NBA History on CLNS

Wilkins scored 47 and lost. Bird scored 34, 20 of them in the fourth quarter, and won. Game 7, May 22, 1988, Boston Garden: Celtics 118, Hawks 116. Who actually won the duel?

Nick Gelso breaks down all seven games of the 1988 Celtics-Hawks Eastern Conference semifinals with the archival tape and the box scores: Bird's guarantee before Game 7, Doc Rivers' 22 assists in Game 4, Atlanta's 43-point fourth quarter in Game 5, and the Game 6 finish at The Omni.

The series (Basketball-Reference): Game 1, May 11, Boston Garden: Celtics 110, Hawks 101. Game 2, May 13, Boston Garden: Celtics 108, Hawks 97. Game 3, May 15, The Omni: Hawks 110, Celtics 92. Game 4, May 16, The Omni: Hawks 118, Celtics 109. Game 5, May 18, Boston Garden: Hawks 112, Celtics 104. Game 6, May 20, The Omni: Celtics 102, Hawks 100. Game 7, May 22, Boston Garden: Celtics 118, Hawks 116. Boston wins the series 4-3.

🍀 Why 1988 Was The Beginning of the End for the Celtics Dynasty

https://youtu.be/2Lt5WREpqwE

🍀 Larry Bird vs. Dominique Wilkins — The Duel Before THE Duel 📼 The 1988 Tapes

https://youtu.be/YbwBkq1k2Q4

0:00 Coming Up: Bird vs. Wilkins, 1988

0:54 Nick Gelso on the 1988 Series

2:13 The Setup: Boston vs. Atlanta

5:04 The Mileage: Games 3 and 4

7:29 Back at the Garden: Game 5

8:47 PrizePicks

9:58 The Omni: Game 6

12:44 The Duel: Game 7

20:57 Who Won the Duel? Nick's Take

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Was this the last time the Celtics' Big Three looked like the Big Three? Nick Gelso breaks down the 1988 first-round series between the top-seeded Boston Celtics (57-25) and the eighth-seeded New York Knicks (38-44), the first chapter of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish's last real run at a title.

Game by game, with the archival tapes and the box scores: Bird's 113 points in four games, McHale's 97, Parish's 13.5 points and 11.5 rebounds a night, Johnny Newman's 34-point Game 3 for the Knicks and Patrick Ewing's 20 rebounds in the Game 4 clincher. Plus Rick Pitino's first playoff run as an NBA head coach and Don Nelson on the call.

The series (Basketball-Reference): Game 1, April 29, Boston Garden: Celtics 112, Knicks 92. Game 2, May 1, Boston Garden: Celtics 128, Knicks 102. Game 3, May 4, Madison Square Garden: Knicks 109, Celtics 100. Game 4, May 6, Madison Square Garden: Celtics 102, Knicks 94. Boston wins the best-of-five series 3-1.

🍀 Why Robert Parish REFUSED to Help Larry Bird vs Doctor J  😳

https://youtu.be/7xrSphycVaU

🍀 Isiah Thomas BREAKS DOWN the Larry Bird Steal | Celtics Pistons 87

https://youtu.be/fw83sBtE-SM

0:00 Coming Up: The Original Big Three

0:21 Welcome to the 1988 NBA Playoffs

0:52 Why I Picked This Series

1:35 What to Look For: Pitino, Don Nelson & the Garden

2:42 Setting the Stage: Bird’s Standing Ovation

3:37 The Big Three’s 1987-88 Season

4:27 The Knicks: Pitino, Ewing & the 8 Seed

4:51 Game 1: Celtics 112, Knicks 92

5:35 Game 2: Celtics 128, Knicks 102

6:47 Game 3: Knicks 109, Celtics 100

8:21 Game 4: Celtics 102, Knicks 94

10:03 What the Big Three Did: Series Numbers

10:55 Was This the Last Time the Big Three Looked Like the Big Three?

11:20 PrizePicks

12:40 What’s Next: Hawks, Pistons & the 1990 Knicks Rematch

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Can Jayson Tatum carry the Celtics back to the NBA Finals? Kevin O'Connor of The Kevin O'Connor Show on Yahoo Sports joins Bob Ryan and Gary Tanguay to break down the Celtics' early-season outlook after Tatum's clutch performance against the Knicks.

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Who are the 10 greatest Boston Celtics players of all time? In this episode, Bob Ryan joins the conversation to share his all-time Celtics rankings, reflecting on the legendary players who have helped shape one of the most iconic franchises in NBA history!

From championship legends to unforgettable superstars, we’re looking back at the players who defined different eras of Celtics basketball and left a lasting impact on the game. With decades of basketball knowledge and firsthand perspective, Bob Ryan brings his insight to the debate over which Celtics greats deserve a place among the franchise’s very best.

Who belongs in the top 10? How do the Celtics legends compare across generations? And which players have made the biggest contributions to Boston’s championship tradition? These are the kinds of debates that make Celtics history so special, and there’s no shortage of legendary names to consider.

Whether you’ve followed the Celtics for decades or you’re a newer fan of the Green and White, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss!

