(already subscribe? log in).

Greatest of the green? The top 10 Celtics teams of all time

THIS STORY APPEARED IN

August 27, 2011|By Bob Ryan

Robert Parish, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, left to right, were pillars… (AP )

This was a championship for a Lost Generation of Boston Celtics fans.

These are people for whom Bill Russell, the greatest winner in American team sports, and Bob Cousy, the legendary "Houdini of the Hardwood," are like figures out of King Arthur's tales. These are people for whom John Havlicek, basketball's consummate 'sixth man," and Dave Cowens, the mercurial redheaded center, are as personally relevant as comic book characters. These are people for whom even the great Larry Bird is just some guy wearing short-shorts who pops up occasionally on ESPN Classic.

These are the people who were too young to mourn fallen soldiers Reggie Lewis and Len Bias. These are the people who do not think hard-bodied young women gyrating in the interests of Celtics Green is a sacrilege. These are people who could not imagine entering an arena that did not have a Jumbotron and music and fireworks and who could not possibly imagine that, once upon a time, a portly organist named John Kiley stirred the Boston Garden crowd by playing the "Mexican Hat Dance."

These are the people who were either very sad or very angry when general manager Danny Ainge first traded Antoine Walker, a player their elders generally loathed. These are the people who text instant observations to friends in Singapore. And these are the people who hungered for a Celtics championship they could call their own, one accomplished in their building with their heroes.

Celtics championship No. 17 belongs to them.

The Celtics began winning championships in the Eisenhower Administration with players born either before or during the Great Depression. They continued winning through the Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Reagan administrations before hitting a snag following the 1986 championship. Now, after a 22-year wait, they have won a championship under the stewardship of George Bush with players born after man first walked on the moon.

This is a remarkable team, put together in record time by Ainge, a member of the 1984 and 1986 championship teams, and coached by Glenn "Doc" Rivers, a 13-year NBA veteran who had his heart broken on more than one occasion by some of those aforementioned championship teams. It has been built around the considerable talents of three great veterans - captain Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, and brilliantly augmented by a beguiling combination of experienced, savvy players and eager, youthful ones.

And it is one of the great Celtics teams of all-time. Here's one man's list of the best in Green.

10. 1968-69 Record : 48-34 Playoff record : 12-6 Result : Championship