Lordie, Lordie, Lordie:
I cannot possibly narrow this down to the favorite 50 moments let alone 5:
Do we categorize moments live, moments on TV, moments on radio with Johnny Most!?
I cannot possibly do justice to all the great Celtic moments by listing a TOP 5....
Here is my survey for better or worse:
5. Game 4 - 2008 finals against the Los Angelos Lakers. A tornado warning was sounded for Sedgewick County, Kansas with the reports of funnel clouds spotted in my nieghborhood. The local channel pre-empted coverage during game 4 when the Celtics were getting killed in the 1st qtr. I figured Auerbach was angry and was going to take it out on my house. Once the game came back on we were down 45-21, and I was at Larry Bud's Tavern and I went to the back room and prayed. The lead was cut to 18 by halftime. Then the Celtics got after it in the 3rd and cut the lead to 4. Momentum is a strange girl isn't it Phil?. Then as Ray Allen posterized the tennis star Vuyachuchcuch, the Celtics got their 3-1 lead and cashed in Game 6 (The Bar guests got a Boston Garden full sensoround that night complete with the Cigah smoke at the end).
4. Game 7 - 1982 EC finals - Where Beat LA was born..... The heartbreak was the denial of 2nd title due to Nate Archibalds injury in Game 3 that certainly thwarted our campaign to form a 1980's dynasty. The crowd fully understood that Dr J had to get his title that year. To me, Boston vs Philadelphia was the end all rivalry back then.
3. Game 5 - 1976 NBA Finals - A thrilling three OT affair that had everything. Blowout by Boston, comebacks by Phoenix. The bankshot by Havlicek, running onto the court thinking the game was over when it was not. Gar's shot heard round the world. Glenn MacDonald's three clutch baskets after Havlicek fouled out. Me shaking Jo Jo Whites hand. Brent Musberger looks like a kid in those old films. A wonderful classic that deserves to played time and again.
2. Game 4 - 1984 NBA finals - The Lakers were clearly superior to the Celtics. They were quicker and bigger. Magic was God and Larry Bird led a bunch of women into battle. We were hopelessly overmatched. The Lakers had our number. Magic had Bird's number. The Lakers should have been ahead 3-0 except for that Gerald Henderson steal or Worthy's pass in Game 2 that academically kept us in the series. Lakers were starting to roll in the 3rd qtr.......Then McHale hustled back and stopped Rambis from scoring on a fastbreak with the Father of all Tommy Points. The Celtics got rebounds and prevented the Lakers from running. The young Q was getting his jabs in at the bar with the Laker fans (I was all of 25 at the time and acted immature). One OT, 2 OT, two missed Magic FT's, a Larry Bird turnaround in Magic's grill, and a steal by ML Carr (how the heck does he get a mention in my Fav 5) and I WAS BACK AT 2-2, feeling fine.
1. Game 7 - 1981 Eastern Conference Finals - Boston 91, Philadelphia 90..... In my mind, this was the greatest basketball game ever played. The Celtics completed the 3-1 comeback against a team that was championship caliber. It was the dawn of the Bird-Parish-McHale era. The classmates in college saw me wear that same green 33 T-shirt for weeks on end. Celtics were seemingly down the whole series until 4:33 left in Game 4 with the Celtics down 90-84. And the lockdown defense played from here on in was the best.... The Philly fans in the TV room said man that Boston Defense was simply too much. And Larry hit the bank shot from the same spot Havlicek did 5 years earlier. Still had to sweat out two Philly possesions with a failed alley-oop to the Docter at the buzzer.....
To me, it will be next to impossible to replace these 5 moments in Celtics history... Note that Game 7 - Moment of Truth did not get in. I don't go back to the Russell days. 1986 games did not make it because it was a given that Boston would win the title that year. 2002 Game 3 ECF was purely for entertainment - I just did not see any way to beat the Lakers but the Nets saved us from that embarrassment. Of course, there was those road wins in the not so fabulous Forum plus Larry's 49 in Portland back on Valentines Day, 1986 and Larry sticking it in Seattle's Arse in December 1986 (My flu game).....
Too bad the old ESPN messageboard got deleted, I am sure I left plenty of memories over there.
Topic: Five favorite Celtics moments (Read 5230 times)