"The Big Three" - Is this phrase being played out?

[gethigh]

Everyone in the media seems to be creating a new "Big three" for every single team and ends up talking about "Big threes" ad nauseum.

It's getting pretty old, no?

So far I've heard a "Big three" for Celtics, Heat, Spurs, Knicks, OKC & Lakers. Might be missing a couple, too.

Unrelated but s***, now they are starting to refer to groups of golfers as "The Big Three".

[Josephpaul]

Not yet

[Xsy]

The term's always going to be around as long as teams have three major players. So I don't think it'll ever really phase out. But as far as 'Big Three' being as big of a buzzword as it was in 2010? Yeah, a little.

[Groove]

It's stupid to call yourself a big 3 when you haven't won shet.

[BadNFluenz]

Everyone in the media seems to be creating a new "Big three" for every single team and ends up talking about "Big threes" ad nauseum.

It's getting pretty old, no?

So far I've heard a "Big three" for Celtics, Heat, Spurs, Knicks, OKC & Lakers. Might be missing a couple, too.

Unrelated but s***, now they are starting to refer to groups of golfers as "The Big Three".

Yeah I've noticed that too, all of a sudden every teams 3 best players are The Big Three.

[springz]

It's stupid to call yourself a big 3 when you haven't won shet.

they didn't create the nickname.

most teams that will contend will have a "big 3" of some sort because that's the most high salary players you can have with the salary cap structure.

[taii1234]

I agree. Theres really only 3 teams that have a legit Big 3. Celtics (Allen, KG, Pierce), Heat (Wade, Bosh, LeBron) and San Antionio to an extent (3 hall of famers - Duncan, Manu, Parker).

All the rest are not legit. Yes a team may have 3 good players, but not on the hall of famer caliber.

I think we need to use the Hall of Fame test to really weed out the real Big 3s and the fake ones. If your top 3 players aren't going to the HOF after retirement, than its not a Big 3.

[WD]

It's stupid to call yourself a big 3 when you haven't won shet.

the media started calling them that

[Jazza2319]

while i agree that simply labeling your best players as a "big 3" is silly, i don't think HOF is the right criteria for it. I'd say something more like each player being top 5 at their position.

But on the topic of big 3's, the literal term is just something made up by the media to glorify players and create rivalries (see knicks/heat espn coverage). What is worth looking into though is how much the game has changed over the past 15 years and its something Dirk alluded to in his post-game press conference after OKC knocked them out. In the early 00's it seemed like a one-man show could product results, but a "dynamic duo" was seen as necessary to be a top team. Now its moved from 2 stars to 3, and hopefully the trend continues to the point where in 2020 it's more "everybody needs to be able to shoot" like it was back in the old nba days

I cant believe how shallow the talent of the nba has become, at any time there could be as many as 3 guys on the court who aren't threats to shoot so defenses can sag off them. What the hell are these "defensive" specialists or guys doing in their off time? I dont see any reason why 4 out of the 5 guys on the court shouldn't be a shooting threat to open up spacing for the entire team. This is the lack of focus on fundamentals that got popular after USA got bronze in 04, and it really hasn't improved

Sorry, rant over

[Froob]

I agree. Theres really only 3 teams that have a legit Big 3. Celtics (Allen, KG, Pierce), Heat (Wade, Bosh, LeBron) and San Antionio to an extent (3 hall of famers - Duncan, Manu, Parker).

All the rest are not legit. Yes a team may have 3 good players, but not on the hall of famer caliber.

I think we need to use the Hall of Fame test to really weed out the real Big 3s and the fake ones. If your top 3 players aren't going to the HOF after retirement, than its not a Big 3.

Is bosh a hall of famer tho?

[LikeABosh]

I agree. Theres really only 3 teams that have a legit Big 3. Celtics (Allen, KG, Pierce), Heat (Wade, Bosh, LeBron) and San Antionio to an extent (3 hall of famers - Duncan, Manu, Parker).

All the rest are not legit. Yes a team may have 3 good players, but not on the hall of famer caliber.

I think we need to use the Hall of Fame test to really weed out the real Big 3s and the fake ones. If your top 3 players aren't going to the HOF after retirement, than its not a Big 3.

Is bosh a hall of famer tho?

As of right now, no. But we don't know where his career will go

[Rhyno]

It's stupid to call yourself a big 3 when you haven't won shet.

[FlipTSO]

"Big 3" was played out in 2008 about a week into the Celtics run, after I heard the phrase for the hundreth time in a week on espn.

[Ballings7]

The Celtics of the 80s and Spurs is where the "big three" really started coming out in description and label.

Celtics patterned their team after the Spurs of the mid-2000s (04/07)... especially considering they won the title the year before.

[drejeronfire]

Before the current Celtics, Heat, etc. people were using it to describe the Nets trio of post-microfracture Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson, and Vince Carter

[Jay10]

Everyone in the media seems to be creating a new "Big three" for every single team and ends up talking about "Big threes" ad nauseum.

It's getting pretty old, no?

So far I've heard a "Big three" for Celtics, Heat, Spurs, Knicks, OKC & Lakers. Might be missing a couple, too.

Unrelated but s***, now they are starting to refer to groups of golfers as "The Big Three".

ESPN

[pg16kid]

Jamison, Arenas and Butler was the original big 3

[No Offense]

Hell, I remember people referring to the Gillbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Buyler Wizards as "The Big Three."

In addition, the Kidd, Carter and Jefferson Nets were also calle that. This isn't anything new.