You’ve said it in the book and repeatedly elsewhere that the ’86 team is the greatest of all time. Obviously, they had talent with you, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale and Bill Walton just joined the team. But why does that team have the edge over the 1995-96
Chicago Bulls or the
Golden State Warriors during their championship runs? Robert Parish:
“Bill Walton. The league did not have an answer for William. Nobody had an answer for William. I felt like that was the difference maker. The Bulls and the Warriors couldn’t do anything with Bill Walton coming off the bench. We had an MVP coming off the bench. [Bill] Wennington or Luc Longley would’ve had their hands full. William was a tough, tough cover. The Golden State Warriors do it collectively with their defensive strategy and don’t depend on individual defense. Still, I just don’t see how anybody can deal with that. I think Bill Walton was like Moses Malone. You couldn’t quite figure them out. There is something about the way he plays the game and the way he goes about his business with getting it done. Playing against a left-handed ball player kind of throws your rhythm off a little bit. Those two guys messed my rhythm up with that style of play. That’s the best way I can describe it.”
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