Now that the NBA playoffs are over and the Los Angeles Lakers have beaten the Boston Celtics four games to three to win their second straight championship, I have a revelation of sorts: for the first time in more than forty years of following the National Basketball Association, I rooted for the Boston Celtics. And I came away from the experience as a confirmed fan of theirs, hoping for them to retain the core of their team next year, along with their very talented, wise coach Doc Rivers.
Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Ray Allen are the Celtic "standouts", but their talent runs deeply into the bench. And it seems that, no matter who is out there, these players know teamwork more than anything else. What a joy to watch!
No, they didn't win the title this year, but the current Boston Celtics exhibit the essence of what team play is all about. They certainly do have their share of stars, but these guys aren't prima donnas like Cleveland's LeBron James. Even Rasheed Wallace, formerly at times a prima donna when playing for Detroit, has become an integral, unselfish team player. If Rasheed or anyone else is having a poor shooting night, he will set up those players who are hot that night. The result has been different Celtics stepping up in game after game with stellar performances. Even substitute Glen "Big Baby" Davis came through this way and helped give Boston a crucial victory to keep them in the series.
Boston is in a different division from Orlando and Chicago, which are the only other teams in the Eastern Conference that I root for (the West is an entirely different matter, with me pulling for Phoenix, Utah, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston and Denver). Is this the beginning of a new trend of me pulling for Boston, with the Red Sox and Patriots to follow? I don't think I'll ever root for the Pats because they are divisional arch-rivals of my Miami Dolphins. As for the Sox, I don't know; maybe I need to visit NYC's northeastern "bracket" city to form a little bonding with Beantown.
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