The Big Question: Is this the Greatest Celtic Season of All Time?

[fairweatherfan]

Before you jump on me, I'm asking about the greatest SEASON, not the greatest team...I think we all can agree that the 86 team at the very least was a better squad than this one.

But, given the 22 year drought and last year's 24-win debacle followed by the nightmare lottery draw, turning into a season like this one, I think an argument can be made.  In the regular season, we won 66 games, the biggest turnaround in league history and one of the best records ever, and had statistically one of the greatest defenses in NBA history.  We won our division by the biggest margin in NBA history, after not winning it for I believe 15 years straight.  We also swept Texas, swept the Lakers, AND snapped the longest winning streak in 35 years.

The playoffs were even better: 2 Game 7s, one an epic blowout and the other an epic battle, followed by winning TWICE in Detroit when we finally lost homecourt.  As icing on the cake, we got to expose a talented but soft and heartless Laker team with the whole world watching, racking up the biggest comeback in Finals history and the biggest blowout in a decisive game.  We redeemed the careers of 3 Hall of Famers, and our guy Paul Pierce got to show the world what we always knew: he's not a single-handedly dominant player, but he's a championship caliber TEAM player in his own right.  Not to mention Doc somehow got his hands on some coaching steroids along the way, and absolutely outclassed Phil freaking Jackson.  We beat LeBron, completely embarrassed Kobe, and out-teamed the best all-around capital-T Team of the decade in Detroit.  We lost 10 games but never trailed in a series.  And by the end, we were clearly the best squad, and played like the embodiment of ubuntu in crushing our arch-rivals. 

Put it to you this way - if someone had come to you in mid-August and shown you a screenshot of KG in a championship hat, with the text reading "Garnett: 26 points, 14 rebounds - Celtics defeat Lakers 131-92, win NBA championship 4-2 - Pierce named Finals MVP", wouldn't it sound like the best possible end to the ultimate dream season to you?  What do you think?  What other season could top this one?  I'd love to hear some arguments on this.

[LarBrd33]

I'm too young to remember the other ones... so that was definitely the greatest sports season of my life.  Just amazing considering where we were a year ago.  This franchise was pretty much dead when the lotto said #5.  This is totally unthinkable at that point.  People were pretty much throwing in the towel.

[celticmaestro]

this is the greatest nba season for a long time. obviously the greatest celtics season for a long time. there have been so many great seasons i think it's difficult to put any at #1, but this certainly ranks up there.

[bbc3341]

I'm 34 so my references are only from '83 on which is when my dad took me to my first Celtics game and I was hooked. I think because of the turn around and the way they came back in game 4 that this is the most satisfying, or emotional, but that '86 season was insane. I never thought they would lose, Bird was incredible. I remember even in the reg. season, just shocked when they lost a game. This season there were times when I felt like that, but the question is - is dominance more enjoyable to watch or is a surprising turnaround? To me? This season had both, yes there was a huge turnaround and even from the beginning of the playoffs they improved, but that close out game - wowwy wow wow that was dominance.

OK - yes, for me this season was the most enjoyable! Plus, being older and having gone through 21 years of no #17 - I mean back in '86, I was 3 years into my C's fandom, I thought they'd win every year -that makes this sweeter!

[Roy Hobbs]

Great question, which I don't have much of an answer for.  From where we were last year, to where we are now, it very well might be.  Just an amazing season all around for our franchise.

What I can say, unequivocally, is that this was my most enjoyable season as a fan.  Being able to follow the team as closely as the internet allows, along with all the great folks on this blog, made this season an extraordinarily rewarding experience.

[GroverTheClover]

Great question, which I don't have much of an answer for.  From where we were last year, to where we are now, it very well might be.  Just an amazing season all around for our franchise.

What I can say, unequivocally, is that this was my most enjoyable season as a fan.  Being able to follow the team as closely as the internet allows, along with all the great folks on this blog, made this season an extraordinarily rewarding experience.

I agree, I think the level of "intimacy" and knowing that others are sharing the same amount of joy for this season makes it that much sweeter. Knowing that there are other die-hard fanatics out there whooping it up makes it feel like a family moment.

[fairweatherfan]

Great question, which I don't have much of an answer for.  From where we were last year, to where we are now, it very well might be.  Just an amazing season all around for our franchise.

What I can say, unequivocally, is that this was my most enjoyable season as a fan.  Being able to follow the team as closely as the internet allows, along with all the great folks on this blog, made this season an extraordinarily rewarding experience.

Agreed Roy, "greatest" has a tinge of objectivity to it, but I know personally I've never experienced a season like this, even when the Sox won it in 04.  I've said it before but this season has been like a present I got to slowly open over the course of 10 months.  In hindsight, I can't even imagine how the season could have gone better.