Our family has always been big into basketball. My three children all play competitive basketball and in fact my oldest son plays at Bridgewater State College. Watching the Celtics all season long is a highlight in our house every year and we watch faithfully. So when my daughter's cat had her litter of kittens on the first day of this year's Finals, what else could she possibly name her new starting line-up?! Paulie, Ray-Ray, Big KG (Kevie), Perkie and Rondo! GO CELTICS!

On Friday Oct. 9, 2009, we were at the Celts vs. NY game...after the Celtics took the win by a score of 96-82 we were walking to the car and my husband's cell phone rang. It was Rhode Island Hospital…they had a perfect kidney match for him. He had been on dialysis for over a year in end stage renal failure. The match was a fellow firefighter from the same firehouse that my husband had worked at for 20 years. The game tickets were my birthday present from him. Not only did I get wonderful Celtics tickets, I received the best news ever...the gift of LIFE for my husband and our family. That day will be in my mind forever. He received the kidney transplant from his hero living donor...and now 7 months later, life is awesome!

It was an ordinary day on June 17 back in 2008. I was sitting at my desk staring at my computer as the day was getting close to being over, and 5 o'clock couldn't come any faster. My wife was out of town on business, so I was unenthusiastically planning dinner for 1 on the couch. Not long after, I received a random call from my cousin. When I answered he simply asked me, "Do you want to go to the game tonight?" Confused I asked "Do you have tickets for the game tonight?" He did have tickets and wanted to know if I wanted to go with him. With not much time to spare I quickly left work, went home to feed the dogs and drove like a mad man to meet my cousin in Rhode Island so that we could drive in together. We just barely made it for the tip-off. The energy was intense. The Celtics won the game that night and brought home the 17th banner. What a night!

My boyfriend and I are huge Celtics fans! Both of us have just about every jersey, t-shirt and hat. I have a Celtics room in my house painted green and covered in Celtics memorabilia. Everyone in my family as well as his grew up watching the Celtics. We all bleed green. We try to watch every game and make Celtics nights at our house for our families to come and watch with us.

I became a crazed Celtics fan more so over the past few years with Paul, Ray, Kevin and Rondo. My boyfriend and I went to almost every home game last year. I ended up getting a part time job to pay for the tickets! Every game I went to that the Celtics won, I told everyone it was because I am their lucky charm!

Last year, on 11.9.09, our 5 year anniversary, my boyfriend decided to surprise me with great seats to the game. The night was going great and the Celtics were on fire. Then my boyfriend knelt down as if he were tying his shoe. I was too busy yelling and screaming "Let's go Celtics" that I didn't notice the small red box in his hand. He asked me to marry him just as the buzzer sounded and the Celtics won the game! At first I thought it must be a joke, but it wasn't. I turned around and saw my brother and father walking down the steps. He bought them tickets to the game to and they were right behind us and I had no idea! This was one of my favorite memories with the Celtics winning but also for having my family there to share in our special moment.

In 2007, our oldest son, Michael, received his first overseas posting with the United States Army in Korea. I was so grateful it wasn't Iraq, but Korea was so far away. When he left, I sat on the couch and cried for hours! When Michael received notice of his leave, I decided to make a family event of it! We purchased 9 Celtics tickets for February 13, 2008 as a surprise because Michael had never been to a Celtics game, although the rest of us had been to many. We made reservations to stay at a hotel in the Back Bay but a gigantic snowstorm started on the morning of February 12. So 3 of us headed off in one car and 3 headed off in another car from upstate New York. We made it as far as Springfield and had to stop for the blizzard. The next morning the last 3 drove in and we all met at the game. The weather was terrible and we were all soaked and we had a BALL! We sat in separate sections and just loved it. Michael went back to Korea one happy boy!

It is pretty indescribable how much my Dad and I love the Celtics. He has been taking me to see the Celtics play at the Garden since I was 10 years old, when he took me to my first game vs. the Indiana Pacers. Ever since that experience with my Dad, we have watched almost every single game together, either on TV or at the Garden.

