The Suffolk Voice

Issue date: 6/5/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: sportsillustrated.cnn.com The Boston Celtics look to win their first championship since 1986.

By now you've watched enough television and read enough articles to know more than you ever have known about the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. I'll spare you the 5,000 word match up breakdown and sum it up short for you: Nobody matches up well with Kevin Garnett. Kobe Bryant is the best scorer in the league. Paul Pierce can do it all, and will. Lamar Odom is underrated and overrated at the same time, I'm not sure how though. If Kendrick Perkins can stay out of foul trouble, he will dominate Pau Gasol down low. Rajon Rondo is much better than he thinks he is. Both teams have pretty solid benches; There is no huge advantage either way. There's your breakdown, fill in the blanks as the game goes on.

This summer has been strange so far for me. Balancing Celtics games and maintaining a social life has been somewhat difficult. It hasn't helped that the Celtics have pushed each series to seven, seven, and six games. That being said, aside from a few minor heart attacks during certain Celtics playoff games, I wouldn't trade this playoff experience for anything. The idea of watching meaningful basketball games in the summer was foreign to me up until this season. Wait a second… I don't have to finish all of my homework before the Celtics game in order to have time to talk and blog about the game all night? Brilliant!

When I wrote an article on opening night of the Celtics game I was so pumped. I joked about being the other team in Boston trying to finish the season undefeated. Hell, I was just excited to watch a winning basketball team. Looking back a year ago from today, it is honestly amazing how far this team has turned around. I am as equally mad now when the Celtics lose a game as I was happy when they won a game last year. If there is one thing I've learned about this season, it is that prior to this season, I almost became numb to the feeling of losing. Don't get me wrong, I didn't enjoy watching a losing team, but there were just so many losses that I didn't have time to dwell on just one. It was great if we got a win, but I never really expected one. This year, I expect wins (and it is still great), but the losses hurt ten-fold. The Sox and the Pats are expected to win, but it wasn't always like that. I feel that from this point on, the Celtics will be held to the same standard as those teams, and that is a great thing.

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