Writing about last night's game is not an easy task. I'm still in awe by what happened. I expected great things from this team, but I also was expecting the Wizards to be a formidable opening night opponent. I have always heard about the original big three but never believed that a team like that could exist in this era of basketball. Three superstars, three of the greatest players of their era, priding themselves on being unselfish on the court? Three superstars saying that they don't care who gets the ball as long as the team is winning and actually meaning it? Three future hall-of-famers saying that the most important thing for them is to make sure that they are playing within the system their coach has put in place? This shouldn't sound so crazy! And yet, many experts refuse to belive that a team like this can exist in 2007. If last night was any indication of things to come, this is going to be a special season in Boston.
In an interview before the game with Greg Dickerson, Paul Pierce said that in April he thought there was an 80 per cent chance that he wouldn't be a Celtic when this season tipped off. This sentiment had nothing to do with Pierce being unhappy playing in Boston and everything to do with the team's situation. "I think that the team was being forced to go in another direction" the captain said. In thinking about his comments, I can't help but think back to last spring and about how unlikely and unpredictable this all has been. I can remember partaking in all sorts of odd voodoo rituals that I found online in an attempt to allign the universe the way that it needed to be for us to land the first or second pick in the draft lottery. If this had happened, it would have almost certainly meant that Pierce would be moved and we would have entered the next phase of the rebuilding process. Oddly enough, if we had gotten the number one pick (the one for which we were all hoping) we would have ended up without Pierce and with our newest addition out for the season with a knee injury. Oddly enough, it turned out that missing out on Oden and Durant was the best thing that could have happened.
The Celtics, Sonics, and Timberwolves each found themselves at a crossroads this summer. Each had a core of talented young players, high picks in what was a very talented draft, and veteran superstars who had become staples of the franchise but did not fit in with the youth movement that was taking place. With the knowledge that they were going to be drafting either Kevin Durant or Greg Oden with the second overall pick and the knowledge that Rashard Lewis would be moving elsewhere, the Sonics made a decision to continue building around their young core of players. Once Ray Allen became part of the equation in Boston, and Kevin Garnett made it known that Boston was a place he'd like to be, the Wolves decided that the best thing for them was to set KG loose in exchange for a very talented group of young players. Looking back on it now, things worked out perfectly. Three teams found themselves at a crossroads and the Celtics were the only one that was able to keep the face of their franchise in town and bring in players that will help right away. I don't think that anybody could have predicted such an outcome for this franchise that has been haunted by misfortune over the past 20 years.
Last night was just the first win in what will be a long and trying 82 game season, but it was significant. Even through the television, the TD Banknorth Garden felt like a gladiator pit when the game tipped off. There was smoke clearing from the floor from the pre-game celebration, the fans were so loud that they were nearly drowning out Tommy and Mike. Mike said "this feels like we're playing at the old Garden tonight!" Even through the television, we got the same feeling. Even Tommy Heinsohn seemed different last night. Watching the game at Bobby's apartment on Hanover Street, I should have been close enough to smell the whiskey on Tommy's breath as he yelled into the microphone about the raw deal that the Celtics were getting from the referees and the media. But, instead, Tommy seemed very content to sit and soberly take in his team playing near-perfect basketball. It wouldn't suprise me if these roster changes add years to his life.
As for the game itself, I don't have much to say. I have a notebook with a whole bunch of notes in it, but they all seem irrelevant to what was taking place. As the season rolls on, we'll have lots of in-game analysis for you. For now, the important thing for everyone to realize is that this is a special team. From top to bottom, I can't think of a better way for them to be put together. The three leaders are classy veterans that pride themselves on playing team basketball. The other two starters are young, tough, energetic players who do the little things. The bench is filled with role players who all contribute in different ways (I'm even including Scalabrine, begrudgingly, because I liked his drive, miss, rebound, putback in the first half last night). Most importantly, you can sense that this is a team that has great chemistry. These are guys who like being around each other. This is a team where the starters scream from the bench for the second and third unit guys to do well even though they are just playing mop-up minutes. This is a team where guys are constantly joking with each other on the bench and picking each other up on the court. This team has all the early signs of a championship contender, and barring any major injuries, I expect them to take the Eastern Conference crown.
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