By Tim McManus
The Phanatic Magazine
The rivalry is hidden now, small enough to fit in a golden cage or even inside an envelope.
Mo Cheeks is 14 years removed from a playing career, now overseeing a team that is as green as the shamrock they target.
Larry Bird has returned to French Lick. The Boston Strangler has a son playing college ball. Dennis Johnson and Red Auerbach have passed.
Even the disciples are dissipating. AI's in the Rockies, Paul Pierce is generally on the IR and Eric Snow's busy dishing to Bron-Bron.
What's left is a lot of history and very little else between the Celtics and Sixers. It's hard to look at Willie Green staring down Sebastien Telfair and get legitimately stirred up about it.
And honestly? Neither city feels quite right because of it.
Sure, there's Sox-Yanks and Eagles-Cowboys to keep each fan base nourished, but there's still a sense of vacancy in both the respective towns and the sports world as a whole without Sixers-Celtics. There just is.
The good news is that the rivalry is about to be born anew, starting today.
The 2007 NBA Draft pool is as deep as it's been in a very long time, and Philly and Boston are two of the teams in best position to get healthy off of it.
For the Celtics, it's their first chance to land a true franchise big man since the fates handed San Antonio Tim Duncan instead of them back in 1997. The Spurs haven't been in the lottery since, while the C's have struggled to a of 357-431 record over the last 10 years -- finishing above .500 in just three of those seasons.
The odds say this year, though, that Boston will either walk away with Greg Oden, or be handed a most generous consolation prize in Kevin Durant. Should they land either of those players, the Celtics will rise like a Phoenix and reclaim their spot amongst the NBA's elite franchises. That is especially true given that they're already armed with good young players, the No. 32 pick as well and some cap room to work with in the near future.
The Sixers have less than a one percent chance of moving up and landing one of those two coveted stars, and will be selecting 12th in all likelihood. They are, though, blessed with four chances to pluck ripe talent right off the branch. Names like Mike Conley, Jr., Acie Law IV, Brandon Rush and Aaron Afflalo fill the draft board, each as attainable as the next. And what team is in better position to package picks in the name of moving up to nab the likes of Yi Jianlian, Brandan Wright or Jeff Green?
Either way -- between the success Billy King has had in recent drafts coupled with the players that make up this one -- the Sixers will have a stockpile of young talent once June 28 is in the archives. And, thanks to the contracts of Chris Webber and Greg Buckner coming off the books after this year, the club will have some $13 million to play with next offseason.
Barring incalculable bad luck or mismanagement, both of these teams will begin to rise, and -- most importantly -- begin their rise simultaneously.
As other powers in the East begin to wilt, the Sixers and Celtics will just be hitting their stride. And if all is right with the basketball world, both will peak and be contending for conference supremacy during the same period.
Oden, Durant or faces yet unseen will turn contemptible. Every "BOS" on the calendar will be circled in red marker. Memories will be flamed, waking the sleeping basketball town once again.
It all starts with a golden cage and an envelope, which will soon be pulverized from the inside-out by a rivalry it couldn't possibly contain for long.
Tim can be reached at tmcmanus@phanaticmag.com.
The Phanatic Magazine
The rivalry is hidden now, small enough to fit in a golden cage or even inside an envelope.
Mo Cheeks is 14 years removed from a playing career, now overseeing a team that is as green as the shamrock they target.
Larry Bird has returned to French Lick. The Boston Strangler has a son playing college ball. Dennis Johnson and Red Auerbach have passed.
Even the disciples are dissipating. AI's in the Rockies, Paul Pierce is generally on the IR and Eric Snow's busy dishing to Bron-Bron.
What's left is a lot of history and very little else between the Celtics and Sixers. It's hard to look at Willie Green staring down Sebastien Telfair and get legitimately stirred up about it.
And honestly? Neither city feels quite right because of it.
Sure, there's Sox-Yanks and Eagles-Cowboys to keep each fan base nourished, but there's still a sense of vacancy in both the respective towns and the sports world as a whole without Sixers-Celtics. There just is.
The good news is that the rivalry is about to be born anew, starting today.
The 2007 NBA Draft pool is as deep as it's been in a very long time, and Philly and Boston are two of the teams in best position to get healthy off of it.
For the Celtics, it's their first chance to land a true franchise big man since the fates handed San Antonio Tim Duncan instead of them back in 1997. The Spurs haven't been in the lottery since, while the C's have struggled to a of 357-431 record over the last 10 years -- finishing above .500 in just three of those seasons.
The odds say this year, though, that Boston will either walk away with Greg Oden, or be handed a most generous consolation prize in Kevin Durant. Should they land either of those players, the Celtics will rise like a Phoenix and reclaim their spot amongst the NBA's elite franchises. That is especially true given that they're already armed with good young players, the No. 32 pick as well and some cap room to work with in the near future.
The Sixers have less than a one percent chance of moving up and landing one of those two coveted stars, and will be selecting 12th in all likelihood. They are, though, blessed with four chances to pluck ripe talent right off the branch. Names like Mike Conley, Jr., Acie Law IV, Brandon Rush and Aaron Afflalo fill the draft board, each as attainable as the next. And what team is in better position to package picks in the name of moving up to nab the likes of Yi Jianlian, Brandan Wright or Jeff Green?
Either way -- between the success Billy King has had in recent drafts coupled with the players that make up this one -- the Sixers will have a stockpile of young talent once June 28 is in the archives. And, thanks to the contracts of Chris Webber and Greg Buckner coming off the books after this year, the club will have some $13 million to play with next offseason.
Barring incalculable bad luck or mismanagement, both of these teams will begin to rise, and -- most importantly -- begin their rise simultaneously.
As other powers in the East begin to wilt, the Sixers and Celtics will just be hitting their stride. And if all is right with the basketball world, both will peak and be contending for conference supremacy during the same period.
Oden, Durant or faces yet unseen will turn contemptible. Every "BOS" on the calendar will be circled in red marker. Memories will be flamed, waking the sleeping basketball town once again.
It all starts with a golden cage and an envelope, which will soon be pulverized from the inside-out by a rivalry it couldn't possibly contain for long.
Tim can be reached at tmcmanus@phanaticmag.com.
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