Bruins Making Off-Season Moves

Is it too early to get excited for the Bruins? Screw it, I'm pumped. Here's what the Bruins organization has been up to this week:

First and foremost, Dennis Wideman is no longer on the team. He spent three seasons in Boston and finished this past season with 6 goals and 24 assists (30 points) in 76 games. In my humble opinion, he was the team's biggest liability during the post-season, but I digress ...

In exchange for Wideman, the B's picked up forwards Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell. Both forwards are from the Florida Panthers (Wideman's new home). Horton, a 25-year-old who has acquired 295 points (142 goals and 153 assists) in 422 regular season games, was drafted by the Panthers in the first round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Campbell, who is just a year older than Horton, was drafted by the Panthers in the third round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Last season he score 2 goals and 15 assists for 17 points in 60 games. Both additions are 6'0"+, 200+ lbs and carry big offensive sticks.

All this and we are just hours away the draft where we will be finding out the answer to the big question: Taylor or Tyler?

Still in a State of Celtics Denial

So here we are, one week from that bleeping game 7 of the NBA finals.  I really thought we were gonna do it.  After a roller coaster of a regular season, the C's flipped the switch and looked pumped to make another championship run.  Unfortunately our guys in green came up short.  After beating up on the Cavs and Magic, I thought we had a real great shot against the Lakers, bringing home banner 18.  I thought wrong. 

After the game I took a few days hiatus from watching ESPN, and listening to WEEI.  I'm a poor sport when it comes to losing to that rapist Kobe Bryant, Arrogant Phil Jackson and the rest of that team from L.A.  I wouldn't be as pissed off if we lost to the Spurs, Suns, or any other Western conference team.  All week I had that Patriots / Giants sickening feeling in my stomach.  Fortunately the Red Sox are playing real well, thus taking my mind off that terrible end to a hell of a playoff run.

To make things worse the Celtics have many unanswered questions this off- season.  It looks like Doc Rivers is going to be leaving.  Stud assistant coach Tom Thibodeau is heading to the Bulls.  Ray Allen, Tony Allen and 6 others are free agents.  Next year Pierce and KG will be another year older.  Sheed is apparently retiring. Perk is out for most of next season. Who knows what Ainge has up his sleeve for tonight's draft?…  Damn I hate to be a pessimist but this might have been this group's last hurrah.  Too bad they played an abortion of a game 6.  That was the one they shoulda took.

Boston had a 13 point lead with about 8 mins left in the third corner, and things were looking real good.  The beers were flowing and I was ready to celebrate into the early hours of Friday morning.  Yes I had to work at 5:30 a.m. but I was all ready to pull an all nighter hoping the redbulls would do their job.  Son of a bitch… I wish that had played out.

Whelp they gave it their all.  Nobody wanted it more then KG, Pierce, Ray Ray, Rondo etc…  Even Sheed was giving his best effort that we saw all year, busting his balls with a bad back.  Yes it would have been nice if Ray hit a few of his shots, if Perkins was able to play, if we didn't foul the bejesus out of Gasol and Bryant in the forth quarter.  But oh well, "it is what it is" -Belichick. 

Quote of the Day

"I hope they remember me as a good guy who played hard. I wasn't Michael Jordan, but I was somebody called Manute Bol."

- Manute Bol (October 16, 1962 – June 19, 2010)  

Manute Bol passed away on Saturday after suffering from severe kidney damage and Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare skin disorder. He was 47 years old.

Standing 7' 7" tall, Bol played 10 years in the NBA (for Washington, Golden State, Philadelphia and Miami) as the league's tallest player. His NBA career ended in 1994 with a total of 2,086 blocked shots and 1,599 points, making him the only player with more blocks than points scored.

He was most recognized, however, for his humanitarian work in Africa. Bol spent the majority of his NBA earnings supporting various causes related to his worn-torn homeland of Sudan. He was involved in many foundations that focused on saving lives and educating children in Sudan. 

Out of Gas

I really appreciate that Boston BarstoolSports will be handling today's post-game thoughts. I agree with mostly everything written here ... and it allows me to keep on forgetting what happened last night.

Out of Gas

A Boston Eulogy

We have absolutely no interest in discussing tonight's events. In fact, T1AOB will be taking a brief hiatus after tonight's game. Please feel free to email us (oneandonlyblog@gmail.com) with your thoughts and reactions to tonight's disaster. We will be assembling a mailbag reaction piece once our collective brain aneurysms subside.

