What Happened to the Legendary Boston Celtics?

                                   Adam Glanzman/Getty Images: Boston Celtics on the court  

All good things come to an end, and for fans not belonging from Boston, this news was music to their ears.

Arguably, Boston Celtics were the most celebrated franchise, maybe aside from the Yankees. The media coverage of the players and matches was humongous, and at one time, the team enjoyed the world’s attention.

Although, as it is with any crew, there were specific eras where the performance was at its peak, and the winning streak never seemed to end.

Revisiting the Highlights

The team in question managed to secure the third position in NBA history in terms of scoring most points. They were also considered one of the best offensive units out of the 23 franchises playing at the time.

Their problems started when they failed to keep the steam running consistently during the two months of playoffs. If the games were held five-on-five, then Boston would have undoubtedly emerged as a winner, but they were playing a lost cause in a league where depth is of utmost importance.

The Cracks Were Beginning to Show

In 1988, it became apparent that Celtics were out of their comfort zone when they ranked 17th in efficiency for their defense numbers. No player managed to make a noticeable dent in the games.

They may have had a head start by winning their first six games, but the performance considerably dropped around December. The fans cheered when the dynasty supposedly got a second chance. Boston defeated Detroit in 143-105.

Although in February, things again started to look glum when there were back to back defeats to Detroit, Milwaukee, and even the weaker New Jersey Nets.

Thankfully, Detroit was showing signs of slowing down, and that’s when Celtics pulled off 16 wins in 18 games. It seemed like the team had a slow start, but the dream to reach NBA finals was within grasp.

Their first playoff was with New York Knicks. Although the opponent had star players on the team, they lacked overall experience as all players were below 27. The Celtics ended up winning 128-102, putting themselves in fray for the win. It seemed their luck was finally turning up as they won match after match, albeit by several close calls.

The telltale day of Lakers vs. Celtics arrived, and fans were hopeful that just like in the season of 1984, Boston would be able to adapt and sneak a victory. Unfortunately, the game went out of their hands 95-90.

                                                     Getty Images: 1985-86 Boston Celtics

It was indeed an end of an era, and there was no turnaround in sight as their star player – Bird was dealing with a back problem. He missed most of the 1989’s season, and the team barely managed to reach the playoffs. 1988 was considered to be the best run of the Boston Celtics, with 57 wins.