Michael Holley & Jackie MacMullan react to episode 8 of Celtics City. The C’s already had Pierce. but then they acquired Garnett & Allen
The 1990s were a nightmare for the Boston Celtics, but a new century brought new hope for the franchise.
Paul Pierce, Boston's 10th overall draft pick in 1998, survived his stabbing and emerged as the team's franchise cornerstone. The Kansas product led the C's back into the playoffs alongside co-star Antoine Walker, but it still wasn't enough to get over the hump.
After another downturn, Doc Rivers was hired as head coach while former Celtic Danny Ainge took over as general manager and quickly made his presence felt. He traded Walker in a controversial move in 2004, but "Trader Danny's" most noteworthy deals came three years later.
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More Celtics City 'Beyond the Episode'
- Episode 1: "Founding Fathers"
- Episode 2: "No Final Victories"
- Episode 3: "All Swept Up"
- Episode 4: "Great Hope, Period"
- Episode 5: "F**k the Celtics"
- Episode 6: "Untenable Toll"
- Episode 7: "Not Again"
Before the 2007-08 season, Ainge acquired Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Ray Allen from the Seattle SuperSonics to form a "Big Three" with Pierce. The trio led the Celtics to a league-best 66-16 regular-season record, a 42-win improvement over the previous campaign. Boston eventually defeated its archrival, the Los Angeles Lakers, in the '08 NBA Finals for its first title since 1986.
That would be the only championship for the Big Three. Allen left to join LeBron James and the rival Miami Heat in 2012, much to the chagrin of his ex-teammates, especially Garnett. Allen helped Miami to a title in 2013.
Allen's departure and Garnett's knee injury in 2009 put a damper on what could have been a dynastic run for the C's. Still, the Big Three era will be remembered for making the franchise relevant again and for embracing the "Ubuntu" philosophy. "Ubuntu," meaning, "I am because we are," became the team motto during the 2007-2008 season under Rivers.
"Doc was the perfect coach for that team, in my opinion," longtime NBA reporter Jackie MacMullan said on NBC Sports Boston's "Keys to the City" show recapping Episode 8, as seen in the video player above. "That's mostly because KG bought in immediately.
"Doc talks in the documentary about having a meeting, and we're gonna have to talk about what we have to do to make this work. And KG's slapping the table, 'I'll do whatever it takes!' You know, he's being KG, and other two are looking at him like, 'What a lunatic.'
"But he set the tone, and that tone was set from the moment he arrived in Boston until the day he left. He was the undisputed leader. As great as Paul Pierce was, and he deserved the MVP in the Finals and all of that, but KG was the heartbeat of that team, he was the conscience of that team, and he was the energy coursing through that team's veins."
Check out NBC Sports Boston's exclusive footage and interviews from the "Big Three" Celtics era below:
Highlights from Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals as the Celtics blow out the Lakers at TD Garden to win their 17th NBA title.
In Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals, the Celtics mount a historic comeback, overcoming a 24-point deficit in Los Angeles to take a 3-1 series lead. Boston would win its 17th NBA championship in Game 6.
Check out some of the best moments from when Paul Pierce joined Brian Scalabrine to break down the game that secured the Celtics' championship win over the Lakers. Pierce talks about what it meant for him to finally win a title, how he helped the Celtics add P.J. Brown to the team, and what it was like to play that final game at the Garden.
In 2018, NBC Sports Boston produced "Anything is Possible," celebrating the memorable 2008 championship run by the Celtics. This documentary builds up to the culmination of the Celtics winning their 17th NBA title, after a prolonged 20+ year drought that had tragedy, heartbreak, and turmoil.
The film looks at the years of planning and transactions by Danny Ainge to center the franchise around the new "Big 3", Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen.
From NBC Sports Boston's 2018 documentary "Anything is Possible", the story behind the signature phrase the 2008 Boston Celtics lived by on their way to winning the franchise's 17th NBA title, "Ubuntu". Also, the team talks about other motivational tools head coach Doc Rivers used before the season began to bring his team together.
