Dwyane Wade Says 2008 Boston Celtics Featuring Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce Exaggerated Success

Shandel Richardson | Jun 19, 2024

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The 2008 Boston Celtics were largely the first of their kind when they paired Paul Pierce with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

The Celtics won a championship in their first season together but were unable to accomplish much the remainder of their time together. Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade went far as saying the Celtics exaggerated their success despite fielding a team of three All-Stars.

"You won’t see a lot of Boston Celtics 2008 that come together in one year and win a championship," Wade said on his "A Wine Down" podcast. "Because ain’t no habits been built really. That’s a special year for those guys that’s why that one championship that they won feel like when they talk to you they feel like they won 12."

In the Celtics' defense, they were on pace for a repeat until Garnett went down with an injury. He returned in time for the postseason but they were knocked off by the Orlando Magic in the second round.

In 2010, the Celtics lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals in seven games. Their era basically ended there once the Heat formed a team with Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. The Heat eliminated the Celtics in 2011 and 2012 before Allen joined them in 2013.

"Yeah you feel like when you hear Paul [Pierce] and them talking you be like ‘How many championships did you win’. Yeah, shoutout to the `08 Boston Celtics. They did something special. But we stopped all that."'

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Inside The Heat. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com