The Boston Celtics playoffs appearances during the past thirty-years came in bunches not regularly transpiring periods as in the past.
It would take the addition of one of the greatest NBA players to ever suit up to start to turn things around for the Celtics. From 1980-2010 the Boston Celtics had plenty of playoff appearances with a winning percentage of 74% which is a very respectable showing in any sport.
What must be dually noted here is that the fans and the residents of Boston expect so much out of the organization that anything short of an NBA Finals appearance is a lack-luster season.
There have been a few players, a handful of players, that have literally lifted an organization out of the cellar of a division and the Boston Celtics have had such a player.
Hick from French Lick
The Larry Bird era began in the 1980’s season with an immediate improvement of 32 games in the win loss column and ended with the Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Detroit Pistons. It was easy to see that Larry Bird, although a great player, would require a few additional supporting players in order to bring home a world championship back to the Boston Garden.
The Celtics went about rebuilding in the off-season of1981 and created a starting lineup which is one of the most prodigious in the National Basketball Association history with the likes of center Robert Parish, guard M.L. Carr, guard Gerald Henderson, forward Rick Robie, forward Chris Ford, guard Nate Archibald, and Larry Bird along with a new coach Bill Fitch.
Los Angeles Lakers in 1984
The Boston Celtics took home the NBA championship that year beating Dr.J’s Philadelphia team and then handily dispatching a very good Moses Malone and his Houston Rockets. From the 1981 championship all the way to 1984 a frustrating three year absence from the NBA finals pitted the Celtics once again against the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984 and went on to win their 15th NBA title against the Houston Rockets.
It was the 1984 and 1986 seasons that would be the final two world championships for the Boston Celtics and started a depressive downside that included the loss of Len Bias to a cocaine overdose and Bill Walton to injury.
A very disappointing 1987 season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers being crowned NBA world champions and the following year, 1988, that title belongs to the Detroit Pistons with the Boston Celtics nowhere in sight.
Healthy New Big Three
It would be a long haul until the Boston Celtics would again feel world championship glory with their 2009 world championship effort against the despised Los Angeles Lakers.
What’s in store for the 2010 Boston Celtics this year as the team plows forward towards the playoffs? With a healthy new big three that includes All-Star All MVP players Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Eric Allen the Boston Celtics are a solid pick to repeat as NBA world champions in 2010.
The Luck of the Irish
The ability of the Boston Celtics playoffs action to be so dynamic revolves around the methods in which the talent is acquired. Through skillful negotiations and the money-issue being easily handled, the Boston Celtics will seemingly always be a threat when playoff time comes a calling in the National Basketball Association.
The ownership has always been one of the finest in all the NBA and the players have not been to shabby either. Maybe the Irish luck has something to do with that winning mystique? Regardless of the belief in the luck of the Irish, one thing that is undeniable is that the Boston Celtics playoffs winning percentages have always been spectacular.