Only way the Warriors can prevent LeBron to Rockets.......lay down and let the Rockets get to NBA finals Then LeBron goes to Warriors. Darn, you ESPN!!!
It wasn't just Bird - Malone , Bird - Akeem/Ralph Those Celtics teams were loaded from top to bottom The 80/81 squad Bird , McHale , Robert Parish , Tiny Archibald .... all HOFERS. 85-86 was loaded too ..... Bird , McHale , Parrish , Dennis Johnson , and Bill Walton .... All HOFERS. Current Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle , Celtics GM Danny Ainge and Knicks assistant Jerry Sichting were also on that squad. Either Boston team had more talent than the current GSW squad ....
I really don't think they will flip that switch again this year. People are undervaluing Kyrie Irving, and that is probably the reason he left. The Cavs wouldn't even have a championship if Kyrie didn't just go absolutely nuts in the finals. IT was a bench player and sixth man before Brad Stevens and the rest of the Celtics covered up for his flaws. Add a major career altering injury and he is nowhere near the player Kyrie is, the team chemistry , Kevin Love's injury, Tyrone Lue being well below average coach, and the team just being older in general a finals trip is not guaranteed. Boston is clearly a better team and I would say in their current stage Toronto is too. Boston is missing Kyrie AND Marcus Smart currently and has a third string point guard dropping 30 point games and triple doubles in his first starts and has won all three games he's started. They just beat a CJ/Damian tandem with both of their point guards out.The team is stacked, and the young players are fearless. They will have home court in BOSTON, Cleveland meanwhile is booing the GOAT at home in their own house. Boston is looking to add Lou Williams and Monroe, so they will likely add even more depth this week.
Iggy is a year older and the rest of there bench looks surprisingly suspect. Problem is they have four of the best 25 players in the game
This Boston team will be loaded too if they add Monroe and possibly Tyreke Evans or Lou Williams Plus Gordon Hayward if he gets in a few games before the finals I think we could still take them. Payback would be sweet!!
If the Rockets get past the Warriors which will be extremely difficult it really doesn't matter who they face in the Finals. They can beat any team in the East in a seven-game series. It is really all about GS and Houston.
Come on, Rockets fans, where's your sense of history? Where's YOUR heart of a champion? "Oh, we'll never get past the Warriors, they're so incredible and amazing!" (although we've beaten them twice this year, including once on their home court) This Rockets-Celtics finals will be The Revenge of Ralph! During an '86 finals game where Jerry Sichting started some shite, Ralph decided that was enough and threw a punch at the Celtics' role player. Bill Walton slammed Ralph to the floor, a move that it later turned out injured his back. Compensating for the pain in his back made Ralph alter his gait, which in turn screwed up his knees, which ENDED HIS DAMN CAREER. We owe these punk Celtics something, even if nobody in the organization is still around from '86. A debt is a debt, and we need to get a pound of flesh to make things right. "But the mighty Warriors! Steph! KD! Draymond! Klay! The greatest team ever assembled!" These arrogant chumps are ripe for the takedown. Then we get to win it all against the Celts as revenge for ruining a MF Twin Towers dynasty and a certain Hall of Fame career. Who's with me?!?
The Celtics and Rockets have two of the biggest fanbases in the NBA... They're no primetime Lakers or Golden State, but they're pretty solid.
Marcus Smart would be the most hated opponent of all time if we played them... His flops would cause a riot...
I think it depends on who play power forward. Ryno is ok. I dont know the replacement will have what effect