CELTIC PRIDE

-Boston Celtics-

League: NBA Founded: 1946
Location: Boston, Massachussetts
Conference/Division: Eastern Conference/Atlantic Division
Team Owner: Wycliff ‘Wyc’ Grousebeck
Arena: Boston Garden; FleetCenter/T.D. Banknorth Garden, Boston

The parquet floor of the Boston Celtics home court known as ‘The Garden’ holds a mysterious aura to those who have heard of the famed “Celtic Pride” mantra. The place gives out somewhat of an eerie sense (making the hair on the back of your neck rise) due to its storied history, to the point where you could almost hear the ghostly cheers of the fans of decades past and feel the intensity it brought to the arena, in effect giving you goosebumps. The franchise is as old as the league itself; one of only 2 original NBA teams (New York Knicks is the other) whose name and location of origin has not changed since its inception in 1946 thereby setting itself apart from the would-be competition.

No other team in the league has ever come close to the glorified status the Celtics has achieved. The franchise lays claim to 16 NBA championship trophies spread out over three decades of dominance which includes eight consecutive titles (1959-66), the most in NBA history. Boston’s rise to stellar status came about with winning not just titles but respect as well. The franchise totally trampled over the competition in the 1960’s, their historic championship run coming at the expense of another elite franchise in the Los Angeles Lakers- which up til now is still considered just the bridesmaid (for lack of a better word…) in terms of NBA title count. The mere mention of Celtics versus Lakers stirs up images of a rivalry born in the early years of the league. With Boston always being the main agitator, they were the only team to repeatedly deny the powerhouse Lakers the NBA title in the 60’s (back then the Lakers have this bad luck charm called Baylor…).

Throughout history, the archrivals have met 10 times in the NBA Finals with the Celtics walking away with the title on eight straight occasions in the 60’s. Both teams even took turns taking home the trophy in the 80’s where the Lakers, after 16 years, finally got the chance to return the favor to the Celtics albeit just twice in 1985 and 1987. But it was somewhat of a bittersweet revenge for the Lakers since they were not able to even up the score with Boston (boo-hoo!). And like a slap in the face, the 14 NBA titles the Lakers have compiled is surpassed by no other than the Celtics which has 16 even though Boston ceased to be a title contender after the 1987 season. This in essence makes the Lakers still just second best- the bridesmaid indeed…

The Boston franchise have remained dormant for the past two decades, silently and patiently rebuilding to once again make noise and contend for the championship. Forward on to the 2008 NBA Finals and no one saw it coming- Lakers vs. Celtics. Everybody was watching. An old rivalry was rekindled and for the 11th time and these two proud organizations scratched it out for the NBA title. With a different cast of players and an All-Star or two on either team (make that THREE for the men in green! Shrek not included…) it was yet again another toss-up for the NBA title between these two bitter rivals. Celtic pride and glory was laid out on the line and prevailed once more over the Los Angeles bridesmaids giving Boston their 17th NBA championship title and another heartache for the Lakers fans everywhere. (Did I just mention ‘bridesmaid’ again?)

A glorious past... Seventeen NBA championship trophies spread out over four decades: from Bill Russell and Bob Cousy in the 60’s to Dave Cowens and John Havlicek in the 70’s to Larry Bird and Kevin McHale in the 80’s and to the big three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in 2008. Pretenders and contenders alike have come and gone through the years, but the Celtics legacy has stood the test of time.

TEAM AWARDS/ACHIEVEMENTS:

17 TIME NBA CHAMPIONS (1957/1959-66/1968/1969/1974/1976/1981/1984/1986/2008)
20 EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES
17 ATLANTIC DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES*
46 PLAYOFFS APPEARANCES

My Favorite Forward

-Kevin Garnett-

#21 Minnesota Timberwolves (Forward) (1995-2007)
#5 Boston Celtics (Forward) (2007-08)
Nickname: “The Kid”; “The Big Ticket”
Ht: 6’ 11” Wt: 253lbs.
Born May 19, 1976 (Mauldin, South Carolina)
School: Farragut Career Academy. Illinois

Disappointed over his inability to qualify for a college basketball scholarship, Kevin Garnett made his decision to turn pro straight out of high school and declared himself a candidate for the 1995 NBA Draft. He was taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1^st round (5^th pick) becoming only the fourth player in NBA history at that time, to jump from prep school to pro.

