Fort Lauderdale, Fla. // There was little doubt that the Boston Celtics would improve by adding forward Kevin Garnett and guard Ray Allen to play alongside All-Star Paul Pierce.
They had to after some lean seasons, but the transformation nonetheless has been instant and remarkable. There seemingly has been no feeling-out period required for the team's so-called Big Three.
Boston started 8-0, its fourth-best start in franchise history.
Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat said he is not surprised. For one, the Heat did something similar when it traded for Shaquille O'Neal and later added Jason Williams and Antoine Walker, a blending of stars that eventually led to the Heat's first title.
More than that, Wade said, he figured that Garnett, a 10-time All-Star and 2004 Most Valuable Player with the Minnesota Timberwolves, would make it work.
"You've got to look at the personnel and understand that K.G. is a very unselfish player, and he is the main guy in the offense," Wade said. "Ray Allen is an unbelievable shooter. Paul is Paul. He's the truth.
"They've got a great combination of guys. It's kind of amazing how it's all been put together."
The Celtics' changes weren't as risky as those the Heat made two seasons ago. Boston hadn't made the playoffs in five years. The Heat was coming off an Eastern Conference finals appearance when Pat Riley traded two starters for Williams, Walker and James Posey.
Celtics general manager Danny Ainge, feeling the pressure from the losing, quickly shifted out of youth mode. He traded the fifth pick in the draft to the Seattle SuperSonics for Allen and then acquired Garnett from Minnesota in July.
The Celtics have gotten the expected scoring boost from two career 20-point scorers. They also have shown strength on defense, leading the league by allowing 88.9 points a game.
"We never worry about our offense as much as we worry about our defense," Garnett said recently. "We know at the end of the day that's how we can win games, with defense."
The Big Three wouldn't be enough for Boston. The trades left it with little depth, so Ainge filled holes with low-budget free agents Posey, Eddie House and Scot Pollard. Injuries have slowed Pollard, but Posey and House have fit in nicely as Boston's top two reserves.
"We needed shooting, we needed experience, we needed defense, we needed size," Ainge said. "We got Posey and Pollard and Eddie. That covers them all right there."
