Blog

A new basketball season is almost here, and it won’t be long before we’re watching our Boston Celtics running the court and doing their thing.  Jason Terry will bring us out of our seats.  Rajon Rondo will take our breath with his spectacular play.  KG will amp us with his intensity.  Paul Pierce will have that faraway look in his eyes and that sly grin on his face as he preps to drop a three on an over-matched opponent.  Ray Allen will be ancient history, a distant memory, and just another reason to hate the Heat even more than we do now.

You know what?  Right now is the perfect time to take stock of what we have in this team that we know, love and support with every fiber of our being.  And trust me, there is plenty to be thankful for.  Let’s start with championships.  Last time I checked, we have 17 championship banners hanging from the rafters.  That’s still the most in the NBA, so savor that thought for moment.  There are plenty of teams still looking for that first title.  We won 11 championships in 13 seasons with Bill Russell manning the paint and triggering the fast break.  We won two more during the 1970s with Dave Cowens and John Havlicek leading the charge.  Next came the 1980s – the Golden Age of NBA Basketball – and we had Larry Bird and the Big Three winning three more titles.  Len Bias and Reggie Lewis crushed us and the 1990s were a wash, but that 17th NBA Championship in 2008 was just about as good as gets if you’re a Celtics fan.

 Last time I checked, we have 17 championship banners hanging from the rafters.  That’s still the most in the NBA, so savor that thought for a moment.

What else?  Hall of Fame players / coaches / owners?  Don’t get me started.  The pantheon of Celtics greatness runs from Cousy to Russell to Havlicek to Bird to Pierce.  Red Auerbach was as good a coach as the pro game ever produced.  And when he hung up his whistle he simply became one of the best GMs the sport has ever known.

Hell, we even have cheerleaders now – and while Red might roll over in his grave at the thought, there’s nothing better than a smokin’ hot cheerleader shaking what God gave her, and doing it for your favorite team.

And as we look ahead to this season coming, you can thank Danny Ainge for putting together not only a competitive team, but a team that has a legit chance at winning another championship.  Ain’t gonna be easy, not with Miami, Los Angeles and OKC in the title hunt, but winning it all against that caliber of competition will make it that much sweeter.

So take a moment to count your blessings, Celtics fans.  We’ve got a lot to be thankful for.