In the early 90's, Dave Cowens at one of our events in BostonI predicted a Patriots Victory. Wrong.
I predicted a Celtics Loss. Again, wrong. The only thing I got right were the games, 4-2.
Can it get any better for the BEST sports city in America? Almost 3 in a row with the Red Sox winning last year.
The way MY Lakers crushed the Spurs and cruised through the playoffs, I had no doubt that Boston would be a similar victim. Waking up at 5am during the third quarter of Game 6, I nearly turned off the tv. 30 points down. I was as angry as I was stunned.
The Lakers were woefully bad on defense during the series (game 4 with a 24 point lead was one display) and Kobe couldn't get into that Jordan 64 Chevy level.
Don't dare compare Kobe to Jordan especially after his uninspired play. I hear and read talk of this constantly and it is an insult to MJ. For those that think Kobe is better, just imagine for a minute if Jordan had Shaq during his career! And Kobe barely won 3 rings with Shaq, one of the greatest centers in NBA history. (Portland in the 2000 Western Finals should have beaten them with a double digit lead in the 4th quarter of the 7th game).
The Celtics showed everyone what is essential to winning a championship. Red Auerbach would be extremely proud.
a) Talent - Kevin, Paul and Ray. A luxury to have those three scorers that put TEAM first.
b) Bench and Rondo - Boston's bench was clearly superior. Aggressive and unafraid. Rondo came alive in game 6.
c) Team - Like the 1985/86 club with Larry Bird, this is a well-rounded TEAM and that is quite special being together for only a year.
d) Coach & GM - Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge were exceptional in molding this team into a cohesive unit.
e) DEFENSE - They mauled the Lakers in Game 6. The score is embarrassing to print.
The Atlanta series gave doubters reason to criticize but they bounced back in Game 7 and thumped them vigorously. Boston probably gained a lot of confidence from that battle.
The Celtics actually got better as the playoffs progressed. That can take many years with a new cast of players but they were on a mission.
The Spurs might have played the Celtics tougher because their defense would have been better.
I predicted a Celtics Loss. Again, wrong. The only thing I got right were the games, 4-2.
Can it get any better for the BEST sports city in America? Almost 3 in a row with the Red Sox winning last year.
The way MY Lakers crushed the Spurs and cruised through the playoffs, I had no doubt that Boston would be a similar victim. Waking up at 5am during the third quarter of Game 6, I nearly turned off the tv. 30 points down. I was as angry as I was stunned.
The Lakers were woefully bad on defense during the series (game 4 with a 24 point lead was one display) and Kobe couldn't get into that Jordan 64 Chevy level.
Don't dare compare Kobe to Jordan especially after his uninspired play. I hear and read talk of this constantly and it is an insult to MJ. For those that think Kobe is better, just imagine for a minute if Jordan had Shaq during his career! And Kobe barely won 3 rings with Shaq, one of the greatest centers in NBA history. (Portland in the 2000 Western Finals should have beaten them with a double digit lead in the 4th quarter of the 7th game).
The Celtics showed everyone what is essential to winning a championship. Red Auerbach would be extremely proud.
a) Talent - Kevin, Paul and Ray. A luxury to have those three scorers that put TEAM first.
b) Bench and Rondo - Boston's bench was clearly superior. Aggressive and unafraid. Rondo came alive in game 6.
c) Team - Like the 1985/86 club with Larry Bird, this is a well-rounded TEAM and that is quite special being together for only a year.
d) Coach & GM - Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge were exceptional in molding this team into a cohesive unit.
e) DEFENSE - They mauled the Lakers in Game 6. The score is embarrassing to print.
The Atlanta series gave doubters reason to criticize but they bounced back in Game 7 and thumped them vigorously. Boston probably gained a lot of confidence from that battle.
The Celtics actually got better as the playoffs progressed. That can take many years with a new cast of players but they were on a mission.
The Spurs might have played the Celtics tougher because their defense would have been better.
Below is analysis of the finals from two friends that grew up in Boston. The first comes from a former Division 1 basketball player and the 2nd comes from an athlete that is knowledgeable about many sports including hoops.
One of my favorite sports writers from the Boston Globe, Bob Ryan, called the #17 team the 2nd greatest to ever wear the Green and White. The first is below and I remember them well. 50-1 at home says it all! Click on the link for Ryan's top 10 Celtics teams.
1985-86
Record: 67-15
Playoff record: 15-3
Result: Championship
Bird was at his peak. The greatest team ever if you consider no other club has ever brought anything resembling a healthy Bill Walton off the bench. This squad was 50-1 at home, regular season and playoffs combined. This Lost Generation of Celtics fans need no longer slap on their headphones and begin rolling their eyes when the smug followers of champions 1 through 16 begin rhapsodizing about the virtues of their favorite Celtics squads of yore. Their team, No. 17, can compete with any that has ever worn the Green and White.
