The Optimist
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That’s right, the World Champion Boston Celtics are amongst us at this very moment – skulking around Tower City eating our hot pretzels and driving guests at the Ritz-Carlton insane by blasting their Irish folk music at all hours.
That’s how these Celtics roll. They’re Champions with an attitude. Don’t like it? Pound salt.
That’s fine by me. The Cavaliers and Celtics have always had, at best, an acrimonious relationship. And you readers know how I personally feel – and have always felt – about our Gaelic nemesii. For some people, it’s Michigan. For others, it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers or New York Yankees. For me, it’s the Celtics.
Whether it was their derailment of the Miracle squad in ’76 or Larry Bird and Co. snuffing World B. Free’s Comeback Cavs in ’85, the Boston Celtics have brought the Wine, Gold and I nothing but heartache. And I’ve witnessed much of this ugliness first-hand – from seminal events like last season’s seven-game slugfest in the Eastern Conference Semis, to traumatizing incidents like watching the flight of Paul Pierce’s lung-butter the night he chugged one in the direction of little Luke Jackson at an exhibition game in Columbus.
But that stuff’s all ancient history when these two teams get down tonight at The Q. Right now, the Celtics and Cavaliers are the Eastern Conference’s heavyweight division. So prepare ye for a Friday Night Fight on the corner of Huron and Ontario.
Two weeks ago, the Mighty Mighty Bostonians looked like they might not lose again all season. But then the Lakers dropped them on Christmas Day and they ain’t been right since – dropping six of their last eight. Doc Rivers’ club needs to get themselves back together. And they’re thinking that a nationally-televised win over the top dog in the East would do the trick.
That’s just the kind of East Coast bias that cheeses we Midwesterners off. Get off the schneid somewhere else, Celtics! You can huff and puff, but you can’t blow this house down. And we both know: If P.J. Brown doesn’t put back a pair of errant air-balls, the Wine and Gold wins Game 7 in Boston.
Yeah, when the Celtics roll into town, it gets everyone’s medulla oblongata throbbing. Even our little mop-topped friend from Gamecock Country has his panties in a bunch over Boston …
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Now even your beat writers are jinxing us! The headline: "Unbeatable at Home"?????? What is wrong with you guys? The Optimist is rubbing off on everyone up there. Just know: if we are beatable tomorrow night, IT WILL BE YOUR DOING!!!!
GOD I HATE THE CELTICS!!!!!!!
Sincerely,
Morgy
Charlestown, SC
Wow, Morgenstern! I must say: I’m impressed. The passion! The pathos!!
But I should warn you that throwing around that many exclamation points and idle threats is a good way to pull your loins. And, son, that’s one harness you don’t want to walk around in all winter.
There’s no need to shout, Matthew. We all hate the Celtics.
That’s what makes the first quarter so savory, with Mo Williams running Rajon Rondo ragged – swishing and dishing to the tune of eight points and five assists.
But Rondo gets his revenge in the second stanza, dropping seven of his 15 points as Boston surges ahead by six at intermission. Delonte West leads the Cavaliers with a dozen.
We've got you surrounded. |
On the next possession, Kevin Garnett looks to have an easy layup off Rondo’s penetration, but No. 23 swoops in and pinning it from the backside. TheBron comes down with the ball and calls timeout.
With just over five seconds remaining, the young King works his way around an Anderson Varejao pick and fires a laser to a wide-open Wally Szczerbiak, who tees up a 20-footer at the buzzer … SPLASHING HOME the game-winner against his former team as The Q goes insane.
The Cavaliers vanquish their longtime foe – 84-83 – to claim undisputed Eastern Conference supremacy. The Celtics slog home filled with self-doubt, revived only briefly by outstanding head coach, Doc Rivers, who reminds his club that St. Patrick’s Day is only 65 days away.
That’s all for today, folks. I’m sorry we weren’t able to cover some of the current events we normally do. But, hey, we’re facing the NBA Champions, here.
I’ll answer your e-mails in the next column, although if it straightens things out for you guys in the meantime – to quickly respond to an e-mail I received from Bryant M. of Westlake, OH – the answer is No – new Browns head coach Eric Mangini was not the star of the wildly-popular CBS sitcom, “The King of Queens.”
The Celtics might be the current Champs, but Cleveland has its eyes on the prize. All we can do now is …
Keep the faith, Cleveland
Warmest regards,
The Optimist
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