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LAST
week I talked about the fabled rivalry of the Boston
Celtics and the LA Lakers which dates back to the ’60s.
Boston
vs. LA was described by a global National Basketball
Association (NBA) fan as “the grandfather of all
rivalries in the NBA.” And added that without Magic and
Bird in the ’80s, the NBA would not be as big as it is
today.
But
there’s another rivalry that is almost as intense as
Lakers vs. Celtics. For all intents and purposes, it is
a smokin’ hot rivalry as well. We’re talking about the
Boston-Detroit rivalry that is playing out now on your
NBA screens like an action-packed telenovela.
Why is
it another great rivalry? Because if Boston vs. LA is
finesse and wit, showtime and shine, history and
tradition, Boston vs. Detroit is like a barroom brawl
that is capable of emptying benches and sending players
prematurely to the dugouts. Boston vs. Detroit is as
physical as physical can be. “Noses will break and
benches will clear!!!” says an online fan commenting on
the matchup.
THIS is,
indeed, another flavor to NBA matchups. The Pistons have
traditionally been regarded as the “bad guys” of the
league—with Bill Laimbeer acknowledged in the ’80s to be
“the baddest of the bad.” The Celtics were the elegant
Eastern champs with all those pennants hanging on the
roof of their Boston Garden.
The
Pistons-Celtics rivalry reached its peak in the late
’80s, behind the heroics of the two teams’ key players:
the then Celtics Big Three of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale
and Robert Parish, and Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and
Laimbeer on the Detroit side. Boston and Detroit met in
the NBA Playoffs five times in seven seasons from 1985
to 1991, with the Celtics winning in 1985 and 1987, and
the Pistons coming out on top in 1988, 1989 and 1991.”
In the
’80s the Celtics were regarded as The Best of the East,
with bragging rights to five Eastern Conference titles
from 1981 to 1987. But the younger, rawer, more
aggressive Pistons (who were a direct contrast to the
elegant play of the Celtics) presented themselves as
rivals—much like Vikings—to the Celtics’ Eastern
supremacy. “The ‘Bad Boys,’” as the Pistons became
known, “used physical and often dirty playing tactics to
intimidate their opponents and bully their way to
victory. This roused the ire of Boston’s players and
fans, and the teams’ mutual hatred of each other often
led to on-court fighting. Detroit’s biggest antagonists
were Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn and Dennis Rodman. In
Game Three of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, Bird
and Laimbeer were both ejected for fighting as the
Pistons went on to rout the Celtics, 122-104,” says Wiki.
The
defining moment of the Boston-Detroit rivalry came in
Game Five of that 1987 Eastern championship. The Pistons
were up by a point with only seconds left. The game
looked ready to tip in the Pistons’ favor and give them
a 3-2 command of the series. But no. Larry Bird
intercepted Isiah Thomas’s last inbound pass and, in the
wink of an eye, had quickly flashed the ball to Dennis
Johnson, who was waiting near kingdom come. Johnson had
a perfect catch, then he executed a smooth as silk
lay-up for the winning margin. Ouch.
Earlier,
Robert Parish had been ejected for punching Bill
Laimbeer in the second quarter, so he was not around to
savor this victory on court. This was the first recorded
suspension for a playoff game in NBA history, by the
way. The Pistons won Game Six to send the series back to
Boston for a seventh game. The bitter battle ended with
the Celtics carving out a 117-114 home win over the
Pistons in Game Seven.
But the
Boston pennant haul would end at 16 from their conquest
of
Houston
in the NBA Finals the year before. In 1987 the Celtics
met the Lakers for the Finals but Lucky the Leprechaun’s
magic no longer worked. From then till now, the Celtics
would experience a low—some people say, a curse—that
would stay with them for 11 years. The 2007 season being
the worst in their history. In contrast the Pistons and
the Lakers carved out wondrous seasons for themselves
throughout the ’90s and the ’00s. But now KG, Ray Allen
and the newly inspired Paul Pierce have brought the
Green in step with their old rivals once more.
And so
the fun begins.…
THIS
time around, the Celtics and the Pistons may not be as
hot-blooded around each other as they were in the ’80s.
It’s a different time with different players and
different vibes, after all. But looks like today’s
generation of Celts and Pistons are still hot. And ready
to start anew where they left off.
“Next
time the Celtics and Pistons meet, Detroit might do well
to remember the way Boston walked off the floor after
their 92-85 win at the Palace on Saturday,” the Detroit
Free Press said in January.
This is
how the Boston exit went: “The Celtics made quite a show
of their win, with Paul Pierce yelling that the Celtics
are the best team in the league, with several Celtics
“popping” their jerseys, and...
James
Posey yelling to courtside fans, “Thanks for coming”....
Now if
that doesn’t get
Detroit’s
goat, what will!
YESTERDAY the Celtics slammed the Pistons at home in
Game One, stretching their home wins to 9-0 for the
playoffs. They have home-court advantage again in Game
Two. But come Game Three, the pendulum swings Detroit’s
way.
“If
legit dislike between these two teams can really
develop, we could be looking at a great rivalry for the
next few years. And the fact that Billups—whom the
Celtics simply cannot stop—is in the center of it, makes
it all the better,” says the Detroit paper, wistfully.
We’re
all for déjà vu. Let’s watch some hockey! |
