Hardwood Houdini
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the Boston Celtics Still Don’t Have A Big 3

By Jack Phillips

WALTHAM, MA - JULY 5: New Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens (R) is introduced to the media as Team President Rich Gotham, Co-Owner Steve Pagliuca, and President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge look on July 5, 2013 in Waltham, Massachusetts. Stevens was hired away from Butler University where he led the Bulldogs to two back to back national championship game appearances in 2010, and 2011. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images)
WALTHAM, MA - JULY 5: New Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens (R) is introduced to the media as Team President Rich Gotham, Co-Owner Steve Pagliuca, and President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge look on July 5, 2013 in Waltham, Massachusetts. Stevens was hired away from Butler University where he led the Bulldogs to two back to back national championship game appearances in 2010, and 2011. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics are adding plenty of talent to their roster, but it will take more to make a big 3 super team

Remember when it was 2008 and “The Boston Three Party” was the big news of the NBA season? I know that every Boston Celtics fan remembers. I know that those fans miss Rajon Rondo‘s slick passing, Kevin Garnett‘s paint domination, Paul Pierce‘s all-around stardom, and of course, Ray Allen‘s deadly shooting.

Why am I giving a quick crash-course on the 2008 Boston Celtics you might be wondering? Well, it’s to compare that team’s talent to the one that we see today. I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news, but to all Boston fans: your team still lacks what the NBA considers a “Big 3.”

Congrats for the one millionth time on signing Gordon Hayward Boston, but in all seriousness, the Celtics still don’t have the three players to make Boston a superteam, and based on the way the NBA continues to transform each day, Boston will have a very difficult time winning.

Don’t worry though Boston fans, the Celtics will continue to be a dominant team in the regular season, however it’s the Playoffs that fans must worry about.

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Give me an honest answer: Hayward, Al Horford, and Isaiah Thomas or LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love? It should be no surprise that most people will, indeed, pick the second group over the first. Why? Well, the second group could actually be considered a Big 3, unlike the first group.

I mean no disrespect to Hayward, Horford, or Thomas, but I can’t confidently say that the three of them (followed by lots of talent on the rest of the roster) qualify as a superteam in today’s NBA.

All around us, teams are gearing up in order to face the Warriors. We see Chris Paul joining James Harden in Houston, Paul George pairing up with Russell Westbrook in OKC (I know it was a trade), there are even rumors that the Rockets or Blazers could be able to acquire Carmelo Anthony from the Knicks.

My point is that any team that has the chance to transform themselves into a superteam does it. Boston capitalized on their chance to sign Hayward this offseason, but I still don’t believe that it is enough to give them a Big 3.

And when we think of Boston’s three key players, I don’t think that Horford is good enough to be considered part of a Big 3 anyway. Thomas and Hayward definitely can qualify, but looking at the career of Al Horford, he has served as a role player (a very good player in general), but not a star.

In today’s NBA, three stars make a Big 3, plain and simple. Although the Celtics have a lot of overall talent on their roster, they don’t meet the credentials to consider themselves a Big 3, and that could put themselves at a disadvantage come next season.

Next: Is Rondo a Hall of Famer?

Boston still has a ton of room to grow within their roster. Jayson Tatum could end up being the missing piece for a Big 3 in the next year or two for all we know. So keep your chins up Boston fans, because your team’s potential is still higher than most teams (and we’re in the superteam era after all).

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