Timmy in Celtic uniform.

[Mt.Spur]

Dont know if this has been posted b4(sorry if it has)
Sporting news Cover of what could of been...


http://imgs.zinio.com/magimages/6914837/2007/211109760_lg.jpg

[OldDirtMcGirt]

In related news, the suicide rate in Boston just increased 500%.

[duncan228]

I don't think the Celtics ever got over it.

[ChumpDumper]

The draft lottery went very, very right that year.

The BIG MARKET CONSPIRACY loses all credibility.

[StrangeCheez]

In related news, the suicide rate in Boston just increased 500%.
:danceclub

[Obstructed_View]

If there's proof of a God that meddles in human events, it's the fact that Boston didn't get Tim Duncan. Can you imagine with the Patriots, the Red Sox AND Duncan on the Celtics how annoying those folks would be?

[mardigan]

Man, that just doesnt look right

[thispego]

what the fuck is the point of this?

and how did the draft lottery go "very, very wrong?"

Tim looks horrible in green, btw

[Obstructed_View]

and how did the draft lottery go "very, very wrong?"

Because everyone hates the Spurs right now, and it's good for business. The article probably mentions how the Spurs tanked the season while the Celtics played as hard as they could.

[gaKNOW!blee]

my eyes are bleeding, I never want to see that image again.

[OldDirtMcGirt]

If there's proof of a God that meddles in human events, it's the fact that Boston didn't get Tim Duncan. Can you imagine with the Patriots, the Red Sox AND Duncan on the Celtics how annoying those folks would be?

Honestly, the success of the Patriots really made Boston fans unbearable. It's like they went from losing for so long to having unprecedented success and the shock caused the to change.

[Sec24Row7]

Can you imagine Duncan in a critical media market or in a market where fans would boo during losses?

They wouldnt have kept him long.

[Obstructed_View]

Can you imagine Duncan in a critical media market or in a market where fans would boo during losses?

They wouldnt have kept him long.
Interesting point. Duncan probably would have ended up with the Spurs or the Magic anyway. Duncan might have turned down Orlando for the chance to play with Chauncey Billups.

[AFBlue]

If there's proof of a God that meddles in human events, it's the fact that Boston didn't get Tim Duncan. Can you imagine with the Patriots, the Red Sox AND Duncan on the Celtics how annoying those folks would be?


WICKED ANNOYING!

[Extra Stout]

and how did the draft lottery go "very, very wrong?"

I thought it was obvious. Tim Duncan went to a small market team that nobody on the East Coast cares about, rather than the storied Celtics. The Celtics have stunk pretty much every year since, while the small market team has won several championships, which the people on the East Coast think rightfully should have gone to the Celtics.

We are starting to see a rebellion here by major media, saying "Enough with parity! Intentionally rig it for major-market and ratings-friendly teams! Lakers-Kings 2002 was a good thing!!!!"

[DarrinS]

http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/cover_art/goodguyswearblack.jpg

[Mr. Body]

Too cold in Boston. He'd be in Orlando by now.

[picnroll]

Celtics fans would implode arguing about who was greater Russell, Bird or Duncan.

[Sec24Row7]

So wait... Are they calling his tenure with the Spurs a Dynasty?

[Cry Havoc]

Celtics fans would implode arguing about who was greater Russell, Bird or Duncan.

Yikes. If Duncan's career continues on it's moonshot, the Celts might have had a shot at having 3 of the 6 greatest players of all time. Maybe top 5.

[bdictjames]

If the world is fair, Celtics should get either Durant or Oden in the lottery. I think they will

[implacable44]

I don't think the Celtics ever got over it.


I don't think the Celts were too concerned about missing Timmy.. Remeber pitino was coaching them about that time wasn't he ? Timmy would not have been Timmy with Pitino coaching......

and losing the right to Draft Duncan pails in comparison -- is not even in the same hemisphere as Len Bias. Not even close.

[thispego]

I thought it was obvious. Tim Duncan went to a small market team that nobody on the East Coast cares about, rather than the storied Celtics. The Celtics have stunk pretty much every year since, while the small market team has won several championships, which the people on the East Coast think rightfully should have gone to the Celtics.

