The last few years, the term “Big Three” has been tossed around quite a bit. Naturally, when the Celtics acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to play alongside Paul Pierce, basketball pundits and prognosticators from Boston to LA compared the new “Big Three” to the Celtics’ original “Big Three” of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. For the most part, both the title and the comparison has worked as the Celtics have played in the NBA finals two of the last three seasons.This past summer, the Miami Heat tried to replicate the Celtics’ success by combining the talents of three of the best basketball players on the planet. Suddenly, the Heat had a “big three” of their very own. With the acquisitions of Chris Bosh and LeBron James, it was the Heat that was the new belle of the ball in the Eastern Conference. Fans were ripe with excitement; after all, how could their new “super team” lose a single game, let alone a playoff series?Prior to the start of the season, it was a former head coach and current ABC/ESPN analyst that said the Heat would not only be great, but historically great. “They will break the single-season win record (of 72),” Jeff Van Gundy said. “And I think they have a legit shot at the Lakers’ 33-game streak as well. And only the Lakers have even a remote shot at beating them in a playoff series. They will never lose two games in a row this year.”What was most shocking about that comment is where it was coming from; this was Jeff Van Gundy, one of the most respected “basketball guys” on the planet.The Celtics are now 1/8 through their regular season schedule and already have proven that they are, in fact, playing this regular season as if it matters (unlike last season). In their two meetings against the Heat, the Celtics are 2-0. It is not just the victories against the Heat that have made people take notice, it is the manner in wich the Heat have allowed themselves to be dismantled.The fourth quarter of last Thursday’s Celtics win in Miami looked eerily like a Cavalier game with James trying to will his team to victory while his teammates looked on and watched. Following the game, it was James blaming his coach for the loss.”For myself, 44 minutes is too much,” he said. “I think Coach knows that. Forty minutes for D-Wade is too much. We have to have as much energy as we can to finish games out.”Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra certainly has his hands full trying to bring the Heat’s three stars together; however, managing the minutes of his 25-year-old superstar should not be one of his worries.It is easy for casual NBA observers to compare the Celtics and the Heat, but when looked at a bit closer the two teams are drastically different. Danny Ainge handpicked his players and traded valuable assets to bring them to Boston. The Heat players chose themselves; Dwyane Wade, James and Bosh have been friends off the court for over a decade and this team is their dream come true.Fortunately for the Celtics, in addition to their “Big Three,” Ainge also drafted a young dynamic point guard in Rajon Rondo to help shoulder the load. Too bad for the Heat none of their “big three” were friends with any point guards.