JOEY BARRETT’S TAKE
Forgive my coworker. He must not be aware of the greatest team to ever step onto hardwood.
The 1986 Boston Celtics were far better at home than today’s Celts – yes, far more.
And, no, I’m not saying that because I’ve watched “The ’86 Celtics” documentary at least 10 times. I’m as obsessed with that documentary as Bill Walton is with the Grateful Dead (if you know, you know).
The ’86 Celtics went 40-1 at home (37-1 at Boston Garden; 3-0 at Hartford Civic Center), while today’s team is 20-1 at TD Garden.
Both are impressive, but ’86 has the edge.
First things first, the one time the ’86 Celtics did lose at home, it was against a solid Portland side, one with Clyde Drexler, Kiki Vandeweghe, Mychal Thompson, and Sam Bowie (Kiki averaged nearly 25 points a game).
Portland even won a playoff game that season against Denver, which sported a 47-35 record.
Now that Boston’s loss is tossed out of this conversation – like Larry’s warm-up jacket in ’88 – let’s move onto the wins.
Look at who that team beat at home: Magic’s Lakers, Moncrief’s Bucks, Dominique’s Hawks, Isiah’s Pistons, a young Michael’s Bulls, Hakeem’s Rockets, and the 76ers led by Dr. J, Barkley, and Moses.
Also, the Green terrified teams – like Parish when a guard switched on to him.
Boston beat the Suns by 24 points, Portland by 18, Kings by 17, Mavericks by 20, Cavaliers by 31 and 20, Nuggets by 23, Lakers by 15, Warriors by 21, Bullets by 15 and 19, Pacers by 15 and 19, Spurs by 20, Pistons by 20 and 16, 76ers by 17, Bulls by 21, and Knicks by 21.
Oh, I almost forgot the last home game of the year: a 135-107 thrashing of the Nets – a playoff team.
Mark, it’s not too late to write about the new-look Patriots or something.
It’s also just the way the Celtics did it. Larry was shooting over the backboard, McHale’s slippery eel was making people want to quit the sport, Parish was nearly breaking the rim, four bench players shot higher than 47 percent, and the backcourt of Danny and Dennis hounded people like a drunk fan in the stands.
Lastly, it’s an eye test. The ’86 Celtics just play better basketball than the 2024 team – the same 2024 group that needed overtime to knock off lowly Detroit (4-37) on the Garden floor.
For anyone who disagrees with me about all of this, give it your best shot, but you probably don’t have one better than Larry.
MARK ABOYOUN’S TAKE
There’s no denying that the 1986 Celtics are one of the greatest teams in NBA history – I’m certainly not denying that.
However, the question is which team is better at home, and that is without a doubt this year’s group.
First, the competition in the NBA is just sharper nowadays. Players are more athletic, stronger, faster, and have better preparation than teams back then.
I’m not denying the talent that was in the league back then, but from player one to player 450, there is more talent today.
Come on, the Chicago Bulls at 30-52 clinched a playoff spot in the ’86 season! The worst record to make the playoffs (play-in) last year was 40-42. Need I say more?
The next reason is simple: continuity.
The ’86 team was coming off of a season in which it was one shot away from winning back-to-back NBA Championships (sorry to bring it back up).
Not only was Boston coming off a finals appearance, but that offseason, it added Bill Walton to an already-stacked team (yes, I know it lost Cornbread Maxwell in that trade).
Those Celtics lined up five Hall of Famers: Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Bill Walton, and Dennis Johnson. With that roster, you should be winning games.
The current Celtics are starting from a lower point. Coming into the season, they lost their heart-and-soul in Marcus Smart to bring in Kristaps Porzinigs. Smart was here for nine seasons – that’s not easy to replace when you’re the unofficial captain of the team.
Later in the season, the Celtics shipped off their starting center, Robert Williams, and reigning Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon for Jrue Holiday. Holiday, an NBA Champion, was deemed to fill the void left by Smart, but they’re both very different in their own rights.
The Celtics had to move Al Horford to the bench, a player who was always a starter and father of the team.
When you add two all-stars to a team with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, there are inevitable sacrifices and adjustments. The fact that this team hit the ground running and not only boasts the best record in the league, but also at home, is more than impressive.
Also, load management.
The ’86 team always had the main guys going. Today’s Celtics don’t have Al Horford in back-to-backs and Porzingis is always fighting some sort of injury. Coach Joe Mazzulla keeps having to adjust rotations because of certain guys missing.
If you disagree with me on all of this, I’ll have my friend, Jaylen Brown, lay things out for you on a poster.
