As a kid, I was addicted to those cheesy highlight videos chronicling the NBA pax romana of the 1980s.
These videos were visual confirmation of the oral hardwood legends my father and uncle would recount to me. They would wax poetic about the superhuman exploits of all-time greats such as Julius Erving and Magic Johnson.
Their favorite topic, of course, was the Boston Celtics and their Holy Trinity of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Not surprisingly, my favorite NBA video chronicled the Celtics' 1986 championship season. The words of the narrator still resonate in my head, "Do you remember Boston? That victory was as sweet as the cream pie for which the city is named."
My tenure as a Celtics fan has been far less glorious than the years my father reminisced about. He told me about times when the Boston Garden was the most feared venue in basketball, and Celtic Pride was a unifying force for the people of Boston, not a goofy movie where Dan Akroyd kidnaps Damon Wayans.
The C's last won a championship in 1986, and the most success they have had in the last 20 years was a 2002 Eastern Conference Finals run led by Paul Pierce and noted McFlurry enthusiast Antoine Walker. Basketball had become an afterthought in a city where it was once king.
But the years of watching my beloved C's dwelling in NBA purgatory are over. The Celtics are primed to regain their position as the preeminent team in basketball. Our escape from unimportance to prominence can be explained in two words: Kevin Garnett.
Yes. Let it sink in. The Celtics have captured The Big Ticket. The perennial 22-point, 13-rebound, five-assist, two-block monster who has wreaked havoc on the Western Conference for the past decade is now going to bring his big numbers and manic intensity to the East, an inferior conference devoid of great big men. Not to mention that the Celtics have captured one of the best shooters in recent history, Ray Allen.
These superstars join Pierce, one of the NBA's all-around best. With these three forming a triumvirate in the mold of Bird, McHale and Parish, I see nothing but big things for these Celtics.
Two months away from tip-off and I'm already positively giddy at the prospect of seeing the Celtics finally resurrect their status as a dynasty. Mark my words - the Celtics will win the Eastern Conference and will make a legitimate run at their 17th NBA championship.
Yes, there are numerous counterarguments to my claim. Boston traded away half of the roster, including its best young player in Al Jefferson. Veterans Scot Pollard, Eddie House and James Posey, recently acquired by Boston, are more noted for outlandish hairstyles, questionable shot selection and legal problems, respectively, than their playing abilities.
The Celts are coached by Doc Rivers, who has never proven that he can take a team far into the playoffs and is better known for developing young players rather than managing veteran talent. It is my unabashedly biased opinion, however, that these negatives are simply not enough to detract from the acquisition of the most feared three-player combo in the NBA.
It's official. The aura is back.
There's finally excitement for basketball in Boston. The days when teams would relish playing the Celtics are over. The feeling of hope is palpable in the air. We are back. I can see it already: 20 years from now, I'll be kicked back in an easy chair spinning yarns to my kids about the last golden age of the Celtics.
Danny Joseph is a sophomore majoring in English. He can be reached at Daniel.Joseph@tufts.edu.
