But you know what the beginning of football season means: only a couple of months until basketball.
And given the facelifts and other seemingly-minor-but-actually-major improvements the Celtics have undergone throughout the course of this offseason, there is plenty to look forward to when the Green hit the hardwood on Oct. 27 to take on King James and the Cavaliers.
Last season ended in disappointment for Boston. Kevin Garnett went down early, Leon Powe went down a little later, Rajon Rondo battled the injury bug, and Ray Allen and Paul Pierce proved they can’t do everything by themselves. But that was then. This is now. And now is the time for change. Now is the time for Boston to continue its pursuit of its second title in three years. Now is the time to silence the fans who wear ugly purple and gold jerseys.
Now is the time for winning once again. Here come the 2009-10 Celtics, and here’s why you should be more amped than ever to watch them dominate.
10. Aubrey O’Day’s dog
It’s easy for Celtics fans to experience a bit of an inferiority complex to the Lakers in this respect. Their celebrity fans win Oscars and Grammy’s. Boston’s celebrity fans win P. Diddy‘s garbage reality shows and then subsequently get fired by P. Diddy. But regardless, Aubrey O’Day has been known to dye her dog’s hair Celtics green in order to help spread the love for her one and only NBA allegiance. Will she do it again this year? Stay tuned.
9. Winning = Vince Wilfork Stays
Everyone knows that Vince Wilfork and Mrs. Vince Wilfork enjoy nothing more than scoring courtside seats to Celtics games and rocking their custom No. 5 Wilfork jerseys. But as you all know, the Patriots nosetackle is in the midst of some allegedly unfriendly contract negotiations with New England. It is time for the Celtics to step up and remind the king and queen of TD Garden courtside territory why they love the city of Boston. If the C’s win another title this year, how could the Wilforks ever dream of sitting courtside for another club? And with Vince’s future on the line, you know that Paul, Ray and KG are going to bust their butts making sure they give him good reason to stick around.
8. Marquis Daniel’s Tattoos
After a cursory glance at Boston’s newest pickup, it is easy to see that he is not afraid of needles. His lovely body art includes but is not limited to a detailed map of Florida that spans his entire back, a caricature of a man shooting himself in the head on his right arm, and Chinese characters meant to portray his initials on his left arm. But unfortunately for Daniels, the online dictionary he used to translate his initials must have been virus-riddled, considering he is walking around with “Healthy, Woman, Roof” on his arm instead of “M.A.D”. I’m pretty pumped to see what Healthy Woman Roof can do on the court. I am even more pumped to get a custom No. 7 jersey with “Healthy Woman Roof” written across the back.
7. Lucky is gone
Last year, the Celtics’ very flexible and acrobatic mascot was dismissed from his position for undisclosed reasons. We can only view that as an indication that he was not Lucky at all. His job was to be a leprechaun and bring blessings to all things Celtics, and he failed. Without him, the Celtics will prevail as champions. The end.
6. Bill Belichick thinks Doc Rivers is awesome
When you’re looking for a world championship, there really isn’t anyone better to test your skills on than Bill Belichick. The mastermind behind the Patriots’ three Super Bowl titles and his troops received a pep talk from the Celtics coach last week, and according to King Bill, it was “one of the best presentations we have heard.” Doc preached about his approach and his attitude — not that Belichick needs any lessons. Afterward, Belichick told The Boston Globe, “I think every coach and every player there gained a lot of insight and took things out of it that can help us personally, each one of us.” If Bill Belichick says you’re doing something right, you are. End of story.
5. Rajon Rondo is out to prove himself
Boston’s point guard is quickly solidifying himself as one of the league’s best, but still, the Celtics refused to extend his contract this offseason. Instead, they allegedly threw his name into trade talks and then publicly questioned his maturity on sports radio. This clearly has all the makings of a career year for Rondo. Not only is he playing for a new contract — in Boston or elsewhere — but he’s playing to shove his stats right in Danny Ainge‘s face.
4. Ray Allen: More than an expiring contract
He’s getting kind of old. He’s getting kind of tired. He’s got his sights set on a new contract. But that doesn’t mean the future Hall of Famer will not bring everything he has to the table in what could be his final year in green. The 34-year-old is due $19.7 million in 2009-10, a hefty price to pay for an aging guard with bad knees. But does that mean Boston should move him? Of course not. He averaged 18.2 points per game last year, 17.4 the year before that and 26.4 the year before that. He’s an uber-experienced veteran with a taste of what it’s like to win a championship. Plus, he’s still one of the most clutch players in the NBA. Anyone who thinks he can’t bring it this year is more mental than Kanye West at the VMA’s.
3. Kevin Garnett is healthy
For most Celtics fans, hearing that KG would be KO’ed for the 2008-09 playoffs served as the kiss of death to Boston’s championship dreams. But now that the strained popliteus tendon situation in his knee is rectified, he will return to being the defensive menace that he was when the C’s won in 2007-08. (And just in case you need some extra pump-up fuel…) A healthy KG means peril for any opposing offense or defense. A healthy KG plus a healthy Paul Pierce plus a healthy Ray Allen and a healthy Rasheed Wallace equals complete world domination. Which brings us to the next point…
2. Rasheed Wallace, AKA Bill Walton version 2.0
William Theodore Walton, otherwise known as one of the greatest all-time centers in the history of the NBA, joined the Celtics in the 1985-86 season and came off the bench for a team that featured Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and more. The C’s won Banner No. 16 that year, and The Sporting News has since ranked that Celtics squad the greatest team of all time. That year, a simple equation worked for Boston: Big Three plus Beast Off the Bench equals Postseason Domination. That equation should look pretty familiar with Sheed wearing green in 2009-10.
1. Paul Pierce
He is the heart and soul of the Celtics. He is one of the top 10 players in the NBA. He is hungry for another championship, and this year — like in 2007-08 — he has an ample cast of characters to help him achieve it. Will he do it?
Aren’t you ready to find out?
