The 2007-08 Boston Celtics are often considered the pioneers of the modern NBA super teams; however, Paul Pierce doesn't think their championship team is the same as today's overpowered franchises.
Ahead of his induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, Pierce talked about his tenure with the Celtics and how the Big 3 of him, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen was created. While some believe their team-up gave NBA superstars the idea of getting together just to win a championship, Pierce highlighted that theirs was not “manufactured.”
According to Pierce, unlike today's NBA where players force their way to the teams they want, a lot of things had to go the Celtics' way in form their 2007-08 championship roster.
“I take a lot of pride in that [winning NBA title with the team that drafted him] and hang my hat on that. We’re in a different era, a different time. It’s different now. Players move around a lot. They manufacture their teams. The way we did it was a little different,” Pierce said, via Mass Live. “People will say I played on the new era super team, but it’s like, we had to get lucky. We got lucky with the draft pick, we got lucky with the trade, we got lucky with Kevin Garnett dropping his no-trade clause.
“So all these things had to line up, whereas today guys manufacture playing with each other, building super teams through free agency, building friendships. And I have nothing against that. That’s why I take so much pride in being with the team I was with so long, going through the tough times and finally being able to win a championship.”
To be fair, Paul Pierce does have a point. After all, in today's player empowerment era, NBA superstars get to choose where they want to get traded. James Harden's trade to the Brooklyn Nets last season is the prime example of that, as well as Anthony Davis' landing on the Los Angeles Lakers from the New Orleans Pelicans.
Of course, Kevin Garnett did help the Celtics in getting him, negotiating a contract that would make his move to Boston possible. That could also be accounted as “manufactured.” But then again, credit should be given to the Beantown team for structuring a deal that works after making a trade for Ray Allen as well.
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