No Longer Riding Big Three, Celtics Rely on Unheralded Cast

What started this season as a chest-thumping NBA title defense is turning into an even more impressive testament to seat-of-the-pants resiliency and steely resolve.

The Big Three is long gone. The Gang of Unwanted has kept this one alive.

The Boston Celtics really have no business still sniffing a return to the NBA Finals, yet they remain a smart pick in their second-round Game 7 against Orlando Sunday night, where the winner advances to the Eastern Conference final.

"Some people already have counted us out,'' said Paul Pierce. "But this team isn't ready to go home yet.''

Yes, they won 62 games and flexed their muscle through a marathon regular season, but Kevin Garnett is long gone. Ray Allen has run out of gas. Only Pierce remains viable among the three, but even he hasn't been playing the last few days with that same swagger. He looks tired.

A victory Sunday would be tangible proof that the Celtic mystique does exists; that there really is a little Leprechaun watching over this franchise. And that the Cleveland Cavaliers should start getting worried about what might happen in the next round.

There is no other way to explain it.

Carrying this team now is Rajon Rondo, a skinny, 23-year-old point guard who can't shoot; Kendrick Perkins, a physical 24-year-old center with limited athletic ability; and Glen "Big Baby,'' Davis, a fleshy 23-year-old forward who could turn into Oliver Miller at any moment.

Each came into the league with serious question marks, which explains why so many other teams looked the other way. They were drafted 21st, 27th and 35th, respectively, which are not the slots you find on championship teams.

Rondo has blossomed in these playoffs, showing some uncanny, triple-double versatility. Perkins, until Thursday, had controlled Superman Dwight Howard. And Big Baby has shown some Big Game credentials.

All three have made both general manager Danny Ainge, who picked them, and Doc Rivers, who coaches them, look smarter than anyone thought possible. It doesn't take a great basketball mind to know that Garnett, Allen and Pierce are future Hall of Famers. But until these playoffs began, Rondo, Perkins and Davis drew mostly yawns.

"Baby, Rondo, Perkins, they've all gotten better, grown up quickly,'' said Rivers. "But there is a reason for that.''

Rivers never was known for developing young talent. It was part of his downfall in Orlando, where he started his coaching career, losing patience with some of the team's younger players. Even in Boston, he was close to losing his job when the Celtics struggled in both his second and third seasons, unable to get the best from the young guys.

But the championship run last season -- primarily because of the Big Three -- taught the unheralded young guys some important lessons that are becoming evident now.

"When you see Ray Allen coming to the gym three-and-a-half hours before the games, Pierce running on the treadmill before going through a regular practice, Garnett with his intensity and focus every day, those things are going to rub off on the young guys,'' Rivers said. "If they didn't get anything from seeing that, then there's something wrong.''

Without the veterans setting an example last season, Rondo, Perkins and Davis would not have developed the way they have. It's why teams that try to rebuild with too many young players always seem to fail. It was happening in Boston before the Celtics traded for Allen and Garnett.

"Young guys can't teach each other, no matter how talented they are. There are no stable minds. Young guys all just want to play. They all want to be stars,'' Rivers said. "They don't want to hear about being role players, about sacrificing. That's what they learn from the veterans. Our guys learned that last year.''

The Celtics fought off No. 7 seeded Chicago in the first round, winning a surprisingly competitive series. They were teetering against No. 3 seeded Orlando, failing to close the series Thursday after leading most of Game 6. Relying on their home court again in Game 7 isn't ideal, but this group never expected it to be.

The Celtics hope to rely again on their superior playoff experience. Even the young guys remember what happened last year when they needed seven games twice on their way to a championship.

Howard, for example, is in his fifth NBA season, but he never has been in a Game 7. The Magic franchise, now in its 20th year, has been to a Game 7 only twice. The last was in 2003 when it lost to Detroit in the first round.

"This is not a team that's going to get jitters,'' Pierce said. "A lot of guys in this league have never been down this path. It's not for everyone because some guys play well under pressure and some don't. We're comfortable with a Game 7. It's going to help us now. We're a confident group, especially at home.''