One of a Kind: Remembering the Pistons/Celtics

(This is a two part blog entry. To read Part 1, a recap of the Billups/Hamilton/Prince/Wallace/Wallace Pistons, read the words highlighted in blue. To read Part 2, a recap of the Rondo/Allen/Pierce/Garnett/Perkins Celtics, read the words highlighted in green.)

The Pistons/Celtics of 2004-2007/2008-2011 were a collection of lesser stars who, while somewhat accomplished individually, had never been to an NBA Finals, much less won a championship. While together, they had a four year run of incredible success. Several pieces had been in place for some time, but the finishing touch on the team’s core came with the acquisition of Rasheed Wallace/Kevin Garnett. A multi-skilled and athletic big man, he changed games on both ends of the floor, but had never gone further than the Western conference finals, losing to the Lakers of Shaq and Kobe. For most of us who watched, we thought his struggles stemmed from not having the mentality necessary to carry a team in crunch time, a thought driven by his willingness to make the right pass, no matter how much time was left on the clock (and possibly by a few 4th quarter misses). Once he arrived, conventional wisdom said this team was an instant title contender from day one. As it turned out, conventional wisdom was right.

The calling card of the Pistons/Celtics throughout their four year run would be defense. The tandem of Rasheed Wallace/Kevin Garnett with Ben Wallace/Kendrick Perkins proved to be an ideal fit. Rasheed/Garnett was the vocal leader of the defense, providing excellent defense in help situations, as well as effectively snuffing out pick-and-rolls and guarding every conceivable type of forward with his combination of length, energy, and athleticism. Meanwhile, the interior power and rebounding of Ben Wallace/Perkins let the team leave even dominant centers like Shaq/Dwight single covered in the post. The ability of those two bigs to affect a game, combined with the previously underrated defensive ability of Chauncey Billups/Rajon Rondo at the point guard spot (earning All-NBA Defense honors during the run, but not before), created an incredible defensive team. Even a shooting guard like Richard Hamilton/Ray Allen, who had never been considered a piece of a good defensive team, bought in and contributed to a unit that genuinely intimidated the rest of the league.

While the reputation of the team came from defense, on offense this team was pretty impressive. Despite basically playing 4-on-5 because of Ben Wallace/Perkins being on the court, the team remained tough to defend. Rasheed/Garnett, with both a low post and face-up game, was a difficult matchup for most post defenders. Add to that Hamilton/Allen tirelessly running through a million screens, Billups/Rondo perfectly playing the role of floor general, and Wallace/Perkins available to crash the offensive glass, and most teams had serious problems trying to defend their sets. The biggest problem the Pistons/Celtics were supposed to have was, "who takes the shot in crunch time?" As it turned out, there were usually a few mismatches to exploit. Despite previous struggles as his team’s main go-to scorer, Rasheed/Garnett became a good option due to his combination of scoring ability and willingness to trust and find the open man if doubled. Hamilton/Allen was always dangerous as a shooter, and had to be respected coming off screens, either getting himself open or keeping help defenders occupied. However, when the team just had to have a bucket, usually the ball went to Billups/Pierce, as his Finals MVP trophy would eventually attest.

In their 4 season run, the Pistons/Celtics accomplished a lot. In terms of regular season success, they averaged 56/59 wins per year, including a league-best 64/66 wins in 2006/2008. The Pistons/Celtics earned 8/12 All-Star berths in 4 years (including 4 in one year), and 5/3 berths on All-NBA teams. They won their only NBA title in their first year together. They would come tantalizing close to another: in a matchup of the past two NBA champs, the Pistons/Celtics were tied/up 4 against the Spurs/Lakers going into the 4^th quarter of Game 7 of the 2005/2010 NBA Finals, but ultimately lost the game, the series, and bragging rights as top dog of those 4 years in NBA history. 

Ultimately, their last year wasn’t really a fair chance at one last run, because management decided to let Ben Wallace/Kendrick Perkins go, unwilling to pay him the long term money he wanted, and probably misunderstanding his importance to the team. It turns out, letting him go meant unraveling the very core of the defense and mentality the Pistons/Celtics had hung their hat on the previous three years, and the 2007/2011 season marked the end of their run. In the playoffs that year, they would finally lose to Lebron James, who after years of tormenting playoff losses to the Pistons/Celtics, losses that made us question if he could ever win a title, finally beat them in a series.

When we look back on the Pistons/Celtics in 10-20 years, it will probably turn out that the for all their intensity, late game heroics, and larger-than-life swagger, they just don't stack up to the team that beat them in the 2005/2010 NBA Finals, the Spurs/Lakers. That's just the way it is... we don't say the Sixers were the equal of the Lakers in the '80s, and we don't say the '06 Heat were as good as the Tim Duncan Spurs. For better or worse, the world uses championships as the final measure of historical greatness. And, as time passes, these teams will likely be nice stories, but ultimately placeholders as we shifted between teams of real historical significance in the NBA.