Patriots-Celtics Comparison; Football Picks

I have had this feeling for some time now but after Bill Simmons broke it down in his column this week, I am again thinking about the odd similarities between the 1986 NBA World Champion Boston Celtics and the 2007 New England Patriots. Both teams are led by athletes who are at the top of their games and were league MVP's. For those scoring at home, that would be Larry Bird and Tom Brady. Both teams had unbelieveable supporting casts. The C's featured Dennis Johnson, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Bill Walton, Jerry Sichting and Scott Wedman. The Pats trot out Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Asante Samuel, Rodney Harrison, Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Adalius Thomas, Junior Seau among others. (Sorry for the rambling list of Patriots, there are just too many solid players. I can't believe I skipped over Ty Warren, Ben Watson and Stephen Neal.) Both teams picked up a former star who was seen to be on the downside of their respective career before storming back with great seasons. Bill Walton was the NBA's 6th Man of the Year in 1986 and Randy Moss ... well, you already know what Randy Moss did to opposing defenses in 2007. Both teams also missed out on playing their biggest rivals in the postseason. The 1986 Celtics were denied revenge on the Lakers, who knocked off the C's in the 1985 NBA Finals, because L.A. lost to the Houston Rockets. The Patriots were denied revenge on the Colts, who bounced the Pats from the AFC Championship Game last January, because Indy choked against the San Diego Chargers last week. Another similarity, and this one sends a few chills down the spine of any true Boston fan, is that both teams held high draft picks following their great seasons. The C's had the No. 2 overall pick in the 1986 Draft, courtesy of trading Gerald Henderson to Seattle. We all (sadly) remember how that played out. The Pats have the No. 7 overall pick in the 2008 Draft courtesy of trading the No. 28 pick in the 2007 Draft (offensive lineman Joe Staley of Central Michigan -- sadly I didn't have to look that up) to San Francisco. (A quick sidebar ... that trade with the 49ers could end up as the most lopsided trade in the history of sports even if Staley morphs into the next Anthony Munoz. The Pats dealt the No. 28 pick to the 49ers for a 2008 No. 1 -- which is the seventh overall choice -- as well as a 2007 fourth round pick. Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick then sent that fourth round pick -- who became cornerback John Bowie -- to Oakland for Randy Moss. Moss, by way of his record breaking 2007 season and his role in the team being 17-0 heading into Sunday's AFC Championship Game, already has made it a lopsided trade. However, if/when Pioli/Belichick nail that No. 7 pick, the trade will be remembered by history as one of the all-time great steals.) Both teams even have the perfect coach for their respective teams. K.C. Jones gets very little credit for the job he did with that 1985-86 team because of his laid back manner but when you are dealing with a team of 12 players that included Hall of Famers Bird, McHale, Walton and Parish as well as All-Stars D.J., Danny Ainge and Wedman, there wasn't too much tinkering that needed to be done. Also, basketball players tend to be more sensitive to criticism so K.C. letting the team play instead of overcoaching made them a success. Bill Belichick is the perfect football coach. He is tough and accepts no excuses, he game plans better than any other coach in the NFL, he makes players earn his trust before trusting them on the field, and he obviously loves his players (not that his love makes any of them safe from criticism or saves their jobs) because he does return that trust. Belichick has also built a dynasty in the era of the salary cap which has lifted the degree of difficulty for team building many notches higher than Paul Brown, Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh or Jimmy Johnson ever dealt with. The only thing the 2007 Patriots currently do not have in common with the 1986 Celtics is the championship ring. For all the talk of the undefeated season and the records they have set, this Patriot team can not go down in history with the '86 C's if they fail to win the Super Bowl. As for the picks... PATRIOTS (-13.5) over San Diego The Pats just have too much, even if the Chargers were at full speed. The injuries to Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates hurt the Chargers but even those three couldn't prevent the inevitable from occurring. 45-10 Pats NY Giants (+7.5) over GREEN BAY The whole country is already planning for the David (Green Bay/Brett Favre) v. Goliath (New England/Tom Brady) Super Bowl but I have a funny feeling that Eli Manning will step up to the plate like his brother always fails to in the clutch (The Pats choked away last year's AFC Championship Game and had an inferior team anyways and the Bears may not have been an AFC playoff team let alone a Super Bowl team). The Pats will get their shot at a Manning this winter, they'll just have to settle for Eli. 24-16 Giants Last Week: 1-3 Playoffs: 3-4-1 Regular Season: 120-109-6