Timmy in Celtic uniform.

[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 cir stances, 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]

funny . 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]

funny . 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 le 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.