ESPN's 30 for 30 lures me in again!!

I know it has been a while since I have posted.  I haven't been as good a Celtic fan this season as I have in the past and I hear ringing in the back of my mind the dreaded 'fair weather fan" moniker.  Well deserved.  I definitely miss you guys and gals.  But I am getting married to an incredible woman, Robin, in June so I could say I've been distracted!  But it's good to be back and reading some of the best posts from the best fans on the planet!  

Last night, I couldn't get to sleep for some reason.  My fiancée was out like a light after a busy day of wedding planning/activities.  Perhaps it was hearing about the avalanche Friday on Mt. Everest knowing a good friend of mine at age 53 is on the expedition this year.  He has a blog and I like an ignoramus tried to email him when I first heard about it instead of going to his blog.  He and his wife are doing fine.  They were at Base Camp well below the "ice" avalanche when it happened.  But I digress.  I was flipping through my list of recorded shows and came across the recent 30 for 30 Bad Boys of Detroit.  I had recorded it weeks ago and had forgotten to watch it.  Mainly because of the fact that I hated those Pistons!!  With that in mind, I reluctantly pushed play.  I know for the group of us purists on this site who only remember the 80's as All Celtics and Lakers with the best basketball the league has ever seen barring the 60's, watching this would help me get to sleep even quicker!

Well, I was wrong.  This may have been the best 30 for 30 I have seen hands down and that is saying something because everyone I have watched in that series has been truly amazing.  The writing/directing/producing for this edition was phenomenal just as I had come to expect.  It clearly acknowledged that the 80's were all Celtics and Lakers and how the Pistons gradually had to start from nothing in the early 80's and overcame basically 10 years of everything that could go wrong, did go wrong in their quest to become World Champions.

I hate to say this but as I watched the whole two hour program riveted to the tv almost without blinking (and mind you, this was well into the middle of the night), I came to have a whole new respect for the Pistons.  Clearly I didn't have this level of respect for them during the 80's.  Being the hardcore Celtic fan I was during that time, I was watching this knowing the outcomes and of course couldn't wait for the "Larry Bird steals the inbound pass" scene, my personal favorite and clearly in my top 5 of all time greatest Celtic moments.  I remember (as all of us do) exactly where I was and what I was doing when I saw it unfold.  And I almost missed it live because I had given up on the Celtics for a brief moment!!

But the Pistons continued to march on after 1987's ECF snatching of defeat from the jaws of victory.  And they were still at that point 3 horrific years away from hitting the jackpot.  The writers/producers/directors did an incredible job of gradually shifting the focus from the Celtics/Lakers to the Pistons.  It became painful to watch as the program had me believing that this group of Bad Boys was never going to win it all, even though I knew they won B2Bs.    

I had completely forgotten about the Black Larry Bird incident as well.   But I felt as I watched the whole thing that I was right back in the 80's fresh in and out of college myself.  The only difference was this was told from a completely different perspective.  One as a Celtic fan that I had totally ignored at the time.  

If you haven't seen this 30 for 30, I highly encourage it.  It will bring up all of your deep feelings of love (and quite possibly hatred) from the 80's and the Magic/Bird era that literally single-handedly saved the NBA from folding up like a cheap suit because it was very much on the edge of imploding.  It truly is crazy to think just how close the NBA came to being extinct in the late 70's/early 80's.  

If you have seen it, I'd very much like to hear you take(s) on it and see if you came out of it feeling the way I did (or not).

Again, as I begin to watch this year's playoffs with no dog in the fight, waiting for the ping pong balls and the draft that will hopefully begin to change the Celtics fortunes, I am glad I finally decided to push play on the Bad Boys.  Thank you ESPN for all the emotions you captured from the 80's in those two hours.  Job Well Done!  

David (aka dbrown4)

David,

Thanks so much for posting that recommendation.  And it's great to see you back on the board. First, it's wonderful to hear that your mountain-climbing friend escaped unscathed.  Tied for first, it's wonderful to hear of your impending nuptials.  All the best for many years of health and happiness for you and Robin.

You're always welcome here when you are able to stop by.  Perhaps, fortified by a memorable wedding, this upcoming season will be an attractive inducement to share what we hope will be the dawning of a new Celtics era.

All the best to you and Robin.  How about an avatar picture of her?  (Not that there's anything wrong with your current avatar.)

Sam

Hi dbrown4,

I saw some of the documentary. It's always interesting watching games during that time.

It's incredible how much more the game is policed than it was back then.



KJ

David,

Congratulations on your engagement. That's great news.

I saw part of that Bad Boys 30 For 30, and I'm certainly interested enough to see the whole thing.