With Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joining Paul Pierce in Boston, I can't help but wonder how far through the season the trio will last. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce both had a difficult, injury filled season last year. This is a cause for concern for me. I want KG to get his ring, but will he get it with these two coming off of big injuries? Hopefully, my concern will be thrown out in the wind once they go to the finals next year. But without one or both of these guys, KG will be back where he started when he was losing with the Timberwolves.

mwithers wrote:

I'm not too worried. I think their \"injuries\" were more of a situation where they just shut it down because their teams were so bad and it really made no sense for them to continue playing. If I remember correctly, I think both could have continued playing if they had chose to do so.

Of course this team's success depends on the health of any of their Big Three, but unless something veeeery unlucky happens (like to Shaun Livingston last season) that could happen to every player anytime, I don't think injuries will be much of a problem for the following reasons:

I hear that all of the big three are preparing for the season like they haven't been in years. I expect all of them to be in fantastic shape and highly motivated, reducing the probability of an injury.

With the clever addition of James Posey who can spell both Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, they will get the chance to get plenty of rest, especially early in the season, again reducing the chance of an injury.

Everyone of the Big Three has for the first time in many years the chance to play alongside someone who can also put the team on his shoulders and all of them should benefit from the playing style of the others, making it easier for them to score and win games without being forced to exhaust themselves night after night to squeeze out a win or even loose by a few points.

But mostly, and leaving Allens knee surgeries aside, I do not know how many of the injuries those three have had over the last years were for real. I know, it is easy to accuse someone of tanking...but come on. We all know, especially with Paul Pierce that the Celts used to shut him down late in the season on a regular basis. I won't say that they were always healthy and painfree when they went down with \"injuries\", but no professional athlete is painfree anyways and this year...they will have much that will make them fight through it.

I feel that the risk is reduced. However, the chances of a potential injury go up because of their history. That was my point. I believe that if one of them goes down, it takes down the season.

Hmmm...I do not know if I get your point - I ask your pardon, English isn't my native language ! But as I understand it:

Yeah of course, this team rises and falls with the health of all of their three superstars (KG, Allen, Pierce) not only because their individual game will benefit from each other, but mainly because - Posey to, House fro - their bench still is awfully thin and they won't be able to contend for anything but the golden pineapple if one of the three goes down for a longer time.

But actually...doesn't every team playing veterans has the same problem? The more wear and tear a player has the more likely he will suffer an injury...but injuries are not mandatory to happen, just because one player was injured earlier in his carreer. All a team can do is trying to reduce the chance of a serious, season ending injury to a player as much as possible and I think Boston did as good of a job as they could have doing this. The injury bug can bite younger players without a history of injuries and ruin their team's chances of a successful season as well (see Elton Brand with the Clippers).

I don't think that, because of all the factors I mentioned above, one of the Big Three will suffer such a serious injury...or at least not one that is clearly because of earlier injuries (of which I believe the most to be faked or exaggerated, anyways), but because of sheer bad luck.

Sanyarin wrote:


Just for the record, Ray Allen had ankle surgeries last season. I don't think they were major (i.e. cleaning out \"bone chips\") and he should be 100%. He said he would have kept playing if the Sonics were in the playoff hunt, however they weren't even close as we all know.

Also, Paul Pierce has already lost like 15 pounds and has said he's in some of the best shape of his life. His \"injury\" last season was some weird \"elbow excess liquid\" thing, which is not reaccuring or serious (from what I heard.)

I think they will be fine.

I guess that I am worried that their injuries last year might affect them this year. But that is just my opinion. I am more worried about them than other teams because they are aged veterans and there is no one behind them. If the injuries last year were fake then I guess that I am worrying about nothing. That is where my concerns are coming from.

mwithers wrote:

- Gotcha.

As an aside, I dunno why everyone thinks these guys are so old? Ray Allen is what, 32? I believe he is the oldest of the three. They are all in their primes. They are gonna be awesome. I, for one, can't wait to watch the Celtics this season!

College Wolf wrote:


Plus, who knows if his injuries were even real, since the Celts were tanking for Oden/Durant

@ College Wolf:

The way I understand it, people are not concered by the fact that they are thaaaat old...although one has to admit that none of them will be younger than 30 when the season rolls in.

I think the problem many people see is that every one of those guys - Ray Allen the least I think, but he is the oldest of the three what may negate this effect - has had to carry his team on his shoulders night after night, logging almost max minutes almost every night while being showed and hacked by the opposing defense. Especally KG, who came into the league right from high school and has sit less games with fake injuries because of tanking than Pierce has, has lots and lots of mileage on his slender frame.

I think this is what concerns everybody the most. Age combined with carrying the entire load of a team for an entire carreer.

Whiskeydizzy (great Nick, btw.):
Sanyarinin ealier post:
@Whiskeydizzy:
I guess we have the same suspicion !

College Wolf wrote:
I also hope they do very good. For KG's sake, if not for anything else.

I agree and I'm excited to watch them play, but I do think all 3 are looking downhill at this point. Together they may be too much for other teams to overcome and this may be the best team any of the big 3 have played on. I think that's what everyone in Boston is hoping for, but on an individual level they're not quite at peak levels physically. I think it's still a close call but one can only fight age so long...That being said, best of luck to KG, PP and Jesus, I'll be rooting them on this coming season!!

I guess I just don't see it. I don't think they are really declining at all. They are all still in their prime and now they have the best teammates of their careers. None of them will be asked to carry the load offensively, which will make it easier on them all. And now the Celtics actually have halfway decent backups, so they all won't need to play 40 minutes per game. I think they will be a force to be reckoned with for at least the next 2 or 3 seasons before they start to decline.

I totally agree with College Wolf, who basically sees the same factors working in favor of Boston's Big 3 that I do (cf. my earlier posts).

I do also believe that some of the doubts especially about KG came from spectators who believed to see KG some kind of fatigued during the season and I also read some pieces on the net stating that the fact that his stats were not dropping was due to the fact that he boosts them in garbage time with the Wolves out of many games as early as in the middle of the 3rd Quarter last season.

But I strongly believe that even KG who probably wanted to stay in Minny, was extremely fed up with this unbalanced roster and with loosing in particular. I guess his frustration and desperation was mistaken for fatigue by people only looking for signs of him declining because of the many years of carrying the Wolves.

But since he (and Allen, Pierce) are now highly motivated and working their behind of preparing for the season, KG will look better than he has in years come the start of the season.