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"I caught three of them at the right time" - Doc Rivers admits he got lucky with Celtics' Big Three
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- "I caught three of them at the right time" - Doc Rivers admits he got lucky with Celtics' Big Three
In basketball, just like in every walk of life, one needs a little bit of luck to reach success. Daily grind and dedication sure make that process a whole lot easier, but usually, it isn't until luck smiles your way that the real breakthrough happens.
Fortunately for Doc Rivers , exactly that happened when the Boston Celtics brought in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen alongside Paul Pierce in the summer of 2007, making his quest for an NBA championship that much easier. Sure, having several All-Star caliber players gives a team more talent than most of its competition, but making all those pieces work together is a completely different story.
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And if we are to listen to Rivers, the three were at the perfect stage of their careers to reach the one thing that was missing from each of their iconic résumés.
"Coaching them was awesome. It really was. I think I was fortunate that I caught three of them at the right time," Rivers humbly admitted in his recent interview via Legend of Sport.
"They all had their individual success. And many players never stop chasing that, and those are the ones who never win. I think they realized enough with the individual stuff. I thought they were ready to win, and so that allowed me to coach them," he added.
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Boston loaded up
On June 28, 2007 , the Celtics, the most decorated franchise at the time, acquired Allen from the Seattle SuperSonics. At that point, Ray-Ray had already transitioned from an ultra-athletic guard racking up All-Star appearances to a reliable option from beyond the arc who was ready to finally add some silverware to his résumé.
A month later, the C's pulled off an even bigger acquisition, both physically and in terms of star power, getting the 6'11" former MVP Garnett to join their ranks .
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Truth be told, KG was an even bigger star, with a longer list of accolades and a reputation as one of the best players in the league. Almost overnight, the Celtics went from a team looking for answers to the team to beat in the Association.
Rivers was then entering his fourth season at the helm of the iconic green and white franchise, and getting this kind of haul definitely helped him reach the NBA mountaintop. Pierce had been Boston's leader for years, but getting two experienced stars who also wanted to finally get over the hump was exactly what all of them needed.
And to no surprise, the reward followed not long after.
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Related: "Who is this?" – Dwyane Wade recalls being furious when the Heat drafted Dorell Wright
Everything came together at the right time
The revamped Celtics, with their own version of the Big Three, went 66-16 in the following regular season. Interestingly, Pierce, Allen, and Garnett were all named All-Stars, while KG took home his first and only, long-overdue Defensive Player of the Year award.
In the postseason, they did have to survive a couple of Game 7 battles, but the Celtics finally got over the hurdle the organization and its fans had been waiting more than two decades to overcome.
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Rivers admits the Big Three played a massive role in that. Their willingness to sacrifice showed immediately. Garnett brought the intensity with which he played until the day he retired, Allen adjusted his game and became one of the most dangerous shooters around, and Pierce continued leading the franchise he had called home since entering the league.
In the end, all three got exactly what they signed up for. And it was also proof of how important timing can be when dealing with that much star power. Had they teamed up just a couple of years earlier, perhaps we would have been looking at a completely different story.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Sep 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
