Is Boston's Big Three still good enough?

Is Boston’s Big Three still good enough?

On October 26, when the Miami Heat visit the Boston Celtics, the pre and post-game talk will be which Big Three is the best. It’s the first game of the new NBA season and the factors that will come to play are conditioning, health, and desire. Of course, the season will be barley in its infancy so age shouldn’t be a factor unless some players have to be ushered on the court in wheelchairs.

The production and leadership, even their taking the game to the next level of each team’s Big Three will be vital to the outcome. I am not going to even talk about homecourt advantage here. Before I even try to figure out what team will outdo the other, here’s taking a look at how both teams arrived at where they are.

It has oft been said that in the NBA, it’s follow the leader. When the Houston Rockets put up their Twin Towers in Ralph Sampson and Akeem Olajuwon, the rest of the league tried to follow. New York had Patrick Ewing and Bill Cartwright. Los Angeles had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Mychal Thompson.

When the Triangle Offense was de rigeur with Chicago, Dallas and the New Jersey Nets (yes, the Nets) tried it out.

When dynamic duos were the rage with Jordan-Pippen, Utah had Stockton-to-Malone, Seattle had the Glove and the Reign Man, New Jersey had Kenny Anderson and Derrick Coleman, Philadelphia had Bump and Thump.

When the San Antonio Spurs had their Big Three 2K of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker. It had been some 20 years since Boston’s version of LarryBirdKevinMcHaleRobertParish.

Just as it worked for Boston so it did for the Spurs and of course, Boston once more in 2008. Now there’s that version in South Beach. They figure that they can fasttrack their success by putting up a future Hall-of-Fame wing in Miami. And they without a doubt can get it done.

I’m afraid I’ll have to say that the Heat look powerful only because they have youth on their side. Talent, youth and a hunger to win (since Chris Bosh and that guy who fancies himself to be a king haven’t won much) they have on their side. I’d add that these guys have played together on the Redeem Team for a few summers so they know how to pass that rock between themselves. The overriding factor here is – the ring is the thing. They’ll be great and they’ll pulverize foes in each side of the continent.

Now the Celtics will hang in there if their health holds up. Never mind the Heat because there’s the Magic, the Bulls, the Bucks, and the Hawks. So Boston might want to go back to basics.

Here’s what I mean.

Boston has always been an innovator. They first ran the break to deadly perfection. They turned defense into an art form. They made those black shoes popular that Penn State’s Joe Paterno had to take some notes. And perhaps, the ultimate secret of their early success – they had a great team. Emphasis on team.

As good as Bill Russell was, the team also had Bob Cousy, the Jones Boys, Bill Sharman, and a cast of Hall-of-Fame others. We can only look at that in hindsight but back then, the secret lay in their ultimate team concept. One only has to look at that banner up in the Boston TD Banknorth Garden to see “Loscy” for enforcer Jungle Jim Luscutoff. No numbers needed. Just a nickname.

The problem with Glenn Rivers’ offense is he rides his veterans too much. He might say that guys like Mikki Moore and Marquis Daniels did not perform hence more minutes for his starters. If it were not for the incredible form and improvement of Rajon Rondo the Celtics would have been left eating dust and getting posterized by Dwight Howard.

The Celtics showed that the best regular season record wasn’t important as they were conserving themselves for the playoffs. With a small rotation, they got it done and were a few stops short of beating the Lakers for banner #18.

Now the main cast is back. They’re a year older. A year more-banged-up-older. A few years ago, when Kevin Garnett’s knee shut down the team went along with him. What’s to stop that from happening again?

For Boston to have a legitimate shot in my opinion, they have to go back to when it all started. Back when Red Auerbach was running the show. Back to when they had “a team.” A real team that went all the way down to the last man on the bench.

Boston’s first ever title team was during the 1956-57 season and they had an 11-man line-up of Lou Tsioropoulos, Andy Phillip, Frank Ramsey, Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Jim Luscutoff, Dick Hemric, Jack Nichols, Bill Russell, Arnold Risen, and Tom Heinsohn.

The Celtics went 44-28 that year. Every player on that squad contributed. Tsioropoulos and Phillip were at the far end of the stat sheet and they each contributed 4.4 points per game. In the eight league NBA of that era, the seven other squads saw the production of their bench sink to 1.4 and even 0.0!

The point being, Auerbach got production from all 11 of his players. Five of those players are in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Two years later during the 1958-59 season, there were four new players in the Celtics’ roster. Tsioropoulos was still around and he averaged 4.1 points for his squad even if he rode the bench (he played in 35 of the team’s 72 matches that year).

Now today, If Rivers gives his bench time to develop – you know, play them early, give his starters plenty of rest for the long haul and to keep the fresh during the season’s dog days, they’ll be difficult to stop in the playoffs.

Ah, maybe I’m saying this because I’ve never been a fan of limited rotations.

Both finalists from last year’s NBA Finals – LA and Boston – essentially went with eight-man rotations. Their Conference Finals victims – Phoenix and Orlando respectively – went with nine-man rotations. Of the nine man rotations, five had been in the league for quite some time. No rookie saw significant playing time in the conference finals and the finals. So essentially, both teams went with veteran line-ups.

Boston right now has seven players with at least seven years in the league – Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Jermaine O’Neal, Shaquille O’Neal, Daniels, and Kendrick Perkins. Of that seven, five have logged in more than a decade’s worth of running up and down NBA courts. And that doesn’t even include Rajon Rondo and Glen Davis who were regulars on the team. The O'Neals might be on the downside of their careers but given the proper pace, setting, and environment, they can be huge contributors. Besides, this team doesn't really run does it?

Let the Heat have their Big Three. Los Angeles even. What Boston needs right now is the Big Contribution from the bench if they want a crack at title number 18.

Oh, that window for a championship? It’s about to close.