Re: Don't get the detractors

["Dan Forant" <dforant1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Comparing the Bird Celtics to the superior athletic Lakers.

DanF

----- Original Message ----- 
From:

> 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
> Please visit the <http://www.celticsbeagle.net/>Celtics Beagle Website