Are the 1986 Celtics the most overrated team

[Niquesports]

This post isnt a knock of how Great a team they were but many times people post that the 86 Celtics are the Greatest Team of all time. I question if they are even the best Celtic team ever.There was a team in that same era that was much more sucessful than they were and dont get half the credit The Showtime Lakers. ITs hard for me to rank a team as a All TIme Great if they dont repeat thats the sign of a Great team. Now true maybe they might have had a Great year but All Time Great team they dont even make the Top 5 this is just more of the Larry Legend Hype Top 5 player of all time yes but by far the GOAT Hype Player

[magnax1]

The greatest all time teams to me would be
1-96 Bulls
2-72 Lakers
3-67 76ers
4-83 Sixers
5-86 celts
Though I don't think I've ever heard anybody say the 86 celtics are the best team ever...... thats pretty insane.
You said that the 80s lakers don't get as much credit as the 80's celts....... its basically the opposite.

[gotbacon23]

This post isnt a knock of how Great a team they were but many times people post that the 86 Celtics are the Greatest Team of all time. I question if they are even the best Celtic team ever.There was a team in that same era that was much more sucessful than they were and dont get half the credit The Showtime Lakers. ITs hard for me to rank a team as a All TIme Great if they dont repeat thats the sign of a Great team. Now true maybe they might have had a Great year but All Time Great team they dont even make the Top 5 this is just more of the Larry Legend Hype Top 5 player of all time yes but by far the GOAT Hype Player

well people are ranking a team as just being one individual season, so a repeat may be irrelevant. however, in 1987 they weren't the same team because bill walton was injured and kevin mchale played on a broken foot in the finals. that 86 team was one of the greatest ever, and had everyone been healthy in 87 they could have repeated

[1987_Lakers]

Lakers were more successful throughout the 80's, but If we are talking about a single season team, the '86 Celtics gotta be #1. This team had everything, Inside game, outside game, offense, defense, terrific on the boards, and probably the greatest ball movement in the history of the game, they had no weaknesses. Not to mention it featured 5 HOF players (I'm including DJ because he will get in soon) playing at a high level. I just don't see any team beating them in a 7 game series, the only team I see giving them some trouble in a 7 game series are the 1967 Sixers.

As for the most overrated team? I'll give it to the '96 Bulls. Most casual fans consider this the GOAT team because of their 72-10 record and MJ. People look at the Bulls dominance/stats when they are debating against another all-time great team instead of going by matchups. However I think most knowledgeable fans think the '86 Celtics were better than the '96 Bulls, I've even seen some die hard intelligent MJ / Bulls fans admit this. With that said I still think the '96 Bulls are a top 5 team of all time, but they are not #1.

[1987_Lakers]

The greatest all time teams to me would be
1-96 Bulls
2-69 Lakers
3-67 76ers
4-83 Sixers
5-86 celts
Though I don't think I've ever heard anybody say the 86 celtics are the best team ever...... thats pretty insane.
You said that the 80s lakers don't get as much credit as the 80's celts....... its basically the opposite.

Why the '69 Lakers at #2? They didn't even win the championship that year. BTW, many people consider the '86 Celtics at the best team ever....it's not pretty insane.

[Niquesports]

well people are ranking a team as just being one individual season, so a repeat may be irrelevant. however, in 1987 they weren't the same team because bill walton was injured and kevin mchale played on a broken foot in the finals. that 86 team was one of the greatest ever, and had everyone been healthy in 87 they could have repeated

They got killed by the 87 Lakers all season long Walton was a very good 6th man but not a difference maker Boston had no answer for Magic no answer for Worth and no answer for Kareem the 87 Lakers had a better backcourt just as good frount court and better bench than the 86 Celtics if we want to talk injuries well the Lakers would have 8 titles in that era

[Niquesports]

The greatest all time teams to me would be
1-96 Bulls
2-69 Lakers
3-67 76ers
4-83 Sixers
5-86 celts
Though I don't think I've ever heard anybody say the 86 celtics are the best team ever...... thats pretty insane.
You said that the 80s lakers don't get as much credit as the 80's celts....... its basically the opposite.

This is insane that you do not have one of Russ Celtics team listed or the 69 win 71-72 Lakers but looking at your list its just more hype for Larry Legend to put him over Magic on paper cause on the floor Magic destroys Larry

[1987_Lakers]

They got killed by the 87 Lakers all season long Walton was a very good 6th man but not a difference maker Boston had no answer for Magic no answer for Worth and no answer for Kareem the 87 Lakers had a better backcourt just as good frount court and better bench than the 86 Celtics if we want to talk injuries well the Lakers would have 8 titles in that era

Do you have any idea how banged up the Celtics were when they reached the '87 Finals? McHale had broken his navicular bone in his right foot. Robert Parish, Danny Ainge and Bird were nursing a catalogue of injuries as well. And Bill Walton (freak stationary bike accident), Scott Wedman (heel) and Jerry Sichting (persistent virus). Their whole roster was basically playing injured and they still managed to take the Lakers to 6 games.

