Movie quote of the day:
“Gentlemen, the hopes and dreams of an entire town are riding on your shoulders. You may never matter again in your life as much as you do right now.”
— Gary Gaines, “Friday Night Lights” (2004)
Well, it’s been a little over nine years since I created this blog and I can finally say that one of my favorite teams has finally won a championship. I’ve come close a couple times — the New York Mets in 2015, Boston Bruins in 2019, and I’ll throw Green Bay in the mix even though it hasn’t been to a Super Bowl since 2010. As excited as I am about my Boston Celtics winning the NBA Finals, I have to admit that I’m conflicted on how much I’m allowed to celebrate.
When I was growing up, basketball was my second-favorite sport and the NBA was second-favorite professional league. However, in the last five to eight years, I’ve fallen out of love with basketball and the NBA. I think the reasoning for that mostly falls on the league, but I wouldn’t say that I’m blameless. Hockey has become my second-favorite sport and I’ve developed more of an appreciation for baseball as I’ve aged. Basketball and the NBA has just been the odd man out for me, and why my Celtics fandom has dipped a bit.
However, I wouldn’t say that I turned my back on the team. I stuck with the Celtics when they moved on from Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Doc Rivers. I embraced the rebuild and the Brad Stevens era. I can remember where I was when the team drafted Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, and Robert Williams between 2014-18. Drafting each one of those guys led to the Celtics winning this championship. I’ve also watched every postseason game and followed all the offseason acquisitions since 2022.
I wouldn’t say that it’s completely hollow victory for me. There’s definitely more emotion to this championship than the one in 2008, when, I’ll admit, I hopped on the Celtics bandwagon after they acquired Ray Allen and Garnett to pair with Pierce. I’ve watched Brown and Tatum develop together these last seven years and I couldn’t be more proud of them.
You also have the whole Joe Mazzulla aspect, who I’ve always had a soft spot for going back to his college days at West Virginia. Everyone remembers him as one of the heroes of the WVU team that knocked off No. 1-seeded Kentucky in the Elite Eight in 2010. However, I can still remember him scoring 13 points off the bench to help the Mountaineers upset No. 2-seeded Duke to advance to the Sweet 16 in 2008. I can’t believe that it’s the same guy all those years ago helping my favorite NBA team win a championship. It’s been an unreal experience watching him coach the Celtics.
I’ve developed a connection to Massachusetts and the city of Boston, too. My dad, who loved Larry Bird and adopted the Celtics as his team around 40 years ago, recently moved to Massachusetts. I’ve visited Boston twice in the last 14 months and have a much better understanding of the area. It’s a terrific place and those people deserve this moment. I look forward to seeing all the celebrations and the championship parade in the coming days.
Can you understand my predicament? I consider myself a Celtics fan, but I definitely could’ve been a better fan in recent years. This championship definitely means a lot more to other people, but it also has meaning to me. I just have mixed feelings about how much I’m allowed to celebrate the Celtics winning their 18th championship, which is the most in NBA history. I’m probably taking this way too seriously and just need to enjoy the moment.
Regardless, there will be some form of celebration from me. For most people, myself included, it’s not often that one of your favorite teams wins a championship. I bought a bottle of champagne for the occasion. I will be buying championship merchandise. If I lived closer to Boston, I’d likely go to the parade. This is a milestone and a feeling that I haven’t experienced in 14 years. I’m not taking it for granted.
All Things Sports from a Millennial 