Boston’s Paul Pierce hoists the Larry O’Brien Trophy after the Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 131-92, in Game Six of the NBA Finals last night, the team’s first title since 1986.

AP / Winslow Townson

BOSTON – When the moment they had all dreamed of finally arrived, the emotion poured from their bodies.

Cradling a model of the NBA’s championship trophy, Kevin Garnett sighed and said, “Other than my kids being born, this has got to be the happiest day of my life.”

An exhausted Ray Allen, who barely slept in the previous 48 hours after learning his youngest son had diabetes, gathered himself and said, “This truly was a team that came together, where everybody put individual agendas aside and did the team thing.”

And, finally, Paul Pierce. After no longer carrying the load of being the greatest Boston Celtic without a championship, he smiled and said, ``If you’re going to win a championship, you want to win one with the Boston Celtics.”

Anointed as the New Big Three when they came together last summer after two blockbuster trades, Garnett, Allen and Pierce delivered on that lofty promise last night and left no doubt that they were the best team in the NBA in 2008. Led by the three stars, the Celtics routed the Los Angeles Lakers, 131-92, at a frenzied TD Banknorth Garden to win the franchise’s 17th title, four games to two.

As the final minutes ticked off the clock, the crowd soaked up the first title-clincher for a major New England sports franchise on home soil since the Celts’ last title 22 years ago. That team was led by the original Big Three of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, but when the franchise encountered one crushing setback after another over the next two decades, Boston basketball fans began to wonder if the NBA’s greatest winners would ever play themselves back to the top.

That question was answered emphatically this season. These Celtics won a league-best 66 regular-season games and after more bumps than expected in the playoffs, they separated themselves from everyone else in the postseason and lived up to the Big Three label that they dismissed as folly most of the season.

“We knew it was going to take more than just the three of us and we had to allow our teammates to understand the magnitude of what we were facing,” said Allen. “We just ignored the Big Three talk. If people are going to place that stigma on the team after we’ve won, everyone is going to be fine with it because we did win.”

The Celtics’ three stars all came up huge in the series clincher. Allen poured in 26 points with seven 3-pointers. Garnett had 26 points and 14 rebounds. Finals MVP Pierce had a bad shooting game yet still checked in with 17 points and 10 assists.

But this team had more than its three All-Stars. Several supporting actors came up big, none more than embattled point guard Rajon Rondo. He shook off three subpar games in L.A. and flew all over the court for 21 points, 8 assists and 6 steals.

The Celtics, who are now 9-2 against the Lakers in The Finals, set a new franchise record with the 39-point margin of victory in a championship round.

The NBA’s dream Boston-Los Angeles final never really developed. The Lakers fell into an 0-2 hole and then blew a 24-point lead in Game Four to fall behind three games to one. Boston almost sewed up the series in L.A., but Kobe Bryant bailed out his team in Game Five and sent the series back East.

As it turned out, the Lakers could’ve saved everyone the airfare. Bryant enjoyed a potent first quarter, but Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and the rest of Bryant’s cohorts were completely overwhelmed by a Boston defense that smothered virtually everything the Lakers tried to run.

Not only did the Lakers shoot 42 percent, they won none of the hustle plays. L.A. somehow managed to grab only two offensive rebounds and the Celtics set a new Finals record with 18 steals. Bryant scored a team-high 22 points but shot 7 of 22 from the field.

This game turned for good in the second quarter. The Celtics led 24-20 after one quarter but established exactly what they hoped to do right out of the gate. The Lakers shot 35 percent in the quarter, turned the ball over six times and never fell into an offensive groove. Bryant scored 11 of his team’s 20 points thanks to three 3-point shots.

Once those treys started clanging, the Lakers were toast. Bryant was held without a field goal (0 of 4) in the second quarter and L.A.’s offense literally fell apart. The Lakers shot a measly 23 percent (3 of 13) as the Celtic defense thoroughly dominated and opened up the 58-35 lead.

Boston led 32-29 early in the quarter when Doc Rivers’ experienced bench corps led the onslaught. The Celtics sandwiched a Laker turnover with 3-pointers by James Posey and Eddie House to pull ahead 38-29. Two House free throws, a Bryant turnover and another Posey 3-point shot pushed the lead to 43-29.

The Lakers’ Pau Gasol hit two free throws and a hook in the lane to cut the Boston lead to 43-33, but the Celts closed the final 4:29 of the quarter with a 15-2 run that ended all suspense. The Celtics shot 58 percent in the quarter in blitzing the Lakers 34-15 to roll up their 23-point halftime lead.

Boston pushed the lead to 89-60 after three quarters and the Lakers waved the white flag by keeping Bryant on the bench most of the fourth quarter. That allowed the Celtics to thrill their fans with one highlight-reel play after another as the Lakers laid back and offered little fight. When Allen, Garnett and Pierce came out with four minutes left, they spent the final minutes hugging, high-fiving and crying in each other's arms.

“This means everything,” said Pierce. “I’m not living under the shadows of the other greats now. I’m able to make my own history with my time here. If I was going to be one of the best Celtics ever to play, I had to put up a banner, and tonight we did that.”

kmcnamar@projo.com