Jones: '86 Celtics Haven't Been 'Best Team Of All-Time' In 20 Years, Warriors About To Take Crown
BOSTON (CBS) -- Monday morning, Celtics play-by-play man Mike Gorman said Larry Bird and the 1986 Celtics would beat the 2016 Golden State Warriors, who have a chance to stake their claim as the greatest team in NBA history if they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers and win the NBA championship.
Adam Jones begs to differ.
Jones and Rich Keefe brought up the imperfect, subjective "best team ever" debate Monday night, concluding that the Warriors, who set a new NBA record with 73 wins in the regular season, would become the greatest team of all-time if they win the championship.
Jones personally can't believe that anyone would still pick the '86 Celtics as the all-time best team and argues that no one outside of New England has picked them since the 72-win 1996 Chicago Bulls arguably supplanted them.
"The '86 Celtics? Very good team," said Jones. "Incredible, amazing team. But ... who still considers them the greatest team of all time? Didn't that go out the window 20 years ago when the Jordan Bulls won 72 games and won the first of three consecutive championships?
"If you're losing sleep over people outside of New England no longer considering the '86 Celtics the greatest team of all time ... No one does. It's the '96 Bulls, and it's going to be the 2016 Warriors when they win this title."
Jones and Keefe also broke down Game 2 of the NBA Finals, which the Warriors won in a second straight blowout, to start Monday's program.