After following the Russell-era Celtics of the 60's - the Cowens/Hondo/JoJo crew of the 70's - the Bird-era team of the 80's - and the Big-3 Title crew of 2008, I had to give some thought to what the current Celtics troops could accomplish down the road.
Since I rate the 1985-86 Green Team as perhaps the best NBA roster ever assembled, we start there. The two main stars were Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, but some fans may forget that Dennis Johnson already had four All-Star apperarences prior to coming to Boston in addition to a Title and Finals MVP Award. Robert Parish and Danny Ainge rounded out the starting five.
And how about the bench. Scott Wedman had two All-Star stints under his belt prior to joining the Celtics, and Bill Walton had a prior Championship, MVP Award and Finals MVP with the Trail Blazers. Jerry Sichting rounded out the bench crew. That is an "Elite Eight" that would be hard to beat.
So can the Jay Team and their comrades take over as "best Celtics team ever" prior to the end of the decade. It would be tough, but not out of the question. Jayson Tatum is that special, and Jaylen Brown is not far behind. Marcus Smart may take a back seat, but he is truly feared by opposing teams. Al Horford and Malcolm Brogdon play the Parish/Ainge positions, respectively, and comparisons are not far off.
The present bench of Rob Williams, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, San Hauser and Luke Kornet may fall short of the Walton/Wedman/Sichting bench trio - at least for now, but they are not done progressing quite yet.
Right now, the current Celtics crop sits atop the entire NBA, and at times, looks unbeatable. And the two stars have yet to peak. Tatum and Brown will determine the outcome of this make-believe contest. Stay tuned.
🍀☘️🏀🔥 It's possible if they win it all!
ReplyDeleteYes, we definitely need to see one or two Titles, and hopefully an MVP and/or Finals MVP in the next few seasons.
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