By Tom Heinsohn

Fri., Nov. 30 on ESPN: Celtics at Heat, 8 p.m. ET

Take a look around the Eastern Conference and there aren't many teams that have three players the caliber of the Celtics three of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. In fact, they're the highest scoring threesome in the East at 62.7 points per game, and each one brings something different to the table. Paul Pierce is a slasher. Ray Allen is a prolific outside shooter and Garnett is a terrific inside player, both offensively and defensively.

Maybe most impressive about his group, though, is not their individual skill levels. Each one of them has shown that they are terrific players. They have all the individual glory that they would want to have. But now they recognize that the only thing they haven't really accomplished that would set them apart in terms of the history of the game is to be part of a championship team. I think they're smart enough to understand that and experienced enough to know how to utilize their skills to create a winning team. They have this terrific desire to become a unit rather than a collection of individuals.

Rondo is a terrific player to add to this mix because he is like the rabbit in the greyhound race. Somebody told me that when they did the appraisal of players at the pre-draft camp in Florida that several of the people said he was the best athlete they had ever seen come through there. That amazed me. He can get the ball up the court real fast which helps bring out the best in Garnett, Allen and Pierce because it allows them to not to have to fight two or three guys to score, but do it in one on one situations or get behind the defense and just make easy baskets. Rondo is a tempo setter, but he also can get out there and harass people on defense. And he has proven that he can make the shot if they plan on using his defender to help out on other people. They're finding out it's a big mistake to leave him open because this kid is knocking them down. He's shooting .556 from the field, which is the top mark for any non-big man in the league. I doubt many predicted that before the season started.

And Perkins is an auxiliary big guy who now is showing that he has terrific hands and heart. He's a physical presence who can also do other things like pass the ball effectively. Adding his skills and strength to the Celtics mix in a larger role has been nothing but beneficial (see 21 point, 9 rebound performance vs. the Lakers last week).

So far Posey has shown that he can come in and give you different types of defense when matched up with different types of players. He can guard a big player and beat him with quickness or he can play the quick forwards and two guards and just use his size to defeat them. Plus, he is a terrific three-point shooter right now (52%). When he comes in, that enhances Garnett's game because you've got another guy on the perimeter, sort of what Orlando is doing by surrounding Howard with all those outside shooters. By Posey being in there, it enables Garnett to roam around more inside on a one-on-one basis.

What I see so far reminds me a lot of the teams I played on in Boston. These guys have become selfless players. Assistant coach Tom Thibodeau has brought his schemes and combined them with the talents of each one of these players to form a unit that so far has been No. 1 in the league in points per game allowed (89.66 ppg). Guys on this team are motivated, particularly Pierce and Allen, who don't feel now that they have to save themselves for offense. Ray did a masterful job defending Kobe Bryant in the first half of the game the other night. He didn't do it by himself – they had a team concept – but he did exactly what had to be done at his position to defend him. Paul Pierce has gone out there and bent his knees to really try to stop people. You're getting the total game from these guys and you can see it. The old time players like myself are applauding the effort they're brining to the table.

While they were developing the team, I enjoyed the competitiveness of these young players. That's what kept me enthused about broadcasting the games. If you're not going to win championships, you want to see players develop. I thought they were doing a terrific job at it. Since he's been with the Celtics, Doc Rivers has been more of a teacher than anything. This franchise had a plethora of young players who were inexperienced with a lot of talent, but didn't know how to use it. He spent a lot of time teaching players that Danny Ainge acquired in the mold of trying to turn the team back to what won 13 of the16 titles, by using quickness and speed, by getting those type of players. Now they've become an attack team. Instead of walking it up the floor 100% of the time, they're taking advantage of their athletic ability and the bullyness of a guy like Garnett to really streak up the floor. This year Doc has become a pro coach, worrying about strategy and implementing his game plan. Not that he didn't try to do that before, but now he's got people who can execute what he wants done.

Prior to the season many wondered aloud about players four through twelve on this team. Well, so far the bench has been very good. Eddie House is not a true point guard, but he's a tremendous addition because he's such a good outside shooter. He enhances that second unit's ability to score. In the past several years, forget about the first unit which was filled with youngsters, but the second unit was also very young. You didn't really have cohesiveness on the offense. Now with House, Posey, Brian Scalabrine and Scot Pollard, who at times has come in and just been a stabilizing force at the big man position, you have experienced players who know how to utilize the minutes they're going to play. Then they have people like “Big Baby” Glen Davis and the kid Gabe Pruitt, who since being assigned to the D-League has hit the game-winning bucket and scored 31 points for the Utah Flash, and you have a nice mix of veterans and youth.

The fans the last several years have really come out and they started to really enjoy the young players. After seeing how well Al Jefferson is playing, I thought if they hadn't made the Garnett deal, that the fans would have enjoyed the current team with Al and the people that went in that trade. They were all very talented and I think that team was ready to pop as a unit, just not as fast as this team. But this team has moved to the top echelon because of the experience of Garnett, Pierce and Allen. The fans have fallen in love with Garnett. There is enthusiasm. They can see the team play. They can see the motivation out there with guys digging in and how effective it can be. We've had a couple of terrific games where we've won close ones like the other night on the road. At home they've really done a terrific job and the fans have been a big part of that by providing one of the top home court advantages in the league.

What I've learned about him is he is a very, very tenacious and focused person. He is really into it and very determined. I only got to see him twice a year before this season, so I never got the full strength of his personality, but he's got a leader's personality. People will follow him and if he's doing it, the younger guys will have to do it too.

Known for his hard-nosed style of play, yet possessing a superb shooting touch and good body control, Tom Heinsohn was a vital cog in the Boston Celtics' dynasty of the 1950s and 1960s. Chosen as NBA Rookie of the Year in 1957, he helped the Celtics win eight NBA titles during his nine-year tenure, was named to the All-NBA Second Team for four years, and was an All-Star for six.

Averaging 18.6 ppg in 654 regular-season games, he was a versatile scorer but was often overshadowed by such illustrious teammates as Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman and Bill Russell. After turning in his jersey in 1965, Heinsohn coached the Celtics to two more NBA titles and was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986. Heinsohn currently serves as Celtics' analyst for Comcast SportsNet.