Marion Jones admits steroid use

For years, Jones denied ever having any involvement with performance-enhancing drugs. But then in 2007, she confessed to making false statements during the BALCO investigation and gave the following press conference on the steps outside the courthouse. Jones was later sentenced to six months in prison for perjury.

9. Aug. 9, 1988: Wayne Gretzky traded to Kings

The biggest deal in NHL history, it’s simply known as “The Trade.” After winning eight Hart Memorial Trophies and four Stanley Cups in nine seasons with the Oilers, The Great One was dealt to the Kings in a trade that would change the league forever by making hockey popular in California. The move wasn’t an easy one for Gretzky to accept, though.

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The Celtics' trade of Kendrick Perkins is just one of many trades that shocked Boston sports fans in this young century. (AP)

The Celtics’ trade of Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to the Thunder for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic on Thursday marked the second surprising trade of the winter for Boston sports teams. Back in December, the Red Sox got Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres for prospects Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo and Reymond Fuentes. That got us thinking about other shocking trades by the hometown teams this century. Here are the top dozen.

12. Nov. 24, 2005: Sox land Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell

Top prospect Hanley Ramirez had been mentioned in a number of rumors, but it appeared that he was pretty much untouchable. That was until the Sox sent the shortstop to the Marlins — along with prospects Anibal Sanchez, Jesus Delgado and Harvey Garcia — in exchange for Beckett, Lowell and reliever Guillermo Mota. As expected, Ramirez turned into a superstar, but Beckett and Lowell became key parts of the 2007 World Series team. Most would probably agree that this deal was a win-win.

11. Nov. 28, 2003: Curt Schilling comes to Boston

Schilling was just one year removed from back-to-back 20-win seasons and consecutive Cy Young runner-ups when the Sox acquired him from the Diamondbacks for pitchers Casey Fossum, Brandon Lyon and Jorge De La Rosa. Lyon and De La Rosa went on to have serviceable careers, but Schilling helped lead the Sox to two World Series titles, posting another 20-win season and Cy Young runner-up in 2004 along the way.

10. Sept. 18, 2009: B’s ship Phil Kessel to Toronto

The Bruins sending Kessel to the Maple Leafs wasn’t a total shock because everyone knew the B’s probably wouldn’t be able to keep all three of Kessel, David Krejci and Milan Lucic long term. But it’s still surprising any time you trade a 21-year-old former fifth overall pick who was the leading goal-scorer on your first-place team the previous season. The deal ended up looking much better when the first-round pick Boston got in return turned out to be the second overall selection, which became Tyler Seguin.

9. March 6, 2000: Ray Bourque heads to Colorado

The trade itself wasn’t shocking — everyone knew Bourque wanted a chance to win the Stanley Cup and everyone knew the Bruins were happy to accommodate the legend — but just seeing Bourque in another jersey was. After 21-plus seasons in Boston, Bourque was sent to the Avalanche along with Dave Andreychuk in exchange for Brian Rolston, Martin Grenier, Samuel Pahlsson and a first-round pick. Bourque and the Avs went on to win the Cup the next season.

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Sunday's loss by Bill Belichick's Patriots joins the list of the top 10 most devastating losses this century for Boston sports fans. (AP)

Despite the fact that the Patriots, Red Sox and Celtics have combined for six titles already this century, Boston fans have still had to endure more than a few devastating losses over the last 11 years, with the Pats’ 28-21 loss to the Jets on Sunday being the latest. Because you’re probably still wallowing in self-pity anyway, here are Boston’s top 10 devastating losses of this century.

10. May 17, 2009 — NBA Eastern Conference semifinals, Game 7: Magic 101, Celtics 83

No one really expected the Celts to repeat heading into the 2009 playoffs given the fact they were without Kevin Garnett, but that didn’t make it easy to watch them get absolutely dominated by Orlando in the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Celts trailed by just five after three quarters, but then the Magic outscored them by 14 in the fourth to turn the game into a laugher. It also marked the first time in franchise history the Celts blew a 3-2 series lead.

9. Oct. 19, 2008 — American League Championship Series, Game 7: Rays 3, Red Sox 1

The Sox completed epic ALCS comebacks in 2004 against the Yankees and 2007 against the Indians, and it looked as though they might do it again in 2008 against the Rays. They managed to force a Game 7 after trailing 3-1 in the series, but it wasn’t meant to happen a third time. Matt Garza held the Sox to two hits and one run over seven innings to earn his second win of the series and etch his name into the book of Boston villains.

8. April 19, 2004 — NHL Eastern Conference quarterfinals, Game 7: Canadiens 2, Bruins 0

The B’s entered their 2004 Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Canadiens looking to avenge a loss to their archrivals in the 2002 quarterfinals, when the top-seeded B’s were upset in six games by the eighth-seeded Habs. They appeared to be well on their way to doing so, as they took a 3-1 lead back to Boston for Game 5, but Montreal came storming back to win the series, blowing the doors off the B’s in Games 5 and 6 before shutting them out 2-0 in Game 7.

7. Jan. 16, 2011 — AFC divisional playoffs: Jets 28, Patriots 21

The Jets talked trash all last week and then they backed it up on Sunday. The Pats entered the game as heavy favorites — they were the top seed, they had won eight in a row coming in and they had pummeled the Jets 45-3 in their previous meeting — but got outplayed in pretty much every facet of the game en route to a 28-21 loss. Suddenly, the Pats, previously thought to be an indestructible playoff force, have lost three straight postseason games.

