“The key to the Ray Allen trade was that Danny Ainge pulled it off without giving up Theo Ratliff and his expiring contract,” said lifelong Celtic fan Stew Winkel. “I knew Ainge had at least another move to make.”
One month after the Allen deal, Ainge would execute his coup de gras, getting superstar forward Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for a seven player package headlined by power forward Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, draft bust Gerald Green, and of course Ratliff’s expiring contract. With that move and the subsequent signings of role players Eddie House, James Posey, and Scot Pollard, the Celtics went from being a laughing stock to a powerhouse in the East and a possible championship contender.
This sentiment was echoed by Boston fan Daniel Iascone, who said, “I thought they were the favorites to win the east. Clearly the talent was there. They would be even with Detroit at the very least.”
And win the east they did. Boston started the season with an eight game winning streak and never looked back en route to an amazing 66-16 record. There were questions going into the season about whether Pierce, Allen, and Garnett, all of whom were used to taking upwards of 20 shots per game and having their team’s offense flow through them, could share the ball efficiently. Throughout the year, those doubts and others were put to rest as “The Boston Three Party” combined to average 55.8 points per game on only 41.1 field goals attempted.
“I honestly didn’t have any [doubts going into the season]” said Stew Winkel. “I thought, especially after Ainge brought in House and Posey to fill out the roster, that this team was as well put together as one could realistically hope for.”
There was also a palpable change in the team’s psyche from game to game due to the infusion of veteran leadership brought on by Ainge’s dealings. Kevin Garnett’s passion and gutsy play were particularly indispensable for Boston, especially on defense, as illustrated by the fact that the Celtics allowed only 90.3 points per game despite the absence of a particularly surprising statistical improvement from any individual player. Garnett’s enthusiasm, along with the arrival of assistant coach Tom Thibodeau, transformed what was by most accounts a listless defensive team into one of the best post Jordan era defensive units in the NBA.
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