The Big Three

Author: Michael Holley

Publisher: Hatchette Book Group

Release Date: December 1, 2020

Celtics fans and fans of pro basketball in general will enjoy this documentary.

How did the Boston Celtics go from being one of the league dominating teams throughout the 1980s to a general contender in the 1990s to their lowest point in history in the early 2000s only to regroup and rebuild in a single year to win the NBA Championship?  Michael Holley delivers an extraordinary documentary of how the Celtics were rebuilt over time centered around Paul Pierce and how they obtained Kevin Garnett from the Timberwolves and Ray Allen from the Sonics to become the new Big Three that would bring another championship to Boston!

While this book is about basketball, its not really about playing basketball.  Its about the business of NBA basketball and how general managers build a championship team and a coach that was able to take three superstars and help quash egos so that they played as a team and not three individual stars.  The Big Three gives a lot of insight into how trades are done, drafts are managed, and the personal life of coaches and players.  It’s easy to just think of basketball, but there is so much that goes on in the front office that is mind blowing.  I loved reading about how this process got started and how difficult it was for the players, coach, and manger when the fans weren’t happy but they knew that they would have it locked in for the next season. 

There is some strong language throughout the book featured in direct quotes from players and coaches.  I recommended this book for mature audiences that are lovers of the NBA and Celtics fans.