Oh ya, and f*** you Ron Artest.

Sox Quietly Playing Some Great Ball

The Celtics are playing in game 7 tonight, against the Lakers for the championship. Not much in the sports world is bigger than that. Most New England fans have been focusing mainly on them recently, over looking the fact that the Sox have been playing great baseball for the past few weeks. After a rocky start to the season it appeared that this might not be their year. But here we are June 17th and the Sox are 39-28 and are only 3 games behind both the Rays and the Yankees. 3 mesely games…

Their starting pitching has been great thus far with Lester and Buchholz leading the way, and can only get better when a healthy Josh Beckett returns to their staff. The defense also has been very solid. Entering the season offense was their biggest question, and they are hitting the crap out of the ball. They are second in the league in runs scored with 365 (only 1 behind the stacked Yankees). The surprising thing is that they've been hitting great with Darnell Mcdonald, and Daniel Nava, and a few other minor leaguers in their everyday line up. Ellsbury has been out most of the season with cracked ribs, Hermida is now hurt, and Cameron isn't quite ready to play everyday. It's scary to think what might happen when they are completely healthy.

So yes I admit the Sox have taken a back seat to the C's, and with good reason. Manny Ramirez and the L.A. Dodgers come into town tomorrow for a weekend series. Fenway Park will be crazily electric for Mannywood's return as we make our transition back to baseball. After tonight's game (and hopefully a few days of celebrating ahead) we can focus on our beloved Sox 100% the rest of the summer.

Enter the X-Factor

With 5:30 left in the first quarter, Boston Center Kendrick Perkins landed awkwardly on his right knee and was helped to the locker room. He was later diagnosed with a sprained knee. Doc's initial post-game diagnosis was that a start for Perk in Game 7 "doesn't look great".

"It would be tough if he can't (play)," Rivers said. "Somebody else is just going to have to step forward."

Well, it has been confirmed that Perkins tore his MCL and PCL and will not be playing tomorrow night. So who will get the nod? 

Celtic reserves include Glen Davis, Rasheed Wallace, the seldom-used Sheldon Williams AND Brian Scalabrine. Sheed or Big Baby will clearly be getting the start but Scal will be active for Thursday night's game. Yaaay! Who doesn't love a 6' 9" hometown version of Rudy? T1AOB certainly does.

Granted, he's a below-average rebounder, but he is significantly less of a liability than Williams. And he is far less likely to make poor basketball decisions (read: missing a wide-open dunk in Game 6. Yikes). Hell, the way this postseason is going, there is a strong possibility that he could prove to be the X-factor in Game 7. 

Bynum tweaked his knee again on Tuesday, which makes him a question mark for Game 7 as well. He'll play but his effectiveness will be questionable at best. This might be the silver lining in the Perk situation for the Celtics. Odom will definitely be easier to defend against in the paint for all three of the C's big men.

Very little could make me happier tomorrow than watching the Celtic's take the national championship from Kobe and his Lakers, except maybe this ...............

 "determined to overcome the odds and fulfill his dream of playing for Notre Dame the Boston Celtics ..."

Game 6 Recap

Let's face it. Last night, the Celtic's were out rebounded, out worked and out hustled. 

WTF. Not much more to say about that ... So let's reflect on some other moments:

My hate for Pau Gasol grew even deeper last night and, for the record, I was unaware that that was possible. This picture does make me feel better though:

Nice purse, douche.

It seems like Khloe gave Lamar his balls back for Game 6. That's unfortunate. Former URI Ram or not, I still like him best when he is a non-factor.

Ron Artest didn't disappoint as he, yet again, incorporated cheap shots into his game. 

In closing, I will leave you with the true source of destruction for the Boston Celtics. In a pregame interview, he was quoted as saying "momentum is in our favor ... everyone is healthy ...". Ya. Thanks for that.

Dear Twitter: This Game Blows.

Tonight's the Night

I'm speaking on behalf of all Celtics fans here.  Entering the playoffs we didn't know what to expect from these guys.  After such a turbulent regular season, we didn't know how far they were gonna go.  Were they too old and battered?  Would they win the first series then get ousted by the Cavs? Or could they flip the switch and make a legit run at banner #18.  Whelp, to our pleasant surprise they flipped the shit out of the switch and are just 1 win away from glory.

