Cancun Van Exel wrote:Donnyxc wrote:eureca20 wrote:
Exactly if Bynum/Ariza weren't injured in 2008 then KG/Pierce have no championships. And Celtics have none since the 1986.
I feel like my hypothetical argument has more weight than your hypothetical argument.
With Bynum/Ariza, it took your team 7 Games to beat an Injured Celtics team in 2010, while it took the C's 6 to beat the Lakers. We shouldn't even count Game 6 as a game, because the final score was basically 131 to 90.
All it takes is looking at KG's stats before his knee injury,
and the fact that the Celtics began the 2009 season 27-2.
Yes, 27-2. Best starting record through the first 29 games by any team in history, to realize that the C's would've had a threepeat. Both teams healthy, I think Boston would beat LA every time.
Indiana and Portland started out like a house afire this year too. Doesn't mean squat. Just be thankful that you lucked into one 'ship in '08. You sound about as objective as Tommy Heinsohn
Haha, no one is like Tommy. Indiana and Portland were not nearly as good as the Boston squad. First off, nobody on Indiana or Portland has been an MVP. KG was a league MVP.
Defensively it's not even close either. The Celtics team was based on defense and ubuntu principles installed by Doc Rivers. They had a league best for lowest Points Against for several years.
Neither Portland or Indiana team had a consistent spot up shooter at 2 guard (Ray). You can argue Wes Matthews or Lance + PG can knock them, but not quite at the same level as Ray Allen Prime Supersonics and early Celtics days.
Then there's Pierce. Paul in his prime was as good of a scorer as Kobe. He was slower than Kobe, he wasn't as great a defender as Kobe.
However, he was equally as Clutch. Paul was a BETTER 3 point shooter. Kobe is 33% career, Paul 37%. He had equal moves at a different position. Paul's moves were slower, but he read his opponents better than anyone in the NBA, similar to Magic/Bird. He consistently got himself to the FT line. These are all past tense because Paul isn't nearly the player he was in his Prime.
The point is, all these guys were established individually. But they complemented each others skills so well in Boston. Pass first offense, and defense priority established them as easily the best team in the NBA during those seasons. It's really not hard to see that without KG's injury, the team would have accomplished more than they did. I'll take 2008.
Pau is a good player, but he's not great.
Bynum is a great player, when he's healthy. But hasn't proven much. He doesn't have the accolades as KG, nor the defensive dominance. Perkins kept Bynum in check when he was healthy, along with Dwight Howard, Al Horford, and several dominant big men.
We're not even taking Rondo into the equation here. Because Rondo vs. any LA point guard is just unfair. Rondo's talent for defense, and know where his teammates are on the court is unparalleled in today's NBA.
Fisher came up huge for LA against Orlando, and then an Injured C's team in 2010. But he's not Rondo.
Kobe was great, but even he didn't play well in 2010 Finals. Pau bailed him out. LA got 2 rings, but it feels as if there should be an asterisk next to them. The better team did not win in 2010.
"If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save a game I'd choose Michael Jordan; If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life...I'd take Larry Bird." - Pat Riley
