Last Spring, the heroic efforts of a rogue goaltender and a scrappy band of hockey players captured the hearts of New England as they hadn’t done in decades. The Bruins won their first Stanley Cup since 1972, lead by Conn Smythe winner Tim Thomas. Through the summer and into early fall, the Red Sox were the talk of the town. As we know, they eventually broke our hearts by losing Game 162 to the Baltimore Orioles, missing the post season and blowing a huge Wild Card lead in the process. However, the Patriots were there to pick us all up, as they went on a tear through the NFL’s regular and post seasons, culminating with yet another heartbreaking Super Bowl loss to the Giants.
A year since that thrilling Stanley Cup Playoff ride, there is only one team in town that’s dominating the papers, the radio, and the television. That team being the one franchise in Boston that nobody had any hope for coming into the lockout shortened 2012 season. The Boston Celtics just won’t go quietly. The Bruins were ousted in the first round, the Patriots won’t play another meaningful game until September, and the Red Sox have continued to struggle, remaining in 4th place in the AL East. In the meantime, the green team has been busy taking down an NBA “Superpower” in the Miami Heat. The C’s lead the Eastern Conference Finals 3-2, with Game 6 tonight on the famous Parquet floor. Miami is 1-15 in their last 16 games in Boston.
The Celtics can clinch the conference and a birth in the NBA finals with a win tonight. Just a few short months ago, this team was left for dead. Dismissed as too old, too slow, and too banged up, to make a deep postseason run. But somewhere along the way, something changed. Since the All Star break, Kevin Garnett has looked like the 2001 MVP from Minnesota. Without a doubt, KG has been the catalyst for a team that seems to have forgotten that they’re not supposed to be here. This group knows that they’re window will officially shut after this season, and we’re seeing the last hurrah for this version of Boston’s Big Three. They’re out to turn heads. They were overlooked nationally and locally, fourth fiddle to the Bruins, Patriots, and Red Sox. But don’t tell them that. The NBA commercial got it right: This team is at it’s best when the stakes get big, and something tells me they aren’t ready to call it quits just yet.
