Let me decide the outcome of NbcSportsBoston's (partnered with Strat-0 -Matic) "Settle the Argument" as to the top Celtics team of all time. The contest is down to the Semi-Finals with the 1972-73 team matched up against the 1985-86 crew.
As much as I loved the '73 team, they have little chance of taking this. The starting-5 is undersized by any measuring stick. Dave Cowens (6'8.5"), Paul Silas (6'7"), John Havlicek (6'5"), Don Chaney (6'5") and JoJo White (6'3") matched up against Robert Parish (7'1"), Kevin McHale (6'10"), Larry Bird (6'9"), Danny Ainge (6'5") and Dennis Johnson (6'4") ?
Despite their lack of size, the '73 Celtics get the nod on rebounding (total of 4,802) over the '86 crew (3807), but the latter group takes points, assists and field goal percentage.
Then there are the benches. Bird & Company had Bill Walton, Jerry Sichting and Scott Wedman coming off the bench. Hondo and his comrades relied on Don Nelson, Art Williams and Steve Kuberski off the pine. No contest there.
So the 1985-86 Celtics under K C Jones take the trophy, but it takes six games to get it done. Coach Tommy Heinsohn would have had his troops try to run the opposing team off the floor, and his guys were always tough on the defensive end. But in the final analysis, the '86 team wins out, mainly due to their size and bench.
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