We are starting to see a rebellion here by major media, saying "Enough with parity! Intentionally rig it for major-market and ratings-friendly teams! Lakers-Kings 2002 was a good thing!!!!"
well, i understand that it went wrong from that perspective. But it's like saying the Texas Lottery went very, very wrong for me the other night..... NO IT DIDNT! SOMEBODY WON... THATS HOW LOTTERYS WORK

would anybody play the lottery if the same rich assholes won over and over again?

[Sec24Row7]

The rich assholes would.

[Obstructed_View]

and losing the right to Draft Duncan pails in comparison -- is not even in the same hemisphere as Len Bias. Not even close.
I'm sure Celtics fans were hoping for Duncan on the heels of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis, and having a team with David Robinson sneak down and take it away from them would have to hurt every day that you think about what could have been. Therein lies the downside of a lottery system.

[Extra Stout]

well, i understand that it went wrong from that perspective. But it's like saying the Texas Lottery went very, very wrong for me the other night..... NO IT DIDNT! SOMEBODY WON... THATS HOW LOTTERYS WORK
I guess they want the NBA lottery to work so that only teams they care about can win.

[implacable44]

I'm sure Celtics fans were hoping for Duncan on the heels of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis, and having a team with David Robinson sneak down and take it away from them would have to hurt every day that you think about what could have been. Therein lies the downside of a lottery system.


well then couldn't that happen every year? I mean - like I said Pitino was the coach and Tim would not have ended up being team in that offense. Or isn't it possible the Celtics be more likely to be upset that they didn't get Mcgrady ?

Does the Spurnation grimace in terror everytime they see Josh Howard -- or Barbosa for that matter? Either could have been a spur ??

no I think Len Bias holds the biggest sense of regret and or loss in Celtic town because he was theirs and he died. Timmy was never theirs - nor was Mcgrady. Len Bias was a Celtic and they were cheated of greatness. If Bias would have played - a lot of things would be different... for one thing Jordan would not have been the Jordan he became...... IMO

[spursfan09]

He looks way better in the silver and black!

[spursfan09]

PS. Its been 10 years get over it already!

[cherylsteele]

well then couldn't that happen every year? I mean - like I said Pitino was the coach and Tim would not have ended up being team in that offense. Or isn't it possible the Celtics be more likely to be upset that they didn't get Mcgrady ?

Does the Spurnation grimace in terror everytime they see Josh Howard -- or Barbosa for that matter? Either could have been a spur ??

no I think Len Bias holds the biggest sense of regret and or loss in Celtic town because he was theirs and he died. Timmy was never theirs - nor was Mcgrady. Len Bias was a Celtic and they were cheated of greatness. If Bias would have played - a lot of things would be different... for one thing Jordan would not have been the Jordan he became...... IMO
Another player that they have a sense of loss was/is Reggie Lewis. He was really proving himself on the court....he would have carried that teamwell through the decade of the 90's

[implacable44]

they probably feel more of a loss with Reggie Lewis then they do with Tim Duncan

[Budkin]

Yuck, that picture makes me sick.

[Obstructed_View]

well then couldn't that happen every year? I mean - like I said Pitino was the coach and Tim would not have ended up being team in that offense. Or isn't it possible the Celtics be more likely to be upset that they didn't get Mcgrady ?

Does the Spurnation grimace in terror everytime they see Josh Howard -- or Barbosa for that matter? Either could have been a spur ??

no I think Len Bias holds the biggest sense of regret and or loss in Celtic town because he was theirs and he died. Timmy was never theirs - nor was Mcgrady. Len Bias was a Celtic and they were cheated of greatness. If Bias would have played - a lot of things would be different... for one thing Jordan would not have been the Jordan he became...... IMO
I understand your point, but Timmy wasn't somebody Boston passed on and became a star, he was absolutely going to be the first pick no matter who got it, and the Celtics had the best chance at it. Reggie Lewis was theirs, too and he died. It brought so much back because of the similar circumstances, even though there were no drugs involved with Lewis, IIRC. Timmy was something the entire city was looking forward to during a dismal season and was looked at as something to restore the Celtics to glory.

And Len Bias cheated himself of greatness when he snorted all that coke.

[implacable44]

again - Tim was not theirs and I submit that Tim would not have become what he is today with Rick Pitino as his coach.

[CubanMustGo]

What is this, pile on the Spurs week? Crap ...

[violentkitten]

i feel sick

[violentkitten]

:jack

funny shit. the '97 draft went very, very bad if your favorite team was other than the spurs.