Boston has been more physical, have played better D, and have a much better bench.  Yes L.A. has the better player, but we have the better team.  KG, Pierce, and Ray know what is at stake tonight and realize this may be their last shot.  Rondo is as confident and competitive as he's ever been.  This is why we got Sheed and he's playing the best he has played all year.  Then we got Big Baby and Lil Nate providing a huge spark off our bench.  Oh yeah and how about Scalabrine?  He rocks a mean suit, and is one hell of a cheerleader.

Tonight's the night.  We need to end it in 6.  Game 7's are crap shoots, and wouldn't be good for our blood pressure / bar tabs.  We've got the momentum, and Kobe is on the verge of a meltdown.  Ron Arteset is flustered, Odom is soft, Bynum isn no where near 100%, Fisher's flops are no longer working, and we are now in Gasol's ugly head.  Phil "the Zen Master" Jackson has no answers, and the Larry O'brien trophy is here for the taking.  Hopefully there's no referee shenanigans and they let them play (like the they have for the last 2 games).  The Celtics are a great road team and need to KO the Lakers TONIGHT.

‘I Don’t Care, Go Get A Hit.’

‘I don’t care, go get a hit.’

That was Terry Francona’s response when Daniel Nava asked him where his ‘folks’ were sitting, prior to his first MLB at bat.

Nava, a 27-year-old left fielder, then sent a fastball from Joe Blanton into Boston’s bullpen, giving the Sox a 5-2 lead over the Phillies. He is the second player in the major league to hit a grand slam on the first pitch of his career (the first player was Kevin Kouzmanoff on Sept. 2, 2006 while he was with Cleveland).

His second at bat was another grand slam situation, this one ending in a strikeout on a check swing against Blanton. Nava finished the night 2-for-4.

Nava’s story began at Santa Clara University … as the baseball team’s equipment manager. Unable to afford to stay at SCU, Nava eventually found himself playing at a junior college, the College of San Mateo. He spent his senior year back at Santa Clara, this time as a player.

Undrafted out of college, he signed with the Chico Outlaws and was the MVP of the independent Golden League in 2007. He was named the No. 1 independent league prospect by Baseball America. Boston bought his rights for $1 in 2008. He began with the Red Sox at Class A Lancaster in 2008 then moved on to Double-A Portland in 2009. He played 54 games in Pawtucket this season, hitting .294 (8 HRs), 38 RBIs and a .364 OBP. With Ellsbury and Hermida on the DL, Nava got his big break and was called up to play left field and bat ninth.

The rest, as they say, is history …

Weekly Wrap-Up

1. Steven Strasburg is the stud of studs when it comes to young pitchers in MLB.  He has the filthiest stuff we have seen in a long time and hopefully the Nats play it right and don't over use him, aka pull a Kerry Wood with him.
2. Is it cynical that I picture David Stern in an under ground Dr. Evil layer, petting a cat, demanding his refs to make certain calls, and ordering a Celtics/Lakers game 7.
3. Big Baby / Nate Robinson = Shrek /Donkey = flat out hilarious.
4. Red Sox doctor Thomas Gill said today that Jacoby Ellsbury has cracked ribs and might be out until the all-star break.  Really Sox medical staff/doctors?  2 months later and we finally get a complete diagnosis of his injury.
5. With Allen about to become a unrestricted free-agent and Pierce's early termination option, Game 5 could be the last time the Big-3 play at the Garden together ... how heartbreaking is that?
6. Tom Izzo is rumored to take over the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Bad idea making the jump to the pros Tom, ie. John Calapari, Rick Pitino, Tim Floyd, Mike Montgomery, Nick Saban, Steve Spurrier… STAY IN MICHIGAN, guy.
7. Looks like someone else is interested in LeBron: the Harlem Globetrotters. They can offer him part-ownership, NBA teams can't. Hey, what's good enough for Wilt Chamberlain ...
8. Any coincidence that Pete Carroll left USC, then months later they get in trouble for their Reggie Bush shenanigans…
9. The Celtics are tied with the Lakers 2-2, and they have yet to play an all around great game.  It would be nice to see the Big 3 + Rondo all go off in the same game… Scary.
10. Can Pau Gasol please miss a shot! Seriously.
11. If the refs let the Celts and Lakers play, the C's have the definite edge. 
12. The fact that Wes Welker practiced with the team this week, albeit with a heavy knee brace, is a promising sign. He was stepping over bags in agility drills, cutting through cones, and running a hook route in which he must stop abruptly and turn back for the ball. Speculation of a Week 1 return has already begun. 
13. Did you see Lady Gaga at the Mets game removing clothing, drinking a beer, and flipping the bird?  Sadly, T1AOB now likes her even more now.

