NBA's Original Big Three - GOAT Front Court Ever Assembled - Celtic's Bird, McHale

[Round Mound]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0NmI_ZaE_c

:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

[Round Mound]

This Team Would Destroy The Current Warriors! :coleman:

[Duffy Pratt]

Teams were deeper then. If the Celtics had a "big three", then so did the Lakers with Kareem Magic and Worthy. What about the 73 Knicks with Reed Frazier and Monroe. Or Lakers with Wilt West and Baylor.

The first group I remember being called a "big three" was the Lakers with Shaq, Kobe, and Rice. It only recently became an anomaly for a team to have three really good players.

And I agree, the 86 Celtics would cause the Warriors all sorts of problems, and vice versa.

[3ball]

Teams were deeper then. If the Celtics had a "big three", then so did the Lakers with Kareem Magic and Worthy. What about the 73 Knicks with Reed Frazier and Monroe. Or Lakers with Wilt West and Baylor.

The first group I remember being called a "big three" was the Lakers with Shaq, Kobe, and Rice. It only recently became an anomaly for a team to have three really good players.

And I agree, the 86 Celtics would cause the Warriors all sorts of problems, and vice versa.
let's not forget the 83' Sixers, who were one of the most stacked teams ever with 5 all-stars: Dr. J, Moses (goat 1-2 punch?), Andrew Toney, Bobby Jones, and Maurice Cheeks

[LAZERUSS]

The '67 Sixers "Big Four"...Front Court...

Luke Jackson
Chet Walker
Billy Cunningham
Wilt

[Rake2204]

Was doing some reading a few months back and found out that Dick Vitale is just about as responsible for those Celtics teams as anybody else.

Check this out, while he was coaching the Pistons, here's how it went down:

1. Detroit lost M.L. Carr to the Celtics via free agency

2. Celtics owed Pistons compensation for picking up Carr (as the CBA dictated at the time). Vitale agreed to take Bob McAdoo in exchange for two draft picks.

3. Pistons proceeded to have the worst season in team history in 1980. McAdoo sucked and never wanted to be there. No. 1 overall pick that should have been Detroit's actually belonged to Boston.

4. Celtics dealt that No. 1 and their No. 13 to Golden State (who used the picks to draft Joe Barry Carroll and Ricky Brown). The Warriors sent back Robert Parish and the No. 3 overall pick, who Boston used to select Kevin McHale.

Sooo, the Celtics basically used Dick Vitale as a dumping ground for a disinterested Bob McAdoo, gaining M.L. Carr, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale in return.

Oddly, that Pistons awfulness is what yielded Isiah Thomas via draft a year later, setting the stage for the Boston/Detroit rivalry a few years later.

[JohnnySic]

A couple of notes on the original "big 3" - Bird, McHale and Parish:

1.) No one was calling them that in the early/mid 80's when they were winning. Some local sports guy in Boston (I forget who) coined the phrase around 1990 when they were basically done. I never liked the expression because it seemingly leaves out contributions of other players, most notably hof'er Dennis Johnson.

2.) They were the "big 3" not only because they were great, but also because they were physically big. 3 great players does not make a big 3 unless they are all bigs. The expression is constantly misused.