2004 Pistons vs. 2008 Celtics

[soap07]

I'm curious what people think - is the legacy of the KG/PP/Allen Celtics any greater than the Billups-led Pistons team that won the title? Is it any different? Who would win in a 7 game series, the 04 Pistons or the 08 Celtics?

Etc etc...point being, will this Celtics team be remember any differently than the 04 Pistons team?

[rondohondo]

c's had 3 hof players and a 4th all-star in rondo, Boston's talent was better , but the accomplishments were about the same

both won a title, both lost a title, both made it to the ecf a bunch of times .

Unfortunately the c's are going to end up like the pistons too, as they no longer have a contending window .

The pistons traded billups for an expiring iverson contracts , and let wallace walk. With the money they cleared , they signed charlie v and ben gordon . They ate up a bunch of salary and made the rebuilding process take even longer , until they drafted monroe and drummond .

That's why people don't want to eat up a big bunch of cap room by trading for Jordan and bledsoe who will probably command about 8-10 mil in a few years.

[PhoSita]

People may ultimately remember the '08 team (and ensuing versions) as better just because Garnett, Pierce, and Allen are a more imposing combo than Wallace, Wallace, Billups, Hamilton, and Prince. 

However, when you look at the sustained success that Pistons team had, and the back to back Finals appearances, I don't think there's much difference.  They're on the same level in the grand scheme of things, if you ask me.

Put them in the same group as other teams that have won just one and maybe come close again, such as the Blazers and Sonics from the late 70s, the Sixers from the early 80s, and the mid to late 2000s Mavs.

[xmuscularghandix]

c's had 3 hof players and a 4th all-star in rondo, Boston's talent was better , but the accomplishments were about the same

both won a title, both lost a title, both made it to the ecf a bunch of times .

Unfortunately the c's are going to end up like the pistons too, as they no longer have a contending window .

The pistons traded billups for an expiring iverson contracts , and let wallace walk. With the money they cleared , they signed charlie v and ben gordon . They ate up a bunch of salary and made the rebuilding process take even longer , until they drafted monroe and drummond .

That's why people don't want to eat up a big bunch of cap room by trading for Jordan and bledsoe who will probably command about 8-10 mil in a few years.

Rondo wasn't an All-Star that year and he didn't deserve to be for another 2 seasons. Just because he was an all-star later doesn't matter. 3 HOF'ers and 2 solid starters who shined defensively.

[rondohondo]

c's had 3 hof players and a 4th all-star in rondo, Boston's talent was better , but the accomplishments were about the same

both won a title, both lost a title, both made it to the ecf a bunch of times .

Unfortunately the c's are going to end up like the pistons too, as they no longer have a contending window .

The pistons traded billups for an expiring iverson contracts , and let wallace walk. With the money they cleared , they signed charlie v and ben gordon . They ate up a bunch of salary and made the rebuilding process take even longer , until they drafted monroe and drummond .

That's why people don't want to eat up a big bunch of cap room by trading for Jordan and bledsoe who will probably command about 8-10 mil in a few years.

Rondo wasn't an All-Star that year and he didn't deserve to be for another 2 seasons. Just because he was an all-star later doesn't matter. 3 HOF'ers and 2 solid starters who shined defensively.

sorry if I was unclear, I was just talking over the course of the new big 3 era .

[BballTim]

I'm curious what people think - is the legacy of the KG/PP/Allen Celtics any greater than the Billups-led Pistons team that won the title? Is it any different? Who would win in a 7 game series, the 04 Pistons or the 08 Celtics?

Etc etc...point being, will this Celtics team be remember any differently than the 04 Pistons team?

  The 2008 Celts were one of the best teams in nba history.

[soap07]

I'm curious what people think - is the legacy of the KG/PP/Allen Celtics any greater than the Billups-led Pistons team that won the title? Is it any different? Who would win in a 7 game series, the 04 Pistons or the 08 Celtics?

Etc etc...point being, will this Celtics team be remember any differently than the 04 Pistons team?

  The 2008 Celts were one of the best teams in nba history.

I think this is a stretch. And the Mavs title team is also an interesting comparison that someone mentioned in the thread.

I'm not sure that one of the best teams in NBA history should've had such a mediocre playoff run that required two 7 game series and 2 six game series.

[Fafnir]

2008 Cs were a superior team to the 2004 pistons.

Better defense, offense, and top line talent. They would win in a seven game series.

They'll be remembered in similar fashion. Though that might be different if Rondo is a big part of a second team that makes serious noise.

[Celtics18]

Personally, I'll definitely remember the '08 Celtics team more fondly, but I definitely was a fan of that Pistons team that knocked of the mighty Lakers in '04.

[ScottHow]

I'll remember this run as not living up to full potential bc of injuries

[timobusa]

I'll remember this run as not living up to full potential bc of injuries

same.
we could have easily won, 2 maybe 3 titles with this team.

08 which happened.

09 if kg was not injured

10 if perk was not injured

11 and 12 were good seasons too, so maybe those years as well.

i hope kg and pp win 1 more.

[soap07]

Yes, we could look at the injuries. Lakers were missing Bynum for the '08 series, so turnabout is fair play. And that was no small loss, Bynum was averaging 13/10 that year too...but again, injuries happen, they're part of the game.

[GreenEnvy]

I'm curious what people think - is the legacy of the KG/PP/Allen Celtics any greater than the Billups-led Pistons team that won the title? Is it any different? Who would win in a 7 game series, the 04 Pistons or the 08 Celtics?

Etc etc...point being, will this Celtics team be remember any differently than the 04 Pistons team?

  The 2008 Celts were one of the best teams in nba history.

I think this is a stretch. And the Mavs title team is also an interesting comparison that someone mentioned in the thread.

I'm not sure that one of the best teams in NBA history should've had such a mediocre playoff run that required two 7 game series and 2 six game series.

I don't think it's a stretch.

They absolutely dominated the regular season like few teams ever have. Their double-digit point-differential (45(!) wins by 10+ and only 3 losses by 10+) is something that doesn't happen often. If KG doesn't strain his abdomen (lost two games without him and 3 straight when he returned after 4 weeks of inactivity), we may have won 70.

We had the best record every day of the entire season, and nobody threatened us all year (finished 7 games up on 2nd-best Pistons). We beat every team at least once (and all but Utah by 10+).

People will point to our 10 losses in the playoffs, but the 16 are what matter. We got the job done, and never trailed in any series. The first round was arguably the most lopsided 7 game series ever. It took us 7 to beat LeBron (defending EC champ, 66-win team next season), and then took 6 against Detroit (made 4 straight ECF) and Lakers (won next two titles) -- both very good teams obviously.

Had we only lost 3 or 4 games in the playoffs, we would be on the short list of great teams, but too many will look at how long it took us to finish teams. It's flawed logic IMO. We were in a class of our own during the regular season, and raised the trophy in the end. I believe had we not been put together just 9 months prior, we wouldn't have taken as long.

Had KG not gotten injured in 2009, I believe that team would have steamrolled through the East and not had much difficulty with LA in the Finals. Most guys had to learn how to win, Doc included.

But that 2007-08 team was a thing of beauty. Few teams crushed opponents night in and night out like Boston did.