A Bruin Low

As a Bruin fan, I think last night was the worst I've felt since the collapse. Two years in a row they've brought us up, only to drop us flat on our faces. Yet, here come the Celtics. They managed to find the Band-aid that the B's couldn't, they stopped the bleeding and advanced to the Finals once again. I'm officially going to mark May 29, 2010 as "rock bottom" for the Bruins and their fans. Coming from a fan who has watched several hundred consecutive games without missing a beat, it's a tough pill to swallow when Celtic fans are able to celebrate while the image of Simon Gagne's clincher plays over and over again.

It's been 38 years since the Black and Gold were able to lift a banner into the "Garden" rafters, yet it's not necessarily a title that the fans need. Alright, it is, but what they certainly didn't need was a collapse for the record books. And it doesn't stop there. In a press conference about a week ago, Peter Chiarelli happily announced to a room full of skeptics that the Bruins are one of five teams to make the second round each of the last two season. You pop the cork yet, Pete? You and JJ celebrating about that?

The collapse is an abomination in and of itself, but the reaction from Bruin hierarchy is just as nauseating. Jacobs is a soul-less owner, he's got no interest in the team. That attitude seemingly resonates on down. Chiarelli, while the architect of a solid young core, is content with second round exits in the playoffs. Coach Claude, while a great hockey mind, couldn't inspire his team enough to win one game out of four for a chance to play their arch-rivals in the Conference fucking Finals!

Why is tonight the worst night to be a Bruins fan? Why is this rock bottom? Because we have another reason to be envious of basketball fans! A hockey fan should never find envy in what a basketball fan has, and yet the Bruins have found a way to make it possible. It's rock bottom because the Celtics succeeded in closing out their series, they bandaged the cut and stopped the bleeding.