historicans

Sdlkoz

THE GAME OF MY LIFE By BILL VELASCO Game Four of the NBA Finals Friday was another indelible page etched into the history books. What the Los Angeles Lakers almost did to the Boston Celtics in Game Two, the Celts did to them on their home floor. It was an absolute classic.
The Philippine Star
Game Four of the NBA Finals Friday was another indelible page etched into the history books. What the Los Angeles Lakers almost did to the Boston Celtics in Game Two, the Celts did to them on their home floor. It was an absolute classic.
With the fever pitch surrounding the historic series, many older fans are conjuring memories of great championship teams and players of the past. If we were to put together the greatest of all time, what would these line-ups look like, and how would they inevitably fare against each other? Lets begin with the Boston Celtics greatest players of all time .
10. Tiny Archibald. This was a rather complicated choice, since Archibald joined the Celtics late in the day, at the downswing of his career. He did, however, win a title in the 1980-81 season, alongside a young turk named Larry Bird. Archibald became the first and only player to lead the NBA in scoring and assists before playing for Boston, and, like Pete Maravich, became a Celtic more as a support player, but was great, nonetheless.
9.Dave Cowens. Tough call here. I had a hard time choosing between Cowens and Robert Parish. But Cowens gets the nod because of the sheer intensity with which he played the game. The 6-9 left-hander played 10 of his 11 NBA seasons with the Celtics, holding his own against the giants of his time, including Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He led the Celtics to two titles and also earned one MVP from his peers. When you hear the expression "I would run through a wall for a loose ball," that was Dave Cowens.
8. Kevin McHale. I seriously couldnt put McHale ahead of some of the Celtics from the 1960s but he was definitely the toughest match-up of his day. With long arms and a variety of moves, he carried the Celtics on the rare time when Bird was not really performing, or incapacitated. McHale won with Bird and couldnt win without him, but was a unique talent, one of the few of his day who could truly play in the low post. But I couldnt put him any higher, because, even at the end of his career, Bird, his own teammate, felt that he could have been even better.
7. Sam Jones. The bank is open. An automatic two points, off the glass. Jones was a class act on the fastbreak, and worked tirelessly around the basket. When you talk of Bill Russell starting the fastbreaks and Cousy running them in the early days, Jones was finishing them. And winning.
6. Kevin Garnett. An outstanding all-around talent who has had the misfortune of mediocre teammates or mediocre coaching. Garnett only became a Celtic this year, and thats not his fault. But thats also the reason why I cant place him any higher. If he wins a ring, he just might crack my top five. But that would be difficult, if you read on.
5. Dennis Johnson. When Larry Bird calls you the greatest teammate hes ever had, that means something. Johnson, who died of a heart attack in February, 2007 at the age of 52, was a six-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team, and won titles with the Celtics in 1984 and 1986, relentlessly hounding Magic Johnson when the Lakers and Celtics would meet. WhenBird famously stole Isiah Thomas inbound pass with five ticks left in Game Five of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, Johnson was the one streaking to the basket for the winning lay-up. He was always in the right place, at the right time: in your face.
4. John Havlicek. He would have started on any other team in the NBA, and defined the sixth man for generations to come. Havlicek never tired, and with his phenomenal resting heart rate of 48, would run you into the ground in the fourth quarter as hard as he would in the first. Many sportswriters would have Hondo start on their all-time Celtic teams, and why not? For me, one more significant note is that Havlicek was a youngster in the Auerbach-Russell dynasty, and played his last season in Birds rookie year. Just like a sixth man, he bridged the gap perfectly.
3. Bob Cousy. Underrated, unknown, pioneering. The typical Celtic, and to think Red Auerbach didnt want the flashy Holy Cross kid he picked out of a hat. Cooz dazzled fans and was still fundamentally sound. He had a nose for the ball, and would find a way to get you the ball, or get to the hole. He and Russell were the bookends of the Celtic fastbreak. He was quick, smart, and ahead of his time. He had an arsenal that people underrestimated, from running hooks to no-look passes and changes of pace he knew when to use.
2. Larry Bird. Very few players define their sport for a generation, and Bird and Magic did just that. Coming out of the dark ages when the NBA was considered too black and drug-infested in the late 1970s, Bird brought a shot in the arm, and a will that overpowered. He refused to lose, even when he was tired, in pain, had a broken finger or bad back. He called himself out – and his team – when they played poorly. And people said he was slow, white and couldnt jump. But he was consistently in the top 10 in scoring and rebounds, and sometimes assists. He would tell you what he was going to do to beat you, and yet you couldnt stop him anyway. Probably has the greatest mental toughness of any player of his era.
1. Bill Russell. I personlly dont think anyone will ever displace Russ as the greatest Celtic player of all time. He defined Celtic basketball from that generation onward. Eleven championship rings, including the historic eight in a row. Countless changed shots, immeasaurable intimidation, among other milestones. Just when the Lakers seemed on the brink of a championship breakthrough, Auerbach makes Russell the first African-American player-coach in NBA history, and he responds by promptly delivering another title to Boston. And we havent even begun to talk about his defense, not only blocking shots, but keeping the ball in play to spark the trademark Celtic fastbreak. Tragically, the league did not keep track of blocked shots in Russells first years, so we will never fully be able to measure the bearded lions greatness on that end of the floor.
Who do you think should make this list?
On Monday, we G.L.O.A.T. with the Greatest Lakers Of All Time.