What could have been

1987 - Len Bias is drafted and doesn't die.

C- Parish
F - McHale
F - Bird
G - Ainge
G - Johnson

Bench: Walton, Bias, Wedman, Sichting, Vincent, Kite, Carlisle

Even injuries to Walton and Wedman wouldn't have derailed Len Bias from becoming the Celtics new 6th man. The foot injury to McHale derails any championship hopes when he undergoes surgery in March. Bias does best to fill in, but in the end the Celtics are no match for the Lakers with a severely limited bench, dropping the Finals in 6 games.


1988:

C - Parish
F - McHale
F - Bird
G - Ainge
G - Johnson

Bench - Gilmore, Bias, Lewis, Paxson, Minnifield, Lohaus and Acres

The drafting of Reggie Lewis and pairing him with Bias as the spark off the bench would be the tonic the Celtics needed. A healthy McHale becomes the first Celtic to average 30 points as he becomes the runaway for his first NBA MVP. Bias wins 6th man of the year award as well. In the playoffs, the Celtics blow away the Eastern Conference and derail the mighty Lakers to win the championship. KC Jones goes out a winner and Bird wins one final Finals MVP.


1989

C - Parish
F - McHale
F - Lewis
G - Ainge
G - Johnson

Bench - Lohaus, Bias, Acres, Paxson, Shaw, Gamble

A hope to repeat is dashed when Larry undergoes double achillies tendon surgery 6 games into the season. Reggie Lewis becomes the starter in his place and Len Bias continues to cement his status as leagues best 6th man, winning the award for the second year in a row. New coach Jimmy Rodgers is impressed by rookie Brian Shaw's promise and with Bias around, the team did not have to trade Danny Ainge for frontcourt help. Without Bird the Celtics are still good enough for the 3rd best record in the conference behind Chicago and Detroit and up defeating Chicago in the semi-final only to lose a tough 6 game series to the eventual world champion Pistons.


1990

C- Parish
F - McHale
F - Bird
G - Ainge
G - Bagley

Bench - Lohaus, Bias, Lewis, Paxson, Johnson, Gamble, Smith

Any hope to defeat the Pistons are dashed when Brian Shaw bolts to Italy before the season. 1st round pick Michael Smith is a titanic bust, CBA graduate Kevin Gamble spends most of the season on the bench although the team is still pretty good. There is dissention in the ranks as Bias grumbles that he should be starting, Lewis wants more minutes and DJ grumbles about Bagley starting over him. With all the grumbling, the Celtics still manage the 3rd best record in the conference again and wipe out Cleveland in the first round. Then came an embarrassing 4 game sweep at the hands of the Bulls. Jimmy Rodgers is fired and a change needed to be made.


1991

C - Parish
F - Bias
F - Bird
G - Lewis
G - Shaw

Bench - Bowie, McHale, Smith, Gamble, Brown, Vrankovic,

A peculiar trade sends Danny Ainge to New Jersey for oft-injured center Sam Bowie to replace the departed and ineffictive Brad Lohaus. Dennis Johnson retires before the season and new head coach Chris Ford decides to go with Bias and Lewis in the starting rotation leaving McHale in his former 6th man role. A pre-season knee injury to John Bagley ends his season before it begins but rookie Dee Brown provides spark off the bench. Team flourishes and wins a league best 61 games before the wheels fell off. After a record drubbing of New York in the first round, both Sam Bowie and Kevin McHale sufer serious injuries. The C's had no choice but to move Smith into the 6th man role and the team barely defeats the fading Pistons in the semi-finals, losing yet another player when Robert Parish is ko'd by a pair of badly sprained ankles. Team begins conference finals with Sam Bowie at center and he's knocked out again by game 5 (which Chicago won). With Bird nursing a sore back, McHale and Parish hurt, the Bulls ended the season for the Celtics and went on to capture their first NBA championship.


