Playing For The Crown

I'm not going to lie. I thought I had jinxed the Celtics after they went up 3-0 against the Magic. In the previous post, I wrote something along the lines of "there is no way this Celtics' team is going to lose four in a row to the Magic with the type of defense they are playing."

I haven't posted anything since then, and the Celtics went on to play crappy, yet still just miss in game 4, and then get blown out in game 5.

I woke up this morning stressed out about tonight's game. I'm not sure what that says about me: I'm 41 years old, I have a wife and two kids, I have a mortgage, a demanding job, etc...and I still woke up worried about the Celtics game tonight. What am I, 12?

Nonetheless...that is who I am. If the Cs lost tonight, it likely would have ruined my favorite holiday weekend of the year -- Memorial Day. I would have spent Saturday and all-day Sunday up until tip-off stressed out. Don't get me wrong. Coming into the playoffs, I didn't think the Celts would make the NBA finals...however, when they beat Cleveland, and then went up 3-0 in the ECF, it all changed. After watching the Bruins blow a 3-0 lead, I couldn't bear the thought of the Celtics coughing it up as well...call it hometown pride.

I also would have been extremely frustrated because this team had made me believe after game 3. Their defense had been unreal. And then they went and reverted back to the up-and-down team they were all season.

But...that's all water under the bridge. The Cs took care of business tonight. Making it two trips to the NBA finals in three years. I couldn't be happier. I screamed at the TV all night tonight and now my wife thinks I'm crazy. My daughter thinks I'm crazy. My son -- well my son -- he likes riding his bike.

There is no mistaking -- this team's window is just about shut -- and I couldn't be happier that they didn't squander their chances.

The Celtics will now go on to take on Phoenix or LA, and either one will be tough, but that is a discussion for another day.

What matters most is that the Celtics took care of business. They didn't let the chance slip through their hands. Now, Banner 18 is just four wins away.