On Top Of The World
The worn-out, deteriorated jersey sat on my bedroom chair from April into June. The reason: a good luck omen for the Celtics to rub before every playoff game in hopes of triggering some charm that will carry them to the title, just another maniacal habit from a die-hard fanatic. Instead of an omen, the jersey ended up being a message and a distinct reminder of where I am and where I was.
It all began with Pedro Martinez. When I first began to indulge myself in the Boston sports scene at the turn of the century, and with baseball being my first love seemingly out of the womb, the Red Sox became just as important as family and friends even at a young age. Opening my first baseball card pack and feeling the ultimate when Pedro’s face stared back at me, that card still taped to my bedroom wall to this day, is a memory I’ll never forget. Once the Red Sox sucked me in, it was only a matter of time until the Celtics and Patriots followed suit.
It was about 2000 when I can distinctly recall following each Boston team with reckless emotion, constant fandom and a sense of intimate connection. Pedro, my favorite player on the planet, continued to dominate in the Steroid Era in such a way we’ll possibly never witness again as Boston sports fans, but the team failed to get over the hump, finishing in second. The Patriots hit rock bottom with a 5-11 record, but with some coach named Bill Belichick at the helm, some remained hopeful.
More than any other team, though, the Celtics were the biggest headache. A team filled with losers, egomaniacal jerks and complete turmoil covered every corner of the Garden during the Rick Pitino Era: an era of excuses, lackadaisical play, front office blunders and complete disorder. Rather than become the Celtics savior like planned, Pitino nearly ruined the franchise. While Pierce was still one of my heroes, his maturity level was embarrassing, and it was painfully obvious the team was poorly constructed. Antoine Walker, Kenny Anderson, Dana Barros, Vitaly Potapenko…
Jim O’Brien briefly dug the team out of the hole Pitino left them in during the 2002 season, when the Celtics pulled off the stunning Game 3 fourth quarter comeback at home against the Nets. It was merely a brief stint of glory in the waning years of such heroes like Red Auerbach and Bill Russell. While the Patriots were celebrating a miraculous and city-saving Super Bowl victory, the Celtics continued to flounder in the sports scene: would they ever make it back to the top?
Then 2004 came around. With the Red Sox overcoming the Yankees in such a historical and unprecedented fashion, all of a sudden the impossible became possible in sports. Their victory opened up the floodgates of hope. Rather than always expecting the worst and bracing for heartbreak, the 2004 Red Sox and the following Super Bowl victories from the Patriots led the way for the Celtics turnaround. Boston sports fans didn’t feel doomed or played or filled with constant suffer and sorrow. We began winning, and it felt great.
This morning, those suffering years at the turn of the century seem like a distant memory. Last night, the Boston Celtics clinched their 17th NBA title and first since 1986 on the parquet floor. With legends like Bill Russell, John Havlicek and Larry Bird looking on, the Boston Celtics now stand atop the basketball world with their Game 6 trouncing of the LA Lakers at TD Banknorth Garden.
Ray Allen’s stroke returned just in time, Kevin Garnett continued to set the tone with ferocious defense, intensity and mid-range shooting, Kendrick Perkins returned for a stud on the glass, James Posey played lockdown defense and hit crucial threes, Eddie House proved to be the spark of all sparks, Rajon Rondo matured huge leaps and bounds over the season to become a true point guard, P.J. Brown provided the Little Things every winning team desperately needs, Leon Powe aided the dismantling down low (my favorite role player), and Doc Rivers helped instill a defensive mindset that ultimately led to #17.
But the real leader is your NBA Finals MVP: Paul Pierce. Just over the course of the season, a complete transformation was evident for Paul. Back in 2000, Pierce just recovering from a heartbreaking and near-death stabbing incident at a nightclub in Boston, the leader of the Celtics played with a chip on his shoulder, a me-against-the-world mentality, often isolating himself from teammates and his immaturity often leading to the demise of team chemistry. With the acquisition of Garnett and Allen, Pierce turned into a completely different player, fully capable of setting his ego aside for the betterment of winning a championship and completely overhauling his game to highlight one thing: defense.
Paul Pierce’s defense led the Boston Celtics to the crown. The fashion in which he shut down LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, containing them about as well as you can contain the two best offensive juggernauts on the planet, will never be overlooked. Pierce transforming into a defensive mastermind in these playoffs correlates with just how much the Boston sports scene has changed in eight years.
Before each Celtics game this postseason, I’d rub my Pierce jersey for good luck. And each time I’d see that frayed and faded green jersey on my chair, a sense of thankfulness and pride engulfed me. It acts as a reminder for just how far the Boston sports scene has come in eight years, from the dark days of 1999 and 2000 to the glory days of 2007 and 2008. It doesn’t get any better than seeing your three favorite teams all compete for the ultimate prize in their respective sport. As Kevin Garnett screamed with such jubilation and exuberance after the game Tuesday night:
“ON TOP OF THE WORLD BABY!”
That’s kind of how I feel too, Kevin.