1992

C - Parish
F - Bias
F - Lewis
G - Gamble
G - Brown

Bench - Bowie, McHale, Bird, Douglas, Bagley, Fox,

Chris Ford sits down with Larry Bird in the off-season and says the only way Bird can go out a winner is if he plays a reduced role in order to fight the back pain. Bird agrees and becomes part of the most memorable bench in history. 2nd overall pick Sam Bowie, hall of famer Kevin Mchale, hall of famer Bird along with upstart Dee Brown and rookie Rick Fox. Realizing Brian Shaw was never forgiven for ditching the team for Italy and his choke in the playoffs against Chicago, he's traded for another "malcontent" Sherman Douglas from Miami. The word on the street was Douglas just needed to play for a winner in order to remain in line. Larry Bird puts up great numbers off the bench as Bias and Lewis click offensively to put up monster numbers. Sam Bowie becomes the second coming of Bill Walton as he plays in 80 games for the only time in his career and other than a mid-season vacation from Bird when his back acted up, the Celtics remained injury free. The team wins 64 games and smokes Brian Shaw's Heat in the first round. After dispatching the Knicks in 5 games, they welcomed the arrival of the Bulls for some payback. The frontline of Bias, Lewis and Parish were too much for Horrace Grant and Billy Cartwright. Jordan went off for 50 points in game 4 but the Celtics defeated the Bulls in 6 games to meet a former friend, Danny Ainge and the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers were led by Clyde Drexler, Buck Williams and Ainge (who came over in a trade from New Jersey). Drexler was able to overpower Bagley and Brown but once again the Celtics deep frontcourt killed the Blazers on the boards and the Celtics hoisted championship number 18 on the floor of the Garden after game 6. Larry Bird announced his retirement as he was able to go out a winner just like KC Jones before him.


1993

C - Parish
F - Bias
F - Lewis
G - Gamble
G - Brown

Bench - Bowie, McHale, McDaniel, Fox, Douglas, Abdelnaby, Bagley

The retirement of Larry Bird sent shockwaves through New England but the Celtics responded by signing former all-star Xavier McDaniel to replace him off the bench. Controversy erupted when they drafted Jon Barry. The son of Rick Barry, no doubt hearing his father's disdain for Boston for 21 years refused to play and sat out the season only to be traded for Alaa Abdelnaby mid-season. The team picked up where they left off a year earlier and once again won over 60 games. Then tragedy struck as the Celtics took the floor for game 1 of the playoffs against Chuck Person's Indiana Pacers. Lewis collapsed to the ground after suffering a mild heart attack and would be lost for the post-season. The Celtics swept the Pacers and dispatched the upstart Cleveland Cavaliers in 5 due to some monster games from Bias. This set up another showdown between the Celtics and the Bulls for the 4th straight year. The Celtics limped into that series already missing Lewis and would be without Sam Bowie and Bagley. The tired starters got some much needed help from McHale and McDaniel off the bench but Michael Jordan's 54 was enough to stun the Celtics in Game 7 on the Garden floor. The Bulls went on to defeat Phoenix for the championship. Tragedy struck when Lewis died on July 27, 1993.

1994

C - Parish
F - Bias
F - Fox
G - Gamble
G - Brown

Bench - Earl, McHale, McDaniel, Paxson, Douglas

The news only got worse after Lewis' death. Sam Bowie and John Bagley had retired and the Celtics responded by drafting Acie Earl and giving Rick Fox more minutes. Unfortunately an injury to Kevin McHale wiped out his season and the Celtics were without a third guard for most of the season until signing the long-retired Jim Paxson. They were still talented enough to finish second behind the Knicks but clearly New York was the team to beat. The Celtics defeated the upstart Orlando Magic in the first round but ran smack into Mookie Blaylock and the Atlanta Hawks. All the ghosts of the 80's were exorcised as the Hawks took game 6 in the Omni only to fall to the Knicks in the conference finals. It would be the only conference final appearance in Atlanta history. Realizing the declining careers of Parish, McDaniel and McHale....the team had one last shot to close out the Boston Garden in style

