Robert Parish squares off against Curt Schilling in the first round of Boston’s Biggest Sports Legend tournament.
The Chief wasn’t a Celtics lifer, but Robert Parish spent 14 of his 21 NBA years wearing green. Golden State selected him in the first round of the 1976 draft, and after four years, the seven-footer was sent to Boston with a first-round pick (Kevin McHale) for a pair of first-round picks (Rickey Brown and Joe Barry Carroll). It didn’t take long for Parish to start making history and become part of the illustrious Bird-McHale-Parish trifecta. The original Big Three won championships in 1981, 1984 and 1986 — setting the standard for the Kevin Garnett-Paul Piere-Ray Allen trio that won it all in 2007-08, and for NBA frontcourts in general. At 43, Parrish won a fourth ring with Chicago in his final season, becoming the third-oldest player to play in an NBA game. His 1,611 games played are the most in league history, and he finished his career with a .537 shooting percentage and 23,334 points. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Love him or hate him, Curt Schilling is a key figure in Red Sox history. Without Schilling, the Red Sox would not have won their first championship in 86 years in 2004. True, Pedro Martinez was an ace, but Schilling was the better ace on a great team, epitomizing what it means to do anything in pursuit of a championship. After compiling a 21-6 record and a 3.26 ERA in the regular season, Schilling suffered an ankle injury in his first start of the ALDS against Los Angeles. He started Game 1 of the ALCS against New York, and even before he gave up six runs in three innings, it was obvious something was wrong. But instead of bowing out, he helped the Red Sox believe they could come back from a 0-3 hole. He got a cortisone shot to alleviate the pain of a displaced tendon that shifted every time he threw a pitch. He took the mound in Game 6, bloody sock and all. He led Boston to a 4-2 win and an eventual world championship. But most importantly, he made Boston believe again, and you can never take that away.
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