One Win to .900

The 68-14 Boston Celtics couldn't do it.

The 67-15 Boston Celtics couldn't do it.

Bill Walton's 50-10 Portland Trailblazers couldn't do it.

Dirk Nowitski's 67-15 Dallas Mavericks couldn't do it.

The 1981-82 Boston Celtics won 18 in a row, and they couldn't do it.

None of the above teams, all considered great teams at one point or another during the regular season, could hit the .900 marker for winning percentage at game number 20 or later. The 1985-86 Boston Celtics probably had the best chance, going into a home game against Portland, who had lost 8 of its last 12 games, with a 17-2 record.

But we all know how that ended up.

The difference between .800 ball and .900 ball is the difference between an A and a B on a report card, the difference between doing well and performing at a superior level. It is the difference between Tom Brady and just about anyone else.

But mostly, it is the difference between a mentally tough team and one that experiences mental lapses, the achillies heal of the 1985-86 Cs, who lost 14 of their 15 games to teams with a record of .500 or worse.

On the flip side of the coin, the 1984-85 Boston Celtics did one better than .900, and starting the season with a 19-2 run before returning to earth from the stratosphere.

Of course, the 1984-85 Celtics didn't win the championship.

So maybe playing .900 ball isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I don't care, though.

I still want it.