CAN ANYONE STOP BOSTON’S NEW BIG THREE?

By Bobby Ciafardini

Move over Bird, McHale and Parish – a new “Big Three” are calling Boston home these days.

While it’s tough to pass on the moniker once owned by Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, the Celtics’ new trio has earned it in the early going of the season, jumping out to a 15-2 record behind a 113-103 victory Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers.

In the off-season, Boston landed two greats in their quest for a return to glory, and now the question is whether those stars will align just right for a team that hasn’t won an NBA title since Bird wore the green and white.

Pierce is “The Truth,” but Boston Executive Director of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge was looking for answers. So he turned to Jesus…“Jesus Shuttlesworth” that is – the main character from the film He Got Game. Although Allen did a nice job as an actor in the motion picture starring Denzel Washington, his jump shot – one of the best in the game today – is what attracted Ainge to believing in his savior status. But the Boston GM – a player himself on that ’80s Celtics dynasty that featured the dynamic trio of Parish, McHale and Bird – is hoping to punch his ticket to the NBA Finals with “The Big Ticket” himself…Kevin Garnett.

The Celtics, who have 16 championships but have gone without one for more than two decades, obtained the former MVP and 10-time All-Star in a 7-for-1 deal – the NBA’s biggest trade for one player. Boston sent the Minnesota Timberwolves forwards Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes and Gerald Green, guard Sebastian Telfair and center Theo Ratliff, two first-round draft picks and cash considerations.

With Pierce and Allen already on the roster, the Celtics have been transformed from a promising collection of youngsters who had the NBA’s second-worst record last season into an instant contender in the mediocre Eastern Conference.

“You know, an opponent walking into this building knowing that they have a lot to be afraid of, and not just from one position,” said Allen, who was dealt from Seattle on Draft Night in June for Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak and the rights to the No. 5 overall pick – which turned out to be Georgetown forward Jeff Green. “Myself, Kevin and Paul share similar philosophies. We all were on teams last year that didn’t make the playoffs, that we had a lot of young players that we had to nurture and mature to play basketball for 82 games, and it’s such a great pleasure and an honor now, to step on the floor with these two guys night in night out, knowing what I’m gonna get from them.”

Allen is the NBA’s top long-range threat. His career three-pointers made, second best all-time, attest to that. Pierce is a fourth quarter scoring machine, a rare combination of size, speed and rebounding-ability, while Garnett has redefined the definition of the modern big man – clearing the glass, swatting shots, dominating the post, draining jumpers and being one of the premier defensive players at his position, all while playing nightly in the supreme Western Conference.

Minnesota and Boston discussed a trade for the 6-foot-11 Garnett – the NBA’s leading rebounder each of the past four seasons – before the draft, but he preferred other teams and the Celtics didn’t want to give up Jefferson. The acquisition of the sharp-shooting Allen, 32, in a draft-day trade with Seattle to go with Pierce, 29, was a major factor in changing Garnett’s mind. It gave the 31-year-old a better chance at a title after Minnesota missed the last three playoffs in the tough Western Conference.

Garnett has made tough decisions before. The fifth player drafted in 1995, Garnett coming out of Farragut Academy in Illinois, skipped college for the NBA. He said the decision to go to Boston took some time to make. “I went out to my summer home, and played ball with Paul. I guess at the end of the day I’m loyal to a point where I feel like if someone’s loyal to me then I have no problem with that, but when that changes, then it’s pretty easy for me so after that, going through those stages, which was really tough, I thought this is probably my best opportunity to win a ring,” Garnett said. “So I took the steps to make those adjustments, and here we are, wearing number 5.”

The Big Ticket liked the idea of coming to Boston so much, he gave the team a discount. Garnett signed a three-year extension worth just over $51 million, with $8.8 million in trade bonuses that take the overall value of the extension to $60 million. Garnett eliminated the early termination portion of his contract as part of the transaction and will see that trade kicker spread out evenly over the next five seasons.

The three-year extension breaks down to earnings of $14.7 million in the 2009-10 season, $17.1 million in 2010-11 and $19.5 million in 2011-12. Garnett was already scheduled to earn $22 million and $23 million over the next two seasons.

It’s not everyday you get a discount on a player as great as Garnett. Keep in mind: He is among five players in league history with at least 19,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists, joining a star-studded list that includes Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Adbul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Charles Barley.

But for this year’s Celtics, the Big Three’s impact on the other nine players will tell all and determine how far this year’s version of Bird, McHale and Parish go for the Celtics. The production of players like Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins – Boston’s other two starters – are a big part of their equation, especially after the trades for Allen and Garnett ravaged the roster of most of its productive role players.

While it’s proven that two’s never company when searching for an NBA chip, is three really a crowd? Superstar tandems look more likely to get you a title with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, Shaq and Dwyane Wade, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Duncan and whoever, setting the trend over the past 15 years in the NBA.

Pippen believes the Big Three is the way to go. “It is important to have that big three on a basketball team, but I can look back at the championships and a lot of guys that played huge roles – Tony Kukoc, Dennis Rodman and Steve Kerr. Guys have to understand their roles. Speaking of the big three, I think all those guys are going to have something of a responsibility to have to carry it night in and night out for this team to be successful. It can’t totally be on a guy like Garnett. It can’t totally be on Pierce. It has to be a total group effort and I think they can succeed in that area. I think that Ray Allen proved to be a pretty good defender over his career as well as Garnett, but they have to dedicate themselves to both ends of the basketball court if they want this to be successful.

Pippen could see the Celtics reaching the Finals, too. “Kevin Garnett has proved in years past that he is capable of carrying a team on his back. He has to prove that he can do it in the postseason. It’s important for him now because he is getting a little bit older.”

History isn’t on Boston’s side, though. Or is it? In the league’s 61-year history, only five championship squads have had three players who averaged 17 shots or more over the course of the season. Furthermore, the last time this happened was way back in 1974, when the Celtics – of all teams – won the title with John Havlicek (20 shots), Dave Cowens (18) and Jo Jo White (18 shots) dominating the offence. Ironically, four out of the five teams to accomplish this feat were Celtic squads. Even more telling, no team in the league’s history has won a championship with three players averaging 20 points per game or more.

With that being said, maybe the Celtics have no excuses for losing in 2007-08. “When you bring these type of caliber players in there’s always expectations,” Pierce said. “You know these guys over the years have thrived when they’re under pressure, kinda with expectations the whole year, and I think this is something that we’ve looked forward to, this is what we want in our careers, and that’s what it’s gonna take to win.”

In the end, the only number that matters for 5, 34 and 20 is 17 – that’s the number of the next championship the Celtics would own if the Big Three play together all season and throughout the playoffs like some of the greatest trios in league history.

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