It didn't happen, but nobody particularly cared because Boston went 66-16 and won the NBA title. That was the first year of the Big Three, the first year the Celtics were successful in rebuilding a franchise that had been relatively dormant since the mid-'80s.
This year, with a healthy Kevin Garnett, a rejuvenated Paul Pierce and a hungry Ray Allen, the Celtics pose a good chance of making a run at the Finals again. But that's not the only thing new addition Rasheed Wallace is thinking about. He, for one, thinks this group has a chance to surpass the Bulls' 72-win season.
"Definitely, playing with those three other guys, also combining that with all the guys we have on the bench, I think we definitely can [win 72 games]," the forward told the Connecticut Post. "Me personally, I think we can get that Bulls record. You know we have the talent for it. We have the will for it and … I think we have the defense for it."
Last season, prior to a Christmas Day loss to L.A., the Celtics were 27-2. They ran into some trouble around the midseason mark — when Garnett went down for an extended period and point guard Rajon Rondo missed time due to injury — before eventually succumbing in the second round of the playoffs.
Will that happen this year? Hopefully not. The Celtics have had a successful offseason, picking up Wallace, Shelden Williams and Marquis Daniels. In Wallace's opinion, that is enough to make something special happen.
"They had some Hall of Famers on there," Wallace said of the 1995-96 Bulls squad that featured Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. "But we have a few on this team, too."
