I Just Can't Take It
Hi, my name is Matt and I'm a Bston Celtics fan. I've been rooting for the Celtics longer than I can remember. I grew up idolizing Larry Bird. I loved Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish. I was excited in third grade when I received my basketball jersey and got the number three because I was going to wear the same number as Dennis Johnson. (Consequently, Dennis Johnson could have been in the room at the time and I would have been the only kid that would have known who he was). I watched Reggie Lewis collapse on the Garden floor during a playoff and then he was gone only a few months later while shooting free throws in a gym. The Celtics were one of the most fabled and magical franchises in all of sports once upon a time and well, now they're far from it.
The Celtics have set a franchise record for futility. They have lost 17 consecutive games and it could be 18 today if they don't beat Minnesota. Despite the fact they have been playing largley uninspiring and unproductive basketball I still watch them, in hope that they will find a way to win a game. Yup, you read that right, I'm rooting for the team I like to win.
Sounds crazy huh? The team you follow, you want them to win. See that's normal, that's what you're supposed to do as a fan, root for your team to win. Well, there's a growing contingent of folks who root for the Celtics that are hoping the Celtics lose, well keep losing since they all they've done recently is lose. The logic to rooting for losing goes to the idea of the worse off you finish the season the better chance you have at landing a high draft pick come the spring. I can't rationally explain this idea to you for reasons I'm about to ramble on for, but Bill Simmons of ESPN.com tries to lay it out here.
So as the Celtics lose the greater chance they have at landing the top overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, a draft that is supposed to be one of the deepest in a long time, with two gems at the top of it. Greg Oden of Ohio St. and Kevin Durant of Texas are the two gems in case your wondering and if you have chance to watch them on TV, don't pass it up. Oden, a freshman center is just a beast down low. He's a shot blocker, gobbles up rebounds and he's scoring just over 15 points a game while predominently using his non-dominant left hand because his right hand is in a brace due to ligament surgurey. Basically, the guy is really good not using his strong hand. I can't put into words how good he is, so just watch and if you even remotely understand basketball (put ball through one hole, stop other team from putting it through the other hole...there now you basically understand basketball) just watch and you'll get it.
They other guy everyone is fawning over is Kevin Durant out of Texas. Durant is also a freshman and he's a guard/forward/whatever. He can absolutley light you up offensively. He can shoot from deep, he can drive to the hoop, he can finish in transition, he does it all. He rebounds well too which is a plus and he's a sneaky shotblocker (meaning he gets beaten off the dribble a lot, but his recovery speed and long arms allow him to swat shots from bvehind). He's good too and right now it's a dogfight between these two to see who gets taken first in the 2007 NBA draft, or at least that's what some folks would have you believe.
OK, now I'm going to go backwards before I go forwards here. A couple of paragraphs ago I mentioned how if the Celtics keep losing, they would have a chance of securing the top overall pick in the upcoming draft. See in the NBA, they have what's called a draft lottery. I could try to explain it, but it's just easier to link you to here. The NBA uses a lottery system to deter a team from tanking (lose games on purpose essnetially) their season just to secure the top overall pick. This system came about due in part to the Houston Rockets doing just about everything short of playing with blind folds on during the 1982-83 season to secure their shot at the number one overall pick. Then the following season, the Rockets played yet more uninspired basketball and got the number one pick again. So the lottery was put in place starting in the 1985 draft and it's been there ever since, though it has been considerably tweaked over time.
So where the hell am I going with this and why the hell are you still reading (Isn't that cute, I assume that someone is still reading this)? Well, I'm going here. I can't root for the Celtics to lose to get a high pick, I just can't do it. Now I would be lying to you if I didn't say that secretly I try and picture Oden or Durant in Celtics green. Of course for that to happen, both of them would have to declare for the draft and leave school. I'm pretty confident that Durant is a goner after this season, but I'm a little weary about Oden leaving and I can't put my faith into a player that isn't even a lock to be available come draft time.