1995

C - Parish
F - Bias
F - Wilkins
G - Gamble
G - Brown

Bench - Ellison, McHale, McDaniel, Wesley, Douglas, Eisley

The Celtics put together quite possibly the oldest team in the NBA but with one common, burning goal. For this would be everyone's last shot at a championship. The team made headlines over the summer by signing 2 big free agents, oft-injured Pervis Ellison and former Hawks superstar Dominique Wilkins. Both men came to Boston for that elusive championship ring. Although Ellison, Fox, Brown and rookie Howard Eisley were in their primes....they boasted 41 year old Robert Parish, 37 year old Kevin McHale, 34 year old Wilkins, 32 year old Xavier McDaniel, 30 year old Kevin Gamble and superstar Len Bias was 31 himself. Combined with the fact the Boston Garden was about to close, the team rallied around the team concept that had been part of Celtics mistique for many years. Ellison, like Bowie and Walton before him was able to play 75 games in a reduced role, Wilkins enjoyed playing with Bias and his elaborate dunks were often the highlight of the night. The new backcourt of Eisley and Wesley complimented Brown and Gamble. The only blip on the radar was the season ending injury to Sherman Douglas, but even he appeared on the bench in crutches to lead the cheers during rallies. The critics said the Celtics were too old to supplant the Knicks and Bulls. The old squad still had the fire as they dispatched the plunging Atlanta Hawks 3-0 in the first round, revenge for the previous year. Next up were the Knicks who were demolished in 5 games. Then for the 5th time in the last 6 years, Chicago awaited. This time the Celtics were more than ready for Jordan and took advantage of Parish, Bias, Ellison and Wilkins height to grind out a 6 game series win and send the Celtics back to the finals. This time they'd face a familiar foe, the Houston Rockets. Clyde Drexler and Akeem Olajuwon both had Finals losses to the Celtics in the past and this was their chance at revenge. Meanwhile Ellison, Wilkins and McDaniel had never won a ring before and knew this was their last shot. What transpired was a hard fought 7 game series that came down to the last game in the Boston Garden. On this day in June the Celtics rose to the occasion and it would be Kevin McHale's jump hook that put the Celtics up 2 with 5 seconds left that shook the rafters one last time. A desperation 3 by Drexler fell and the Celtics were champions for the 19th time in 48 years. Then....it was time to rebuild.

1996

C - Parish
F - Bias
F - Fox
G - Gamble
G - Brown

Bench - Ellison, Minor, McDaniel, Wesley, Eisley, Williams, Douglas

The Boston Closed down and with it were the career's of Dominique Wilkins and Kevin McHale. The team opened the Fleet Center with most of the cast from the previous year but injuries and the lack of determination were the ultimate downfall. Robert Parish, Bias, Gamble, Elllison and McDaniel all missed significant time as the magic the previous year was long tone. They still posted a respectable 53-29 record but the Chicago Bulls 72-10 record put them as the class of the league. The Celtics defeated Atlanta in the first round before going up against Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic. The Magic were too young and talented and dispatched the Celtics in 5 games. Disaster struck the following year.


1997

C - Parish
F - Walker
F - Fox
G - Wesley
G - Eisley

Bench - Ellison, Hamer, Strong, Ainge, Barros

Injuries were the story of the 97 Celtics. The first bit of bad news was the trading of their first round pick and Kevin Gamble to the Clippers for their pick which turned out to be Antoine Walker. The team replaced Gamble by luring Danny Ainge out of retirement to finish his career in Boston. The team also signed former BC guard Dana Barros to backup Brown and another BC alumnus Eisley. While on paper the team appeared to be the same from last, injuries would make the fans wish it had been the last. 5 games into the year Len Bias, the savior of the franchise after Reggie Lewis died, blew out his left ACL and was lost for the year. Antoine Walker filled the role as best he could but the team went 2-12 following Bias' injury. Pervis Ellison would land on the injured list in early December and never return as well. Rookie Steve Hamer then found himself the starter as 44 year old Robert Parish injured his foot and missed 40 games. The team spiraled from there and a mid-season injury to Dee Brown (broken arm) put the exclamation point on the lost season. When all was said and done the franchise sunk to a new low of 20 wins and 62 losses, entering them in the Tim Duncan sweepstakes. Chris Ford was fired after the year after winning 2 championships as head coach to go along with his 1 as a player and 3 as an assistant.


1998

C - Knight
F - Walker
F - McCarty
G - Bowen
G - Anderson

Bench - Ellison, Bias, Mercer, Jones, Barros

Rick Pitino wanted it all....coach, general manager and president and he got it all. That's where the problems began. Fans, media and players alike were not amused by the hiring of Pitino to be God of the Celtics and pushing Auerbach aside. Len Bias in particular was the most vocal and he often found himself incuring the wrath of his new coach. Pitino favored his Kentucky boys Mercer, Walker and McCarty over Bias and when the team came out of the gates at 12-22, a change had to be made. Unfortunately Pitino pulled the trigger on one of the worst trades in history, unloading Dee Brown and 1st round pick Chauncey Billups for Kenny Anderson who in Pitino's words "was the greatest high school player I ever saw". Well this was not high school and Anderson was no Billups. Replacing the retired Robert Parish would be former Lakers center Travis Knight who Pitino wanted to mold as his own Parish, which failed miserably. Bruce Bowen came in as a defensive stopper but Pitino didn't want defense, he wanted offense which often had Bowen steaming on the sidelines. Walker and Mercer continued to have good years and Bias accepted his new 6th man role as politely as he could, but the message was clear. This was Pitino's team and it was his rules. Frequent trades tore the locker room apart as now one knew who would come and who would go and when all was said and done, the Celtics were 36-46 and out of the playoffs. Pitino blamed everyone else but himself for the failures of the team but the trend was only just beginning.


