Nuvendil said:
Well no, best team ever is probably the Russell Celtics, especially in their prime. Through the course of that dynasty, 10 hall of fame players were on that team at various points. At one point 1962-63 season), the team had 8 Hall of Fame players on the roster. Shoot, Havlicek was coming off the bench. In terms of talent richness, that's on a whole other level. I'm pretty sure that's second to only to the Dream Team and certain All Star teams. They lost in the finals once after Russell was injured and were denied a Finals appearance only once. They were 11 and 0 in deciding games in the finals, so if you were down 3 in the finals you might as well go home. This level of depth is what made them nearly invincible in the finals and why Wilt's ring from 67 is given more weight than probably any other ring: his 76ers were the only team to ever beat the Celtics at full strength. And yeah, the Warriors are pretty similar. Not as preposterously deep, but still 4 guaranteed hall of fame players, maybe 5 and a really good supporting cast. |
Though you also have to consider the league the 60s Celtics played in. There were only about 8-10 teams, so only one or two elimination rounds before the finals. No three point shooting and the game and the players were still developing. Imagine Bob Cousy playing now. He would be limited due to his poor shooting (only 38% career FG percentage), kinda making him like Rondo with no attitude.
Nevertheless, I give credit to those Celtics cause they took advantage of other teams adjusting to the 24 second clock rule and utilize defense to create fast breaks. And they were great in the clutch as you mentioned. Elimination games or game 7s were where the Cetics were at their best.
And their consecutive finals appearances are why I appreciate LeBron's seven straight trips, win or lose. It takes a lot out of you physically, mentally, and emotionally to prepare and play for about 100 games a year. With all the travel, social media, and player movement, it's hard to maintain good teams and compete for years of championships. To do that for seven straight years is incredible. Sure LeBron plays in the East, but you can only play whats in front of you. The Showtime Lakers did, the Celtic dynasty did, so you gotta go play. The only other team that could potentially match that are the Warriors if they stay healthy and retain all their key guys. The Showtime Lakers were close but lost to Houston twice. Jordan could've done it, but retired in the middle of his prime (he admitted lost motivation and zest for the game and mental fatigue though others might cite conspiracy theories due to his gambling problems). So regardless of what happens this series, it's an incredible accomplishment.
