The Latest
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The end of a dynasty . . . and what a way to go
This journey through time with the #86Celtics started back in January, when Red Auerbach used his magic conch shell to assemble a legendary starting five and their Hall of Fame sixth man.Ā From there it moved on to investigate the truth behind the most ruthless trash-talking story youāve ever heard. We saw the #86Celtics fight through their two most frustrating...
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'86 Celts missed a sweeping opportunity against Lakers
Itās fitting that this weekās #86Celtics story is about a disappointing performance by the Lakers. Then again, it wouldāve been fitting at any point this season.Ā Or last season. Or the season before that. But recent Lakersā disappointment is different from what they experienced 30 years ago. Back in 1986, the Lakers were the defending champs. They won 62 games...
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The #86Celtics: Simply Perfect
Last time on #86Celtics we talked about Michael Jordanās 63-point effort at the Garden, and that was fun but at the same time everyone knows about Jordanās 63-point effort at the Garden. That performance will live on forever and never slip through the cracks of history. On the other hand, thereās the third quarter of Game 5 of the...
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The #86Celtics: God falls in the Garden
Growing up in Boston in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Michael Jordanās 63-point night at the Boston Garden was taught and talked about like an #86Celtics archetype. After all, those Celtics were the consummate team, and Game 2 of their first-round series against the Bulls — a 135-131 double overtime win — was the shiniest example. For young basketball…
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'86 Celts have no what-if? regrets . . . but '73 C's do
Every aspect of life is susceptible to āwhat-ifsā, but sports are especially bad. With so many random factors — injuries, human error, plain old luck — involved in the outcome of every game, every championship can be hypothetically altered 15 different ways. At some point, it gets to be too much. It can make you sick. You just have to…
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Were the #86Celtics the best passing team of all time?
Last week I searched high and low on YouTube for the best and most awkward Larry Bird commercials.Ā For this weekās edition of #86Celtics, I was back on the hunt, this time for actual basketball footage, all in the name of answering this question: Are the #86Celtics the best passing team of all time? For starters, the presence of Bill...
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Larry Bird was quite the commercial success
Here in 2016, youāre well aware that Larry Bird and Magic Johnson basically saved basketball in the 1980s. Case in point: When Magic won his first title in ā80, the NBA Finals scored an 8.0 in the Nielsen ratings. When Larry won his first title in ā81, ratings dipped to a then-record low 6.7. In both cases the games werenāt…
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'86 Celtics to present-day NBAers: There's no comparison
Before we get started on this latest installment of #86Celtics, let me just say that this is a horrible idea. This particular column is a no-win situation that will annoy more readers than it pleases and will in some cases border on blasphemy. In the event you keep reading, donāt say that I didnāt warn you. So this week...
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Seeing Stars: Facts get in way of a good legend
Itās been a lot of fun to research and write up these #86Celtics pieces over the last six weeks, but thereās one downside that Iāve mentioned before and ran into again this time. So letās get it out of the way — you know, just rip off the band aid — and move on to something better, okay? The...
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How '86 Celtics ruined Christmas but saved their season
When CSNNE senior producer Jim Aberdale and Special Projects producer Torey Champagne originally hatched the plan for this #86Celtics series, they were in part inspired by the idea of introducing a younger generation of Celtics fans to this legendary Celtics team. In that spirit, for this weekās special (if not topical) Christmas-themed installment, thereās no better way to relate...
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