The Celtics have three of the NBA’s best players in Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, but many question the rest of the roster. Garnett has missed the Celtics’ last eight games and during that stretch Boston has gone 6-2, including an impressive win against the San Antonio Spurs. Pierce and Allen led the offense, combining for 54 points on 18-for-34 shooting. With starting center Kendrick Perkins out as well, Glen “Big Baby” Davis was charged with holding down the paint as the Celtics went with a smaller lineup featuring James Posey filling out the frontcourt for most of the game. With the Spurs missing Finals MVP Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo was able to dominate the athletically-inferior Jacque Vaughn and Damon Stoudamire, registering a double-double with 12 assists and 11 rebounds. Eddie House poured in 10 points in 14 minutes, mostly in the second quarter.

The Celtics have been getting these contributions all season. Leon Powe hustled for a game-winning putback against the Timberwolves. When House comes into games, he either drains a bunch of jumpers or gets sent back to the bench, no harm done. No complaints. Posey is a far more useful player than most give him credit for, apparently including his former coach Pat Riley. He can play the two through four effectively depending on matchups, and that gives Doc Rivers flexibility to use different lineups. And Rondo has more than lived up to expectations thus far, not trying to do too much on offense, getting the ball to one of the big three, defending well and rebounding solidly. That last part should not be a surprise; Rondo once grabbed 19 rebounds in a single game in college and even as a rookie showed great defensive potential. Tony Allen’s return is another boost for the team as a disruptive defender and exceptional athlete in the open court. The Celts lost a game to Detroit earlier this season partially due to giving Allen too much ballhandling responsibility in the fourth quarter but have backed off of the idea of developing him as a point guard and have returned him to his natural role, letting House and Ray Allen handle the ball when Rondo is off the floor.

The “Ubuntu” philosophy, along with the fact that every one of the big three genuinely cares about winning above all else, has established a positive, winning culture on the team. KG’s manic intensity doesn’t allow them to rest on their laurels, while Ray Allen’s calm keeps them on an even keel. Pierce is the mainstay, the captain, his intensity level a middle ground between KG’s fire and Ray’s ice. The rest of the guys see their own will to win mirrored in at least one of these three approaches and accept the trio as the team’s unquestioned leaders.

The Celtics have lost two games since Kevin Garnett got hurt. The first was in Orlando, where Hedo Turkoglu hit a fadeaway three at the buzzer that Stan Van Gundy himself referred to as a “miracle shot.” The other was one-point loss in Cleveland where Lebron James had another of his near-triple doubles. The Boston Celtics are not just a three-man show and they’re showing it in KG’s absence.

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