Brian Shaw Explains Secret Anatomy of an NBA Big 3
DENVER — Trying to pick the best Big Three in NBA history is largely a matter of opinion.
Do you go with the recently formed triumvirate comprised of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, even though they've played together—and struggled—only a handful of times? Is it James' former trio with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh? Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish? Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman? Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili?
The list can go on and on, but Denver Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw wouldn't pick one while gearing up to face the Association's newest All-Star troika.
"The Big Three thing is still relatively new," he told assembled reporters after his team's shootaround in preparation for a clash with the Cleveland Cavaliers. "I don't buy into the Big Three thing. And here's why. If it's a Big Three, then they should just play three against five out there on the floor."
It's a logical sentiment, as a supporting cast is ultimately necessary in the quest for the Larry O'Brien Trophy. But Shaw wasn't done explaining his viewpoint.
"I use an example all the time. I'll do it right now," he stated before taking off one of his shoes in front of the throng of cameras and recorders.
"So you take this shoe, and this shoe is the Big Three, let's say. And as trivial as a shoestring is...the shoe might cost $100 in a store. A pair of shoestrings might cost 50 cents or a dollar. Try running in this shoe without a shoestring in it.
"You'll have no support at all. You might twist your ankle. You'll probably run out of your shoe. The other guys that aren't included in the Big Three, they're the shoestring."
Few are as qualified as Shaw when it comes to this particular subject.
His basketball resume is littered with success, as he's won titles both during his playing days and while operating on the sidelines as an assistant coach. The point guard's first two seasons—he was drafted out of UC Santa Barbara in 1988—came with the Boston Celtics, allowing him to see Bird, McHale and Parish at the very end of their time together. And at the end of his career, Shaw won three consecutive titles as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, playing alongside Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
As an assistant coach, he also got to interact daily with Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum when they won another pair of titles for the purple-and-gold franchise.
"On our championship teams in L.A., Kobe and Shaq were the shoe. Robert Horry, Derek Fisher, Rick Fox—they were the shoestrings. Same thing in Boston. You had Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale. But the other guys played their roles as well. They were the shoestrings. You understand the importance of having those three guys, but you can't lose the importance of having those other guys.
"Robert Horry doesn't hit the important shots that he hits—Danny Ainge back in the day, or whichever guys were part of the supporting cast—then you don't get those championships anyway. We understand who does the lion's share of the work, but you can't lose the fact that those other guys are important. So I'm not really one to think about the Big Three."
The one-shoed coach, exposing a sock to the world in all its glory, went on to discuss some memories from his time with the Indiana Pacers. As an assistant under Frank Vogel, he witnessed Udonis Haslem stepping up during a playoff series, Mario Chalmers hitting some big shots and Chris "Birdman" Andersen going on a ridiculous tear against the Pacers' vaunted defense.
It all plays into the shoe theory.
Tying your shoelaces is second nature by the time you reach adulthood. Twisting one lace atop and underneath the other, forming the bow on one side and then looping the other lace to form a second bow is about as easy and mindless as it gets. It's not something we lose sleep over, even though it's so vital to walking around injury-free and without exposing your bare feet to whatever surface you're walking on.
Those role players—whether it's Shawn Marion, Mike Miller and Matthew Dellavedova on the Cavs or Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge and Scott Wedman on the old-school C's—might not be the first players to pop into your mind, but that doesn't mean they're any less important.
Of course, there's still no telling how this analogy holds up when J.R. Smith and Ronnie Price are involved.
Note: All quotes obtained firsthand.
