The Boston Celtics are one of the winningest franchises in the history of the NBA. They boast a winning tradition and have had nothing but the creme of the crop in terms of the players who have donned that jersey.
The team, however, has struggled to get back to their winning ways and be as dominant as they were during the Bill Russell era. In fact, they haven’t even made it to the Finals since Paul Pierce led them there back in 2010.
According to some experts, that stacked Celtics team paved the way for the start of the “Superteam” era later dominated by LeBron James. Pierce, however, doesn’t seem to agree with that.
Paul Pierce Says The Celtics Were Lucky To Get That Big 3
(Transcript via Fadeaway World)
“I take a lot of pride in that [winning NBA title with the team that drafted him] and hang my hat on that. We’re in a different era, a different time. It’s different now. Players move around a lot. They manufacture their teams. The way we did it was a little different,” Pierce said, via Mass Live. “People will say I played on the new era super team, but it’s like, we had to get lucky. We got lucky with the draft pick, we got lucky with the trade, we got lucky with Kevin Garnett dropping his no-trade clause.
“So all these things had to line up, whereas today guys manufacture playing with each other, building super teams through free agency, building friendships. And I have nothing against that. That’s why I take so much pride in being with the team I was with so long, going through the tough times and finally being able to win a championship.”
Some people aren’t fond of those superteams as they believe they hurt the league’s balance and competitiveness. Others believe that it’s better to see the best players in the world altogether.
Whatever it’s the case, that Celtics team had a fierceness and tenacity that were unmatched at the time.
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