The Boston Celtics "Big Three" Comparision

The Boston Celtics are hoping that their newly formed trio can be the ticket to an Eastern Conference championship and a one-way flight out of the Atlantic Division cellar.

Well, the latter is certainly true. There is no way that having three players that are capable of scoring 30 points on any given night can result in anything less than .500 record. However, as far as that Eastern Conference championship goes, they are a long way away from that.

Frankly, one still has to consider the Toronto Raptors the favorite in the Atlantic Division, with the New Jersey Nets as the runner-up. Now it is quite possible that the Celtics could win the division, but I find it absurd that so many people are ready to hand them the division, and the conference, with such ease just because they brought over a couple of players that have never truly been able to lead their teams over bigger and better opponents. Kevin Garnett had one great year where he took his team to the Western Conference Finals, and Ray Allen has been playoffs bust his whole career.

The new trio reminds me a lot of the 2000-2001 Milwaukee Bucks trio that consisted of Ray Allen, Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassell. They were a solid team, but nobody was picking them to win the championship. They had virtually no defense, they did not really have a go to guy in the 4^th quarter and there was no true low-post player. They ended up in the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals where they were handled by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Much of the same can be said of the 2007 Boston Celtics. They are definitely a solid team. And having KG instead of Robinson or Cassell makes 7-8 games better than that old Bucks’ team. But the truth is, they have no real go to player in the 4^th quarter. Even with Kevin Garnett’s MVP trophy and one year of playoff success, Paul Pierce probably has been more of clutch artist than KG. Not to mention, this is Pierce’s team. But in the end, the moment to shine will get passed around from player to player, because all of them are a year removed from taking all of the shots, and that’s not something any of them will just give up.

Then there is the issue of a lack of a post-game. Not since Michael Jordan’s bulls has a team won a championship without a forceful presence on the block. I know, Celtics fans are screaming KG at their computer screens, but the truth is that is not where KG does his damage. KG is more of a shooter than he is banger, and his talent warrants that. Therefore, if you are looking to build a franchise in the offensive paint, you do not start with KG.

Given that this “big three” is better than the “big three” of 2001, I do think there is a good chance for this team to do well in the season and in the playoffs. However, I cannot just hand over the Atlantic Division. Their questions on defense put the Nets and Raptors as a possible threat to the Celtics. Moreover, the Knicks’ dominating post game could hurt the Celtics’ as well.

As for going to the Eastern Conference finals, let me just remind you all that defense wins championships, and I don’t know if that is in the cards for this “big three.”

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