I don't know if Boston would've beat Detroit it would've been epic bird never lost to Jordan in the playoffs!! I got the 88/89 season going in my eras lol
@@malakigaminuniverse He would have that year. But the Bulls wanted Detroit. Detroit was the standard as they had won back to back championships, knocking Chicago out 3 straight years. But Chicago still would've had homecourt, Bird did lose to Jordan in Chicago, just not in Boston. And 88-89, Detroit was going to win that year no matter what. Cold hard fact, Bird was done with nba titles after 1986.
@@ILoveOldTWC Celtics started out the season 29-5 with the best record in the Eastern Conference. Had Bird not injured his back shortly before the all-star break the Celtics could've have certainly at least put up a good fight against them if not won the series. Celtics split with the Bulls in the regular season including beating the Bulls at Chicago Stadium. No doubt in my mind with an early 90-91 healthier Bird the Celtics would've put up a better fight against Chicago than the Pistons did
Magic and Bird's last meeting in the NBA Finals was in 1987 and a lot of us may have thought that both teams basically got old and fell off soon after but this video here shows that Bird's Celtics and Magic's Lakers were still elite in 1990-91 as they had 2 of the 3 best records (behind Portland) in the NBA pretty deep into the season. It would have been interesting if Magic and Bird met again in the 1991 NBA Finals with a somewhat different cast of co-stars in guys like Reggie Lewis, Dee Brown, Brian Shaw, Sam Perkins and Vlade Divac mixed in with the holdovers like James Worthy, Byron Scott, A.C. Green, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Some of you in the comments have mentioned that Boston would have had the best record in the East (not Chicago) if Bird didn't miss so many games during the regular season and may have beaten the Bulls in the playoffs. Jordan's Bulls playing Bird's (or Reggie Lewis''!! LOL) Celtics in the 1991 playoffs is actually an interesting hypothetical. Maybe Bird's Celtics would have been the one team who could beat Jordan's Bulls in the playoffs during the Bulls first 3-peat? I think the Bulls would have prevailed because EVERYTHING (Jordan's continued dominance, Pippen becoming elite, Horace Grant's improvement, the collective defense of Jordan-Pippen-Grant-Cartwright, etc.) had come together for them during the 1990-91 season, they weren't going to be denied!! They went 15-2 in the 1991 playoffs and humiliated the defending champion Detroit Pistons! Also, the 1991 Bulls were WAY better than the Bulls teams that lost to the Celtics in the 1986 and 1987 playoffs. I see some of you seem to think Jordan losing to Bird's Celtics early in his career would factor into a hypothetical matchup in 1991. Finally, EVERYONE is right about this brand of basketball in 1991 being WAY better than the GARBAGE nowadays!! Now, everyone just takes three's, misses games when they are healthy, refuses to play real defense and switches teams at the slightest hint of adversity!!
Imagine a healthy Bird on this squad. Id say Larry got the last laugh in the rivalry with this win but considering what happened to Earvin I'll call it a draw. Celtics vs Lakers was more than Bird more than Magic or was Music. Tension and release, maestros in the house.
they trying kill off the 90s NBA im just glad im one of the few Gen Z'ers that appreciates 90s basketball and lets be real 1990s NBA is better than 2020s NBA. they had all time high ratings while the current product is at a all time low
18:36 So what exactly was this screw job on Boston at the end of the 3Q ? Ref blew his whistle yet no goal tending call was made. Was a foul called ? Hubert Evans #1 Laker fan! 😆😂 🤷🏼
I remember the talk was this may be the last chance to see Magic & Bird in the finals. Love the old TNT intro. Each player was so closely associated with their cities. Great memories!
Really sad to see how the game of basketball (both college and NBA) has completely devalued, I rather watch this highlights or any 80s, 90s, early 2000s highlights than todays NBA game.
Devalued and destroyed. Modern NBA is unwachable and there is so much wrong. 3 pointers no post games Awful constant stat overlays Female commentators Bad camera angles Players not playing 3 and no D high scoring Players overly friendly Salaries
@@TRJ2241987That's a fair question... answer is, probably not. Len Bias was labeled as a generational talent, but unfortunately, we'll just never know how the East would've turned out. My other favorite what if is... what if Nick Anderson doesnt miss those 4 free throws in the '95 finals. Who knows if that changes the series and perhaps the Magic win, but would that have kept Penny and Shaq together?
@@John-w2w2q I've heard during the Celtics trophy celebration in 1986, that was largely the speculation from the media, that the Lakers run was going to be over at that point, and the question was how many more Larry Bird would have by the end of the decade, with most thinking the Celtics would win the next three without much competition and become the first to win multiple titles in a row since Russell's teams. And then a string of tragic events came one after the other for the team, along with the rebirth of the Lakers and rise of the Pistons, and changed all of that.
@capitanfuturo594 Ali-Frazier captivated the WORLD. Bird-Magic was compelling but it was basically limited to the United States. Back to where you belong, junior.
@@JAWrightonlineAs a European i can inform you that it wasn't even close. Most European countries didn't know nothing about American boxing in the 60's and 70's
@@georgestamatakis697Muhammad Ali is known universally his fight with Frazier was viewed by 100 million people in European aswell but many propel here in Ireland know who Ali is
In the book Unfinished Business (about the Celtics 1990-91 season) it talks about Divac talking trash about how old Parish was in an interview before this game. Parish was told about the interview and said “Well, Fu** Vlade Divac!” Then he torched him for 21 in the 1st Qtr.