Drop your rankings in the comments, and don’t forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and turn on notifications for more Celtics conversations, basketball history, sports analysis, and discussions from CLNS Media!

0:00 - Coming up

0:24 - Bob Ryan’s Top 10 Celtics Players of All-Time

1:04 - Players who just missed the cut

2:32 - #10 Robert Parrish

2:50 - #9 Jayson Tatum

3:00 - #8 Sam Jones

3:11 - #7 Kevin McHale

3:16 - #6 Dave Cowens

3:20 - #5 Paul Pierce

3:42 - #4 John Havlicek

3:46 - #3 Bob Cousy

4:22 - #2 Larry Bird

4:25 - #1 Bill Russell

4:28 - Prizepicks

6:04 - Top Celtics Players of All Time Honorable Mentions

6:43 - Bob Reviews his list

7:40 - Why Bob has Sam Jones at #8 on his list

11:13 - Why Bob has Robert Parrish at #10 on his list

14:16 - More on players left on the list

15:34 - What player would best fit the modern day game from list

16:32 - Wrapping up!

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Bob Ryan and Gary Tanguay are joined by special guest Glenn Ordway as the guys take a dive down memory lane. The guys reminisce over the great Boston Celtics teams of the 1980’s and so much more.

Glenn mentions how so many people have forgotten about how great of a player Larry Bird was and they take a trip down memory lane and discuss how his game would translate in the modern basketball era.

Glenn and Bob also share memories and stories of former Celtics play by play announcer Johnny Most!

All that and plenty more on this special edition of the Bob Ryan and Jeff Goodman NBA Podcast!

0:00 - Coming up!

1:20 - Special Guest Glenn Ordway joins the show!

3:44 - Looking back on Celtics teams of the 80s

7:59 - People forget how great Larry Bird was

13:52 - Reflecting on what LeBron James is doing now

15:57 - Prizepicks

18:28 - Reflecting on career of John Havlicek

26:21 - What do you remember most from “Heat game” in 1984 NBA Finals

31:03 - Remembering Celtics Play-by-Play man Johnny Most

50:20 - Current state of the NBA

59:15 - Expectations for Philadelphia 76ers this season

1:03:04 - Expectations for Boston Celtics this season

1:05:06 - Wrapping up!

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Another entry from the CLNS archive vault — April 26, 1991, Boston Garden. Game 1 of the Celtics–Pacers first-round series, and the night a Larry Bird–Chuck Person rivalry that started in Person's rookie year boiled over on live TV.

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Another entry from the CLNS archive vault — May 30, 1987, Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Pistons at Celtics in a sweltering Boston Garden.

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Bob Ryan is joined once again by Gary Tanguay to discuss more Celtics legends from yesteryear. They start by answering a listener question regarding Rick Barry & John Havlicek. Who was the better player? Bob Ryan passionately makes the case for Hondo. Later, they remember the famous trade that paved the way for Kevin McHale and Robert Parish to land in Boston. Bob recounts their incredible careers and where they stack up among the greats. He always explains how different or similar Kevin McHale's career would've been had he never played with Larry Bird.

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Jeff Goodman and Gary Tanguay on Kevin McHale: a post scorer so unstoppable that getting him the ball meant the possession was already over. Part of the trade that also brought Robert Parish to Boston for the rights to Joe Barry Carroll — arguably the greatest trade in NBA history, and it delivered three championships.

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Another entry from the CLNS archive vault — March 15, 1988, Market Square Arena, and Larry Bird is playing with a fractured orbital bone and a pair of goggles he couldn't stand.

Nine days earlier, a Dell Curry elbow broke the bone under Bird's left eye. He finished that game seeing two rims. Three nights later he showed up in goggles and scored 36 on the Spurs. This is the fourth and final goggles game — 34 points, 12-of-22, zero fouls, against a Pacers team with a 22-year-old rookie named Reggie Miller who set a franchise rookie 3-point record that night.

Bird played four games in the goggles and shot 55% from the floor. In his first game without them, he went 8-for-19 while Michael Jordan scored 50.

The full WLVI TV-56 broadcast — Bob Cousy on the call, the rim-simulation graphic, the Ainge and Miller record nights, and the first Celtics season sweep of Indiana.

Sources: Basketball-Reference box scores; Bob Ryan, "Larry Bird and the Goggles."

🍀 Jordan vs. Bird: 1988 Duel No One Remembers | The 1988 Tapes 📼 — https://youtu.be/Q8KhpBoPPFY

🍀 Every Larry Bird & Michael Jordan Shot From THIS Forgotten Duel | 1988 Tapes — https://youtu.be/vq-uvYVKxWU

CHAPTERS

0:00 Cold Open: Goggle Graphic

0:18 The 1988 Goggle Game

1:32 The Dell Curry Elbow

3:23 36 Points vs Spurs

5:36 Celtics vs Pacers 1988

9:26 PrizePicks Sponsor

10:32 Larry Bird 4-Game Run

11:13 Bulls Game Without Goggles

12:28 Toughest Stretch in NBA History?

13:34 Outro & Channel Info

#LarryBird #Celtics #ReggieMiller #NBAHistory #The1988Tapes

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