Amazing piece analyzing a downright insulting comparison. Loved the stat-work. Any way you look at it, Bird was superior.
I have felt the same about Tommy over the years as you, a loveable clown. I can't take him anymore. It’s obvious why he would pump-up Pierce, but your theory that he never embraced the 80’s team makes a lot of sense.
WOW! I can't believe how good that article is. Great job. I whole-heartedly agree with you.
I posted a link to this site on C-Blog, if it doesn't get taken down you may see some new names posting here.
Wow.... Someone needs to get a life, under 2 minutes and my posting on C-Blog was taken down and deleted. Sorry DC, this article should be read by all.
thanks for trying RickyD, but fuck it, we don't need them. Thanks for the nice words too.
Fucking excellent essay! Thanks. Tommy should try to find a little self-respect, or he should retire.
great stuff chestnutt.
With all the stat work, I'm surprised you didn't take into account the significant downshift in scoring and shooting percentage over the last 20 years. Their stats need to be placed in context. Bird wouldn't have had as much fun with Ron Artest in his face.
DC if you get the chance, email me. santosmba@comcast.net
What? The "downshift" in overall scoring is due to bad shooting, not great defense. In the 80's, the majority of players could actually hit mid-range jumpers. Now, only RIP Hamilton can.
Wow, great stuff. The best writing I've seen yet about the Bird vs. Pierce "controversy".
I was really impressed that your brought up the 78-79/79-80 teams (79-80 being Bird's rookie season) and 88-89 (his ankle injury) as proof that Bird made his supporting cast more than they made Bird. People always forget about his rookie season and how low expectations were. The 88-89 team even had a decent backup point guard in Brian Shaw and a coming-of-age Reggie Lewis and they still won fifteen fewer games than that 87-88 team.
Unforuntately, now that the comparison has gotten some traction in the press, Heinson will probably go to even crazier lengths to defend it.
Just got back from NYC where I was trying to plant seeds for a Knicks-Doom site, but realized it's called the NYPost.
Anyway, thanks for all the nice words. Cerebus, I was actually going to bring up Reggie being on the 88 team, but the whole thing was ridiculously long to begin with. It'll be interesting tonight to see if Heinsohn keeps beating the drum. I doubt he or FSN read this site, but he's had to have heard some shit from someone about it.
Charlie, that's true, I didn't acknowledge the scoring downswing, and while I am not a stat person, I'd intuitively find it difficult to think that Bird's scoring ability would be drastically impacted by today's defensive schemes. I suppose one could argue that Pierce's stats don't translate precisely to Bird's era either, one where over-expansion had not diluted the league, where the strike had not yet happened and the sense of fraternity that many argue has drastically impacted the competion had not yet made it a league of friends rather than competitors. Lots of factors, probably more than I can think of now, make any comparison less than pure. But I don't think it invalidates the basic arguement. And Bird had to play against Michael Cooper, who was his own personal Artest.
I can't believe celticsblog took down RDFans' post of this excellent piece written by the Doctor. Cblog stinks worse than my motherfucking asshole.
A double tittypoint to Doctor Chestnutt. My only regret is we never got to see Bird with Len Bias; who knows what could have happened then.
Stnx... You don't even know the half of it. I go to that "other" site alot... I can't believe they bounced that. I understand the precept behind it, but I was one of the original "chatters" on the boston.com site. Shouldn't that count for something? I am also a raging drunk... It's beer time! WooHaaa!
Dr. Chestnutt... I just posted your article again on C-Blog. Not-editted. I may be banned for life, but if one extra person reads it, I will feel fulfilled!
DC - That's for you... Big ups on the article... It's worth the consequences. Although that means you and PO/Jerky have to step it up 
RDF, that's about a nice of a compliment as a writer can get, I think, to have someone pass along their work under threat of duress. I appreciate it very much.
I was admittedly irritated when I heard Jeff pulled yr original posting, just because it had nothing to do with CBlog or Jerky/PO (not to mention that he's always been nothing but a gentleman to me personally), but he runs a family friendly site and I can understand if he doesn't want links to a site full of references to tittyfucking, brokeback mt, et al. I would truly hope he doesn't kick you off for posting just the words of the article.
As for writing more material, hahaha, you know we're unreliable. But thanks again for sticking yr neck out for Celticsdoom, we certainly don't deserve such kindness... but we'll take it.
tittyfuck - re: Len Bias, no sadder words in life than "what titties could have been."
Also wanted to thank Jerky for coming out of hiding - we miss you dude.
there aren't enough arrows in the quiver to take down chestnutt.
If the Celtics lose and no one cares except those that want a higher pick does it really count.
nice to see celticsblog has deemed this season a "sucess".
You should have checked up on your facts before writing this. "as an aside, it is telling that it is only on FSN promos you’ll see the Sportschannel camera angle and Gorman’s call from Game 5 against the Pistons in 1987 when Bird stole the ball. Everywhere else you’ll see CBS’s shot and hear Johnny Most)" Stop with the conspiracy theory here. FSNE bought Sportschannel so therefore would not pay extra money for a CBS clip when they have their own archives full of 25 years of Celtics basketball.
you're right Chris, it was a shocking factual error, you are quite the detective. Actually, if you re-read it, the point is not the FSN/Sportschannel uses their own footage, but that other outlets, such as TNT, ESPN, official Celtics DVD's, etc, use the CBS angle and Johnny Most. It wasn't really much of a point one way or the other, which is why it was included in parentheses, just more of an observation that the broadcast legend of the 1980's Celtics was Johnny Most, not Tommy Heinsohn (and yes Chris, I understand that Most was on the radio, but people like me used to turn Sportschannel's volume down and play the radio). But that you would harp on a paranthetical aside amidst 2000 other words and come here to give me shit about it is telling about yr own motives, conspiracy theory or no.
oh wait, are you the Chris we like? The one who comments here sometimes? Sorry if you are, I thought you were some fanboy idiot giving me mere reactionary shit. If you're the good Chris, then I reiterate my above point only more gently. If you're not, meaning, if you are some fanboy idiot coming here to give me shit and are not the Chris who visits here and we like, then feel free to be offended. Carry on.
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