The Big Ticket Comes To Beantown

by Matt

As a Boston Celtics fan, the last 10 years have not been kind. A lottery mishap in 1997 cost us Tim Duncan and another one this year with the chance to land Kevin Durant or Greg Oden had the green faithful at an all-time low. There may be 16 championship banners hanging from the rafters of the TD Banknorth Garden, but the last one put up – in the Boston Garden mind you – was done so in 1986 when the basketball Jesus was still throwing up those feathery jumpers.

With the Red Sox and Patriots achieving unprecedented success over the last five years the C’s were having trouble filling seats. The talk of the town no longer had to do with the greatest NBA franchise of all time.

Everything changed Tuesday during a day that will live forever in Boston sports lore – 10-time All-Star and one-time NBA MVP Kevin Garnett became a Celtic.

General Manager Danny Ainge saved his job by making the biggest trade in NBA history with his former running-mate and Celtic great Kevin McHale: of the Minnesota Timberwolves. KG ,aka “The Big Ticket”, and his career averages of 20-10-2 made his way to Boston in a 7-for-1 trade.

Now. teamed with perennial All-Stars Ray Allen (picked up in a draft day deal for Jeff Green) and Paul Pierce the Celtics went from one of the worst teams in the league to a 5-2 favorite to win their 17th NBA title.

Baseball is, and always will be, my favorite professional sport, but I’ve loved the C’s since I was a boy and they are officially back.

Hopefully I’ll finally be able to shake those Rick Pitino nightmares. Remember — Larry Bird isn’t walking through that door.

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