This story first appeared in SLAM 251.
It’s hard to believe but there was a time when the Boston Celtics weren’t a top team. You’ve gotta hand it to them, though, they had a solid start—winning almost 11 successive titles from 1957 through the following decade. Following that, if the trophy wasn’t residing in Bean Town, they pretty much remained in the championship conversation until the late ’80s. Despite their rich, dynasty-defining imprint on NBA history, something changed in the early ’90s. The combination of Larry Bird inevitably calling time on his storied legacy, then the tragedy of Reggie Lewis, passing away in 1993 meant that some shaky seasons followed.
Sure, some solid draft picks made for potential franchise players (we see you, Toine), and there were a couple of savvy signings (much love, Dana). But chemistry lacked and the newly built TD Garden (then the FleetCenter) felt like an unworthy new address for the banners imported from their old home. Boston’s lack of success would be reflected in their notable absence from the first five years of SLAM covers (not counting iconic gatefold joints), with a worthy face not emerging until 1999—Issue 35, to be exact.
In the 1998 NBA Draft, the Celtics would use their 10th pick to select Paul Pierce. Despite Pierce’s hatred of the franchise (understandable, being from Cali), he would prove to be an excellent choice, putting up numbers that placed him in the Rookie of the Year conversation toward the end of the ’98-99 season.
This conversation was seemingly wide open and crashed into the SLAM offices in what would prove to be a toxic fashion. Some team members chose Vince (the eventual Rookie of the Year), Scoop was counting on J-Will and Tony G had The Truth as his pick. “If we were a band, we would’ve split up,” was how Tony described how real it got at the SLAM Dome. Three dope covers was the compromise and, as a result, the Celtics would solidify their biggest basketball achievement of that particular decade: their first solo SLAM cover.
Boston’s journey to the championship over these past few years has been a long flight with turbulence. I know I speak for the worldwide hoops community when I say that it’s dope to see such a storied franchise continuing to build on its legacy and reclaim its place as the best in NBA history.
No doubt.
