Which core would you choose?

[Moranis]

I mean you could go 04-05 and have an ok trio

That year Toine was still a 19/9 player and Johnson was just starting to flourish in Phoenix 17/5/3.5 and shot an incredible 47.8% from 3.  But that was the start of JJ's prime and Toine was never anywhere near that sort of player again. 

You could do it with Billups, but you get much the same result as he really didn't hit his prime until 05-06, though I suppose you could look at like Billups, Pierce, Johnson and just remove Walker.

[slamtheking]

Love Antoine. The ball-handling and passing of that first group as star players is far above this current group. They can get in another guard alongside them as well. That team would be so much fun to watch. Easily them.

well if we're going off which group is more fun to watch, it's older group by far.

I personally think that is either due to nostalgia or expectations, or both.  When Pierce and Walker had their best couple of seasons, the Celtics had been a mediocre or bad team for more than a decade.  The current Celtics have made the playoffs 13 times in 14 years, at least the second round 10 times, 6 conference finals, two NBA finals, and one title.  The expectations have been raised so much.  We're disappointed when we lose in the conference finals, and apoplectic when we don't get that far.  I was at Game 6 vs. the Nets in 2002, and everyone in the Garden was just happy to be there.

perhaps for you but for me I had a lot more appreciation for a team that put in the effort game after game.  they weren't the most talented but they hustled.  also, PP was as clutch of a scorer in the fourth quarter as it got.  add in the fact that Toine was proud to be a Celtic and knew what it meant to be part of the most storied franchise in the league. 

current team, so many nights they just don't bring the effort it's infuriating. there also doesn't seem to be an appreciation for what it means to be a Celtic with this group.  seems a cultural thing since many of the players nowadays don't connect with a franchises history unless it's the 'glory' of being a Laker

[Sophomore]

Can I go with Pierce, Chauncey Billups, and Joe Johnson instead? Then add whoever we could get by trading Antoine Walker.

Billups trade wasn’t quite as bad as the Johnson trade, but it was awfully bad.