Last year the Denver Nuggets acquired Allen Iverson and there was talk of the Nuggets running the table and winning the NBA Championship. The Nuggets ended up being a 7-seed in the West and bowed out in the first round of the playoffs. Now it's Boston that has Championship buzz after trading for a superstar in Kevin Garnett. There have even been talks of a new "Big Three" like Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish of old. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett are good, but it still remains to be seen if they can play together. Take the 2004 Los Angeles Lakers for example; that team was the greatest assembly of superstars in the history of the NBA, but they could not play together and ended up choking the Championship away to the Detroit Pistons. Not only is the premature "New Big Three" unproven, but Pierce and Allen are one more injury from retirement. Not to mention, who will run the offense with the "New Big Three" on the court? Rajon Rondo is definitely not an experienced point guard, and quite frankly, he's not that good. Also, after trading away 7 players to get Garnett, the Celtics bench is depleted., After years of trying to rebuild the Celtics, GM Danny Ainge finally realized that veterans are key to rebuilding. What Ainge has done in bringing in Ray Allen and KG is remarkable, the Celtics have went from bottom dwellers in the East to a potential spot in the Finals next year. However, if the Celtics are to go to the Finals next year, they will have to make it through at least 3 other teams:
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers
(2) Detroit Pistons
(3) Miami Heat
And that's just the least of them in a very weak Eastern Conference. There are still the Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks, and Orlando Magic that are on the rise. Boston might just blaze the exact trail that the Nuggets did last year......a 7-seed and an early summer vacation.
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