Celtics' Big Three together every step of the way

J.p. Filo, Associated Press

Celtics' Ray Allen, left, and Kevin Garnett, center, smile as host David Letterman hands them the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy on the set of "The Late Show With David Letterman," Wednesday in New York.

The Celtics went for the quick fix and got it when they brought in big-time help for Paul Pierce.

By MARC J. SPEARS, Boston Globe

Last update: June 19, 2008 - 8:37 AM

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Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen sat side by side during a news conference at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston on July 31. The Big Three stood side by side in uniform in front of the Roman Colosseum at the beginning of training camp in October while cameras flashed and surprised tourists looked on. All three were Eastern Conference All-Stars, marking the first time since Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale in 1991 that a Celtics trio had done it. And as the clock ticked down during Game 6 of the NBA Finals with the Celtics claiming their first title in 22 years Tuesday night, Garnett, Pierce, and Allen were where they had been all along: side by side.

Individually before this season, Garnett, Pierce, and Allen all had Hall of Fame credentials without rings to show for it. But together in their first season, the Celtics' All-Star trio can now boast they are NBA champions, too.

"That moment right there solidified the reason why we sat on that podium and talked, from the moment we were in the back talking to the moment we stepped foot in Rome," Garnett said.

Said Allen: "We just ignored the Big Three talk, and if people are going to place the stigma on the team after we won, everyone is going to be fine with it because we did win."

Said Pierce: "We put in hard work all the way from September, getting here early, going to Rome, staying together, the guys dropping their egos for the good of the team, sacrificing so much. You guys look at Kevin, myself, and Ray, we sacrificed so much of what we did throughout our careers to get to this point because we've done everything we've been able to do individually, won all type of awards, but never made it to the mountaintop, and it's like a breath of fresh air."

From the introductory press conference to the final buzzer Tuesday, the Celtics never had major problems on or off the court with Garnett, Pierce, and Allen, other than occasional injuries. They quickly embraced each other like brothers. They put their egos aside for the betterment of the team. Coach Doc Rivers let them know that together, not individually, they could be champions.

Garnett and Allen respected the fact that Pierce had been in Boston for nine years and wanted him to remain the only captain and the last Celtic called during pregame introductions. And while the spotlight shined on the All-Star trio during the entire campaign, they always made their teammates feel like equals.

Said Garnett: "We said from Day 1 this is Paul's team. Ray and I had no problem with that."

Notes

• Boston will hold a downtown rally for the Celtics today.

• General Mills will issue a special-edition Wheaties box featuring Garnett. The box will be available nationally beginning in the next three weeks.

• ABC's six telecasts of the NBA Finals averaged a 9.3 rating, up 51 percent over the four-game series last year (6.2) when San Antonio beat Cleveland.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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