Moving On

One of the worst feelings in sports is when a season ends. This is because you know that everything will be different a year from now. Stars grow older, stars grow, players emerge, players submerge, rookies impact the game, injuries happen, and rosters and coaches change. This will never be more true in my mind than after this Celtics season. Last season something magical happened. I watched a team with three legitimate Hall of Fame candidates who had failed to achieve postseason success completely sacrifice individual fame in order to win a championship. It didn't hurt that the ride along the way was as exciting as it can possibly get. Then this season was just as great. We lost our best player, and boy did we respond. I will never forget the words, "Heart of a Champion." This team, simply put, displayed it for an entire season. They responded so well to the target on their backs. They lost KG, then Powe. They never quit. They came up big again and again. They participated in the greatest first round series ever and sent the Baby Bulls home packing, delaying a coming out party.

The thing is, I know next season will be different. Who knows if KG comes back at all? Who knows if Pierce has anything left in him? I am not as worried about Ray, although Reggie's fall was sudden and severe. We will still have a growing Rondo, but we may lose Powe, Marbury, and Big Baby. Things will be different. I don't know that we will have the swagger, if we will be able to respond next season. It's the ending of an era in Boston, even if we hold on for a few more years.