Move this to the Celts forum if more appropriate but I think there’s a parallel. 15 years as an elite Celtic. I’m not saying he’s Brady level but when will be the next time an elite athlete plays in Boston for 15 years? TB12, Papi, CPP, Chara. Don’t think we’ll see the likes of this again as a region.
Detractors reveled in Cavs' win; yes, after four months of doing nothing they got together for the first time and played like it was the seventh game of the NBA Finals...LeBron also celebrated like it was the seventh game of the NBA Finals...the Celtics, meanwhile, have been trying hard all year, and yesterday they were almost as bad defensively as they were offensively...
The Cavs did not "ruin" anything on Sunday. Our uniforms were still much more palatable than the Cavs'. Yes, we've won the same amount of titles since 1987 but if you go back further we blow them away.
And...Black History Month? Okay, I'm totally lost. The vast majority of faces of guests on the court, and Paul's, are black.
Anyway, it was a totally fun, entertaining, happy night.
Paul Pierce is one of the toughest players I've ever seen in my life. Since he was a rookie,
Paul was pretty much the only thing opponents had to try to stop on the Celtics, and they knew it. They hacked him. Night. After night. After night. And he kept getting up.
Paul's also one of the last direct ties to Red, who loved him. Among the many stories, they worked in how smart a player Paul was.
It was a humorous moment, but also quite poignant, when Paul said, "Danny, when the new ownership brought you in I said, 'That's it. I'm gone...He's cleaning house...I'm outa here...' James Posey was in attendance yesterday, and while he was recognized for his invaluable contribution to the title in '08, when Ainge let him walk to New Orleans for a slightly better deal, I said 'That's it. There will be no more titles.' I was right. It sent the clear message to the league and the Celtics themselves, including Ray Allen, that the team was
not committed to winning multiple titles, but instead was going to dink around and mess it up. Ray played his heart out for several more years here, to no avail. He
cannot be blamed for escaping to South Beach after the millionth trade rumor.
So, Paul is where he belongs now, with the rest of the Celtics family heroes. And this family extends way beyond those with retired numbers up in the rafters of the Garden.