Boston’s Big Three Are Breaking Up

They say good things come in threes, and that proved true for the Boston Celtics when they brought their 'Big Three' to town back in 2007. With the help of an emerging star in Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce led the Celtics to the Conference Finals three times, NBA Finals twice, and won one championship.

As good as it was, all good things must come to an end. When free agents are allowed to sign with new teams on July 11, Boston's Big Three will be done. Ray Allen has told the Miami Heat that he will sign with them and take his considerable talents to South Beach.

The move does not come as much of  a surprise. For much of the first half of the season rumors out of Boston had the team shopping around everyone at one time or another. With the Big Three all in the twilight of their careers, the team needed to start thinking about the future and getting something for their assets rather than letting them walk via free agency.

Why the team opted not to pull the trigger is not exactly known, but around the time when the rumors were at a peak the veteran laden team quit looking like a bunch of tired old men and started kicking *ss. The possibility of another championship run may have cooled the trade talk; or maybe everyone knew they just had to wait for the season to end and free agency to begin.

For Allen it is clear that the decision is more about winning another championship and not the money. He'll only get about $3 million from the Heat; half of what he could have gotten from the Celtics. With his three point shot added to the stacked arsenal of the Heat, the chance of him getting another ring next year are looking pretty good.