1999

C - Battie
F - Walker
F - Pierce
G - Mercer
G - Anderson

Bench - Potapenko, Bias, McCarty, Bowen, Barros, Riley, Jones

Pitino continued to wheel and deal and screw up the Celtics. The first move he made was a good one, shipping out Travis Knight in favor of young, hungry Tony Battie. After that it was downhill, he continued to rip Len Bias and Bruce Bowen in the papers for not contributing even though it was his own decision to sit them on the bench. In one game against Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant torched Mercer for 45 points and Pitino put the blame on Ron instead of himself for not bringing in Bowen. Later in the season he shot the franchise in the foot again by trading their eventual lottery 1st round pick to get the non-allstar Vitaly Potapenko. Although Walker continued to blossom and rookie Paul Pierce had a hell of a rookie year, the team finished 19-31 and once again out of the playoffs. The Bias situation would reach critical mass and it all came to ahead the following year.

2001

C - Potapenko
F - Walker
F - Williams
G - Pierce
G - Anderson

Bench - Ellison, Bias, McCarty, Griffin, Barros, Battie

Pitino gutted the team even further by trading his own Kentucky guy Ron Mercer to acquire Danny Fortson and former Celtic Eric Williams. He also let Bruce Bowen walk in free agency, losing the team's 1 good defensive stopper. For the third straight year, Pitino and Bias would clash as Pitino refused to let the former superstar play in big game situations. Without a first round pick, the same group from last year returned with the same results. Once again Pitino refused to accept responsibility and Bias finally lost it. After a loss at the buzzer on March 1, Pitino delivered his famous "Larry Bird's not walking through that door" speech. Bias then ripped Pitino the following day and for the first time, Rick started playing Bias more as the team rallied around him. The team caught fire in early March as injuries to Walter McCarty and Adrian Griffin left Bias the only option off the bench. Bias responded by turning in 2 weeks of vintage Bias by averaging 30 points and 11 rebounds in that span off the bench. The team went 7-1 and then Pitino put the final nail in the coffin of the season. After the 7th win in 8 games, Len Bias yukked it up with the media and gave indications that he could save the season. Once the media left, there was a reported heated discussion as Pitino and Bias got into it over the interview. One source claimed Pitino was jealous that the media and fans backed Bias over his own coaching and managing decisions and Bias was sick and tired of Pitino's constant meddling. It all came to ahead on March 20th in Phoenix. The game remained close although no one could figure why Pitino wasn't bringing Bias into the game Even in the 4th quarter with the Celtics behind, Pitino refused to put Bias in the game. The Celtics ended up losing 110-106 and Pitino stated in post-game interview that the starters lacked hustle and his bench was uninspiring which was a direct slap in the face to the entire team. Bias finally snapped and gave an interview in Sports Illustrated completely ripping Pitino apart, saying Jimmy Rodgers was a better coach and Jan Volk was a better general manager, not to mention Auerbach was still number 1 in the eyes of the players and fans. An enraged Pitino pretty much kicked Bias off the team and the players revolted. The team then lost 10 straight following the Phonix loss without Bias and finished 35-47 overall. The media and fans were calling for Pitino's head and never got it...instead it would be Pitino cementing his status as a Boston villain for years to come.

2001

C - Battie
F - Walker
F - Williams
G - Pierce
G - Anderson

Bench - Potapenko, McCarty, Mosio, Brown, Palacio, Blount, Carr

Pitino shocked the country on June 13, 2000 when he traded Len Bias to the Los Angeles Clippers for a 1st round pick in the 2001 draft. The tension between the coach and the bitter ex-star came to ahead and Pitino chose to get rid of the problem. The Celtics brass were booed on draft night when they selected little known Jerome Moiso as the man who would replace a legend. The fans never forgave Pitino as even with Walker, Pierce, Anderson and Battie beginning to gel, the thunderous boos were too much for Pitino to handle. After a 12-22 start the man who would be God resigned as coach, general manager and president of the Celtics. 3 1/2 years of bad moves had gutted the franchise and reduced it to a joke that less than 5 years earlier were the class of the NBA. Jim O'Brien took over for the rest of the year but the damage had been done. The Celtics managed to play .500 ball (24-24) under O'Brian but once again finished 36-46 and the Pitino/Bias era was over.

