In any sport, there arrives an era where a giant falls into slumber and a new force arises. In the 1980s, this was epitomized by the decline of Kevin McHale and Larry Bird‘s Celtics and the rise of Michael Jordan and his upstart, the Chicago Bulls.
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The transition wasn’t a clear-cut one-and-done though. Jordan’s Bulls went through some turbulent times and the Celtics offered a clear roadblock to their plans.
Bird and the Celtics won 3 Championships and 5 Conference titles ahead of Jordan and his Bulls in the 1980s. The Boston outfit and their rivalry with Magic Johnson and the Lakers formed the defining story of the 80s.
Bird wasn’t tasked with a gargantuan ‘carry job’ either. The Celtics were a formidable outfit outside of “Larry Legend” too and had a deep roster. While the 3-time league MVP was still their leading scorer, he wasn’t the only high-volume scorer in the team.
This assistance in the scoring department was provided majorly by Kevin McHale. Kevin McHale was one of the craftiest players in the league and could drop 20 points in his sleep. Along with Bird, he formed one of the most skilled duos in the league and posed a matchup nightmare on a nightly basis.
McHale was also one of the most confident players in basketball – a fact immortalized by an iconic statement from the C’s 1986 Playoff run.
What anecdote from the Celtics’ 1986 Playoff run involved a legendary Kevin McHale quote?
Returning back to the Celtics – Bulls narrative of the 1980s, one thing was clear. Everyone had been made aware of the prodigious talents of the Bulls’ 1984 draft pick, Michael Jordan. The Bulls instantly became earmarked as the team of the future.
However, the future wasn’t quite there yet. The present still belonged to Bird, McHale, and the Celtics – a realization that wasn’t lost on the men themselves.
In 1986, the Celtics and Bulls were drawn against each other in the Eastern Conference Playoffs bracket. It posed tests to both franchises, in contrasting fashion though. The Bulls weren’t expected to win, but this was to be a test of their mettle against the big boys, as the young upstart.
However, the Celtics were facing the test of keeping their composure while ensuring the young guns don’t sneak wins away from them. And at one point, Michael Jordan did scare them. It would however appear that the scare was quickly brushed aside before natural order was restored.
After a Jordan outburst in Game 2, the Celtics managed to hold on and take a 2-0 lead. One would imagine the scare would lead to a cautious approach, heading into Game 3. But that’s not how champions move.
Kevin McHale revealed that he did not even pack an extra set of clothes on his Chicago road trip. He knew that Bird and his gang had it under absolute control.
True to his belief, a 3-0 sweep followed. And so did a championship. You have to walk the walk if you talk the talk, and McHale and the Cs definitely did that.
How did Michael Jordan fare in the 1986 series against the Celtics?
Scottie Pippen was not a Bull, just yet. Jordan was a one-man wrecking ball for the Bulls. And this was evident during their series with the Celtics in the 1986 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
The scare he gave McHale and the Cs wasn’t a random outburst either. Jordan went ballistic to end the night with 63 (as much as Bird and McHale combined) in Game 2 and took the game to overtime. His efforts couldn’t however, guarantee a win.
In Game 3, however, things turned. Maybe McHale and his men really wanted to get back to Boston without making arrangements for a change of clothes. Whatever the reason, the Bulls were trounced by the Celtics.
Michael Jordan ended the night with only 19 points. A moment where His Airness showed he was also a mortal. The Celtics announced their intention to stay at the top of things in the East, and the Bulls were reminded why they were still the team of the “future”.
