Customer Reviews

NBA - Boston Celtics 1985-86 Champions

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First let me say the set is great but it is not complete and unedited. The only reason to watch Game 5 was the fight in which
Ralph Sampson and Jerry Sichting went at it. Unfortuantley it has been
edited out. I know the NBA doesn't want to promote violence but the
fight was a major part of an otherwise unexciting series. It should
have been included. Otherwise the set is great.

How can they possibly say that this is the complete series as broadcast in its entirety? Total garbage that they edited out the fight. It happened NBA so get over it. Absolutely ridiculous.

I am conflicted because it is great that this footage is even around to watch. The Bird Celtics always have been my favorite team, and with the addition of Bill Walton for this one year, it is possible that this was the best team ever, certainly at least in the discussion.
However, for a DVD the video quality is pretty poor. There are horizontal scan lines that move up the picture pretty much all the time, as if it was recorded from someone's antenna or something. It seems as if the WWF tape library is in better shape than the NBA's.
As someone else noted, the fight in game 5 was unceremoniously cut out of the DVD. Give me a break, people buying this DVD are adults not kids. It's ridiculous.
The bonus features are also predictably lacking. The crummy year in review is not exactly memorable. Would it have been so hard to interview some of the players, especially those like Bird, Ainge, McHale who are still active in the league, as well as everyone's favorite analyst, Bill Walton?
Still this is a great capsule of a bygone era. The beauty of the Celtics was that anyone of the starters could be the star of any given game. And perhaps the best passing team I've ever seen. With the exception of McHale (aka the Black Hole as noted by Tommy Heinsohn), they were all extremely unselfish players on both ends. No disrespect to Kevin, he was put there to post up and shoot the ball!

I mentioned in an earlier post of the 1985 Lakers DVD that I'd pay $100 for this particular set. Luckily, the set is much less expensive. You can't see it now, but I'm salivating at just the thought of this DVD set.

The 1985-86 Boston Celtics was a team of legend. This team was built to beat the 1985 Lakers and the team responded exceptionally well. The team went 67-15 in a league that was much more competitive than in any season after 1989. This team still holds an NBA record going 40-1 at home during the regular season and with the playoffs, 50-1. If the Celtics didn't get bored so easily, this team would've been the first to win 70 games. Recently ESPN did a poll to rank the 20 greatest single season NBA teams, the 1985-86 Boston Celtics came in at #3 behind the 1971-72 Lakers (very reasonable) and the 1995-96 Bulls (completely ridiculous).

The team had Larry Bird at the peak of his MVP career, Kevin McHale dominating the low post as a now starter, Robert Parish maintaining his presence in the middle, Dennis Johnson (called the greatest player I've ever played with by Larry Bird) at the point, and the up and coming Danny Ainge. In addition, the team had recently acquired Bill Walton who won the Sixth Man of the Year in this season backing up both Parish and McHale. It also had great role players like Scott Wedman and Jerry Sichting. Finally, it had former Celtic great K.C. Jones coaching the team with the just perfect understated coaching style that worked for this particular team.

But it wasn't just the names, it was how they played together. McHale said that the greatest team is not the one with the five best players but rather the five players that play the best together. If the Lakers Showtime offense is like classical music (very precise, very timed), then the Celtics passing game would be considered more like jazz (very improvisational and tactical but in the hands of geniuses, a thing of beauty). This team could beat you in every way possible, inside, outside, a half court game, a running game, a low scoring game, or a shootout.

This set has all 6 uncut NBA Finals games on CBS from 1986 and a documentary on the 1986 season. For Rockets fans, you'll also get to see the 1986 Rockets, a team that had so much future potential but could never capitalize, with future HoF Akeem Olajuwon and potential HoF Ralph Sampson plus many of the great role players that played in the 1981 Finals such as Robert Reid. I'm pretty sure that this 1986 Rockets teams could beat any of the Rockets teams that eventually won the title considering this team beat the Showtime Lakers in 5 games.

However this set is truly for anyone who yearns to see the great teams and competitive spirit of the NBA in the 1980s. It's also for people who want to see a passing game like no other between Bird, McHale, Parish, DJ and Walton. Truly a sight to behold.

The product was exactly as described and was delivered quickly, so was extremely happy with that; however the case was broken in a number of places and we were worried the discs would not work as they had a few scratches on them. So maybe a bit more bubble wrap when sending the product.

Basketball the way it used to be played. Excellent DVD. Every game of the 86 Finals as broadcast on CBS.

A terrific (!!!) set/gift for Boston Celtics fans/lovers (mind U, I was rooting for the 'Motor City Bad Boyz' back then!)of one of the truly Great NBA & Celtic teams of all-time. All you loudmouth, die-hard Bulls-fans need to step aside or watch objectively at REAL team-work & unselfish, flawless execution of the half-court offense with crisp passing & patience whose strength lay in an immobile front line...something that NEVER existed in Chicago during the 90's! A pleasure to watch one of the game's truly great clutch performers & all-around players in Larry Bird who put the team first ahead of himself in contrast to Michael Jordan whose self-centered ego & superiority complex puts him in a different category. But that's a discussion for another page/blog.
The only flaw this set has, unfortunately, is the edit of the 'Ralph Sampson cheapshot/fight with Sichting'(Gm5),a deliberate ploy by the manifacturers & Co's involved to conform to PC standards!
To give a better example of the continuity of the Celtics (80's)legacy, perhaps they should have included those CLASSIC Gm7s the Celtics played/hosted/won in this package: 84 vs Knicks & Lakers, 87 vs Bucks & Pistons, 88 vs Hawks)
Still, this is a real entertaining package of games, high quality from the CBS Network MASTERs tapes.

Having just finished Bill Simmons "Book of Basketball", I knew that I had to have the DVD set of the 1986 NBA finals. As a lifelong Celtic fan and especially Larry Bird, I knew it would be great. The format of the game only video (no commercials) is just the way most of us use our DVR's with regular programming. FANtastic video and of course the Celtics win!

hi! i found this set to be a great look at a gone by era. bird,mchale,parish,and bill walton along with a excellant set of core players took the chapionship back to BOSTON! SIT BACK AND ENJOY.

In my opinion, that is a very subjective yes, they were the best team Ive ever seen, although I didnt start watching the NBA until 1980, so any team before that I cant really say. Everyone is going to have a different opinion on this. Im sure many will say the 95-96 Bulls and they were a great team, but I have never seen a team play so well as a team as the Celtics of 85-86. Larry Bird, never graced with much athleticism, was at his very best at this point in his career, able to control the game from the point forward position, had an uncanny ability to change the arc on his shots, could shoot left handed and while not a good one on one defender, was an exceptional team defender.
This team was loaded with unconventional players. Ive never seen a player like Bird or McHale, who was virtually unstoppable and some of the very best low post moves Ive seen. He also had two very long arms and had great timing on his shot blocking.
I could literally go on and on about this team, but suffice to say this is a great dvd treatment of that team and their championship series against Houston. If you like the Celtics that are winning right now, do yourself a favor and check out the last C's team to win it all. They were a special team.