Sunday, December 21, 2008

The Greatest Season Ever?




Michael Jordan's 1996 Chicago Bulls are the proud owners of the greatest season in NBA history with 72 wins and an NBA Championship. 72-10, a record thought to be impenetrable may very well be in danger this year. After the '96 Bulls suffered a late November loss a chain reaction of wins launched them to a 41-3 record. Winning 31 of 32 games, not losing a home game until April, and losing consecutive games only once were among the most impressive accolades of this magical season. Perhaps not quite as star spangled as Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Denis Rodman, the 2008 Boston Celtics are gearing up for a legitimate strike at besting the finest season ever. Looking back it's hard to believe that Celtics legend Robert Parish was a part of that spectacular Bull's year, but maybe that historic season had a little Celtic magic. Already with a trace of Celtic lineage, the 72 win mark may most fittingly be surpassed by a new breed of green. 

While the Celtics have not won eleven straight right out of the gate, as Jordan's Bulls had, they are one win away from the best start of any team in NBA history. The 76ers of Philadelphia are all that stand between Boston and 27-2. Even with two losses this far into the season the C's would still be hard pressed to achieve the Bull's 41-3, as they would need a 14-1 run to tie and 15-0 to unthinkably pass. Just as Chicago before them, the Celtics had a November loss that sparked an impressive winning streak. At 18 straight the current streak shows no signs of slowing down, but faces its' first true challenge Christmas Day. Santa brings a 47 degree forecast and the LA Lakers for a holiday showdown that may bring Celtic fans an unforgettable present.



3 comments:

Derek said...

A worthwhile projection, Mike. And if there's any team that deserves to top the record, it's this year's Celtics. That's just me being sentimental, though. For all I know, the 1998 Jazz might have been worthy of the title.

Anonymous said...

I love your blog :-)

Mike G said...

I never said that they would break the record..in fact I said they would be hard pressed to even get to 41-3. I certainly hoped they would break the record and I did believe it was possible.