Re: Don't get the detractors

[Snoopy the Celtics Beagle <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Wait a minute, there.  I can't be reading that one right.  Did you just 
state that the current roster of Celtics players are athletically superior 
to the "Bird era" teams???

Because if you did, I have point out that I believe you are wrong.

Let's look at some of the players of the "Bird Era", 1979-80 to 1991-92, 
focusing on the most recognizable names.  I went to www.celticstats.com for 
the list.

Danny Ainge, Nate Archibald, Dee Brown, Larry Bird, Quinn Buckner, ML Carr, 
Don Chaney, Dave Cowens, Chris Ford, Kevin Gamble, Gerald Henderson, Dennis 
Johnson, Reggie Lewis, Pete Maravich, Cedric Maxwell, Kevin McHale, Robert 
Parish, Rick Robey, Brian Shaw, Jerry Sichting, and Bill Walton.

Now, let's look at the roster as it is today:

Chucky Atkins, Vin Baker, Marcus Banks, Mark Blount, Ricky Davis, Brandon 
Hunter, Lindsey Hunter, Jumaine Jones, Raef LaFrentz, Walter McCarty, Chris 
Mihm, Kendrick Perkins, Paul Pierce, Michael Stewart, and Jiri Welsch.

Of that group, Raef is out for the season, Atkins couldn't even report to 
play because of a biopsy performed in the wake of his physical, Lindsey 
Hunter was put on waivers before the ink dried on the trade 
agreement,  Baker's situation is up in the air until the arbitration is 
complete.

Of those who ARE playing, Banks, Brandon Hunter, and Perkins are all 
rookies.  Welsh has one year to his name.  Chris Mihm can't go more than a 
few minutes without collecting fouls like trading cards, Blount drops any 
pass sent to him faster than 5 mph, Walter's been relegated to three point 
shooting so long he's nearly forgotten how to do anything else,  and no one 
seems to know what they're doing as a team.

So, I think we've resolved the relative athletic abilities of these groups.

as to the "Bird era slomo teams" concept, try asking Pat Riley how many 
grey hairs he got when the three slowest guys in NBA history--Larry Bird, 
Robert Parish, and Bill Walton--were running the fast break against the 
Lakers and winning!!

Those teams racked up three consecutive seasons of 60+ wins in the regular 
season.  That means in three consecutive years, the won over 180 
games.  This team won 129 games in the three seasons prior to this one, 
That's an average of 43 wins each season.  Don't gripe about the lockout 
year, because they were losing so badly(35-47), their percentages would 
likely have dropped if it had gone the full 82 games.  RIGHT NOW, they're 
23-34.

I like our current team, and want very much for them to find a way to 
win.  But there is no way on this earth or any other--unless there's an 
earth out there where the Celtics roster comprises the membership of the 
Justice League--that this group can in any compare with that one.  Only 
Paul Pierce can make any reasonable claim to being in that mix, and his 
recent play has diminished him considerably in that regard.

It just isn't so.

At 02:49 PM 2/22/2004, Dan Forant wrote:

>The detractors have made it political like and just don't like Ainge because
>he shipped out Toine's uncoachable butt.. I'm convinced even if in a year 2
>or 3 we win the Conference they will be naysayers because of the Toine
>trade. The Boston Press is true to form. They regularly dumped on the Bird
>era slomo basketball yet we won't 3 titles from a superior athletic team.
>
>DanF

Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
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