FanPost

1985-86 team compared to the 2022-23 team


The 1985-86 Boston Celtics team is often considered one of the best teams in NBA history. Can this year's Celtics achieve that status as well?

The 85-86 team finished the season with a 67-15 record. This year's team is currently 17-4 and this projects to a 66-16 mark. In 85-86, the Celtics record in home games was 40-1; today it is 10-1. The 85-86 team went to the finals for the third straight year (losing to the Lakers the previous year). They won the title that year against the Houston Rockets. We will see if this team will get to the finals for the second consecutive year and if they can win it all. They currently own the best record in the league.

The teams are similar in other ways as well. Both are led by MVP-caliber players (Bird won his third consecutive MVP award while Tatum will get heavy consideration for his first.) Both Bird and Tatum have dynamic two-way players at their side - Kevin McHale and Jaylen Brown. The 85-86 team made a trade for an oft-injured player who accepted coming off the bench to win the sixth-man-of-the-year award. Of course I'm talking about Bill Walton who did win that award, and Malcom Brogdon, who could win that award. Both teams had excellent depth and veteran role players. I could also point to similarities between Derrick White and Danny Ainge; Marcus Smart and Dennis Johnson, Scott Wedman and Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard and Jerry Sichting. In both seasons, Milwaukee chased them in the East.

So draw your own conclusions, but appreciate the fact that you may be witnessing another historical season by the Green Team.

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