A lot of [Bostonites...Bostoners...Bostonians] feel that Beantown is the center of the sports world. And, judging from the beginning-to-middle of the past decade, they weren't all that far-off in their mindset. The Patriots built the new millenniums first true dynasty, the Sox broke the curse and rattled off two World Series titles, and the Celtics even managed to go from perpetual mediocrity to NBA Champions. For a while there, it was hard to argue against Boston and its fans.
Lately, however, it's been a drastically different script. The Patriots started the path of devastation in New England when they built up the excitement of a 19-0 season and a fourth Super Bowl of the decade...only to lose to a massive underdog Giants team in devastating fashion. Instead of stopping the bleeding, the Sox were ousted in the 7th game of their AL Championship series to the division "rival" [Devil] Rays in 2008. The Sox kept the trend steady in '09 as well, getting swept by the Angels in the Divisional Round. I won't go into too much detail about how the Bruins have added to the misery, but they're the biggest culprit, albeit to the smallest fanbase of the four teams. Then, you've got the Celtics. They won in '08 to help the wounds left by the others. But last year, with Kevin Garnett battling injuries, they couldn't muster enough energy to make another run at the title, losing to Dwight Howard and the Magic.
Fast forward to present time. The Bruins have left their fanbase in ruins for the second straight year. The Patriots crawled into the NFL Playoffs, only to get blown out of the water at home to Ray Rice and the Baltimore Ravens. The Sox, fresh off their first round sweep, attacked Free Agency about as hard as CC Sabathia attacks the salad bar at TGI Friday's. Lets face it, the Boston sports scene is not a pretty one these days, except for one bright spot...the Celts. While they may have struggled through a frustrating regular season, they have managed to knock off the top teams in the East en route to Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
They made it to the finals, which is terrific, but now they're in danger of losing the final two games of the series and sending fans further into this drastic tailspin. Game Six may have been the worst they've played all season, and they lost Kendrick Perkins to a knee injury to boot. Now the Celtics find themselves in a pickle. They went to LA with momentum, and they lost it. The Lakers embarrassed them in Game 6, they're at home, they don't have to face Perkins' stingy D, and Kobe is on fire. LA has everything going for them, and they will rightfully be the "favorite" in Vegas for tonight, but that doesn't mean they should just award them the trophy now. The Celtics, while hurt and confused, have a knack for winning big games. They have the tools to shine in big moments, and Boston certainly needs it. So, Celtics...win this one for an ailing city.
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