Wet Cement

Sean Grande's From the Booth

You can hear the voice of the Celtics, Sean Grande along with Cedric Maxwell call each and every game on the WEEI Celtics Radio Network. You can send him .

From the Booth Archive

• June 5: Your Time
• May 18: Seven
• May 4: Wet Cement
• April 18: Altitude
• March 31: Trading Places
• March 5: The Snapshot
• February 8: The Homecoming
• January 31: TNT
• January 21: MLK Day
• January 2: While You Were Sleeping
• December 12: Right Now
• November 27: The Big Brothers
• November 17: Sugar Ray
• November 2: The Noble Chase
• August 1: Garnett Brings Energy, Enthusiasm

From the Booth
By Sean Grande
Special to Celtics.com
May 4, 2008

History is rigid.

It is finite.

And it is forever unaltered, frozen in time.

But the concrete that forms it, the concrete that ends up standing that test of time, forever in place, rigid, to be judged and reviewed, appreciated or rebuked -- the concrete that provides the foundation for the future, was at one point fluid. Wet cement.

The Boston Celtics were going to make history in this Spring of 2008. That we knew. But the one thing you didn't know is around which corner it would be waiting. On three successive nights at Phillps Arena, the 8th seeded Atlanta Hawks did the improbable. Hitting timely shots against the league's best defense, coming from behind against a team that rarely surrenders a lead, leaving the heretofore unflappable veteran Celtics legitimately flapping.

And suddenly, there they are, at the corner of make-or-break Avenue and history Boulevard.

But the concrete of those three losses has dried. There were bad decisions, bad calls, bad bounces, bad free throws. Any of which could have ended the series. Any of which, would have had the Cavs here today in Game 1 of the next round had they fallen differently. Any one of them.

But they didn't.

Now, among friends, let's do what we do here and tell it like it is. A win today for the Hawks would complete the biggest upset in NBA history and one of the biggest in sports...ever. The aftermath and consequences of which have no doubt danced through more than a few heads in Celtics Nation the last 36 hours. If sleep did not come easily the last two nights, you're not alone

The experts, who don't like to be embarrassed, are waiting to pounce.

The talk shows, that thrive on the grief of outcomes like that, are foaming at the mouth.

The haters, of Doc Rivers, of Kevin Garnett, of the city of Boston for all it's accomplished the last few years, have their fingers on the send button, waiting to unleash their e-mail barrage of torment.

But that would be tomorrow.

Today, the experts don't matter.

Today, the talk shows don't matter.

Today, the haters really don't matter.

History is rigid. And for basketball generations, the Boston Celtics have made it on Sunday afternoons just like this one.

A few hours from now, the dye will be cast. The concrete will harden and the history will have been made...for better or worse.

But now, today, it's Game 7. And the concrete is still wet. Legacies will be built. Careers will be made. Lives may very well change.

Studying history is a passion, Knowing history is often a gift. But there's one thing better than studying history. One thing better than knowing history.

Living it.

Enjoy the day.