Regardless of the outcome of their series with the Cavaliers, the Boston Celtics have proven one thing. Regardless of their age, they should still be considered one of the league’s contenders. A lot has been said and written about the age of the Big Three, and at times it seems as if fans have already seen enough of the trio that led the Green to a championship just 24 months ago. The fact is simple: Yes, the Celtics are older, both Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce have missed significant time due to injury, and the soon-to-be-35-year-old Ray Allen is embarking on free agency. Still, the Celtics are pushing the best the NBA has to offer to the edge of elimination.The Celtics are far from a perfect roster; however, with the emergence of Rajon Rondo as arguably the Eastern Conference’s best point guard (both Chris Paul and Deron Williams play out West) the Celtics should think twice before making wholesale changes. When Allen arrived here, he was supposed to be the “weak link” of the Big Three; after all, most NBA “experts” had already written him off as an injury-prone, aging shooting guard with two bad ankles and a creaky back. Fast-forward three years and Allen has proven to be the healthiest, most consistent of the Big Three, and although on paper he may be the oldest of the trio, Father Time must have a soft spot for him, as he is virtually the same player today as he was the day he arrived in Boston. Allen will be a free agent this off-season and many people have clamored for the Green to go in a different direction. Even if Allen isn’t the Celtics’ long-term answer, is he simply the only short-term solution for the Green? Without turning this into a math lesson, the Celtics are over the salary cap; even with Allen coming off the books, they have already spent his money on Rondo’s 6-year, $55-million contract extension. Their hands are tied, the only relief that the Celtics have is that they own Allen’s “Bird rights”, meaning that a team can re-sign its own free agent without taking a cap hit. Like it or not, Allen will most likely be back in a Celtics uniform next year, if for no other reason than the Celtics can afford him.The Green are in a tough financial situation for the next couple of years. Pierce has one year left on his current deal, and Garnett is locked up for two additional years. The 2011 offseason is when the Celtics will be the “it” team; they will be the team with all the money to spend, they will be the team that every free agent is rumored to be coming to, and they will be the team with the best young point guard in the NBA as part of their nucleus. Until then, Celtics fans will simply have to “suffer” through a couple more years of the Big Three; my advice to those fans is enjoy what you have, and don’t be surprised if the Green hang around these playoffs a little longer than you may have anticipated ? heck, haven’t they already?