The Boston Celtics: From Zeros To Heroes

He does not have a reputation as an exceptional X's and O's coach but he, like Phil Jackson, is an exceptional locker room coach who was able to build a championship team because he had the ability to finish his jigsaw puzzle.

Tom Thibodeau also gets a lot of credit for this championship because he was able to formulate the best overall defense in the NBA.

He was able to create a defensive system that was effective because Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen all bought into it and were the forerunners of the system.

3. Depth

At the beginning of the preseason, many people (including me) had doubts about the depth of the Boston Celtics.

Besides the big three, who else did the Celtics have? They traded away key players, most notably Al Jefferson, to obtain three pieces to a puzzle that was still missing many key jigsaws.

Boy, did they prove me wrong.

All of their bench players stepped up, and a few mid-season acquisitions made them one of the deeper teams in the Eastern Conference.

Here is a list of the key role players on the team.

1. Rajon Rondo: Expected to be the weakest player in the starting lineup and probably even weaker than some of the bench players, this young man stepped up his game and proved he is a starter in this league.
2. Kendrick Perkins: Kendrick proved his worth by becoming an enforcer and a bully in the paint. He is an invaluable member of the Celtics team and starting lineup.
3. Tony Allen/Eddie House: Expected to be the backup guards, the drop off was expected to be massive once Ray Allen hit the bench. But these two players proved their worth by being productive in the limited minutes they played.
4. James Posey: Nobody questioned this man's worth. A September acquisition, Posey proved to be a glue man that held the team together with his solid outside shooting and perimeter defense.
5. Leon Powe: While not used too much during the season, Leon Powe showed flashes of greatness, especially in his explosive playoff performance against the Lakers.

4. The Big Three Factor

Last but not least, the acquisitions of KG and Ray Allen helped make Paul Pierce's Celtics into the best team in the NBA.

All three players would be the stars of their respective teams should they be traded to any other team in the NBA. A combination of three of the best players in the NBA with complimenting skills equals the best team in the NBA (see Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker in 2006-2007).

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