Here’s what would happen if the 1985-86 Celtics played this year’s Warriors

[Denis998]

Is fighting legal as it was back then? 86 Celtics would be in fight mode and wont back down, GSW might just get their feeling hurt.

LOL.

I don't see GSW as having anyone that BOS would love to take down, though.

Kevin McHale cloths-lined Magic and Rambis (LOVED IT, still do) and Chief gave Laimbeer a shot across his chest and neck, but these Warriors have NO ONE on their team I really dislike.

Back then, we really did not have any enforcers on this team I don't recall. We'd fight (and often did) but it seemed to be in retaliation to something else (Like Sampson's play in the HOU series).

I really couldn't see Kevin or Larry putting out a contract on Steph.

I dont think Draymond would be too popular with the Celtics

[Roy H.]

Size kills. The Celts had 4 guys 6'10" and over.  They would impose their will on the Warriors, who just wouldn't have the personnel to match up over 48 minutes.

I dunno, the Warriors' death lineup has been killing size for most of the last two years.

What size have they gone up against that is remotely equivalent to 6'10" Larry Bird / 6'10" Kevin McHale / 7'0" Robert Parish / 6'11" Bill Walton?

[GreenFaith1819]

Size kills. The Celts had 4 guys 6'10" and over.  They would impose their will on the Warriors, who just wouldn't have the personnel to match up over 48 minutes.

I dunno, the Warriors' death lineup has been killing size for most of the last two years.


Realistically, neither the Warriors nor the Celts would have any idea how to defend the other.  The Warriors haven't faced any opponents with the kind of post scoring proficiency that the 86 Celts could bring to bear.

On the other hand, the 86 Celts wouldn't have any idea how to defend Curry and Klay.  Did the 86 Celts ever play against serious contenders employing small ball, 4-out or 5-out lineups?

NBA teams today struggle to put guys on the floor disciplined enough to stay with the Warriors' deadly shooters.  How could players from an era where three pointers were almost a gimmick shot, a haymaker, hope to play the kind of disciplined defense all the way out to the perimeter that is required to have a chance against the Warriors?

That goes double if we're playing with the current rules that don't allow many of the physical defensive tactics that were a big part of defense (when teams bothered to play defense) in the 80's.

This is what I'm concerned with.

I think BOS would win in a series but there are a LOT of variables at work here, as you stated.

If we had Seattle's Dennis Johnson then I'd be more comfortable with HIM going up against Steph. But 86 DJ (and Danny Ainge) would have issues with Steph, Klay and Co.

[GreenFaith1819]

Is fighting legal as it was back then? 86 Celtics would be in fight mode and wont back down, GSW might just get their feeling hurt.

LOL.

I don't see GSW as having anyone that BOS would love to take down, though.

Kevin McHale cloths-lined Magic and Rambis (LOVED IT, still do) and Chief gave Laimbeer a shot across his chest and neck, but these Warriors have NO ONE on their team I really dislike.

Back then, we really did not have any enforcers on this team I don't recall. We'd fight (and often did) but it seemed to be in retaliation to something else (Like Sampson's play in the HOU series).

I really couldn't see Kevin or Larry putting out a contract on Steph.

I dont think Draymond would be too popular with the Celtics

True, but Draymond isn't even remotely a dirty player. He talks a lot, but so did our Celtics back then.

[Roy H.]

Is fighting legal as it was back then? 86 Celtics would be in fight mode and wont back down, GSW might just get their feeling hurt.

LOL.

I don't see GSW as having anyone that BOS would love to take down, though.

Kevin McHale cloths-lined Magic and Rambis (LOVED IT, still do) and Chief gave Laimbeer a shot across his chest and neck, but these Warriors have NO ONE on their team I really dislike.

Back then, we really did not have any enforcers on this team I don't recall. We'd fight (and often did) but it seemed to be in retaliation to something else (Like Sampson's play in the HOU series).

I really couldn't see Kevin or Larry putting out a contract on Steph.

I dont think Draymond would be too popular with the Celtics

True, but Draymond isn't even remotely a dirty player. He talks a lot, but so did our Celtics back then.

I think Green is dirty. He is relatively subtle about it, in a KG way, but he elbows and hits guys constantly.

[GreenFaith1819]

If anything, this thread is bringing back GREAT memories of 86 - and highlighting just how good this GSW team is.

And I have to make a correction - I can't find anywhere that KM clotheslined Magic, so I'm wrong on my earlier post.

But he DID get Rambis good - he and Gerald Henderson did lol. And it was BEAUTIFUL to see purple and gold tumble like that.

Darn it DJ if you had only made that jumper the Lakers would NOT have had a fast break opportunity for Rambis to suffer like that.

I kinda hope that the Lakers get Simmons and we get Ingram. I'd love for that glorious rivalry to come back again.

[PhoSita]

Size kills. The Celts had 4 guys 6'10" and over.  They would impose their will on the Warriors, who just wouldn't have the personnel to match up over 48 minutes.

I dunno, the Warriors' death lineup has been killing size for most of the last two years.

What size have they gone up against that is remotely equivalent to 6'10" Larry Bird / 6'10" Kevin McHale / 7'0" Robert Parish / 6'11" Bill Walton?

Fair question.  Like I explained before, I don't think either team would really know how to defend the other.

The 86 Celts never went against anybody remotely like the Splash Brothers.  Very few of their opponents employed lineups with even 3 quality three point shooters, let alone four or five.

[KGs Knee]

Totally depends on which era's rules are used. Both teams were the best given their era's rules. I'm not sure either team would do well with the other era's rules, although if Bird/Ainge focused as much on threes as Curry/Klay do, it's possible Boston could give the present day Dubs a run.

[Celtics17]

If IT can drop 22 on GSW in one half, like he did last night in the win, what would Bird, McHale and heck even Parrish do to them? Golden State might win 2 games but the C's would dominate. The front line of Boston would control the paint and score at will. Sure, three points is worth more thne two so GS would win a couple but in the series Boston wins.

Walton, who was closer to 7'1" then he was 6'11'', would also dominate and the Warriors would have no answer for him. His rebounding and passing alone would be a problem for the Warriors not to mention his scoring. Bird would destroy Greene or Iggy and McHale would put on a clinic. This team could also shoot the three, not as well as GS but still very well. Celtics in 6.

[Moranis]

Size kills. The Celts had 4 guys 6'10" and over.  They would impose their will on the Warriors, who just wouldn't have the personnel to match up over 48 minutes.

I dunno, the Warriors' death lineup has been killing size for most of the last two years.

What size have they gone up against that is remotely equivalent to 6'10" Larry Bird / 6'10" Kevin McHale / 7'0" Robert Parish / 6'11" Bill Walton?

Thunder are pretty darn big with Durant, Ibaka, and Adams starting and Kanter and Collison on the bench.  Now none of those guys have the interior scoring of McHale, but the size is there.  Cavs aren't exactly small either when they are healthy with Mozgov, Love, and James starting and Frye and Thompson on the bench (I know they didn't have Frye when they played the Warriors either game this year, but they did have Varejao).

People forget that the Warriors have 4 guys legitimately 6'10" including Bogut who is an excellent defender (Ezeli, Varejao, and Speights are the others). 

That said I would expect the Warriors to play their usual rotation with a bit more Bogut, which begs the question, who the heck are Bird and McHale going to guard?  Neither has the footspeed to stay with Barnes or Iggy and I can't see McHale actually guarding Green on the perimeter.  And while Ainge and DJ were solid defenders, no way they can stay with Curry.