Pumped for Soccer…Huh?

Hmmmmm.  Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, something Altidore, and Freddy Adu.  Wait what? Adu isn't playing? Oh.  Those are the only players on Team USA that I can name off the top of my head.  My soccer knowledge is limited at best.  I've probably watched about 2o minutes of the Revolution this year and another 20 watching Univision hoping to catch broadcaster Andres Cantor yell GOOOOOAAAAAALL!  So why am I so  pysched for the upcoming World Cup?

I love sports.  I love all sports.  I really enjoy the Olympics because you get to see games you don't get to see every day.  I consider myself a student of the sports world, and like watching meaningful sports that aren't that popular here in the U.S.  Just this past winter we got a treat watching the young under dog U.S. hockey team make a hell of a run in Vancouver, taking home the silver.  Bars were packed, bringing us all together as a nation rooting on our boys in red, white and blue.  I was slapping high fives with Yankee fans and Lakers fans (something I never do).  As local fans we all became nationally united.

Soccer/futbol is by far the most popular sport in the world, and the FIFA World Cup is the international Super Bowl.  I have a date with the T.V. Saturday at 2:30 on ABC.  Team USA is opening the tourney in Rustenburg, South Africa, taking on heavy favored England.  I plan on watching every minute (that I can) of Team USA's games, and I'll even tune into random games as well.  I'll check out the Brazils, Spains, and Italys of the world to see the best of the best. I also am looking forward to seeing the crazy hooligan fans, and hearing their chants throughout each game as they root on their countries.

The 2010 FIFA world cup has created a buzz, and I've heard many fellow non- soccer fans who are also looking forward to this year's tourney.  It all starts for Team USA tomorrow when they face off with the Beckham-less Brits.  We are in group C with England, Algeria, and Slovenia.  They will play a round robin and the two teams with the most points will move on.  Hopefully our boys can make an entertaining run unlike 2006 when they got ousted after round 1.  A nice upset against England would be a nice start and you never know.  Remember that little event in history, The Revolutionary war? 

NBA Playoffs Karma

Karma – n. Hinduism & Buddhism. The total effect of a person's actions and conduct during the successive phases of the person's existence, regarded as determining the person's destiny. Fate; destiny. You get what you give.

Last night, late in the 1st quarter, Pierce was celebrating under the basket when he punched the air and ended up connecting with referee Eddie Rush’s face. As the AP put it, “it’s the first recorded case in NBA finals history of someone trying to punch the air – and missing.” Who would have guessed that out of both line-ups, it would be Pierce who jacked a ref?

In case you forgot: Rush was the referee who called the second technical that got Perk ejected and landed him a one-game suspension (later rescinded). Karma?

You have to appreciate the local color breaking down the play by play

Wait. Is This The Celtics vs. The Lakers … Or The Celtics vs. The Refs?

Tonight is a virtual must-win for the Celtics but the question can’t help but be asked: who are they really playing, the Lakers or the refs?

I know, I know. The officiating has been the biggest story line of this series. Not to get all Tim Donaghy on you but it has been pretty ridiculous … and before all you pretentious LA fans work yourselves up in to a tizzy, I agree that your team has suffered because of it as well. 

The Boston Celtics have been called for nine more personal fouls than the Lakers through the first three games of the series. Doc Rivers responded to Game 3 of the series by sending videotape highlighting several uncalled fouls against LA to the NBA league office. The biggest offense, according to Rivers, was a series of uncalled moving screen violations committed by the Lakers.

In the series thus far, the Celtics have amassed 84 personal fouls with Pierce and KG counting for 26 of them (13 apiece).

