Truthfully Speaking

There’s been a few different Big 3s in the NBA over the years.  From Kareem, Magic and Worthy in the ‘80s, to Jordan, Pippen and Rodman in the ‘90s and now with the Heat trio of today.  But before LeBron & Co. came together in Miami the Eastern Conference already had another Big 3 running the show, and that trifecta played for the Boston Celtics.

When this Celtics regiment began forming in the summer of 2007, the first pick-up they made was Ray Allen in a trade with the rebuilding Seattle SuperSonics.  Allen was a seven-time NBA All Star who struggled to have much of an impact in the playoffs other than a conference finals push with Milwaukee in 2001.  He brought athleticism to the guard position that Boston hadn’t seen in many years.  Plus he was Jesus Shuttlesworth and if you don’t like He Got Game, then you just don’t appreciate the game of basketball.

One month after acquiring Allen, the Celtics continued their remodeling by trading for ‘04 MVP Kevin Garnett.  Like Allen, KG never had much of a supporting cast to help him out.  He got to team up with Latrell Spreewell and Sam Cassell during his MVP season, but the team came up short in the conference finals losing in six games to a Lakers team that featured four future Hall of Famers.

Paul Pierce was the only member of this core that wasn’t new to the team.  He had stuck with Boston through their up’s (an ’02 Conference Finals appearance) and downs (a 31-win season in ’07).  The only constant that the C’s had over all these years was Pierce.

A former Kansas Jayhawk, Pierce joined the league during the lockout-shortened ’99 season.  His scoring was outstanding, but he really could shine in any aspect of the game.  For a team that hadn’t seen any consistency since Larry Bird’s retirement in ’92, Pierce was a true sigh of relief.  He averaged over 20 points per game in seven of his first nine seasons prior to the formation of the Big 3.  With solid rebounding and assist numbers to match, Pierce didn’t show any signs of disappointment.

Although his scoring went down upon the arrival of Garnett and Allen, the team was performing very well.  They went on to win 66 games and the NBA championship against the franchise’s storied rival, the Lakers.  Pierce ended the playoffs as the Finals MVP.  That summer, he stated during an interview that he was the best basketball player in the world.  There were some strong disagreements against Pierce’s claim, mostly by Laker fans, but Pierce kind of had a point.  It’s not like Kobe’s team won a championship.

The following season the Celtics reached the conference finals, despite playing without Kevin Garnett, before returning to the finals again in 2010.  In the rematch with L.A., the C’s pushed the series to the limit before falling short in the last couple minutes of an exciting game 7.

Boston has had a tough time getting back to the finals ever since the Heat’s Big 3 came together.  Year after year though, no matter how many more jokes fans make about their age, Pierce and his team continue to finish the season strong and make a solid push into the playoffs.  Pierce’s numbers always stay consistent, too. 

Stars continue to come and go in the NBA, but Paul Pierce has remained one of the most reliable offensive options around for years.  He’s skilled, confident and he continues to play with determination all throughout the season.  Hopefully, we’ll see more of the same out of Pierce as he reaches the end of his career.  He’s already proven himself to be a standout player in a franchise that has a richer history than most teams in pro sports.  He’s proudly carried the torch for the Celtics for over a decade now and I hope we get to see a couple more deep playoff pushes before he hands that torch over to Rajon Rondo.