The NBA has seen multiple dynasties come and go, but some remain in the memories of fans for longer than others. The name synonymous with dynasty in basketball is Michael Jordan, as his Chicago Bulls won six championships over nine seasons to completely dominate the 1990s. The dynasty to precede them was the Boston Celtics, who won three titles over five seasons (1981, 1984, 1986), with their team in 1985-86 regarded as one of the best of all time.
Robert Parish, who was the NBA’s record-holder in appearances made until LeBron James surpassed him last week, made the claim that the 1986 Celtics, which he was a part of, would beat Jordan’s 1997 Bulls.
In a recent interview with Sirius XM, Parish doubled down on his take and explained why he feels this way, naming one Celtics player as the biggest difference-maker. That player was former league MVP Bill Walton, who averaged 7.6 points and 6.8 rebounds in 80 games with the Celtics that season.
“I wouldn’t say the best team of all-time, but certainly, one of the best teams of all time. The NBA did not have an answer for Bill ‘William’ Walton. Oh! He was incredible! The X-Factor. That’s why when people ask me, ‘Who was the better team? The 1996-97 Bulls team or the 1986 Celtics team?’ I say the Celtics every time.”
Parish is obviously biased to the Celtics, but we can analyze his argument a little further.
The best starting lineup for the ’87 Celtics includes Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish, with a 34-year-old Walton coming off the bench. Walton might have been an on-court x-factor with what he could produce, but the 34-year-old averaged 7.9 points and 6.4 rebounds in the 1986 Playoffs as a low-end rotational player for the Celtics.
Boston relied on production from the likes of Jerry Sichting and Fred Roberts off the bench during that season. Fun fact: buried on the Celtics bench this season was also future NBA title-winning head coach Rick Carlisle.
The Celtics did have a dominant starting five led by Bird and McHale, which was perfectly complemented by the likes of Johnson and Sichting off the bench. However, it’s hard to say that this unit would survive against the Bulls that came a decade later.
The ’97 Bulls saw Ron Harper at the point with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Luc Longley rounding out the starting five. The Bulls had much stronger depth than the Celtics, relying on the likes of Toni Kukoc and Steve Kerr off the bench. The Celtics wouldn’t have an answer for the offensive firepower this Bulls roster packs, while having the perfect players (Pippen and Rodman) to stop the Celtics duo of Bird and McHale from dominating.
While Ainge was a solid starting guard for the Celtics, he wouldn’t be able to slow down Jordan on either end of the court. That’s a big enough difference as it is. If Walton was even close to the prime version of himself, this would be an interesting debate. But his presence on this team definitely doesn’t elevate them over one of the greatest title teams in history.
Robert Parish was also a part of this Bulls roster, but he wasn’t a major contributor like he was on the Celtics. This is clear with production as well, with Parish averaging 16.1 points and 9.5 rebounds with the ’86 Celtics and 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds with the ’97 Bulls.
