The Curse of Len Bias

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

The Celtics are Cursed.
I am totally convinced, with his dying breath, Len Bias cursed the Boston Celtics. Bias was supposed to be the savior of this franchise, a guy that would extened Larry Bird and Kevin McChale's career. A player that was compared with Micheal Jordan. Of course he died from a cocaine overdose 48 hours after being drafted in 1986. The year before they won their last Championship, one of 16 won over the course of 30 years.

After Bias's death, the Celtics competed for a few more years, winning divisions, but would never regain their glory. Then in 1993 Reggie Lewis suddenly passed away. And it all really started to go down hill. From 94 - 2001 they only made the playoffs once. And in the past 7 years, they went to the Conference finals, but got worse every year since then.

The Old Boston Garden, and all it's little leprechans are gone, we had to sit through the fiasco of the Rick Pitino years, the ML Carr years. In 1997, they had the best chance at winning the NBA's draft lottery. Their odds were augmented even further by a 1996 with Dallas in exchange for the Mavericks 1st round pick in 1997 which gave the Celtics a second lottery pick and more chances to win the coveted first pick. Additionally, one of the odds-on favorites to win the lottery would have been the Vancouver Grizzlies, a recent expansion team. The Grizzlies, however, were ineligible for the first overall pick as part of their terms of entering the league. Even with all the odds in their favor, the San Antonio Spurs won the lottery and selected Tim Duncan first overall in the 1997 NBA Draft, who would go on to lead his team to three championships.

And then some of the picks they traded, the old Celtics they never did this: Chauncey Billups, Joe Johnson, Ron Mercer, Kenny Anderson; imagine a Celtics teams with Johnson, Pierce, Jefferson, Billups, and Tim Duncan. I suppose were lucky Pierce is not dead after getting stabbed 11 times 2000, in which he came close to death.

And now this draft fiasco. . . .

I am Malach and Lucky is no longer lucky and a little adivce, watch for a brawl in tonight's Yankees/Sox game after another dirty play by A-Rod.