[magnax1]

Why the '69 Lakers at #2? They didn't even win the championship that year. BTW, many people consider the '86 Celtics at the best team ever....it's not pretty insane.

oops. I ment 72 lakers... I was thinking 69 because they won 69 games. Anyway, there is a reason why there is only 1 team to ever win 70 games, because they were the greatest team ever and had the greatest guy to close out a game with ever.

[1987_Lakers]

As for the most overrated team? I'll give it to the '96 Bulls. Most casual fans consider this the GOAT team because of their 72-10 record and MJ. People look at the Bulls dominance/stats when they are debating against another all-time great team instead of going by matchups.

there is a reason why there is only 1 team to ever win 70 games, because they were the greatest team ever and had the greatest guy to close out a game with ever.

See what I mean.

[barkleynash]

If not for terrible luck with the passing of Len Bias at the conclusion of the 86 season, the celts would have been the team of the 80's. The lakers won titles in 87 and 88. My guess is the celts would have won both years and for sure one.

I know people hate, ifs, just thought I would mention this as it often goes overlooked and is one of the biggest question marks in league history. what could have been.
I just imagine this roster.

we don't have to trade Ainge. We keep the starting 5. dj, ainge, bird, mchale, parish, Add Bias, and still have reggie lewis. those would be the greatest 7 players ever assembled. totally interchangeable.

[chitownsfinest]

As a Bulls fan, not only do I think the 87 Lakers are better then the 86 Celtics, but I also think they are the greatest team EVER.

AC Green was more developed and Mycal Thomson was added giving them a dominant frontcourt that could match with the 86 Celtics. The lack of any frontcourt help for KAJ in 86 killed LA against Hou, but that problem was now solved by a better AC and Mycal Thompson. James Worthy was playing like a man possessed in the 87 playoffs and no one could stop getting to the baseline in 87. He has mastered a sick turnaround J that could rival MJ's turnaround J and shot an insane 59% in the playoffs. Magic developed a consistent jumper and post game in 87 that made him unaffordable. The only time the Celtics came close to stopping him in the 87 finals was when DJ shut him out for a half in game 6, but Magic took over in the second half. You also have Cooper coming off that bench as well and he could run the fast break when Magic was out. In game 2, he had like 7-8 assists in the second quarter with Magic on the bench.

That team was unstoppable on the fast break. Magic, Scott, and Worthy were all at their athletic peaks that season and could not be stopped rushing down the court. KAJ was still good at outlet passes. It would take an unreal transition D to stop them. For example, in the first two games of the Lakers-Celts series in 87, they had nearly 30 shots made in the fast break of Celtic makes. You had to get back to position quickly to stop them. Yes, the 87 Celtic team was banged up (even though I feel KC should have used Sam Vincent and Darren Daye more in that series), but does the 86 team being out there make a difference defensively? The 80s Celtics were never an athletic team and the 86 Celtics were no different. It would take an athletic team with a dominant full court press and transtion D to slow them down on the break. The only all time great team that had that was the 92 Bulls, who I feel could maybe beat the 87 Lakers in a series.

[purple32gold]

the word "overrated" is starting to become very overrated on these boards. why is it that everything and everyone is constantly being called overrated. not sure how a team who wins a NBA title can be overrated. baffles the mind.

[chitownsfinest]

Do you have any idea how banged up the Celtics were when they reached the '87 Finals? McHale had broken his navicular bone in his right foot. Robert Parish, Danny Ainge and Bird were nursing a catalogue of injuries as well. And Bill Walton (freak stationary bike accident), Scott Wedman (heel) and Jerry Sichting (persistent virus). Their whole roster was basically playing injured and they still managed to take the Lakers to 6 games.

Looking at the series spread doesn't quite show the whole picture tbh. LA basicall blew out the Celtics in the first two games (game 2 would have been worse if not for the Celts scoring like 38 in the third Q). In game 3, LA was kicking the Celtics ass after the first Q but DJ and Birk went ape sh!t in the second and scored like 12 baskets. DJ continued to torch the Lakers and hit like 10 straight baskets. Greg Kite also had a valiant effort and had like 9 boards off the bench (his super-scrub moment). One thing to note is James Worthy was like 6-16 in this game after torching them in the first two games. They needed to limit James to win the game. In game 4, Celtics choked the game and blew like a 8 point lead late in the 4th before Magic's famous hook. LA was toying with Boston in game 6 and led by like 19 at one point in the 4th. Three of their wins were basically blow outs.

Also, the 86 Celtics were taken to 6 games by the 86 Rockets despite Ralph Ssmpson having a weak series. Why can't that be used against that team?

[iamgine]

It's reasonable to say 86 Celtics as the GOAT team, there's no Tiger Woods in the NBA.