The second thing with all this is the pick. Since it falls into the hands of a lottery there are no guarantees. During the 1996-97 season the Celtics trotted out a team that was truly terrible, even worse than this years edition. I will save you the pain of mentioning players that you have never heard of, but just know that they won a total of 15 games. Since the team with the worst record that season, the Vancouver Grizzlies was still in it's expansion beginings, were not in line to get the top overall pick. Also, the Celtics had the rights to the Dallas Mavericks pick that season. Combining the odds of the two picks game the Celtics around a 36% chance to get the number one overall selection. The number one pick in the draft was going to be Tim Duncan, then a senior at Wake Forrest. Everyone knew it, it was a no brainer. I was elated as a 14 year old kid at the thought of having Tim Duncan on the Celtics. I watched every Wake Forrest game I could and it only made me more excited.
Well the draft lottery came and guess what, no number one overall pick for Boston. In a draft where the Celtics should have ended up the first and thirds picks, they instead ended up with the third and sixth. I remember watching the lottery and the horror that crept over me when the Celtics were announced with the sixth pick, but I calmed down because they still had another one. Then when the came up at three I couldn't believe it, I was in shock. The Spurs ended up getting the top pick that year, by virtue of the fact thier superstar David Robinson, injured his back early in the season and the Spurs made sure he took his time in getting healthy (in other words, stay away, we want a shot at this Duncan kid). Since the Spurs picked Duncan, they've won three NBA titles in the last nine seasons and the Celtics by contrast have had a winning record in three season. So quick recap here, Spurs three titles; Celtics three winning seasons.
So yeah, it hasn't been pretty for the Celtics in the last decade....or the last 20 years for that matter. And as tempting as it may be to want them to lose so they can get the pick to get Oden or Durant, I can't do it. I've been here before, I saw this story and I really didn't like the ending. I can't understand how there seems to be an entire fan base that's slave to the idea that Oden or Durant is coming and all will be well. Were they not alive in 96-97? Did they just choose to forget what happened that year? I can't put my eggs into a basket of false hope and since I'm a fan of the Celtics and I can't root for them to lose because all that lines up is more uncertainty I root for them to win and honestly I find it odd why I have to explain that.
So I'll continue to watch and hope they win, though they probably won't win that often. I hope they go on a min win streak just for my sanity, which will be quelled out by all those people who will be saying they're messing up their draft status. In all honestly, I'm tacking my draft hopes to a dead guy. I'm hoping that from beyond the grave, Red Auerbach will make the ping pong balls fall in a magic way, leading for the Celtics to get their man and then it will be back to glory for the green. I figure that is no more illogical than rooting for my team to lose, but hey, I've been wrong before.
The Celtics have set a franchise record for futility. They have lost 17 consecutive games and it could be 18 today if they don't beat Minnesota. Despite the fact they have been playing largley uninspiring and unproductive basketball I still watch them, in hope that they will find a way to win a game. Yup, you read that right, I'm rooting for the team I like to win.
Sounds crazy huh? The team you follow, you want them to win. See that's normal, that's what you're supposed to do as a fan, root for your team to win. Well, there's a growing contingent of folks who root for the Celtics that are hoping the Celtics lose, well keep losing since they all they've done recently is lose. The logic to rooting for losing goes to the idea of the worse off you finish the season the better chance you have at landing a high draft pick come the spring. I can't rationally explain this idea to you for reasons I'm about to ramble on for, but Bill Simmons of ESPN.com tries to lay it out here.
So as the Celtics lose the greater chance they have at landing the top overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, a draft that is supposed to be one of the deepest in a long time, with two gems at the top of it. Greg Oden of Ohio St. and Kevin Durant of Texas are the two gems in case your wondering and if you have chance to watch them on TV, don't pass it up. Oden, a freshman center is just a beast down low. He's a shot blocker, gobbles up rebounds and he's scoring just over 15 points a game while predominently using his non-dominant left hand because his right hand is in a brace due to ligament surgurey. Basically, the guy is really good not using his strong hand. I can't put into words how good he is, so just watch and if you even remotely understand basketball (put ball through one hole, stop other team from putting it through the other hole...there now you basically understand basketball) just watch and you'll get it.
They other guy everyone is fawning over is Kevin Durant out of Texas. Durant is also a freshman and he's a guard/forward/whatever. He can absolutley light you up offensively. He can shoot from deep, he can drive to the hoop, he can finish in transition, he does it all. He rebounds well too which is a plus and he's a sneaky shotblocker (meaning he gets beaten off the dribble a lot, but his recovery speed and long arms allow him to swat shots from bvehind). He's good too and right now it's a dogfight between these two to see who gets taken first in the 2007 NBA draft, or at least that's what some folks would have you believe.