We both love everything about the Celtics - the history, the tradition, the atmosphere, the intensity and dedication of the players. I had never been to a playoff game before the series last year against the Orlando Magic. I had also never won a single thing from a contest in my entire life. That all changed after game 3 vs. the Magic, when I scored a pair of tickets from the Facebook 3-Point Play game to go to game 4. Who would have thought my dedication to recognizing the stats of the Celtics players would finally pay off?! When I found out I had won the tickets, I was ecstatic. I was running around the house screaming "I WON TICKETS TO GAME 4!" all day, but I knew immediately who I would bring to the game; my Dad. He was so happy I was bringing him. To share that moment with my Dad meant so much to me, and it meant a lot to him too!

That game, although the Celtics didn't win, ended up being amazing. A playoff game is extremely different than a regular season game. It was so loud in the Garden that night I could barely hear myself speak, or think for that matter! To look out over the packed stadium to see a sea of green was incredible.

I moved to America from India in 1995 when I was 9 years old, along with my parents and 4 year old brother. Acclimating to a new social environment was a difficult process. In those early years, watching the Celtics as a family played an important role in introducing us to America culturally and socially. The Celtics were pretty terrible, but we loved them nonetheless. Watching them raise a 17th banner was special to us not only because we finally got to see them win, but also because it represented the culmination of our own ups and downs as a family. I will never forget watching the Game 6 and especially that 4th quarter. I relived not just every Celtic memory, but also personal memories of the arduous journey of finally making it in this great country. Go Celtics.

It was the start of the season in 1987. A friend invited me down to watch the Celtics film a commercial in a restaurant near the old Boston Garden. Her brother was the director and they had the dining room roped off for the players who were seated around one large table. They had hired actors to fill in the tables surrounding the main table, but there were two actors missing, so the director asked if we wanted to fill in and of course we said yes. We spent the next few hours eating lobster and listening to the players tell stories, laugh at jokes and razz the rookies. It was Reggie Lewis's first year and he took the kidding very well. All the Celtics were incredibly friendly. I remember Dennis Johnson noticed my plate was empty and he passed me some salad and rolls. We took pictures and at the end they all signed autographs. It was an amazing experience and it was great to see another side of the Celtics players.

My son and daughter, ages 11 and 14 respectively, never knew the years of Parrish, Bird, Havlicek, Russell, Cousy, Red, etc. They had seen the Red Sox win the World Series and the Patriots win the Super Bowl and were avid fans of both teams. The Celtics were unknown to them because quite frankly, they stunk. I had grown up watching them but was disillusioned by their less than mediocrity. Since the first "big three" had limped to their retirements and the likes of Magic and MJ had also left the NBA, there was not much NBA basketball on the TV in our house.

Then came that magical off-season when KG and Ray came to play and the remarkable 2008 season came to pass and my daughter, son and I were glued to the TV every night as they beat the dreaded Lakers in 6. Suddenly, their eyes didn't gloss over when I talked about the "glory years" and very soon, posters of Moss, Brady, and Youk were gently pushed aside for posters of the new big three. Since then, Rondo has also gone up on the walls as well. And finally, I knew they were hooked when they wanted to hear all about when Danny was a "player!" "He was a PLAYER Dad?!" they asked with amazement.

Thanks Celtics for giving me the gift of Green to share with my children, the "next generation" of Lucky lovers. If I smoked, I think this would be the time to light up a cigar...

When I was a kid we would see Red Auerbach eating lunch at a Chinese restaurant near my Dad's business. He would give my dad tickets to take my brothers and me to games. I have been a fan since 1970. It gave me great excitement when my kids were old enough that I could purchase season tickets so I can take my 3 kids to games. I have been a season ticket holder for 5 years now and hope to continue this for a long time.