Celtics Win NBA Title...!!!!

[lawyerman]

In my opinion, Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.

Kobe is an excellent basketball player that deserved the MVP this season. Talent-wise, I do not see Kobe above Jordan but Jordan is not "miles above" Kobe. LBJ is the best all-around player in the league. Enough said.

Of note, he did play with one hell of a player named Scottie Pippen. Otherwise, Jordan did not have a great supporting cast (no offence to others)and to win six chamionships (could easily have been eight if it wasn't for his premature retirement) is a testament to how great he really was.

 

[lawyerman]

Can we offically say ... There is only one Micheal Jordon !!!! and Untill you go 6-0 in NBA Finals nobody can be mentioned in the same breathe ..

Done.

 

[slowandeasy]

None of the current Celtics are from Boston. I just happen to like the players on the team.

Not sure about Bostonians being the most arrogant people in America though.
If they are arrogant, they have had many of their sports teams win championships in recent years.

I love the current Celtics almost as much as I loved the Celtics with Larry, Kevin, Danny, Chief etc...

KG has been a class act throughout his career, and he deserves it. Allen is also a first class person...

 

[Mia.Colpa]

Of note, he did play with one hell of a player named Scottie Pippen. Otherwise, Jordan did not have a great supporting cast (no offence to others)and to win six chamionships (could easily have been eight if it wasn't for his premature retirement) is a testament to how great he really was.

I think it's the reverse, Pippen was a good player because of Jordan. When Pippen got traded from Chicago to Portland he was a complete dud.

Anyone who follows basketball and doens't think Jordan was the greatest of all is smoking some cheap stuff.

 

[BallzDeep]

As a fan, when you buy a championship like the Celtics did, does it mean less, or do you like to watch a young team mature together, go through a few heartbreaks and growing pains, and then win.......or is a title a title nomatter what?

 

[slowandeasy]

As a fan, when you buy a championship like the Celtics did, does it mean less, or do you like to watch a young team mature together, go through a few heartbreaks and growing pains, and then win.......or is a title a title nomatter what?

If the Leafs were able to buy the Stanley Cup would you care?

I enjoy seeing a young team mature... like the Penguins...

However, even the Pens made last minute additions to the team.

The Lakers tried to buy a championship with Gasol... Dallas hoped that by adding Jason Kidd would push them over the top...

A number of years ago, the Lakers had added Karl Malone, Gary Payton and one or two other guys in an attemt to win the championship... they got whipped by the Pistons...
KG is a monster... but I had thought that Allen (a good player) was soft and too one-dimensional...

 

[smart_alek]

I think it's the reverse, Pippen was a good player because of Jordan. When Pippen got traded from Chicago to Portland he was a complete dud.

Anyone who follows basketball and doens't think Jordan was the greatest of all is smoking some cheap stuff.

Didn't the Bulls get a 50 plus win season when Jordan was out? They did pretty well in the playoffs without him, as I recall.

 

[JohnLarue]

As a fan, when you buy a championship like the Celtics did, does it mean less, or do you like to watch a young team mature together, go through a few heartbreaks and growing pains, and then win.......or is a title a title nomatter what?

Its the GMs job to assemble the best team given the resources he has available.

Do you care if your team was bought or home - grown?
If they win a championship I do not give a rats ass.
When you think of the 92-93 Blue Jays, do you recall they were a bought team or do you recall they were champions.
(They were a bought team)
The memory that sticks out was that they were champions.

As for the Jordan / Kobe comparison, ask someone who knows the game.
They will tell you "Bryant is a very good player , but come on, not even close"

 

[BottomsUp]

Can we offically say ... There is only one Micheal Jordon !!!! and Untill you go 6-0 in NBA Finals nobody can be mentioned in the same breathe ..

I'd say Jordan's superb talents were only matched by Magic, Bird and Jabbar. Don't think Kobe is quite in their class.

 

[healer677]

A championship is a championsip. Honestly, in today's market; players come and go. Highest bidder gets the best player. Unless the players choose the teams to have the chance to play together -Ray Allen influenced Garnett's decision to go to Boston.

I would have loved to see Reggie on this team.

 

[lawyerman]

A championship is a championsip. Honestly, in today's market; players come and go. Highest bidder gets the best player. Unless the players choose the teams to have the chance to play together -Ray Allen influenced Garnett's decision to go to Boston.

