Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Don: It's Not Easy Being Green
I haven't had a real interest in an NBA event in a long time. Sure I was happy when Richard Hamilton won a title a couple years ago with Detroit, but I didn't necessarily watch any games unless we were showing some highlights on the news. The NBA has been so irrelevant to me for so long, until last night when the NBA Draft Lottery happened.
Let me take a step back and say that yes I am a Boston Celtics fan. It pains me that I actually have a rooting interest for a team in the Old Towne. However, when I was a kid, the NBA was king and it was led by Larry Bird. Bird is probably just behind Dave Righetti and Dan Marino as my all-time favorite athletes. He was so much fun to watch and there wasn't a bigger competitor on the hardwood than Bird. I never missed a national broadcast of the C's and religiously checked the box scores to see what damage Bird had done the night before.
I never saw Larry play in person, but in my one and only trip to the old Boston Garden to see the Celtics play (it was the first year of Bird's retirement), the Legend showed up. I had goose bumps when the crowd chanted "Lar-ry, Lar-ry, Lar-ry" as I looked to see #33 just a few yards away from me.
After Bird's retirement, I latched on to Reggie Lewis as my new favorite player. I loved the athleticism and energy he brought to the team. Needless to say, I was shocked while a freshman at UConn when I heard of his tragic death. That day was probably when my interest in the NBA really started its decline.
But back to last night. It was supposed to be a big night for Boston. They were supposed to get the number one draft pick. They were supposed to get the rights to draft Greg Oden. They were supposed to turn the franchise around. They were supposed to start to climb back to where they were in their glory days.
Gerry Brooks and I watched in great anticipation last night. It was a time to have a little excitement again for the Celtics and the NBA. But then the unthinkable happened. The Celtics logo pooped up in the envelope for the 5th overall pick. Gerry and I groaned in disbelief. It just didn't seem fair.
Jeff Jacobs had a great column today in the Hartford Courant. He said the Celtics had a chance to matter again in Connecticut, instead they are still irrelevant. Maybe in another 10 years the Celtics will get a shot at another franchise player...but I wouldn't count on it.
Let me take a step back and say that yes I am a Boston Celtics fan. It pains me that I actually have a rooting interest for a team in the Old Towne. However, when I was a kid, the NBA was king and it was led by Larry Bird. Bird is probably just behind Dave Righetti and Dan Marino as my all-time favorite athletes. He was so much fun to watch and there wasn't a bigger competitor on the hardwood than Bird. I never missed a national broadcast of the C's and religiously checked the box scores to see what damage Bird had done the night before.
I never saw Larry play in person, but in my one and only trip to the old Boston Garden to see the Celtics play (it was the first year of Bird's retirement), the Legend showed up. I had goose bumps when the crowd chanted "Lar-ry, Lar-ry, Lar-ry" as I looked to see #33 just a few yards away from me.
After Bird's retirement, I latched on to Reggie Lewis as my new favorite player. I loved the athleticism and energy he brought to the team. Needless to say, I was shocked while a freshman at UConn when I heard of his tragic death. That day was probably when my interest in the NBA really started its decline.
But back to last night. It was supposed to be a big night for Boston. They were supposed to get the number one draft pick. They were supposed to get the rights to draft Greg Oden. They were supposed to turn the franchise around. They were supposed to start to climb back to where they were in their glory days.
Gerry Brooks and I watched in great anticipation last night. It was a time to have a little excitement again for the Celtics and the NBA. But then the unthinkable happened. The Celtics logo pooped up in the envelope for the 5th overall pick. Gerry and I groaned in disbelief. It just didn't seem fair.
Jeff Jacobs had a great column today in the Hartford Courant. He said the Celtics had a chance to matter again in Connecticut, instead they are still irrelevant. Maybe in another 10 years the Celtics will get a shot at another franchise player...but I wouldn't count on it.
Posted at 7:27 PM by Don
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