'We tried to penny-pinch and I think it really cost us' – Paul Pierce on why the run of the Boston Celtics' 'Big 3' ended

When the All-Star trio of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce got together on the Boston Celtics for the 2007-2008 season and immediately won an NBA title, it seemed like the good times would roll on forever. However, by the start of the 2012-2013 campaign, the Celtics were left with only KG and "The Truth" after Ray departed Beantown for South Beach.

The following season, the dismantling of the once-promising Boston "Big 3" was completed after Garnett and Pierce were traded to the Brooklyn Nets. In a conversation on the "Truth Lounge" podcast, Paul revealed what he thought were the reasons for the demise of the Celtics' short-lived trio.

Ray left

Like a prizefighter aiming for a huge payday, the former Kansas Jayhawk pulled no punches when indicating the main reason for the trio's expiration: Ray's departure. Although Allen was already 32 when he joined the Celtics, he was still a potent perimeter shooter who averaged 16.7 points and shot 40 percent from beyond the arc in his five seasons there. He was also named an All-Star thrice in that span.

Unfortunately, money issues arose. Ray was reportedly seeking a three-year, $24 million contract, while Boston offered only a two-year deal worth $12 million. The discord regarding the figures and a dispute over a bench role spurred the 6'5" guard to leave Boston and join the Celtics' biggest rival, LeBron James, and the Miami Heat.

"The Big Three in Boston ultimately broke up because Ray Allen left. That was that. I mean, he went off to Miami. I mean, it was some contract things going on with him behind the scenes and disputes with Doc, you know, the communication just wasn't there," Pierce said.

The fissures were there

Paul added that there were already cracks in their armor as early as the season after their championship run. He said that the Celtics did not sign hard-nosed "3-and-D" guy James Posey to a new contract, and the latter eventually joined New Orleans. The same thing happened with Tony Allen, who showed flashes of defensive brilliance during his six-year stint in Beantown.

However, the Celtics' front office wasn't keen on giving him the contract he wanted so the Oklahoma State ace signed with the Memphis Grizzlies, where he became a six-time member of the league's All-Defensive Team.

"When we didn't sign Posey the next year after we won, and then a few years after that, when Tony Allen was starting to come into it, we didn't resign him. It was just like it was slowly breaking up," Pierce surmised.

If anyone said that the combination of KG, Pierce, and Allen would produce only one title, that person would have been laughed at. However, that was all the trio could achieve as injuries, bad luck, and ultimately, contract issues got in the way.