Aftermath:

Bias played 2 more years, 1 as a starter for the Clippers before his knees gave out. He signed with the Bucks for the 2002-03 season but was limited to 45 games before calling it quits. The Celtics rebounded with Pierce and Walker turning into superstars to win 49 games in 2002 and made it all the way to Game 6 of the Eastern Finals only to lose to the Nets. In 2003 the same group, minus some key pieces battled to the conference semi-finals before bowing to the Nets again.
Bias finally got his day in Boston during the 2004 season as his number 30 was raised to the rafters, joining his teamates Parish, Bird, McHale, Lewis and DJ. Bias was apart of 3 world championships team and his 1995 squad would be the last for 13 years until Paul Pierce teamed up with future hall of famers Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to bring the Celtics their 20th title in 2008.
A healthy functioning Len Bias would have gave the Celtics many years of great memories and would have made the 90's a lot more exciting before the inevitable was to happen under Pitino.

More than just a game (1/14/11)

My father and I have had a solid relationship since I was born. Other than a few mandatory disciplinary incidents my father has never done anything out of line or to cause me physical or mental duress.
With that said, with me working the graveyard shift the last 5 1/2 years I haven't really had sit-down talk time with him as much as I like. However this Sunday when the Patriots play the Jets for the right to go to the AFC Championship game....its personal.
Last Sunday my grandmother passed away a month before her 93rd birthday. She was one of the toughest Irish women I've ever known and both my father and I have a lot of her traits. The no nonsense, brutally blunt yet kind and caring part of her personality embedded in the two of us.
One thing my father and I have in common is an interest in sports. My dad grew up going to Fenway, listening to the NY Giants on the radio (there were no Patriots until my dad was 11), going to the Garden for Bruins games and playing basketball for Waltham High. In fact the legendary Boston Garden was the site for a lot of high school tournament games and when my dad was in high school, he actually played a game there and scored a few points. He can claim to have scored in the Boston Garden, not everyone can claim that. While my grandfather on my mom's side was one of the Boston Bruins "Gallery Gods", my father and his buddies had season tickets to the Patriots in the 70's and 80's. Back then you had to be a REAL fan to follow those bums because they were truly the dregs of the league. I later got a taste of it when my uncle used to take me to Red Sox games in the mid to late 90's when fans got rowdy, the team was bad and the atmosphere was not for women and children. Schaffer/Sullivan/Foxborro Stadium was a 6 million dollar dump but my dad and crew braved the elements to attend as many games as he could before the tickets got too expensive.
This thursday, my father and I attended my grandmother's funeral with the rest of his family. During the outside portion of the ceremony, at the end we both put our hands on the casket to wish her goodbye....father and son. With that said, the one thing that unites us is the Patriots. This Sunday against the Jets, the Patriots can't lose. It just can't happen, not after this unexpected unity. This is more than just a game, this is a way for me and my father to cope with our loss. The first 3 Superbowl wins were fun (well, I admit the last one I didn't truly enjoy because I got used to winning) but if the Patriots can pull off the 3 wins to earn the title...it'll mean more to me on a personal level, not just as a fan. Sorry to all you Jets, Steelers/Ravens and Falcons fans.....but this Pats fan has a spiritual mission to complete.

Rondo returns....2 down 3 to go

Just when I thought the Celtics were back on track after getting Jermaine O'Neal back, Kevin Garnett went down with a strained calf against Detroit.

On New Year's eve Rajon Rondo made his return in a loss to the New Orleans Hornets (Glen Davis missed the buzzer beater) and the Celtics then ripped off 4 straight wins (Toronto, Minnesota, San Antonio and Toronto again). Rondo's return to full health gives the Celtics the inside presence to attack the paint, feeding off Rondo's crisp passes. Nate Robinson struggled at the point but off the ball he's free to fire at will.

Garnett's injury has given Davis the starting role where he's excelled with Jermaine O'Neal in relief. Davis outplayed Tim Duncan in the showdown with San Antonio and has posted double digit points in most of the games he's played in this year. Rondo and O'Neal's return was good but if they're going to go on a run to catch San Antonio they're going to need everyone healthy.

Garnett should be back next week with Kendrick Perkins coming back at the end of the month, plus Delonte West being the final piece at the all-star break.

The Celtics stand at 28-7 and in order to be compared to the 86 Celtics they'd have to go 39-8 the rest of the way. That could be impossible without a full, healthy roster. Getting Garnett back will definitely give them a shot at 60 wins provided they don't suffer anymore serious injuries, but in order to truly dominate they'll need everyone.