I would have loved to see Reggie on this team.

There is also a salary cap in place and that's where management sometimes takes a risk and trades their future to win today (as the case with Garnett). Seven players for one. Ainge took a chance and cashed in. Granted, some teams make more money than others and don't mind paying luxury tax.

The New York Knicks have the highest payroll so far for next year at over 90 million dollars. They will probably not make the playoffs again next year.
I wouldn't ncessarily say that Boston has the best player in the league but collectively the three of them work very well together. Garnett has always been a top player but not the best player. That would belong to LBJ or Kobe.

 

[lawyerman]

Hey the Celtics won the biggest prize of all but it didn't come cheap ... Years from now Al Jeferson can be one of the best PF in the league and Seatle's and Jeff Green can be another allstar and we will be saying wow !! imagine if they were on the same team ... Celtics took a gamble and it paid off ... Short term gain for long term pain ....

I'm not sure if I necessarily agree with that statement of short term gain for long term pain. Even though the "big 3" are in their prime (or just past their prime), all they need to do is sign a big time free agent and keep rolling from there. Talent and team chemistry go a long way.

You are dead right about Jefferson and the T-Wolves signed him in the nick of time.

I'm not sure if acquiring Garnett was a "gamble". He has always been a top player in this league, wears his heart on his sleeve and one player who plays with great emotion.

 

[lawyerman]

Big time Free Agent ? The Big 3 make over 60 million dollars ... You need at least a 13 man roster ... Ray Allen got old in front of our eyes ... Although Paul and Kevin look like they have a lot of jump left in those legs ... Looking back ... Did they really need to make the Ray Allen Deal ?? Ray Allan would have really helped Durant handle his rookie season ..

Feel sorry for Al Jefferson .... Kevin McHale is his GM ...

I am pretty sure that Ray Allen will retire after his contract is over (two years). He did look renewed as the playoffs went on though. All I can say is that the Celtics won it all this year. I'm not sure if Allen could have helped Durant as Seattle needs help all around. They need a PG badly.

Delonte West is injury prone, Sczerbiak is offensive minded and can flat out score but that's about it and with a sizeable salary to boot (13 million this year). Sometimes you need to give up something to get something you really want.

Al Jefferson had an outstanding year and hopefully will flourish as a player. He definitely has the talent.

 

[lawyerman]

I just meant help Durant in the transition of College to Pro ... Having a vetern classy guy who was once team's franchice player to help him mature into that NBA role ..

Agreed. There might not be a classier player in the league than Ray Allen.

 

[slowandeasy]

Micheal Jordan came away with 6 championship rings, and five regular season MVPs. Who helped him out at centre-Bill Cartwright, Ed Nealy, Will Purdue(Won't Produce) Stacy(Burger) King, Scott Williams, in other words journeymen. Kobe only has 3 rings because he had the greatest centre of the the modern era, Shaq play with him. And Kobe has only 1 regular season MVP so far.

Jordan also took 2 years away from the game to hit baseballs, and then came back to be a winner of 3 straight(best basketball team of all time 95-96 Bulls). Kobe plays in a big market, and gets a lot of hype. Jordan is miles above Kobe in talent level, and comparisions are a joke. The only player who may come close is LeBron James.

First--- there was a guy named Scottie Pippen
Second--Ron Harper was a pretty good player
Third-- you neglected to mention Dennis Rodman
Fourth--Horace Grant
Fifth-- Blow Job Armstrong was a decent point guard

What's the point??? Jordan did not need a superstar center when he had
some damn good forwards and Scottie Pippen

Jordan miles above Kobe in talent level? Shows that you have very little understanding about sports at a high level. Jordan is/was miles above every player in mental toughness, tenacity, gamesmanship, desire, hardwork, and that secret that a rare few people have... knowing how to win...

 

[slowandeasy]

Hey the Celtics won the biggest prize of all but it didn't come cheap ... Years from now Al Jeferson can be one of the best PF in the league and Seatle's and Jeff Green can be another allstar and we will be saying wow !! imagine if they were on the same team ... Celtics took a gamble and it paid off ... Short term gain for long term pain ....

Yep... It was a huge gamble... Anything short of an NBA Championship for this team, and it would have been a complete disaster. If Jeferson and Green go on to win multiple championships for teams where they are key players, then people might wonder, but if they go on to become Karl Malones, then no one in Boston will care...

