The Tragedy of Len Bias and Its Probable Impact on The Celtics Dynasty
The mighty Boston Celtics won the NBA championship in 2008 behind the Big “3″ of Pierce, Allen, and Garnett. This was the team’s first after 22 years however which is paltry by team standards. Their last title was in 1986 behind the original Big “3″ of Bird, McHale, and Parish. That was also the year that the Celtics experienced the tragic death of their top draft pick Len Bias.
Post Comment|0 Liked It
Dying at age 22 is rather brief by any standards. Much less if you are a highly-touted NBA prospect who just signed a $3 million shoe endorsement contract with Reebok and drafted second overall by the Boston Celtics franchise.
Yet, such is the tragic story of basketball player Len Bias, a 6′8″ Forward from the University of Maryland whose remarkable skills have often led to comparisons with the iconic Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player ever. Of course, the pressure that comes with comparisons to MJ have often wilted other equally talented athletes but at least they had the opportunity to prove themselves, at least in the professional level.
In 1986, the Celtics dynasty anchored on the triumvirate of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish was at the peak of their power as they laid claim to their third title of the decade in June of that year. Internally however, top management already noticed telltale signs that the powerhouse Celtics dynasty of the 80’s was aging and they needed a quick understudy who would complement their present superstars as well as one who could lead the team into the 90’s, and perhaps even beyond.
Such was the high hopes pinned upon the shoulders of Leonard Kevin Bias on draft night of June 17, 1986 when the Boston Celtics drafted him with their first round pick and the second overall pick in the 1986 draft after North Carolina’s Brad Daugherty was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Such hopes were never meant to materialize however as Len Bias was proclaimed dead at 8:55 a.m. of June 19th at the Leland Memorial Hospital in Maryland due to cardiac arrhythmia as a result of a cocaine overdose, less than 48 hours after he was drafted. Apparently, the 1986 ACC Player of the Year and Maryland Terrapins star decided to celebrate his good fortune by visiting his old friends in the campus, leased a sports car, drove around the Washington metropolitan area, and attended an off-campus party after which he reportedly had convulsions from the cocaine overdose.
Celtics President Arnold ‘Red’ Auerbach, who admitted that he planned Bias’ draft for three years, said that the city of Boston had not been so shaken since the death of John F. Kennedy. The Celtics organization honored Bias with their own memorial service and gave his never used #30 jersey to his mother, Lonise.
After competing in the 1987 NBA Finals, which they lost 4-2 to their nemesis the Los Angeles Lakers, the Celtics were never again in contention for the title until 2008 when veterans Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett were brought onboard to work with franchise player Paul Pierce. A spate of injuries and Father Time finally caught up with the trio of Bird, McHale, and Parish which brought forth the team’s rather earlier than anticipated decline punctuated by Bird’s retirement in 1992 due to back problems, after only 13 seasons in the NBA.
After Bird’s retirement, the Celtics experienced another tragedy when 26-year old Forward Reggie Lewis who was seen as a successor to Bird as the franchise player died of a heart attack in 1993. For more than a decade after that, the once proud Celtics organization wallowed in mediocrity season after season mainly caused by a series of front office fumbles and draft mishaps which made it difficult for the team to rebuild its once lofty status.
The 2008 season brought new hope into the team’s fans when perennial all-stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen were brought in to team-up with team captain Paul Pierce. They eventually reclaimed the crown for Boston after a 22-year absence but an injury to Garnett the following season immediately shot down the notion of another dynasty with this new core. With Garnett back this season to once again form a healthy nucleus and backed-up with an improved supporting cast, it remains to be seen if the Celtics can once again make a run for the title.
Even so, for a team that has always been up there in virtually every decade since the league’s inception, their haul of one championship for this decade and the 90’s combined is paltry, especially with the Celtics’ standards. Twenty two years without a title is a very long time for a very proud organization like the Boston Celtics.
Some would point out that the team’s long stretch of anemic showing was preceded by the tragic death of Len Bias in 1986 leading some to believe that Boston never really recovered from the death of Len Bias. With the talented Maryland Terrapins star dead and buried at the age of 22 however, the point is now moot and academic. But as with most other things in life you could only just wonder, what if?
