NO RING FOR THE KING

I'm not normally into blogging twice in one day, but I couldn't resist this one. Last night, MY Celtics eliminated the #1 seed and greatest player in the world, presently, from the playoffs. All year I have heard the quote from Shaq: "a ring for the king", referring to the goal he had and the Cavs had to get Lebron (labeled "the King") a championship ring. I actually feel bad for the Cavs and for Cleveland, as this was not just any playoff loss and not your normal elimination. Its not just that the Cavs were favored in the series or that they had the best record in the NBA or that they were picked to go to the Finals. The main thing that hurts for Cleveland is that Lebron is now a free agent, and they are terrified that this loss means that he will seek a championship and his desire for a billion dollars, elsewhere. So, I do feel badly, a little, and if it weren't for MY team, I would have cheered for them.

But, beneath all the hoopla of Lebron and all the talk of the Cavs collapse and the City's hopes and dreams being crushed, there is a story that perhaps only the Green Fans recognize. In this particular series, at this time, the Celtics, My Celtics, were the better team. And let me emphasize: the better TEAM. We did not have the best player, but we had the best team. Even though the NBA is not known for their defense, the commentators keep talking about the great defensive effort, a team effort, of the Celtics. I love to hear that!

When I played basketball, on a much lower level, it was all about team. When I coached, it was all about team. I wanted to see 5 guys work together to do their best, collectively, win or lose. I wanted to see team defense and an offense that utilized all 5 guys to get the ball in the basket. I wanted to see all 5 of them hustle, rebound and get down on that floor if that is where the ball was. I wanted to hear encouragement from one another, not selfish criticisms. I love team basketball. Even today, as my old and tired body lumbers up and down the floor for a pick up game, I love it when the 5 guys on my team instinctively know where to rotate on defense and where to cut on offense, how to set picks, and how to pass the ball.

I would cheer for the Celtics no matter what, but since they are playing the NBA style of the kind of basketball I love, I love MY team even more. Listen to them talk, see them play, and you will see that former superstars on a this team have put aside their egos (as much as you could expect) for the good of the team. If the team wins, that is all that matters to them. They know their role, they believe in the system, they humbly (as much as you could expect!) listen to their coach, who preaches "team, team, team"

That's MY team and I love watching them play, and win! I don't hold out much hope for this next series with Orlando (I am a pessimist when it comes to My teams) but this series will get me through the summer, as I remember the old, green guys playing their heart out,as a TEAM, against the best team (supposedly - at least they had the best record) in basketball.