Re: Celtics/Bulls matchup problems

[j.hironaka@unesco.org]

    If both frontlines performed at approx. their playoffs averages,
you'd have to figure the Bulls would already be 30 points in the hole
(Bird+McHale+Parish=65 pts) vs. (Pipi+Longley+CarmenElectra=34pts).
Remember also that the Celtics bench had Walton/Maxwell plus Wedman to
easily offset Kukoc etc.

    Presumably, MJ (and Harper) would be counted on to make up much of
this 30+ point average deficit, but don't forget that the Celts guards
matched up ideally with the Bulls in terms of size and that Dennis
Johnson was not only the greatest defensive guard in the game, but was
also a guy who somehow always delivered 20 pts and a double-double in
big playoff games. I remember many occasions in the '80s when MJ would
score his 30 points against us but on 12 for 30 type FG shooting.

    So while it is a moot issue, I still have to side with Jim and Greg
that the Bulls would be sheep to the slaughter at the hands of our 80's
Celtics. In general, the Bulls just have too many key players who are
either too flaky or too prissy to count on against teams with equivalent
or superior talent from the 1980s.

    This type of debate really makes me feel like an old fogey. I hope
and pray our current crop of 22-year-olds will mature faster than seems
possible, and starts kicking butt and scaring people really soon. To
borrow McHale's famous line from Greg O's lexicon,

"Rafters Baby"

Joe


p.s. Hey Jim, regarding the Parish time-warp dilemma, we could just
replace his seat on the Bulls' bench with that "Indian Chief" guy from
the 1970s public service ads who cries when he sees garbage floating on
our nation's ponds and streams. Do you all know what I'm talking about?
Oh well then, never mind.

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