Boston Celtics: Congratulations

First off I must state that I'm a Lakers' fan. However despite my undying hatred of Paul Pierce, the Celtics' run to the finals gripped me and I ended up rooting for a team (except in the Finals) the newspapers considered "too old".

Following the aftermath of the Finals, Bleacher Report was plagued with articles congratulating the Lakers and praising Artest for his transformation, Gasol for no longer being "soft" and several articles on Kobe being compared to Jordan! Of course I congratulate the Lakers, they redeemed their 08' defeat and I couldn't be more delighted with their victory.

However people seem to forget the heart the Celtics played with, in every round on the road to the playoffs they were written off. The argument was that they wouldn't be able to contain superstars such as Wade, Lebron or Howard. However they turned the tables on those predictions and made it to the finals. The Lakers were heavy favourites to win, but no-one expected the Celtics to change the tide and bring it to a Game Seven. Even in Game Seven they had victory in their hands for three quarters, but were unable to hold on to that lead. I have to add that the Lakers were veryyyyy lucky to snatch victory in a thrilling defensive Game Seven.

The reason for the Celtics' success was their trust in each other. All the players who had significant minutes contributed in some shape or form. Be that Nate Robinson's explosive offense or Davis's rebounding off the Bench. Even the big three were reduced to the status of a "good role player". They were a team of equals, five people completely in sync with each other. Although i will admit some players have the ego of a hall-of fame superstar *cough Paul Pierce cough*.

This is the due to several factors.

1. Rajon Rondo a pass-first point guard,  glued the Celtics' team together with his team work ability.
2. The aging superstars , the Celtics' Big three realized that they cannot carry a team on their own anymore. This was evident in the fall of Kevin Garnett during last year's playoffs. This fact meant that they would have to work together to succeed.
3. Doc Rivers' coaching. Throughout the playoffs in the huddle you could constantly hear him state the word "trust". Trust in yourselves, but mainly trust in each other.

I found the Celtics' basketball style slightly inspiring. With myself being not such a great player I rely on my equally bad teammates and as a result we were able to be more effective as a unit rather as individuals. Very rarely does this style of team basketball become successful in the NBA. People speak of superstars in teams such as Jordan and Pippen or Shaq-Kobe. Teams such as the Pistons' championship in 2004 will probably be forgotten in the coming years and dwarfed by the successes of the more famous championship stars.

However, this article is not a debate on team basketball, my intention was to let the Celtics know that although they were defeated and although it will pain them for probably the rest of their life, they have every single right to hold their heads high as they brought a whole new meaning to the word pride. I think I gained more respect for every starter on that team. Sureee Paul Pierce is an arrogant, cocky, terrible terrible person lol (joke) I respect him for the confidence he shows in his teammates, even the "we're not going back to LA" shows his belief and trust in his team.

"It doesn't matter if you win as long as you give everything in your heart."
-- Michael Jordan

Part of me wants to see that basketball style again, but it seems that the team will be breaking down. Allen may leave to free agency, Doc Rivers may retire and the Big three simply is not getting any younger.