The 2007-08 NBA season is one of the most famous campaigns in the rich history of the Boston Celtics. It saw the Green Team hoist the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy just one year after finishing last in the Eastern Conference. That huge leap in the standings was courtesy of Boston's new “Big 3,” comprised of Hall of Famers Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen.
While that worst-to-first story is well known to most Celtics fans, how a bunch of PhD students factored into the formation of the “Big 3” isn't common knowledge. Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck explained that Boston's front office used analytics to build a championship-caliber team, via Episode 3 of “All in Celtics.”
“We hired some PhD students to look at the stats of the teams that had won the previous 25 NBA championships,” Grousbeck recalled. “When they ran the numbers, 24 out of those 25 teams actually had one characteristic in common, they each had a ‘Big 3' concept.”
With that information handy, former Celtics general manager Danny Ainge waited until Garnett, previously an MVP with the Minnesota Timberwolves, became available. Then in the summer of 2007, the C's landed Allen and Garnett via massive trades. These major moves eventually resulted in an incredible regular season (66-16 overall) and the Celtics' 17th title in franchise history. Ainge was also named 2008 Executive of the Year for his efforts.
“We've moved way past that kind of analysis now, obviously, but that was an early thing we did to sort of justify this strategy that Danny, I, and others were working to execute at the time,” Vice President of Basketball Operations Mike Zarren said while discussing the PhD students' research.
Although the “Big 3” didn't win another championship after 2008, it changed the league forever. More and more front offices across the NBA desired so-called “super teams” that were made up of multiple All-Stars acquired through free agency or trades.
For example, take “The Heatles” in Miami. Hall of Famers LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade led the Miami Heat to back-to-back titles four years after Boston's terrific trio won it all.
How a new “Big 3” took over Boston in 2024
The lasting impact of Boston's “Big 3” was felt during the 2023-24 season as well. Boston created something akin to the 2008 Celtics with a top three featuring stars Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis.
Tatum and Brown were drafted by the Celtics and like Pierce, they had been to the playoffs on various occasions but were never able to secure a championship.
Then in the summer of 2023, Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens went all in for Porzingis, who was an All-Star in 2018. Boston traded franchise cornerstone Marcus Smart along with a few other pieces to land the Latvian center.
Although this significant move was a bit of a gamble given Porzingis' injury issues, he was Boston's third-leading scorer in the regular season and averaged 20.1 points per game while shooting a career-high 51.6% from the field.
He also came up big in the 2024 NBA Finals, torching the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 with 20 points in 21 minutes en route to a 107-89 Celtics win.
Similarly to Allen and Garnett before him, Porzingis played a major role in getting Boston's homegrown stars over the hump. However, the credit for Boston's 2024 NBA championship doesn't only belong to Tatum, Brown, and Porzingis.
The 2023-24 Celtics were an experienced, balanced squad that benefitted from all-around effort.
In Game 1 of the Finals, Brown and Porzingis shined. In Game 2, first-year Celtic Jrue Holiday notched a team-high 26 points and 11 rebounds. In Game 3, Tatum and Brown combined for 61 points and guard Derrick White cashed four pivotal 3-pointers. And lastly, in Boston's series-clinching victory in Game 5, Tatum became the first Celtic ever to have over 30 points and 10 assists in a Finals game.
Simply put, the Celtics were more than three players. Their entire roster was locked in on winning, and every Celtic was eager to contribute.
The legacy of the “Big 3” and its ties to the current Celtics is undeniable though. Both teams won record-setting banners on the same date (June 17th) and were loaded with great players. Yet, the newest iteration of Boston's “Big 3” has an opportunity to accomplish something the previous version never did: building a dynasty.
The first steps towards reaching that difficult goal start this offseason, as the Celtics will try and retain high-end talent without losing their depth.
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