Robert Parish doesn’t get mentioned a lot when the topic of Boston Celtics legends comes up, but he definitely made his mark on the franchise. All these years later, he keeps tabs on the Celtics, so much so that he recently compared their current iteration to the teams he used to play for.
Robert Parish Compares the Current Boston Celtics to His 1980s Teams
In an exclusive interview with HoopsHype’s Sam Yip, Parish revealed how he sees the similarities between the Celtics now and the Celtics teams he used to play for.
“I always liked the philosophy that the 80s Celtics had and these current Celtics have,” Parish said.
He added, “They take the first punch. They are the initiators, not the retaliators. They come out and establish the tone, the tempo, the look of the game. They are the aggressors. I find when you are the aggressors, you get more favorable officiating from the officials.”
“They normally favor the dominant team. And these current Celtics remind me of the old Celtics. And not to mention they play smart, they play hard, and they play together. And I respect that,” Parish concluded.
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Parish might not be considered among the best players to ever play for Boston, but his resume is pretty impressive. He was the third-best player on three championship teams, made nine NBA All-Star teams, and earned two All-NBA selections during an era that featured many dominant centers.
He was involved in what many consider to be one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history when the Celtics acquired him and the draft pick used to select Kevin McHale from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for the draft picks used to select Joe Barry Carroll and Rickey Brown prior to the 1980 NBA Draft.
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The trade immediately paid dividends, as Boston went on to win the title the following season.
Those 1980s Celtics teams were a force to be reckoned with, and Parish played a big role. They were the team to beat in the Eastern Conference year after year, and for that reason, this Celtics team is similar.
Ever since Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown joined forces, they have only one title, but have been the model for consistency for almost a decade, making five Eastern Conference finals, two NBA Finals, and winning a title.
If they win a couple more, it would be more than fair to compare them to those 1980s Celtics teams that featured Parish. They set the bar for opponents to clear if they want to go far in the playoffs, just as their predecessors did 40 years earlier.
Getting this kind of praise from a legend like Parish has got to make the Celtics feel pretty good about the team and culture they have built.
