How readers voted in Boston.com’s bracket of best teams
More than 30,000 votes were cast to decide Boston's greatest team.
In Boston.com’s recent bracket of the greatest teams in the city’s history, readers had a chance to weigh in on some classic debates.
In total, more than 30,000 votes were cast in the week-long bracket.
Ultimately, the 2004 Red Sox emerged as the winner, garnering 65.6 percent of votes in the final to defeat the top-seeded 1985-1986 Celtics.
While the real-life 2004 Red Sox required a historic comeback to win the World Series, the bracket proved to be an easier competition. Boston’s curse-breaking baseball team cruised with an average voting margin of 84.6 percent through the six rounds of the tournament.
The closest matchup in the entire bracket occurred in the round of eight, where the 1971-1972 Bruins overcame the 2016-2017 Patriots by just two votes. Unfortunately for Bobby Orr’s Bruins, the thin margin of victory only led to a final four matchup with the eventual champions (who won decisively, 80.6-19.4).
Voters favored professional teams, eliminating all but one of the 20 collegiate teams by the round of 16. The only college team that advanced past the first two rounds was the 1984 Boston College football team (which eventually lost to the ’72 Bruins).
The final four worked out as a perfect cross-section of Boston’s traditional professional teams. The ’86 Celtics faced the 2004-2005 Patriots on one side, while the ’04 Red Sox faced the ’72 Bruins on the other.
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