 

[Plan B]

First--- there was a guy named Scottie Pippen
Second--Ron Harper was a pretty good player
Third-- you neglected to mention Dennis Rodman
Fourth--Horace Grant
Fifth-- Blow Job Armstrong was a decent point guard

What's the point??? Jordan did not need a superstar center when he had
some damn good forwards and Scottie Pippen

Jordan miles above Kobe in talent level? Shows that you have very little understanding about sports at a high level. Jordan is/was miles above every player in mental toughness, tenacity, gamesmanship, desire, hardwork, and that secret that a rare few people have... knowing how to win...

The point I'm making(and I think most people will agree) is that Jordan's superior talent came through by taking a less talented casts of supporting players to a championship.
Lets go through your list:
Scottie Pippen-great player, but unreliable, Remember the"headache" in 1990 versus the Pistons in Game 7. What about when he pulled himself out of the last few seconds of a game, because Toni Kukoc was going to take the winning shot -aka 1994 vs Knicks in playoffs
Ron Harper-Garbage
Dennis Rodman-What a headache-complete distractor that needed to be managed
Horace Grant- Always wanted more, left to go to Orlando, because he wanted to be in the spotlight
BJ Armstrong: A 3 point specialist.

Jordan would have done more given the luxuries that Kobe has had. I don't think there's any room for dispute. How about removing your Lakers jersey, and being a bit more objective.

 

[lawyerman]

The point I'm making(and I think most people will agree) is that Jordan's superior talent came through by taking a less talented casts of supporting players to a championship.
Lets go through your list:
Scottie Pippen-great player, but unreliable, Remember the"headache" in 1990 versus the Pistons in Game 7. What about when he pulled himself out of the last few seconds of a game, because Toni Kukoc was going to take the winning shot -aka 1994 vs Knicks in playoffs
Ron Harper-Garbage
Dennis Rodman-What a headache-complete distractor that needed to be managed
Horace Grant- Always wanted more, left to go to Orlando, because he wanted to be in the spotlight
BJ Armstrong: A 3 point specialist.

Jordan would have done more given the luxuries that Kobe has had. I don't think there's any room for dispute. How about removing your Lakers jersey, and being a bit more objective.

Agreed. I have always said that Jordan is the greatest.

I agree with many of your points but I would like to change them a bit.

Horace Grant was a key contributor on some of those championships and should not be overlooked. Competitive rebounder and decent scorer. Regardless if he wanted out or not, his attributes should not be overlooked.

Dennis Rodman was one of the best rebounders in the history of the NBA and a defensive specialist. Isn't that the main reason the Celtics won the title this year?

 

[slowandeasy]

The point I'm making(and I think most people will agree) is that Jordan's superior talent came through by taking a less talented casts of supporting players to a championship.
Lets go through your list:
Scottie Pippen-great player, but unreliable, Remember the"headache" in 1990 versus the Pistons in Game 7. What about when he pulled himself out of the last few seconds of a game, because Toni Kukoc was going to take the winning shot -aka 1994 vs Knicks in playoffs
Ron Harper-Garbage
Dennis Rodman-What a headache-complete distractor that needed to be managed
Horace Grant- Always wanted more, left to go to Orlando, because he wanted to be in the spotlight
BJ Armstrong: A 3 point specialist.

Jordan would have done more given the luxuries that Kobe has had. I don't think there's any room for dispute. How about removing your Lakers jersey, and being a bit more objective.

I am neither a Laker fan nor a Kobe fan.. In fact, before the Raps came along, I was a diehard Celtics fan... I think it is your bias that is showing thru.

Your comment about Harper and Pippen do not even warrant a response. Rodman was a pain in the ass.. but he averaged something like 14 RPG with the Bulls... The point is not to say that Jordan had better supporting players than Kobe or vice versa...but please don't try to tell me that Jordan's teammates were not decent players (at the very worse)

Once again, it was not just basketball talent that allowed Jordan to achieve such great feats, it was his ability to get the most of his teammates, and his ability to step up and hit the big shots...

There is no debate that Jordan achieved more than Kobe... it's a debate about who has/had more talent. There have been and will be many players who have the same or more talent than Michael Jordan ever had... However, none so far have had that rare combination of talent, mental toughness, leadership skills and work ethic that MJ possesses.