In his rookie campaign he initially came off the bench but soon moved into the starting lineup and averaged 10.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Garnett was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team and played for the Western Conference Squad in the 1996 Schick Rookie Game during the All-Star Weekend. He concluded his rookie season as the youngest player in the NBA at the age of 19 years and 11 months.

The following season’s highlights included making his first All-Star Game appearance, reaching the 1,000 milestone in both career points and rebounds and helping Minnesota make their first playoff appearance in franchise history although they were swept in the 1^st round by the Houston Rockets.

During the 1997-98 NBA season, Garnett became the franchise player when he signed a contract extension worth $126 million for 6 years, which was met with shock around the league, since it was of an unprecedented value at that time. That same year he led the Wolves to their first winning record (45-37) and to their second straight postseason appearance, and their second straight exit in the first round. This was a prelude of bad luck to come for Garnett and his team for they never made it past the first round of the playoffs since.

In the lockout shortened 1999-2000 season, Garnett achieved another milestone when he became only the 9^th player in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists per game in a season. He continued the streak for 6 consecutive seasons (1999-2005). The 2002-03 NBA season saw Kevin Garnett named MVP of the 52^nd NBA All-Star Game scoring 37 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 5 steals in the West’s triumph over the Eastern Conference squad. He was also named to the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive First Team.

The 2003-04 campaign was when things finally seemed to come together for Garnett and his team. This was the year when he earned his first NBA Most Valuable Player award, reached 7,000 career rebounds and also became the 5^th youngest player to reach 13,000 points. He also led his team past their first round jinx of the playoffs in to the Western Conference Finals but were eliminated in six games by the Los Angeles Lakers. This was also the last time that they would make any postseason appearance. He signed a contract extension October 1.

In 2004 he became the 12^th player in league history to amass 15,000 points, 8,000 rebounds and 3,000 assists. This was also the year when internal friction was felt within the Minnesota franchise as key players were pushing for lucrative contracts and some were unhappy with their roles. It resulted on the team failing to qualify for the playoffs after eight consecutive runs.

In 2007, after years of successive playoff misses and frustration over the team’s incapacity to build a better team around him, the enigmatic forward was traded to the Boston Celtics in a 7 for 1 deal that has become known as the largest number of players traded for a single player in NBA history. Now wearing jersey #5, Garnett has teamed up with Paul Pierce and the sweet shooting Ray Allen to form the celebrated Celtics “Big Three” and has transformed the previously cellar dweller Celtics into instant title contenders.

Known for his defensive intensity, Garnett has changed the face of the Boston franchise and the team has suddenly become feared for its stifling defense, due in large part to Garnett who has made the All-NBA Defensive Team nine times over his career and was recently named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for 2008. Because of this, Garnett has become a large contributor to Boston's recent championship title and in the process has given him the one NBA hardware he has been searching for in his career- an NBA championship ring.

With career averages of: 20.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, Kevin Garnett is truly one of the NBA’s elite players and his impressive resumé speaks for itself.

CAREER SEASON AVERAGES

• 20.4 PPG
• 11.2 RPG
• 4.4 AST
  
• 1.4 STL
• 1.7 BLK
• 78% FT
  
• 49.4% FG

CAREER PLAYOFF AVERAGES

• 21.9 PPG
• 12.6 RPG
• 4.7 AST
• 1.4 STL
• 1.8 BLK
• 77% FT
• 46% FG

AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS

• ALL ROOKIE SECOND TEAM (1996)
• 11 TIME NBA ALL-STAR (1997/1998/2000-08)
• 9 TIME ALL NBA TEAM

• FIRST TEAM (2000/2003/2004/2008)
• SECOND TEAM (2001/2002/2005)
• THIRD TEAM (1999/2007)

• 9 TIME ALL-NBA DEFENSIVE TEAM

• FIRST TEAM (2000-2005/2008)
• SECOND TEAM (2006/2007)

• GOLD MEDALIST- SUMMER OLYMPICS (2000)
• ALL-STAR GAME MVP (2003)
• REGULAR SEASON MVP (2004)
• J. WALTER KENNEDY AWARD (2006)
• DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR (2008)
• NBA CHAMPIONSHIP RING with the Boston Celtics (2008)