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Last night’s Celtics-Pistons matchup at the Palace at Auburn Hills marked a rematch between mainly Celtics forward Kevin Garnett and Pistons big man Charlie Villanueva. In the first bout between the two teams, Garnett reportedly called Villanueva a “cancer patient,” while Garnett claims he called Villanueva, who has alopecia universalis, a cancer to his team. After the game, in which Garnett was out by the first quarter and Villanueva was forced to sit the bench because of early foul trouble, the Pistons forward said that he, “Thinks he got the message across,” the Detroit Free Press reports.

A mere 10 seconds into the game, Villanueva was hit with a foul on Garnett, and spent only two minutes and 57 seconds on the floor before getting in foul trouble. Ultimately, Villanueva had much more of an impact, netting 14 points in 28 minutes of play.

“It was very frustrating [picking up my second foul],” Villanueva said. “But sometimes I let my emotions get the best of me and whatnot. But the second half I refocused and the game started coming my way.”

In their first meeting, the Celtics dominated the Pistons in every aspect of the game, eventually winning in a landslide 109-86 thrashing. Garnett had gotten the best of Villanueva that day.

But after last night’s game in Detroit and an early exit for Garnett, who scored two point in nine minutes, the playing field has been leveled.

For the final 10 days of 2010, WEEI.com will count down the top 10 stories of the year. In what was a memorable 12 months for all four of Boston’s major professional teams, there was a plethora of compelling storylines. The countdown continues with No. 2: The Celtics’ playoff run.

Check out our previous entries:
No. 10: Kevin Garnett’s return to form
No. 9: Patriots’ playoff meltdown vs. Ravens
No. 8: Marc Savard-Matt Cooke incident and aftermath
No. 7: Red Sox derailed by injuries
No. 6: Bruins’ playoff collapse vs. Flyers
No. 5: Patriots’ Randy Moss saga
No. 4: Red Sox’ signings of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford
No. 3: Patriots’ resurgence

Also, make sure to cast your vote in WEEI.com’s poll for the 2010 Boston Athlete of the Year.

Kevin Garnett and the Celtics put forth a strong effort in the postseason before falling to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in Game 7 of the NBA finals. (AP)

On June 17, 2010, the Celtics suffered one of the worst losses in their franchise’s history in Game 7 of the NBA finals against the Lakers. It was only the fourth time the Celtics had lost an NBA finals series and it was the first time they had ever lost a deciding Game 7. That it came against the Lakers in a game that was there for the taking only adds to the agony.

And yet this historic defeat also represented one of the great triumphs in team history, because exactly two months earlier when the Celtics took the court against the Heat to open the playoffs, not even Tommy Heinsohn himself would have predicted that they would have been four points away from an 18th championship.

Their improbable run to the finals defied all wisdom, both conventional and analytic, and breathed life into a franchise that spent the winter months of 2010 on a respirator. The Celtics went 27-27 over the final four months of the regular season and won only two of their last 10 games heading into the playoffs. The nadir came in a home loss to the lowly Wizards when afterward Doc Rivers uttered the quote that seemed to serve as their epitaph.

“If we make a run in the playoffs, will you forget [the regular season]? That’s my question,” Rivers said. “If we don’t, then it’s probably who we were all year — an inconsistent team — at least in the second half of the year. We’ll find that out.”

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For the final 10 days of 2010, WEEI.com will count down the top 10 stories of the year. In what was a memorable 12 months for all four of Boston’s major professional teams, there was a plethora of compelling storylines. The list begins with No. 10: Kevin Garnett’s return to form for the Celtics.

Also, make sure to cast your vote in WEEI.com’s poll for the 2010 Boston Athlete of the Year.

Kevin Garnett struggled last season as he recovered from a knee injury, but he showed this fall that rumors of his demise were premature. (AP)

The whispers began even before training camp started: Kevin Garnett was back. In informal scrimmages Garnett had been assertive, aggressive and more talkative than ever. A skeptical public simply nodded and said, “We’ll see.”

On the first day of camp, Garnett was bouncy and joyful. A complete reversal from the dark shadow of doubt that seemed to hang over him throughout the 2009-10 season. “I feel very strong,” he said. “I feel very vibrant. I’m excited about the year.” It was a far cry from the summer, which he described as, “Very painful, very dark.”

It was a summer that began with a crushing loss in Game 7 against the Lakers in a series that exposed the Celtics’ biggest weakness — defensive rebounding — as Garnett was unable to keep up with Pau Gasol on the boards.

There had been glimmers of the old Garnett throughout the playoffs. He destroyed Antawn Jamison in the conference semifinals and rendered Rashard Lewis an afterthought in the next round. But when Gasol rather innocently pointed out after Game 1 of the finals that Garnett had lost a step, the expected answer from KG was nowhere to be found.

Garnett had lost a step. That was obvious by even a cursory glance at his numbers and was succinctly summed up in a handful of painfully obvious plays, such as Lewis beating Garnett baseline for a game-winning shot during the regular season. The Celtics kept insisting publicly that Garnett was fine less than a year removed from knee surgery that kept him out of the 2009 playoffs, but everyone knew otherwise.

Finally, on media day, Garnett relented.

“I think more mentally than anything was hard for me because I was playing through some difficult times,” he said. “I’m not one to make excuses. I’m not the one to be out here [whining] and complaining about things.”

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