The city of Boston has seen plenty of championships over the last half-century. But which team was the most dominant?
The Athletic’s Boston staff voted on their top 25 teams earlier this week, with each of the four major teams being represented throughout the rankings. The 2004 and 2018 Red Sox, 196-70 and 2010-11 Bruins, 2001 Patriots and 1975-76 Celtics made the list.
And while Boston has had great success in the championship department over the last 10 years in particular, it was a team from the 80s that secured the top spot.
The 1985-86 Celtics secured the No. 1 ranking. Here’s why:
By almost any measure, this is the greatest team in Boston sports history. The ’85-86 Celtics rolled through the regular season, posting a 67-15 record, and then took out the Hakeem Olajuwon/Ralph Sampson-led Houston Rockets in a grueling six-game NBA Finals. It was the last of three NBA titles for Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, but The Big Three had big help: Legendary but oft-injured Bill Walton was able to put together a season of mostly good health and served the Celtics as a formidable sixth man. Add guard Dennis Johnson to the mix and that’s five Hall of Famers.Â
Hard to argue against a team full of players all enshrined in Springfield.