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/06/19/greatest_of_the_green/
I welcome your analysis. Feel free to post it below.
LA and Boston in 2009? Would love to see it.
Gswede
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Thoughts about The Celtics winning #17
1. Kevin Garnett – if he is not on the team, they don't win it.
2. Ray Allen – needed to end his slump. He did.
3. Paul Pierce – Mr. Consistency. When it counted, he played well throughout the playoffs.
4. Role players – across the board the role players played extremely well. Brown and Posey in particular.
I don't think I have seen a finals game so thoroughly dominated. It was over about mid way through the second period. This is the best defensive team I have ever seen – possibly rivaled by the Pat Riley Knicks…
Regarding the Lakers – I emailed this thought to you before – not sure if it is Kobe but the team looked disjointed to me. They didn't look together – small things like communication looked strained – Bryant barely opened his mouth to speak to other players or the coaches… what is that about?
The spirit was gone quickly when they went down 0-2 and didn't really recover – they were broken for good when the Celtics won the game in LA…
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Here's my analysis on the series.
A major turning-point was the Paul Pierce 'Rocky' style comeback after the knee. Whether it was staged or real, it was significant because it was emotional. This lifted the team, the city and changed the tone of the team. It ignited them because while he was off the court, they came together and still maintained the lead and intensity. Add to him coming back and they knew with him they could do it, but they now knew without him they could do it.
Rondo was the best kept secret. I've always wondered if Doc gave him the green light or not. At times the kid just plain took over. But then it was as though he was told not to be aggressive at times. So I was a bit confused, but knew he was the real deal even while reporters were questioning his ability.
I believe everybody got duped by the Atlanta series. Every opponent Boston faced in the series believed after the Atlanta series they were vulnerable. What nobody knew, which we now know, is that there were more than just the big three that can contribute. What people have to realize and the Lakers know it best, is that when the starting five for the Celtics DECIDE to lock you down, there is nothing you can do about it.
Their offense is always going to be there for them because they have four legitimate scorers. You may think Rondo can't score, but he's quicker than most guards he faces. When he wants to penetrate he can. But more importantly he can defend. Billups is the only guard who really got physical with him. But Rondo never really backed-down.
So in this particular series it was made evident that when they decided to play defense it was a wrap. You can criticize Phil or Gasol etc, but the reality is that this is one of the most dominating defensive team in the NBA. The Pistons were like that when they won their championships. Even San Antonio has good defense. But I guess on top of all of that, they were a team. These guys are 10+ in the league and they won all the personal accolades they could win. They have basketball knowledge, so as mature individuals they were able to put that basketball knowledge together and forego the egos to win an NBA Championship.
The only thing that really could have stopped this team from winning it all was injuries.The interesting thing about them versus San Antonio as a team concept type organization is the passion shown by Pierce and Garnett. If those two were more like Rondo and Allen, they would've been boring like San Antonio, but still won. These guys were emotional, but they played like a team.
Kobe keeps receiving all these accolades for being the greatest player and he has won his rings. But he nor can anybody else, including MJ win a championship without a team. And of course, without defense. Utah is the perfect example with Stockton and Malone. They looked great but there's no defense. Look at Nash and Phoenix. It ain't brain surgery. The Lakers lost because it's all about Kobe and they don't play defense. That drive by Ray Allen in game four at that time in the game with that much on the line is absurd. Rondo did it last night when he drove the length of the court and nobody picked him up.
Doc gets a lot of credit for making that the mantra of the team. Pitino tried doing that with them but was only playing full court press the entire game with guys who couldn't play defense. KG is personal when it comes to defense. That's why he blocks shots from going into their hoop after the whistle is blown. He's letting you know we will defend this rim. The offense is guaranteed after the defense because they can all go to hole.
And one last thing, I'm sick and tired for hearing how Garnett is soft inside. What people don't understand is that he doesn't have to go inside to score that's what makes him great. It's equivalent to saying Sugar Ray Leonard couldn't take a punch. HE DIDN'T HAVE TO BECAUSE HE WAS SO QUICK!!! When Sugar fought Duran and lost it was because he tried to prove to critics he could take a punch. Then he realized the error of his ways and beat Duran so bad we started saying 'No Mas' as a joke. KG went inside last night to let the critics know he could go inside, but why shorten your NBA career to prove a point. The critics don't know because they never competed on any level.
There you have my analysis. Red Sox 4-0 sweep, Patriots the undefeated regular season, 18-1 OVERALL, Celtics 4-2 with a championship game slaughter of all time. It's been a lot of fun, gentlemen. A lot of fun.
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