OK, now I'm going to go backwards before I go forwards here. A couple of paragraphs ago I mentioned how if the Celtics keep losing, they would have a chance of securing the top overall pick in the upcoming draft. See in the NBA, they have what's called a draft lottery. I could try to explain it, but it's just easier to link you to here. The NBA uses a lottery system to deter a team from tanking (lose games on purpose essnetially) their season just to secure the top overall pick. This system came about due in part to the Houston Rockets doing just about everything short of playing with blind folds on during the 1982-83 season to secure their shot at the number one overall pick. Then the following season, the Rockets played yet more uninspired basketball and got the number one pick again. So the lottery was put in place starting in the 1985 draft and it's been there ever since, though it has been considerably tweaked over time.
So where the hell am I going with this and why the hell are you still reading (Isn't that cute, I assume that someone is still reading this)? Well, I'm going here. I can't root for the Celtics to lose to get a high pick, I just can't do it. Now I would be lying to you if I didn't say that secretly I try and picture Oden or Durant in Celtics green. Of course for that to happen, both of them would have to declare for the draft and leave school. I'm pretty confident that Durant is a goner after this season, but I'm a little weary about Oden leaving and I can't put my faith into a player that isn't even a lock to be available come draft time.
The second thing with all this is the pick. Since it falls into the hands of a lottery there are no guarantees. During the 1996-97 season the Celtics trotted out a team that was truly terrible, even worse than this years edition. I will save you the pain of mentioning players that you have never heard of, but just know that they won a total of 15 games. Since the team with the worst record that season, the Vancouver Grizzlies was still in it's expansion beginings, were not in line to get the top overall pick. Also, the Celtics had the rights to the Dallas Mavericks pick that season. Combining the odds of the two picks game the Celtics around a 36% chance to get the number one overall selection. The number one pick in the draft was going to be Tim Duncan, then a senior at Wake Forrest. Everyone knew it, it was a no brainer. I was elated as a 14 year old kid at the thought of having Tim Duncan on the Celtics. I watched every Wake Forrest game I could and it only made me more excited.
Well the draft lottery came and guess what, no number one overall pick for Boston. In a draft where the Celtics should have ended up the first and thirds picks, they instead ended up with the third and sixth. I remember watching the lottery and the horror that crept over me when the Celtics were announced with the sixth pick, but I calmed down because they still had another one. Then when the came up at three I couldn't believe it, I was in shock. The Spurs ended up getting the top pick that year, by virtue of the fact thier superstar David Robinson, injured his back early in the season and the Spurs made sure he took his time in getting healthy (in other words, stay away, we want a shot at this Duncan kid). Since the Spurs picked Duncan, they've won three NBA titles in the last nine seasons and the Celtics by contrast have had a winning record in three season. So quick recap here, Spurs three titles; Celtics three winning seasons.
So yeah, it hasn't been pretty for the Celtics in the last decade....or the last 20 years for that matter. And as tempting as it may be to want them to lose so they can get the pick to get Oden or Durant, I can't do it. I've been here before, I saw this story and I really didn't like the ending. I can't understand how there seems to be an entire fan base that's slave to the idea that Oden or Durant is coming and all will be well. Were they not alive in 96-97? Did they just choose to forget what happened that year? I can't put my eggs into a basket of false hope and since I'm a fan of the Celtics and I can't root for them to lose because all that lines up is more uncertainty I root for them to win and honestly I find it odd why I have to explain that.
So I'll continue to watch and hope they win, though they probably won't win that often. I hope they go on a min win streak just for my sanity, which will be quelled out by all those people who will be saying they're messing up their draft status. In all honestly, I'm tacking my draft hopes to a dead guy. I'm hoping that from beyond the grave, Red Auerbach will make the ping pong balls fall in a magic way, leading for the Celtics to get their man and then it will be back to glory for the green. I figure that is no more illogical than rooting for my team to lose, but hey, I've been wrong before.
posted by MC at 10:50 AM
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