[thispego]

I guess they want the NBA lottery to work so that only teams they care about can win.
sounds sensible

[AnkleBreaker21]

wow he looks terrible in a celtics uniform, i wonder if he could have still won some rings in boston

[Obstructed_View]

again - Tim was not theirs and I submit that Tim would not have become what he is today with Rick Pitino as his coach.
You're missing the point. The "what could have been" is what tears them up. If Duncan had gone to the Celtics, been healthy and played his entire career there the Boston basketball world would be markedly different than it is now. That's all. It's not a matter of logic, it's an emotional issue that you can't rationalize away.

[Obstructed_View]

:jack

funny shit. the '97 draft went very, very bad if your favorite team was other than the spurs.
Yeah, I can't think of a lottery that went more right.

[violentkitten]

what's great is now all of this "dirty" talk is rewriting history and helping the fans of other teams cope.

lost in the playoffs to the spurs? well, they're "dirty" so it doesn't really count.

lost out on winning the #1 pick in the '97 draft? well, it's those "dirty" spurs at work again

[Obstructed_View]

The world found a way to sell papers writing about the Spurs.

[samikeyp]

I think its a generational thing....your younger fans who weren't around for Len Bias just see what Duncan has done. I remember Bias and Lewis that has to be very painful for those C's fans who are around my age. I imagine, though, the Duncan thing didn't help any.

[duncan228]

You're missing the point. The "what could have been" is what tears them up. If Duncan had gone to the Celtics, been healthy and played his entire career there the Boston basketball world would be markedly different than it is now. That's all. It's not a matter of logic, it's an emotional issue that you can't rationalize away.

You're dead on. I grew up in RI, the Celtics were "our" team. My family is still there. Boston, and New England, were crushed at "losing" Duncan. They still talk about what "could" have been. Would Duncan have been Duncan there? Probably, he was already great. But "would" and "could" are two different things.
From what I understand even Duncan thought he was going to be a Celtic and he didn't find out until the rest of us did.

Would he have stayed in cold Boston? I doubt it. The only other school to "woo" Duncan besides Wake was Providence College. He visited, liked the program okay but he didn't like the weather! Wake Forest got him! (There's more to it I know, but he doesn't like cold weather!)

[dknights411]

The Celtics losing that draft lottery did set them back a couple of decades, but they did pick Chauncey Billups with their pick (letting him go came back to bite them in the butt of course), and they DID pass up Tracy McGrady.

What's worse, it seems like the title runs by the Red Sox and the Patriots have rendered the Celtics obsolete in the Boston sports scene, which is a travesty in of itself. It just sad to see the Celtics in their current state.

[Obstructed_View]

The Celtics could have had Bowen and Duncan together in from 1997 til today. How devastating is that?

[mikekim]

I think Timmy fits in a Boston uniform and on that team with their history.

I would've been a huge fan regardless. The Celtics fit him. Buuuuuuut...we have him here, and I'm definitely not complaining about that :)

[K-State Spur]

What's always lost in that discussion is that while the Celts had the highest odds of any individual team of getting Duncan, the odds were actually much better that the Celts WOULD NOT get that pick. So in that aspect, the lottery played out in favor of the odds.

[Matrix Marion]

More proof of Sterns love for the Spurs.

[ChumpDumper]

More proof of Sterns love for the Spurs.Yes, the SMALL MARKET doimation theory.

Logical :tu

[ObiwanGinobili]

Can you imagine Duncan in a critical media market or in a market where fans would boo during losses?

They wouldnt have kept him long.

He woulda ended up calling something/someone retarded and after having to give a public apology be traded.

[exstatic]

No, that pick was fate. Some here have heard this, but others haven't, so I'll repeat it. They always do a practice draw, and a Spurs ball popped out. When they did the actual first pick draw, a Spurs ball popped out, and we got it. When they did the ball for the second pick, a Spurs ball popped out AGAIN. :lol That fucking pick was ours. God isn't a Celtics fan, at least not any more.

[Obstructed_View]

No, that pick was fate. Some here have heard this, but others haven't, so I'll repeat it. They always do a practice draw, and a Spurs ball popped out. When they did the actual first pick draw, a Spurs ball popped out, and we got it. When they did the ball for the second pick, a Spurs ball popped out AGAIN. :lol That fucking pick was ours. God isn't a Celtics fan, at least not any more.
I could have sworn I relayed this story, but I didn't. This is absolutely the truth and just ends all discussion about lucky ping pong balls.