1983-84 Boston Celtics: Pride And Passion Part 1/6

Red Auerbach brought in K. C. Jones to stabilize the club for the 1983-84 season. Jones left the frontcourt of Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell, and Robert Parish intact, but he remade the backcourt, bringing over Dennis Johnson from Phoenix and moving Gerald Henderson into the starting lineup. Kevin McHale provided instant offense off the bench.

The Celtics won 62 games during the regular season. Bird won the first of three consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, and McHale won the first of two straight NBA Sixth Man Awards. With the first-round bye privilege eliminated from the playoffs, Boston downed Washington, New York, and Milwaukee to earn the right to play the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1984 NBA Finals.

Los Angeles rolled into the Finals with an 11-3 postseason record and beat Boston handily in Game 1. A last-second steal and layup by Gerald Henderson put the Celtics into overtime in the next contest, and they came away with a 124-121 victory. After a drubbing in Game 3, Boston eked out yet another overtime win in Game 4 to even the series at two games apiece. The teams then traded wins in Games 5 and 6. The Celtics had never lost a seventh game in the NBA Finals, and Los Angeles was unable to break the string. Boston triumphed in Game 7, 111-102.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Larry
• Bird
• Robert
• Parish
• Kevin
• McHale
• Dennis
• Johnson
• Cedric
• Maxwell
• Kareem
• Abdul-Jabbar
• Magic
• Jamaal
• Wilkes
• James
• Worthy
• Bob
• McAdoo
• 1984
• NBA
• Finals
• yt:crop=16:9

[ashland1977]

The 1980s was the NBA at its best.

[FRSFreeState]

@usnate1

Actually I'm not replying to all of your comments because some of them are nonsense, like the idea that Magic had "Defensive Inadequacies", I laughed at that one. To see Magic playing defense on YouTube, all you have to do and a kid could figure this out. Is type in Showtime Lakers or Lakers Fast Break. And you'll see more highlights of his defense, then hopefully you have time to see. Your bias because of how you critique Magic, you say things that no else believes.

[FRSFreeState]

@usnate1

LOL if you think I'm "Clinically Retarded" then why are you still talking to me over a week later, again you don't have to talk to me. Listening to you is like reading a Stats Book, your info is very technical. I laid out why Magic is a better player in first couple of comments and you don't get it. I don't believe you even understand the concept of impact. By the Larry Bird believes Magic was the best player of that era as well.

[usnate1]

@FRSFreeState You're clinically retarded...don't bother answering these last comments b/c yours will be deleted before I even open them...good day sir. When defending a player try to come up with something besides repeating..."Its his impact". Conjecture holds no water compared to stats..you see in sports thats what we use to compare players..Jordan isn't the greatest defensive SG ever b/c of him getting 2.0 spg more than any other SG...b/c numbers don't show impact according to FRSFreeState.

[usnate1]

@FRSFreeState Now you're not reading my entire comments....I already said that Magic won't have a Defensive vid on youtube....I've looked all over, also I know what I saw in the 80's. How am I biased when I stat Bird's superiority to magic but I don't with Russell(another celtic)? Secondly HOW THE HELL (when I say Bird outdid his other HOFer teammates stat wise) does that not provide a significant case for Bird's impact on his team? You a laker fan?

[FRSFreeState]

@usnate1

Again now your being repetitive, I've already heard your numbers game and thats all you have apparently. Your the only person I know of, who used and an argument about stats to back up Larry Bird. Everyone else has made the argument about impact. Which are two different things.

[FRSFreeState]

@usnate1

Hey got an idea, do the same thing for Magic, I mean why do you think the Lakers had such a great Fast Break. I give you a couple of clues, defense and rebounding probably the best defensive team of that decade. If you look at their Fast Break, how did it get started, Kareem blocking a shot, getting a rebound. Magic grabbing boards or picking off passes. Your bias towards legend is as transparent as clear water.

[usnate1]

@FRSFreeState Right and Bird outscored outrebounded outstole outhustled led in blocks a couple of years ALL of those HOFers...Russell outrebounded and outblocked his HOFer loaded teams... THATS IT....Russell is Rodman meats Mutumbo...Bird is Kobe(scoring) meats Garnett rebounding meats Lebron James in passing...

[usnate1]

@FRSFreeState Yes..and Larry Bird's TEAM defense was still superior to Magic's..type in Larry Bird Defense on you tube...you'll find a video of Bird blocking and snatching the ball from countless hall of fame ball handlers and scorers....type magic johnson defense and you won't find a thing FAR FEWER D plays for magic..Bird's hustle was unmatched by anyone..Red said that he was the most self motivated and greatest celtic...and he made a point that Russell was 2nd to bird in terms of greatness.

[FRSFreeState]

@usnate1

You know what guess what he didn't have to he was surrounded by scorers, similar to Larry Bird. Give Russell 15 plus shots a game like a number one scorer and his numbers would go up. But again your argument about the best player having to be the best scorer doesn't hold water.