Author Topic: I guess the Bulls are too old as well  (Read 10419 times)

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Re: I guess the Bulls are too old as well
« Reply #45 on: May 28, 2011, 04:12:05 PM »

Offline CelticsFanNC

  • Jaylen Brown
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  Honestly, they probably are too old to compete for a title with the Big Three as the main focus of the team.  I know nobody wants to think that way....either do I.  That doesn't make it any less true.

   I used to try to convince myself that the Celtic's of the late 80's could still compete for a title "if only" they could stay healthy.  The problem is they couldn't stay healthy for a long season and a long playoff run.  From 1987-1991, when Bird and McHale were feeling good and had their legs they were still capable of beating anyone anywhere on any given night but they couldn't sustain it.  Our current Big Three is older now the Bird, Parish and McHale were then.

  As I have gotten older I am less of an optimist and more of a realist.  If Ainge cannot add a significant piece or two this off season then are done as title contenders IMO.  I'm not talking about adding aging veterans on their last legs like J.O. or Shaq either.

It's kind of ironic, though, that it was the team's young star whose injuries ended up derailing us.  Allen, Pierce, and Garnett have been relatively healthy and playing at a high level the last two seasons. 

This is now 2 years in a row that an injury to one of our young starters derailed us in the playoffs. Perk last year and Rondo this year.  It's not age, it's lack of health, to the young and old guys, even Daniels and Dwest, JO and Shaq, and lack of depth that sank us. We blew 4th quarter leads because the starters played too many minutes due to a poor bench, not because we were old, and because our starting point guard played with one arm. We would have one game 4 if he could have gone up with the bad arm and made a layup at the end of the game instead of using the good arm and missing it.

  I think age factored in more then most Celtic fans want to admit.  The difference between KG of game three and KG of game four was visible.  He just didn't have the legs to dominate on the inside even after multiple days of rest.  Paul cannot guard LBJ or Carmelo for 30+ minutes and still remain a major factor offensively on a consistent basis.  Ray depends so much on others to get him shots that when the ball movement stops and they rely on jump shots he all but gets frozen out of the offense for long stretches of games.  Without Rondo getting them easy hoops throughout the game they just couldn't keep pace with the younger more athletic Big Three of Miami

  Like I said, I have been through this during the late 80's.  You see encouraging glimpses of the greatness and ability to dominate games that made these guys first ballot HOFers but they just cannot be expected to bring it consistently especially going head to head against guys who have a rather large athletic advantage that gets larger with each passing season. 

Re: I guess the Bulls are too old as well
« Reply #46 on: May 28, 2011, 04:15:15 PM »

Offline hpantazo

  • Tommy Heinsohn
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  • Posts: 25355
  • Tommy Points: 2756
  Honestly, they probably are too old to compete for a title with the Big Three as the main focus of the team.  I know nobody wants to think that way....either do I.  That doesn't make it any less true.

   I used to try to convince myself that the Celtic's of the late 80's could still compete for a title "if only" they could stay healthy.  The problem is they couldn't stay healthy for a long season and a long playoff run.  From 1987-1991, when Bird and McHale were feeling good and had their legs they were still capable of beating anyone anywhere on any given night but they couldn't sustain it.  Our current Big Three is older now the Bird, Parish and McHale were then.

  As I have gotten older I am less of an optimist and more of a realist.  If Ainge cannot add a significant piece or two this off season then are done as title contenders IMO.  I'm not talking about adding aging veterans on their last legs like J.O. or Shaq either.

It's kind of ironic, though, that it was the team's young star whose injuries ended up derailing us.  Allen, Pierce, and Garnett have been relatively healthy and playing at a high level the last two seasons. 

This is now 2 years in a row that an injury to one of our young starters derailed us in the playoffs. Perk last year and Rondo this year.  It's not age, it's lack of health, to the young and old guys, even Daniels and Dwest, JO and Shaq, and lack of depth that sank us. We blew 4th quarter leads because the starters played too many minutes due to a poor bench, not because we were old, and because our starting point guard played with one arm. We would have one game 4 if he could have gone up with the bad arm and made a layup at the end of the game instead of using the good arm and missing it.

  I think age factored in more then most Celtic fans want to admit.  The difference between KG of game three and KG of game four was visible.  He just didn't have the legs to dominate on the inside even after multiple days of rest.  Paul cannot guard LBJ or Carmelo for 30+ minutes and still remain a major factor offensively on a consistent basis.  Ray depends so much on others to get him shots that when the ball movement stops and they rely on jump shots he all but gets frozen out of the offense for long stretches of games.  Without Rondo getting them easy hoops throughout the game they just couldn't keep pace with the younger more athletic Big Three of Miami

  Like I said, I have been through this during the late 80's.  You see encouraging glimpses of the greatness and ability to dominate games that made these guys first ballot HOFers but they just cannot be expected to bring it consistently especially going head to head against guys who have a rather large athletic advantage that gets larger with each passing season. 

This is not really the same. The biggest difference is that the best player on the 80's celtics teams was not a young, bullheaded, superstar point guard. If Rondo was healthy, the Heat would be on vacation now.