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Generally speaking I am not a big spectator sports person, with the exception of basketball. I have been a Boston Celtics fan my entire life. My interest first came into focus in the last couple years of Larry Birds career. I stuck with them through the very sad 1990's while everyone was fair weather Bulls fans, and to this day they are the only professional sports team I watch.
Our 2008 championship was the culmination of ten years of cobbling together the right pieces and parts to make a run; it was a great time to be a Boston fan. Yet, even then it was not a return to form. Boston is a dynastic team with nearly 20 championship in the trophy case. 2008 was incredible, but that team was never going to be the start of a new era of winning. After rising to champion status the next four years would be a series of difficult injuries and even more difficult trades to watch. In retrospect it was inevitable simply based on the rising average age of the team. I do still believe that group had another Finals run in them and it was a lost opportunity. However, I do also agree that the very difficult trade of our core players in 2013 set the Celtics up to potentially return to that form they lost more thirty years ago now.
Those moves directly facilitated the current Tatum/Brown/Smart/Williams era. This core on paper blew my mind as it came together. Yet, each year the team seemed to under perform and there were clearly locker room issues spilling onto the court. That all came to a head during the horror that was Kyrie Irving's season with us. As much as I am more than happy to throw shade at him, his presence forced the rest of the the team to connect. I believe that lost season was important for the evolution that led to Sunday night....and that shot.
That sequence was the moment this team realized they can play and beat the best in important playoff games. Multiple passes, Smart didn't take the shot to get the ball closer to the hoop, and Tatum cut to the basket instead of hanging around the perimeter. Win or lose that team from the first half of the season that lacked rapport and confidence is dead.
Nothing would make me happier to come back to this post in the future to further add that this was the moment a new dynasty was minted, but I don't want to get to far ahead of myself. Right now I buckled in for what promises to be a great playoff series for the ages.
Our 2008 championship was the culmination of ten years of cobbling together the right pieces and parts to make a run; it was a great time to be a Boston fan. Yet, even then it was not a return to form. Boston is a dynastic team with nearly 20 championship in the trophy case. 2008 was incredible, but that team was never going to be the start of a new era of winning. After rising to champion status the next four years would be a series of difficult injuries and even more difficult trades to watch. In retrospect it was inevitable simply based on the rising average age of the team. I do still believe that group had another Finals run in them and it was a lost opportunity. However, I do also agree that the very difficult trade of our core players in 2013 set the Celtics up to potentially return to that form they lost more thirty years ago now.
Those moves directly facilitated the current Tatum/Brown/Smart/Williams era. This core on paper blew my mind as it came together. Yet, each year the team seemed to under perform and there were clearly locker room issues spilling onto the court. That all came to a head during the horror that was Kyrie Irving's season with us. As much as I am more than happy to throw shade at him, his presence forced the rest of the the team to connect. I believe that lost season was important for the evolution that led to Sunday night....and that shot.
That sequence was the moment this team realized they can play and beat the best in important playoff games. Multiple passes, Smart didn't take the shot to get the ball closer to the hoop, and Tatum cut to the basket instead of hanging around the perimeter. Win or lose that team from the first half of the season that lacked rapport and confidence is dead.
Nothing would make me happier to come back to this post in the future to further add that this was the moment a new dynasty was minted, but I don't want to get to far ahead of myself. Right now I buckled in for what promises to be a great playoff series for the ages.
