Boston Sports Then and Now

McHale scored 56 against Detroit but only enjoyed the record for 9 days.

On March 3, 1985, Kevin McHale one of the Celtics’ famed “Big Three” had the game of his life versus the Detroit Pistons. McHale left the game with 1:25 remaining with 56 points, 16 rebounds, three blocks, and four assists. The Celtics crushed the Pistons 138-129 at the Garden.

Kevin McHale broke the Boston Celtics’ record for most points in a single game which was held by Larry Bird. Bird scored 53 two years earlier.

Larry praised McHale’s performance by saying, “There aren’t too many times you have an opportunity to score that many points. Kevin will probably not score that many again. Today he was awesome; he deserved it.”

Bird added, “He should have gone for 60.”

Indeed, McHale should have gone for 60. No record is safe with Larry Joe Bird on your team.

The Celtics would travel to New Orleans to face the Atlanta Hawks on March 12, 1985.

New Orleans is known as the “Big Easy” and Larry Bird made it look very easy on this night.

The 10,079 people who crammed into the tiny University of New Orleans arena had no idea what they were about to witness.

Just nine short days after McHale broke his team record for scoring, Larry Bird put on a shooting performance for the ages.

It was an offensive clinic and Bird was the teacher.

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Celtics had a decent effort but fell to the hungry Bucks.

So the Celtics lost last night against a surging Bucks team who were favored by 1-½ points.I found that kind of disturbing but then I thought it made sense with the Bucks winning 15 out 19 games before last night.

But what a game it was, like Mike Gorman said it felt like a playoff game.

And if I am correct, neither team led the game by more than 8 points.

But sadly, this was a MUST win game for the C’s that just fell short.

Pierce 3-13

KG 7-13

Allen 0-3

Rondo 6-10

Robinson 2-5

The Bucks outscored the Celts 22-16.

Although they lost by two, and had plenty of opportunities with Buck turnovers and missed shots I can’t be maI thought they played well.

This Bucks team looks ready and extremely hungry for the playoffs. Can you blame them?

Nate Dogg Robinson had two great 3 pointers and that was it? Ugh!

I understand that Nate is faster then Eddie House and can move around better but I am still uncertain about the trade.

I hope he can find his groove during practice.

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I bleed green.

Ok, so it’s been a while since I have written about the Celtics, but what has been going on lately is just terrible.

I need to get some things off my chest.

Now before I dig in, I’d like to say that I’m 27 years old and have been a C’s fan all my life. I’ve been going to games with my sister since the early 90’s and sat through the “Youth Movement Year” with tickets that were given to me.

I’ve seen the Eric Montross’s, Eric Williams, Gerald Green’s, and Kenny Anderson’s of the world come and go.

I’d like to first start off by advising the “pink hats” on the bandwagon to get off safely because Guru from Gang Starr said it best “Read. Study lessons, build your inner power, cause the next level doesn’t tolerate cowards.” If not we’re just going to kick your complaining ass off anyway!

Never have I heard so much booing during games when the team is down 10 and needs that confidence from the crowd!  It makes me want to puke when I see people leaving in the 4^th quarter because they are down by a few points! Most of you people that due leave usually have great seats and make the area look dreadful with all the empty seats on television! If you turned on the game and saw that, you would of thought they were getting blow out by 30! You know those people in the nosebleeds were envious of your seats in the beginning, but had to want to slap you for the chuck of empty in the fourth! I know if I was at the game I would have been disgusted, tickets are expensive enough especially with economy.

And we press on…

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Courtesy of  North Station Sports

Is the window closing on the "Big Three"?

As some one that started writing about the Celtics as a way of occupying myself during a health imposed layoff, it was easy to say what was on your mind when no one was reading your opinions. When North Station Sports was launched, in the spring of 2009, it was named The Boston Celtics News Station. Back then we only received 10 reads per day and I am pretty sure 8 of those reads were from friends and family. I guess back then I was a bit more controversial in my opinions stated on the site. Through the summer of 2009, as readership quickly spiked, I added writers and watched the developing personality of North Station Sports.

With a growing readership that spanned the globe, the responsibility to my readers for a non-speculative, fact-based writing transformed into taking the safe PC route of the truly opinionated. NSS writers Calvin, Lee and Shawn have produced some controversial pieces but not me. I have sat back and let the personality of the site take shape.

Just as the Celtics “issues” need to stop today, my PC writing is total bull.  I am going to lay my opinion out for readers no matter how pissed off it makes them or how upset the harsh reality of it makes me feel to put it in print…

On February 12, 2010, I can honestly say that the Boston Celtics suck!

Yes, I said it. Their are major problems brewing in Beantown and no one in the “Celtics-family” is willing to admit it.

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Courtesy of North Station Sports

Their are few professional sports team’s that can boast the mystique and winning ways of the Boston Celtics. Since the franchise’s first title in 1957, the Boston Celtics have won 32 percent of the NBA championships. Prior to their 22 season championship drought, the Celtics had compiled 16 championships in 32 seasons, 55 percent of the championships from 1957 to 1986. The Celtics currently have 22 retired jersey numbers retired,15 players and 5 coaches enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

#5-Cleveland Cavs

The Boston Celtics dominated the first half century of NBA history. It’s not a surprise that as team’s tried to get by the mighty Celtics year after year, some of the league’s greatest rivalries were born. Here are five of my favorite match-ups.

#5-Cleveland Cavaliers

Though this rivalry is in it’s infancy, it is worth mentioning as today’s top Eastern Conference rivalry. They have only met once in the NBA playoffs once since Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined the Celtics.

2008’s seven game series in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, went the distance and LeBron James and Paul Pierce match each other shot for shot in game seven. The Celtics would pull out a win as the game went down to the wire.

Though the team’s have not met again (yet) in the post-season, their regular season match-ups have been exciting and drama filled as the two team’s hatred for each other is reminiscent of the bitter Celtics/Pistons and Celtics/Lakers of past generations.

Though this rivalry does not possess the historical references of the match-up’s higher up on the list, the drama and tension that mounts when the two square off is rarely matched in today’s NBA.

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Bird and Person battled in an epic and deciding Game Five in the '91 NBA Playoffs.

In the ’90-’91 season, the Celtics were still one of the top teams in the NBA. They finished with a 56-26 record under head coach Chris Ford and won the Atlantic division. However, everything wasn’t rosy for the Celtics especially with Larry Bird.

Age and injuries were catching up with the “Big Three”. Kevin McHale only played 68 games, Robert Parrish miraculously stayed healthy and only missed one game, and Larry Bird missed 22 games to due to a compressed nerve in his back. This would be the injury that would cause Larry Legend to retire after the following season.

Bird, at age 34, would still have a productive season. He averaged 38 minutes per game, 19.4 points (which led the team), 7.2 assists, and 7.6 boards. However, he was a far cry from the Larry Bird of old.

The Celtics faced the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs that season. Boston would split the first two games at the Garden before traveling to Indiana for Games 3 and 4. The Celtics would take Game 3 112-105, but they couldn’t close out the scrappy Pacers in Game 4. The series was tied 2-2 and set up a winner take all Game 5 back in Boston.

Larry Bird spent the night of May 4, 1991 in the hospital in traction due to his insufferable back pain.  No one really thought Bird would be able to play in the deciding Game Five versus the upstart Pacers.

However, as people learned throughout Bird’s whole career, never count him out.

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