Celtics Have Advantage in Game Six, but Boston Shouldn't Forget the Past

Choke. Disappointment.

Two words not foreign to Boston sports fans. They're words that have, in a sense, marked an important part of the Boston sports culture. Pessimism and doubt are sentiments that are innate in the souls of every Boston sports fan. They're feelings that have arisen over time, and been passed on from generation to generation. Fathers teach it to sons, and sons pass it on to their sons. It has defined Boston sports.

Remember the '86 World Series? or Bucky Dent in 1978? How about Aaron Boone in 2003? Sure, these are mostly RedSox moments, but most Boston fans will tell you that they treat their teams the same. They're just as loyal, and just as pessimistic, weather it be a Red Sox spring training game or a Celtics game in May.

Now, let me clarify. Pessimism isn't a bad thing in Boston. Its like an insurance policy when they lose. Then we can say "I told you so."

And, of course, it just makes it all the bit more sweet when we win.

But the tides are changing. A new generation is arising that doesn't seem to know much besides winning. With the Red Sox and the Patriots in the midst of their own respective dynastys, and the Celtics now in the NBA finals, the sentiment that seems to define a sports town is slowly diminishing. Even some of the "old timers' seem to be overwhelmingly confident.

And now here we are heading into game Six of the NBA finals up three games to two on the Los Angeles Lakers, and all people seem to talk about is what we'll do after we win, or if Paul Pierce deserves to be in the hall-of-fame after finally winning an NBA title.

It's a different tone in Boston, and frankly, I don't like it. It's the same sentiment that Boston sports fans seemed to have in the days leading up to the Super Bowl this past winter.

Mayor Minino was in the midst of planning which day the Patriots championship parade should be during the final days of Patriots walk-throughs. We all know the rest of the story.

You'd think an event like that would stop Boston fans in their tracks and cause them to reevaluate their attitudes. Boston sports writers, and Boston fans are simply giving Kobe and the Lakers more locker room material with every minute that passes until Tuesday nights game.

I can't count how many times I have heard that its nearly impossible for a team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA finals. Well, that's what makes great sports moments, isn't it? 

Boston fans should dust off that key that opens the lockbox to some of those ugly memories. This is a series that could define the Boston Celtics as a new NBA superpower. It could also be one of the biggest chokes in professional sports history. That's how I like to look at it. I'm from Boston.