Search - 2007-2008 NBA Champions - Boston Celtics on DVD

Nice, but nothing special

Eric J. Schlueter | MA | 07/12/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Having suffered through 22 years of decline and mediocrity since the last time the Celtics were in the NBA Finals, no one could have been happier than me when I heard a DVD of the championship season was going to be released.

The best things about the DVD are the extras. You get to see the final QUARTERS of the Semi-Finals against the Cavs and Conference Finals against the Pistons. You are also treated to the interview between Kevin Garnett and Bill Russell, like two eras in the same room together. There are a couple of other small extras, but nothing noteworthy.

The rest of the DVD is a 60 minute recap of the 2008 season and playoff run. It flows nicely and it has a lot of "behind the scenes" stuff as well. By that, I mean you hear some huddle conversation, post game locker room chatter and the like. But it's nothing special. I did enjoy the snippet that Doc Rivers explains the term "umbuntu", which becomes the Celtics' mantra for the season.

But, for $17, I would have hoped for a little more, especially when it comes to the playoffs. I would have liked to see a lot more of the historic comeback in Game 4 against the Lakers. I would have liked to see some highlights from the All-Star game, which the Big Three all attended.

If you sre a Celtics fan, it is a nice video for posterity. And there isn't anything BAD about it. But I think for the money, the fans deserve a little more than what we get. Like I said, it moves along nicely. But it really doesn't seem like anything special.

Should you buy it? It's your call."

Well rounded, 77 minute recap with loads of extras; and well

Doctor Trance | MA, United States | 08/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, ignore the back of the DVD, as the main program runs a full 77 minutes, not 60. When this first came out, I was very hesitant due to the short running time (which I thought was only 60) and rather steep price. However, finding it now for a good price and watching how good the main program is, and how long and fulfiling it is, this is well worth the cash. That's not even to mention all the loads of extras this one disc comes with.

You get the "I Am A Celtic" documentary, which features excellent interviews with Bob Cousy, Sam Jones, and John Havlicek. It features a lot of clips that are in the main program, but also comes with a lot of stuff I'd never seen before, including the "race" Doc had at one practice, where he made everyone who lost to him in a sprint take an extra round of practice. He cheated and got a head start and I had only read about this in an article when it happened, and it was nice to see the video behind it. Both this documentary and the main show contain a lot of humorous and insightful looks into practice, the preseason, and behind the scenes with the coaches and players. Having seen the entire year unfold on TV, these not on television moments made for a very entertaining watch.

You also get two full 4th quarters from Game 7 of the Cleveland series, and Game 6 of the Detroit series. Very welcomed extras and nice to see this historic quarters in their entirety. We will certainly get the entire Lakers series when the full Celtics box set comes out, so there's no need to complain about not getting them now. We already get what I feel is a great compliment of features for this price. There are also 7 other bonus features which include features on Ray Allen, Bill Russell and KG, Paul Pierce, and Danny Ainge.

Back to the main show, where we get about 18 minutes of preseason and regular season coverage, then onto the Eastern Conference playoffs for a good 25 minutes, until the 43 minute mark, and then a full half hour of the Lakers/Celtics Finals. While they didn't dwell too deeply on any one game, it was a well balanced showing of the highlights. The credits then roll with some humorous and candid moments of the team, ending the program at the 77 minute mark.

I think it was good that I waited nearly 2 months to pick this DVD up, as watching it in the weeks after the win, when the DVD first came out, may have been too premature, and not as impactful as seeing it now, after going a long time without a good Celtics fill. I did seem to have a problem with the narrator at first, as he seemed kind of dull. However, as it got deeper and deeper into the show, he seems to grow on you, and to the point where he fits in nicely and his delivery and flow is perfect.

An excellent all around DVD, and in my opinion, well worth it to any Celtics fan. It's one for the collection, and will be a compliment to the box set due out in November."

Great piece DVD

Patrick McCarthy | 08/17/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"They touch on obtaining the Big 3, the regular season and obviously all 26 playoff games! Runs a little more than an hour and it's worth the price. Lots of behind the locker room scenes...all-around solid DVD."