The Boston Celtics were a force in the Eastern Conference in the late 2000s and early 2010s thanks to their star-studded trio of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. From a three-season span from the 2007-08 campaign through the 2009-10 season, Boston made the NBA Finals twice and won a title in 2008.
But the Celtics were no longer the top dogs in the East once LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade joined forces on the Miami Heat in the 2010 offseason.
James’ former NBA teammate, Iman Shumpert, acknowledged on Wednesday that the 39-year-old took his talents to South Beach as a response to Boston’s Big 3.
Shumpert made the acknowledgment after he ruffled some feathers by saying that James worsened the NBA when he “made it okay for people to team up.”
Boston’s star trio got the better of James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in two playoff series prior to his decision to leave Cleveland for Miami. The Celtics eliminated Cleveland in seven games in the second round of the 2008 NBA Playoffs. Then, the Cavaliers were sent home by Boston in six games in the second round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs.
The Celtics’ Big 3 never eliminated James from the playoffs again after he joined the Heat. Boston and Miami faced off in the 2011 NBA Playoffs and 2012 NBA Playoffs, and the latter came out on top in both series.
Starting with the second-round series back in 2011, Boston looked simply outmatched. The Celtics were eliminated in a gentleman’s sweep, though in the following year’s playoff series, the team gave the Heat more of a run for their money.
Boston and Miami met in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals, and the series spanned seven games. The Celtics played the Heat as well as any team did in the 2012 NBA Playoffs, but Boston was still eliminated after it lost the deciding Game 7 by 13 points.
The Big 3 in Miami proved to be quite the great response to Boston’s trio. The Heat were maybe even partly responsible for breaking up the threesome in Boston, as Allen left the Celtics to sign with Miami not long after the outcome of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals.