Al Nye The Lawyer Guy

 

You probably think that I’m going to tell you that despite the Celtics current improbable playoff standing that I was always a true believer. That during the second half of the regular season, when the Celtics didn’t seem to have the ability to beat a local high school team – losing to the lowly Nets and washed-out Wizards, I kept the faith.

 

I could even argue that I had no doubts when Boston began their playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers and two-time MVP King James. And that I was confident that the Celtics would overthrow his Majesty and the team with the best record in the NBA.

 

Sure, I could say all those things — but they’d be a lie.

 

Like almost everyone I know, I thought the Celtics were toast. They were just too damned old, and too tired to play defense. Oh, I tried to cover all the bases. If you look at my earlier posts, I always hinted that they could turn it around. But the implication was clear; I – like the rest of planet – thought the season was over.

 

Though some will refuse to admit it now, Boston fans were disillusioned, disbelieving, and disgusted. In fact, New England fans believed that the Celtics would suffer the same fate as the Wicked Witch of the East. It was just a matter of time before the Celtic team understood that it was “morally, ethically, spiritually, physically, positively, absolutely, undeniably, and reliably dead.”

 

No one, including the Celtics themselves, thought they had enough left in them get past the second round of the playoffs.

 

No one except for my son, Aaron.

 

After the Celtics went even with the Cavaliers (2 – 2), Aaron correctly predicted the outcome of the remaining games in the series. Despite the overwhelming evidence that their season was over, my son never lost faith.

 

At nearly 30 years old, he continues to wear Celtic jerseys, Celtic hats, Celtic sneakers, Celtic shorts, Celtic sweatpants, Celtic jackets, and every other Celtic product available. He wears the current jerseys and the throw-back shirts.

 

He lives in Florida now and works with schizophrenics. I can picture him now, when everyone else thought Boston‘s season was over, wearing his Celtic garb to work and explaining to his patients that Boston would turn it around in the post season. I imagine the schizophrenics nodding in agreement — just as they might if you told them that the sky was green or that the Easter Bunny was real.

 

Everyone else he spoke to about his absolute belief in the Celtic comeback probably thought he was the one who was schizophrenic. I certainly took little stock in his uber-fan rantings.

 

But my son had drunk the Kool-Aid of Celtic lore, and it is entirely my fault.

 

When he was a kid and I was closer to his current age, the Celtics had me utterly captivated. This was the time of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. A few years earlier, I was going to school in Boston and went to games whenever I could.

 

How many times did I watch in wonder as Boston dueled with the Lakers – Magic, Kareem and company? How often did I make my first born son stay up late to watch the games, or sit beside me on Sunday afternoons while I extolled the virtues of the hard-working men in green against the flashy showstoppers in LA?

 

So he learned that all Boston patriotism from me. He became a Celtic fanatic because I showed him the way. Now, all these years later, when my fervor has waned, his has only intensified. This year, when I joined the chorus of nonbelievers, he held steady.

 

In the last few days, with Boston up 3-0 against the Magic, he has begun tweaking my lack of faith. He has every right to do so. He is supremely confident that Boston will win another championship banner this year to hang from the rafters. I hope that he’s right.

 

I want the Celtics to prove that they are unstoppable. Not for me, not for all those other doubting fans and critics who counted them out in the post-season, not even for the team members who admitted only to themselves that the chemistry, the talent, the energy, the stamina, and the will to dominate seemed to have slipped away from the team.

 

No, I want the Boston Celtics to win another championship not for those who had given up on the team – I want them to win it for the one person who never waivered in his faith.

 

Win it for Aaron.

 

 

 

Nice to see the Celtics pick themselves up after the embarrassing loss in Game 3. Rondo did it all yesterday.

Even the Red Sox managed to save a game in the three game series with the Yankees. I’m glad NY didn’t sweep but sure would have liked to see a little more production from Boston in the first two games.

Hey, the C’s are still alive and the baseball season has a long way to go….

                  

After my thumping of the poor performance of the Red Sox and Boston Celtics in this blog recently, they’ve turned it around.

The Sox found their offense in a 17 – 8 win over the LA Angels. The Celtics played with concentration, defense and intensity in their 104 – 86 beating of the Cavaliers.

Sweet.

               

It seems pretty clear that Boston either didn’t have the ability to put Cleveland away, or they simply choked in Game 1. How else do you explain that they led by 11 at the half, and the Cavs outscoring the Celts 22–15 in the final quarter.

Big game tonight. Face it, if the C’s go down 0–2, this series is over.

Speaking of choking, can the Sox stink it up any worse?

Saturday, Dice-K gets thumped after having half of last year and all the pre-season to get himself straightened out. Clearly, he has a long way to go.

And yesterday the Sox get swept by the Orioles. The Orioles, are you kidding me? Baltimore is currently baseball’s worst team and they sweep the Red Sox?

And that picture in the paper today of Papelbon hiding his face — well, that says it all doesn’t it?

I’d ask how low Boston can go — but I’m afraid in the next week or so we may find out. After all, the Yankees are on their way.

I’d hate to see the Red Sox at the bottom of the standings, but they’re lost right now. It’s not often easy to be a Sox fan.