In each of the first three games of this series, one of The Big Three has been silenced due to foul trouble. Starting from the beginning: Ray Allen was called for (at least) two questionable fouls in Game 1 and, therefore, played only 27 minutes; Kevin Garnett spent more than half of Game 2 sitting on the bench after two quick fouls; Game 3 was Paul Pierce’s turn where fouls limited him to 34 minutes of playing time.

On the flip side of the coin, the Lakers have totaled 75 personal fouls in three games of play and Lamar Odom leads the squad with 14. Ron Artest was a nonfactor in Game 3 after being called for two quick fouls while both Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher battled foul trouble in Game 2.

The C’s need to walk away from tonight’s game with a win, plain and simple. I’m not sitting here hoping that it’s the Lakers turn tonight for some bullshit calls (though, if you are keeping track, it is). What I am hoping for is that ALL of the Big Three show up tonight ready to play AND that they are allowed the opportunity to fall into a rhythm and play with some momentum. That is the kind of basketball I want to watch … not this rubbish.

KG reacting to one of the many terrible calls this series.

Thank you Theo, for not trading Clay

Clay Buchholz came to our attention in 2007 when he threw a no hitter against the Baltimore Orioles, in just his second career MLB start.  He was just 22 years old then and was still only a "prospect".  Then came 2008, and YIKES.  Sox fans didn’t know what to think after he posted a miserable 2-9 record and a 6.75 ERA.  He did rack up 72 strikeouts in 76 innings, which was a good sign, but this was not the poised kid we saw for a brief stint in 07.  In 2009 he started the year for the Sox, struggled, got sent down to Pawtucket, then came back and finished the year pretty strong with the Sox. 

For the past few years we have heard his name brought up in hundreds of different trade scenarios.  Whether it was for Johan Santana, Roy Halladay, Adrian Gonzalez, Cliff Lee… you name the trade rumor Buchholz was involved one way or the other.  Sox fans liked him but didn't think he was ever going to live up to all of his hype.  We were ready to give him up for one of these MLB studs.  Fortunately Theo didn't pull the trigger and held onto him, because he is now pitching like a stud himself.

So far this year Clay is 8-3 with a prettttyyyyy good 2.39 ERA.  He's won his last 5 starts and has been pitching like a Cy Young candidate of late.  He's only given up 4 earned runs in his last 36 innings pitched.  That is flat out filthy.  I'm wishing I had drafted him for my fantasy team.  Beckett is once again hurt, and Clay jumps right in and fills his "ace" void providing a sick 1,2 punch with Clydesdale Jon Lester. 

This past off-season we were ready to trade Buchholz because we were in desperate need of a power bat in our lineup with the loss of Jay Bay, and still hurting from Manny's absence.  Most of us were fretting because of the sketchy line up the Sox would be throwing out there every day.  Here we are 60 games into the season and our offense is not a problem at all.  The Sox are second in the league scoring runs (321), and are second in home runs with 79.  So again, good no trade Theo.  Oh yeah congrats to Clay as well as he is married to Briefcase model # 26 from Deal or No Deal.

Game 3: Any Means Necessary

There has been so much hype leading up to Game 3 of the Finals. Tied at one apiece, the Lakers and the Celtics both recognize that tonight’s win is crucial. My morning commute was filled with radio hosts and listeners each sharing their strategy for a C’s win but Scott Zolak (98.5 The Sports Hub) said it best: The Celtic’s must win by any means necessary.

Boston needs all of the Big 3 to step up. Ray Allen was practically flawless in Game 2, hitting a record-setting eight three pointers and finishing the night with 32 points. KG and PP, on the other hand, combined for a measly 16 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Garnett will need to be a factor tonight, especially on the defensive end containing the increasingly physical Gasol.

Rajon Rondo continued his dominance on the court in Sunday night’s game, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds and racking up a triple-double (19-12-10), becoming the first Celtic to do so in the Finals since Larry Bird in 1986. His intensity will be necessary to fuel the next home-court wins. In this postseason, when Rondo registers a +/- of +2 or better, the Celtic’s are 13-0.

Foul trouble has been a huge issue through the first two games for Boston’s big men. KG and Perk seem to be targets for the whistle-happy refs. Fortunately, Davis and Wallace have stepped up big off the bench and, if this foul-trend repeats, they will be expected to continue to do so.

