12.16.2008
I Feel So Conflicted
I loved that 1986 team so much. I still do. So much stands out. 82-18 overall, including 40-1 at home. Regular season sweep of the purple. Bill Walton leading the league in rebounds per minute, and twice dominating Kareem. Jerry Sichting shooting 57% from the floor and almost 93% from the stripe. Bird winning his third straight MVP, despite a slow start. Wedman filling in for an injured McHale and the Celtics never missing a beat. Parish was rock-steady in the pivot, while DJ was still near the height of his powers. Danny Ainge hosted a I'm-coming-in-to-my-own party.
But I can feel my loyalties starting to shift. The first two minutes and thirty seconds of the above video really bring out the conflict. When Ray Allen takes the ball in the tunnel to close out the segment, and leads the team down the tunnel, all of a sudden that 1986 team doesn't seem quite as holy any more.
I know it's the same franchise. Both teams wear the same name on the front of their jerseys. Last year's team, especially as it has seamlessly blended into this year's team, might be more special. KG and company have not only managed to return the Celtics to a level of greatness it hadn't reached since the Bird Era, many older Celtics fans see in this team a quality of play, particularly on defense, that it hadn't seen since the Bill Russell Era.
I haven't sold out yet. But I'm close.
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4 comments:
That 68-69 Bill Russell team was always very special to me. And the 1986 team came along and was very special as well. But, I still loved that Russell team. Now, this team has come along and I really love this one. I love everything about it. Defense always catches my attention. I don't think any one can usurp either of the other two in my heart. All three will have to share an equal footing.
Funny.
I'm reading Dynasty's end right now.
Have you read that?
If this team can keep up anywhere near this level of play for the whole season and then win the NBA Finals, this would have been the best team I ever saw and a strong candidate for best of all time.
No, I haven't read Dynasty's end yet. I have been working my way through all those books on the Celtics but haven't gotten to that one yet. I'll have to check it out.
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