It's time to Settle the Argument once and for all.
All week, we've partnered with our friends at Strat-O-Matic, the market leader in sports simulations, to simulate a tournament between the six best Boston Celtics teams in franchise history as part of our "Settle the Argument" series.
The quarterfinal round saw the 1972-73 Celtics (No. 3 overall seed) top the 1980-81 Celtics (No. 6 seed) and the 1961-62 Celtics (No. 4 seed) take down the 1964-65 Celtics (No. 5 seed). In Thursday's semifinals, the '72-'73 squad scored an upset over the No. 2 seed 2007-08 team, while the No. 1 seed 1985-86 Celtics dominated the '61-'62 club.
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That sets up a heavyweight championship series between '72-'73 and '85-'86. The '70s squad, led by NBA MVP Dave Cowens, Coach of the Year Tommy Heinsohn, Hall of Fame guard Jo Jo White and franchise leading scorer John Havlicek, won a franchise-record 68 games in '72-'73. While they fell to the New York Knicks in the 1973 Eastern Conference Finals, their 68 wins are the sixth-most ever by an NBA team in the regular season.
But does '72-'73 have enough firepower to slow down the '85-'86 juggernaut?
Powered by the "Big Three" of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish and a strong supporting cast that included Danny Ainge and Sixth Man of the Year Bill Walton, the '85-'86 Celtics were an absolute juggernaut, winning 67 games and going 40-1 at home before rolling through the playoffs (15 wins to just three losses) en route to an NBA title.
So, who will emerge as the best Celtics team of all time? Let's break down the full seven-game series with game-by-game recaps and a complete box score:
'SETTLE THE ARGUMENT' SERIES
Finals: 1985-86 Celtics (No. 1) vs. 1972-73 Celtics (No. 3)
Game 1: '85-'86 Celtics 129, '72-'73 Celtics 120
Larry Bird has made this tournament his personal playground, this time going for a cool 39 points as the No. 1 seed takes the opener by nine in a game that wasn't really that close.
The '85-'86 squad bullied its way to a 22-point lead late in the third, and though '72-'73 gamely cut it to seven with four minutes left, a bucket and trey by Bird settled things.
Game 2: '72-'73 Celtics 120, '85-'86 Celtics 113
Unbowed by an early 12-point deficit that made it look like more of the same from Game 1, '72-'73 fought back to lead at halftime and eventually even the series behind 31 points from Jo Jo White, 21 points and 12 rebounds from John Havlicek and a 17-15 double-double from Paul Silas.
Game 3: '85-'86 Celtics 119, '72-'73 Celtics 107
Bird was held to 15 points and 10 rebounds, but his teammates picked up the slack -- in particular Robert Parish, whose 32 points led all scorers and 14 boards paced his team.
Kevin McHale contributed 21 points as '85-'86 led by as many as 28 in the fourth quarter before garbage time made the score look better.
Game 4: '85-'86 Celtics 128, '72-'73 Celtics 117
In a near wire-to-wire win, seven mid-'80s Celtics scored in double figures to secure the 3-1 series lead.
McHale was the top man with 29 points and 17 boards, while Bird's 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists were useful. '85-'86 didn't trail after a 23-22 first-quarter deficit.
Game 5: '72-'73 Celtics 141, '85-'86 Celtics 126
Figuring it needed to up its offense to stay alive, '72-'73 did just that, exploding for 77 first half points in its biggest output of the tournament.
White (29), Havlicek and Cowens (24 each) all had 20+ points, while Silas and Don Nelson (18 apiece) weren't far behind.
Game 6: '85-'86 Celtics 130, '72-'73 Celtics 126
In the clincher for the top seed, Tournament MVP Bird re-established his earlier dominance, pouring in 34 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists as '85-'86 closed the door on the championship with a late burst.
The '85-'86 squad trailed 120-119 with 3:29 left, but Parish and Dennis Johnson's buckets followed by two by Bird established a seven-point advantage with 2:00 left to secure the title.
McHale's monster 29 points and 24 rebounds and 21 points from Johnson were also pivotal in the win.