I honestly wish they'd get rid of the 3-point shot. Made sense at the time they implemented it, but the way players use three's nowadays is just wrong. I say, get rid of the 3's and force teams to actually have to beat you playing basketball, not just hucking up 3's.
It’s easy for me to forget how good the 1991 Celtics were. I don’t know how they choked in the 2nd round to a Pistons team running on fumes from 3 straight Finals appearances.
@@TheSands83Oh absolutely, instead he swept the defending champions. Which he would've beaten them in 1990 if he had a tad bit more help because he was beating Detroit more than Boston an LA was.
Just imagine this team with a Dominique Wilkins type player. That’s who Len Bias would’ve been if not better for the Celtics. Len Bias & Reggie Lewis would’ve made Boston a title contender all throughout the 1990’s.
The year before - the first year post Kareem - the Lakers won an NBA best 63 games but were bounced by the Suns. This season they won 58 games. I remember they suffered injuries to their starters in the NBA Finals. This Celtics squad, despite Larry Bird shooting a paltry 45% from the field, shot over 51% as a team and was 5th in the NBA in scoring. That year the Pistons were near the cellar in team scoring. But in the playoffs, despite a meager output in offense in Game 1 ( a Pistons victory with 86 points ) - their other three victories were very convincing offensive outputs exceeding well over 100 points on the 3 game average of those victories. I am sure that Boston would have given the Bulls a run for their money - as the Pistons didn't and were swept. But quite frankly as good as the Celtics were in their prime and even subsequently down the road as much as the touted success the Bulls would accomplish ........ Showtime was and is the best NBA team ever to play on hardwood!
6:52 Chief was a little bit surprised by that no look from Bird so he had to improvise on the spot. He went with a particular move/shot knowd by many around the NE USA as the “Calamity Flap”. Fortunately it went in. Sadly I have witnessed occasions when Chief actually did miss the “Calamity Flap” shot. I believe that Hubert Brown referred to it as a “Dipsee Doo” or some such term. Imagine Kareem is known for his legendary “Sky Hook” while Chief is known for the “Dipsee Doo”😂🥲 I would be genuinely embarrassed for him.
I watched this game at that time & it was very different without McHale as the pace was a lot faster. Lewis, Shaw, Gamble were the 3 new young Wings to play a more up-tempo style as the old big 3 ages & retries. Lewis was also regarded as the toughest player guarded Jordan as well. Unfortunately, he passed away. Tragic. RIP.
This season was supposed to be the passing of the torch to Len Bias and Reggie Lewis and birth of the Bulls and Celtics rivalry of the 90s. Tragically they both passed away and Bulls just dominated the 90s without a real rivalry.
Lakers would make it to the finals and lose to the Bulls. Parrish monster game here 29 I think - bring back Kareem to guard this guy. Worthy showing those great post moves. Reggie Lewis also playing well.
They hadn't even won anything yet. If Bird didn't miss 20 something games with his back, Boston would've won the East. They finished 2 games behind Chicago & Bird missed 20. The Pistons were the back2back champs. There was no Chicago yet
@mongoslade277 I know you're being technical and I get it but Magic retired after the 90-91 season bird retired right before the 92-93 season magic played a pre season game but didn't want to play cause players we're "nervous" and protest he played the 92 all star game
This is Magic and Bird's final "Regular" season game. Magic's Lakers and Bird's Celtics, matched up for 2 preseason games before the 1991-92 season.1 in Boston,1 in L.A.
@@ShaadsComicsandBeers Not at all. The Bulls ascended. But it did coincide with the great teams of the 80's aging out. The tragedy is they didn't have equitable rival, which is why people ignorantly disparage the era.
@@manuginobilisbaldspot2 I love how you said that (and I'm not being sarcastic). It does make a lot of sense when you say it that way. The Celtics drafted well in the mid 80s but we know how those pics unfortunately turned out. Tbf the Knicks were that one team that pushed the Bulls. If the Bulls were any less better than they were the Knicks probably beat them a couple times. I grew up a Bulls fan and loved every minute of that 6 ring era and miss the hell out of it too lol 🤣🤣🤣🤣 so forgive me if I sound a little biased.
Doesn’t matter anyway. It wasn’t the Celtics they played in the ECF it was Detroit. Michael’s Bulls never beat Bird and the celts in a playoff series. In fact bird swept Mike in two of the series they played in.
1991LAKERS/ MAGIC JOHNSON, BYRON SCOTT, JAMES WORTHY, SAM PERKINS, VLADE DIVAC, TERRY TEAGLE, ELDEN CAMPBELL, AC GREEN, VS 1991 CELTICS/ BRIAN SHAW, REGGIE LEWIS, LARRY BIRD, KEVIN MCHALE, ROBERT PARRISH, BRAD LOHAUS, DEE BROWN, FRED ROBERTS
Bird played that whole season with a bad back (missing a lot of games then and next year), but still had an 11/11/11 triple double that night. Shot poorly, but did other things on this second night of a back to back. Magic had a very very good game. You can find the numbers online.
Wow, it's so interesting to see Mike was barely even featured in the intro graphics (justifiably, since he hadn't won a title yet). He was maybe the 10th player for half a second in the intro sequence.
First time since 1984 that the Forum matchup wasn't following Daytona (of course with NBC replacing CBS that was sort of a given) They did play on Super Sunday a few weeks earlier