NBA is back (apparently)

[dalakhani]

For a long time, being the eastern conference champ in the nba really wasn't much of an honor. Some very mediocre teams accomplished that feat.

For many years, simply making the playoffs was a tough in the west.

On another note, from 1987 until he retired, how did birds Boston teams do? I remember them going out in the first round against Charlotte. Say...how many years did bird play without parish, mchale or dj?

[GPK]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

For a long time, being the eastern conference champ in the nba really wasn't much of an honor. Some very mediocre teams accomplished that feat.

For many years, simply making the playoffs was a tough in the west.

On another note, from 1987 until he retired, how did birds Boston teams do? I remember them going out in the first round against Charlotte. Say...how many years did bird play without parish, mchale or dj?

That never happened.

Won 85-86 champ
86-87 season, lost in finals to Lakers
87-88 lost to Detriot in ECF
88-89 lost to Detroit in first round (Bird had heel surgery early in season and was out til after all star break)
89-90 lost to NY in first round after winning first 2 games
90-91 lost to Detroit in EC semis
91-92 lost in 7 games to Cavs in EC semis

Bird retired after that season.

[herkhorse]

Originally Posted by GPK

That never happened.

Won 85-86 champ
86-87 season, lost in finals to Lakers
87-88 lost to Detriot in ECF
88-89 lost to Detroit in first round (Bird had heel surgery early in season and was out til after all star break)
89-90 lost to NY in first round after winning first 2 games
90-91 lost to Detroit in EC semis
91-92 lost in 7 games to Cavs in EC semis

Bird retired after that season.

I still can't figure out how you're a Boston fan

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by herkhorse

I still can't figure out how you're a Boston fan

He was a huge ML Carr fan

[GPK]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

He was a huge ML Carr fan

I was a huge Sycamore fan.

[GPK]

Some of the highlights from this clip are amazing. When men were men. When the NBA was enjoyable and when the words "ball movement" meant something.


I still love the reaction from the players on the Atlanta Hawks bench at the 12:20 point in the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZKWJ...eature=related

[herkhorse]

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by GPK

That never happened.

Won 85-86 champ
86-87 season, lost in finals to Lakers
87-88 lost to Detriot in ECF
88-89 lost to Detroit in first round (Bird had heel surgery early in season and was out til after all star break)
89-90 lost to NY in first round after winning first 2 games
90-91 lost to Detroit in EC semis
91-92 lost in 7 games to Cavs in EC semis

Bird retired after that season.

You're right. It was the yr after he retired.

Regardless, that doesn't look like a very successful run and he had Parrish, mchale and dj not to mention a young Reggie Lewis at the end.

How can his career be viewed as any more successful than Kobe's?

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

You're right. It was the yr after he retired.

Regardless, that doesn't look like a very successful run and he had Parrish, mchale and dj not to mention a young Reggie Lewis at the end.

How can his career be viewed as any more successful than Kobe's?

You do realize that Bird only played six games in 1989 and missed the playoffs right? You do remember that he had injured his back and was nowhere near the same player right? Those last four years, he played six, 75, 60, and 45 games. That's 186 of a possible 328. You do realize that the back was so bad that he missed the first round against Indiana in 1992 then missed the first three games against Cleveland in the second round and in the four games he played, he came off the bench in the first two (17 and 20 minutes) right?

From Wikipedia:

In 1988, Bird had the best statistical season of his career, but the Celtics failed to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in five years, losing to the Pistons in six games during the Eastern Conference Finals. Bird started the 1988–89 season with Boston, but ended his season after six games to have bone spurs surgically removed from both of his heels. He returned to the Celtics in 1989, but debilitating back problems and an aging Celtic roster prevented him from regaining his mid-1980s form. Nonetheless, through the final years of his career, Bird maintained his status as one of the premier players in the game. He averaged over 20 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists a game in his last three seasons with the Celtics, and shot better than 45% from the field in each. Bird led the Celtics to playoff appearances in each of those three seasons.
Bird's body, however, continued to break down. He had been bothered by back problems for years, and his back became progressively worse. After leading the Celtics to a 29–5 start to the 1990–91 season, he missed 22 games due to a compressed nerve root in his back, a condition that would eventually lead to his retirement. He had off-season surgery to remove a disc from his back, but his back problems continued and he missed 37 games during the 1991–92 season. His past glory would be briefly rekindled, however, in a game that season in which he scored 49 points in a double-overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. During the 1992 Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bird missed four of the seven games in the series due to those recurring back problems.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

You do realize that Bird only played six games in 1989 and missed the playoffs right? You do remember that he had injured his back and was nowhere near the same player right? Those last four years, he played six, 75, 60, and 45 games. That's 186 of a possible 328. You do realize that the back was so bad that he missed the first round against Indiana in 1992 then missed the first three games against Cleveland in the second round and in the four games he played, he came off the bench in the first two (17 and 20 minutes) right?

From Wikipedia:

In 1988, Bird had the best statistical season of his career, but the Celtics failed to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in five years, losing to the Pistons in six games during the Eastern Conference Finals. Bird started the 1988–89 season with Boston, but ended his season after six games to have bone spurs surgically removed from both of his heels. He returned to the Celtics in 1989, but debilitating back problems and an aging Celtic roster prevented him from regaining his mid-1980s form. Nonetheless, through the final years of his career, Bird maintained his status as one of the premier players in the game. He averaged over 20 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists a game in his last three seasons with the Celtics, and shot better than 45% from the field in each. Bird led the Celtics to playoff appearances in each of those three seasons.
Bird's body, however, continued to break down. He had been bothered by back problems for years, and his back became progressively worse. After leading the Celtics to a 29–5 start to the 1990–91 season, he missed 22 games due to a compressed nerve root in his back, a condition that would eventually lead to his retirement. He had off-season surgery to remove a disc from his back, but his back problems continued and he missed 37 games during the 1991–92 season. His past glory would be briefly rekindled, however, in a game that season in which he scored 49 points in a double-overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. During the 1992 Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bird missed four of the seven games in the series due to those recurring back problems.

I know he had back problems and i know he had heel problems as well. And? A career is a career. You can't give "passes" because of injury because it suits your argument.

The fact is that Kobe won five championships, scored more points and was all defense 9 times.

None of these guys won without good teammates so i am failing to understand your point. When did Bird do anything without a supporting cast? Magic can at least say he made it to the finals with that 91 team which to me was a pretty big deal considering who he was playing with at the time AND who they had to beat to get there.