In a nutshell, the C’s need a full team effort in tonight … they need the win and here’s why: since 1985, when the NBA Finals are tied 1-1, the winner of Game 3 has gone on to win the Championship on all 10 occasions. In NBA Finals history, the winner of Game 3 (in 1-1 scenario) has a 28-4 record (87.5%).

Any. Means. Necessary.

Basketball’s Greatest Rivalry

We are seven hours away from the commencement of the 64^th Championship Series in the NBA and, more importantly, the showdown that we have been waiting for since … well … June 2008, really.

Dan Shaughnessy described Boston’s Game 6 win in that series as “LA’s humiliation in Boston two years ago”. And by humiliating, he means losing by the largest margin of victory ever in a championship-clinching game (39 points).

The year following that loss, Phil Jackson and his Lakers won the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy by defeating the Orlando Magic in a five game series. Kobe et al. can pretend like it didn’t matter it was the Magic and not the Celtics that were the second-best that season, but they’d be lying. And everyone would know it.

The rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the LA Lakers is not just the greatest within the NBA but across all professional sports, meeting for a chance at the championship a record total of 12 times. To put this in perspective, the Red Sox and the Yankees have only squared off in the ALCS a total of three times.

The two teams first met in the NBA Finals in 1959 when the Lakers were still in Minneapolis, which resulted in a four game sweep by the Celtics. Boston went on to win the next seven consecutive matchups (’62, ’63, ’65, ’66, ’68, ’69 and ’84). The Lakers rallied twice in the eighties, defeating the C’s in both 1985 and 1987. Most recently, the Celtics beat the Lakers in a six game series in 2008.

The 1969 Championship largely revolved around the Bill Russell-Wilt Chamberlain rivalry. Though the feud between the two mainly took place while Wilt the Stilt was playing for the Warriors and the 76ers, it was definitely enhanced during the ’69 season. The teams would not meet again in the Finals for over a decade.

Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson played key roles in renewing the matchup – the two faced off in the ’84, ’85 and ’87 Finals. In addition to playing on opposing teams, the two embodied a number of other rivalries including: east vs west, blue collar vs Hollywood glamour, old school vs new school and white vs black. When the two retired, the rivalry temporarily subsided …

… Until …

The two teams met for the first time in the Finals in 21 years in 2008. Now, Boston fans are being told, that Kobe is a man on mission. He wants another ring and he wants it at the Celtics’ (read: Pierce and Allen’s) expense. Will he finally get it? Or will the Celtics walk away with their 10^th win in 12 meetings?

Another chapter in basketball’s most storied rivalry is about to unfold. Here we go.

Beat LA!

We’ve all heard the chants echoing from the Garden: “Beat LA! Beat LA! Beat LA!” … But do you know why we chant this same phrase over and over?

Interestingly enough, the origins of this chant actually stem from the Celtics-76ers Eastern Conference Finals in 1982. The Boston Celtics had come back from a 3-1 deficit and forced a game 7 in the Garden but were unable to defeat series MVP Julius Erving and his Philadelphia 76ers. With 26 seconds remaining in the game and the C’s trailing by 12 points, the hometown crowd acknowledged the crushing end of their season.

Recognizing that the archrival 76ers would be advancing to play the much-hated LA Lakers for the Championship, Boston fans united behind a simple chant of encouragement: “Beat LA”.

"You hear what the crowd is chanting to the Sixers? 'Beat LA'" said CBS color commentator and Celtics legend Bill Russell as he watched his former team lose the final game of the series, 120-106. "Beat LA. That's great," replied Dick Stockton.

What probably goes unappreciated by many fans today is how intense the Philly-Boston rivalry was during the eighties.  Much like the Sox-Yankees, the two teams would never play each other for the championship. Instead, they had to go through the other to get there (and as any Boston fan can tell you, these can be the most satisfying wins). The two teams in the early part of the decade were flat out dangerous; the Celtics had Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish, Cedric Maxwell, Danny Ainge and Tiny Archibald while the 76’ers had Julius Erving, Bobby Jones, Maurice Cheeks, Caldwell Jones, Darryl Dawkins and Andrew Toney. These two teams battled during this seven game series for the opportunity to advance. Ultimately, the 76ers won the war.

Jim Sullivan of Watertown, MA surmised the event best when he said: “in the midst of a heartbreaking defeat, they were cheering on their most hated rivals. They were, at that moment, the classiest fans in all of sport.”