Bob Ryan top 10 picks-Do you agree???

10. 68-69
9. 86-87
8. 56-67
7. 84-45
6. 62-63
5. 64-65
4. 83-84
3. 72-73
2. 07-08
1. 85-86

There are a couple here I don't agree with, and maybe the order is a matter of opinion only, but he hit on some
great clubs. What do you think?

Pretty much a slap in the face to the mid seventy champs 74 and 76.
Heck 73 didn't even win!

I loved that era of course that was really my formative years.

I guess it's hard to rank anything. When ALL of the hearts are the same size!

beat

Rosalie,
It's a decent list. I may be a victim of the "winning isn't everything, it's the only thing.." mentality because it's more difficult for me to place a team up there if it didn't bring home the ultimate prize but there were some great teams that didn't. The 86-87 team had it especially tough after Bias died and they never quite had enough support. I always felt like that starting 5 was the best starting 5 in the league during the 80's hands down. If this game didn't allow substitutions...I think they would have won at least four in a row, they were a special starting 5.

Rosalie,
I understand that you listed only champ teams but I'd include the current team even if they loose. I believe they deserve to be named along with the other legends.

AK

Sinus

You got me confused. The list I believe is Bob Ryan's not Rosalie's and DOES include 1972-3 team which lost in the eastern finals to the eventual champion Knicks. Cept for an injury to Hondo they probably would have won that one too. I believe that was the first 7th game the C's ever lost too.

beat

sinus007 wrote:Rosalie,
I understand that you listed only champ teams but I'd include the current team even if they loose. I believe they deserve to be named along with the other legends.

AK

Not true. Sinus, 85 lost to Lakers as did 87...73 had the best record ever, I think, in regular season for Celtics, still lost in Conference finals...Think Hondo was injured during playoffs....

beat wrote:Sinus

You got me confused. The list I believe is Bob Ryan's not Rosalie's and DOES include 1972-3 team which lost in the eastern finals to the eventual champion Knicks. Cept for an injury to Hondo they probably would have won that one too. I believe that was the first 7th game the C's ever lost too.

beat

Whatya think beat....starting 5 of Chief, McHale, Bird, DJ and Ainge...maybe the best ever? If not, damn close...

LA

I still like the 74 team with Cowens, White, Silas, Hondo, and Chaney.
All but Hondo were in there absolute prime.

Cowens would have given Parish trouble.
Silas would have muscled McHale but the man of many moves woulda got his points just the same.
Hondo guarding a larger Bird would have been something to behold.
White on Ainge, Chaney on DJ.

Man that would be a gas to watch.

beat

Don't underestimate the Chief.....He could hold his own, in his prime...
He may not have looked pretty doing it, but the results were usually good.

LA

Cowens was from another planet. He handled Jabbar OK a few times when Jabbar was young. Cowens could leap and mucsle with anyone and he had a good outside touch and his little hooks in the lane were tough too. Yeah he was short as centers go. But he could handle the ball much better than Parish could.

Not saying he would dominate Parish any more than he dominated Jabbar but he would have more than held his own.

I would be more interested to watch Hondo guard Bird and visa versa. Larry liked to roam off his man a bit and if he did that against Hondo.............perhaps Larry would have guarded Silas and put Mchale on Hondo.

interesting to discuss from any perspective.

beat

This was Ryan's list not mine. The one thing I will give him is his choice for #1 and #2. I loved that 85-86 team, I thought they played fantastic ball, Walton was one of the best passing centers I ever saw. He made the games so much fun to watch, and the 2008 team just thrilled me so much, maybe because I am such a Ray Allen fan and he was finally in Green. After that, it is a crap shoot as far as I can tell. My heart tells me that the 68-69 team deserves to be right up there near the top, they are alot like this year's team with the exception of the fact that Bill Russell played on that team. Doing what they did was astounding at the time. The first championship team probably should rank up there, after all we are talking about a team with Russell and Cousy, after that, I want recognition for the Cowens era. Big Dave was a die hard Celtic player. I was so happy to see him give the trophy to Wyc the other night, I can only hope that maybe he is
coming back into the fold of the Celtic family again. He has been missing for a while. Cowens was one of Red's favorite players. The rest you can put in a hat and pull out one at a time. They are all very close.

The management reserves the right to correct everyone's answers (including Ryan's) when this thread dies down.

Hi,
My bad. Sorry - I just realized that Rosalie's presented Bob Ryan list.

AK

RosalieTCeltics wrote:This was Ryan's list not mine. The one thing I will give him is his choice for #1 and #2. I loved that 85-86 team, I thought they played fantastic ball, Walton was one of the best passing centers I ever saw. He made the games so much fun to watch, and the 2008 team just thrilled me so much, maybe because I am such a Ray Allen fan and he was finally in Green. After that, it is a crap shoot as far as I can tell. My heart tells me that the 68-69 team deserves to be right up there near the top, they are alot like this year's team with the exception of the fact that Bill Russell played on that team. Doing what they did was astounding at the time. The first championship team probably should rank up there, after all we are talking about a team with Russell and Cousy, after that, I want recognition for the Cowens era. Big Dave was a die hard Celtic player. I was so happy to see him give the trophy to Wyc the other night, I can only hope that maybe he is
coming back into the fold of the Celtic family again. He has been missing for a while. Cowens was one of Red's favorite players. The rest you can put in a hat and pull out one at a time. They are all very close.

Rosalie,

85-86 was my favorite too. Watching Bird, Bill and DJ make intelligent passes was a thing of beauty. When Bill was on the court with Kevin and Robert they took up a lot of the floor!