Green Day

A few months ago, I paid a visit to my good friends Reggie and Sarah on the occasion of meeting their new daughter, Zoe, for the first time. Cute kid by the way. It was during the NCAA tournament and my UConn Huskies men's team had just lost to powerhouse (sarcasm intended) 13-seed San Diego in the first round. A couple of other friends, Vince and Kerry, were there as well and Vince noted the humbling loss. "What Happened to UConn?" he asked and I shook my head, unable to offer an explanation. "Maybe your run is over," he added, referring to the recent successes by the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox. I wondered myself if this was the beginning of the end. After all, don't you know these things go in cycles just like Bobby Brown was just ampin' like Michael ("A Tribe Called Quest" reference for those old school rap fans in the audience). Was this loss an omen for what was to come in 2008?

Well, Vince, might want to hold off on the post mortem for Grant's favorite teams. Last night, the Boston Celtics routed (and I mean routed) the Los Angeles Lakers 131-92 in Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals and won the 17th title in the franchise's storied history. It took a record 26 playoff games (Two 7-game series and two 6-game series) to get the job done and it is the C's first championship since 1986, when yours truly was a mere 14 year-old aspiring blogger walking tall in suburban West Hartford, CT. As always, ESPN's Bill Simmons sums up the night better than I possibly could in his column "Notes from a good ol' fashioned Garden party".

It was the culmination of a record-setting season in which the Celtics improved by 42 games over last season's dreadful 24-58 mark, going a league best 66-16 in the regular season. Following the 2007 regular season, the team somehow missed out on both Greg Oden and Kevin Durant in the draft (shades of 1997 when they missed out on Tim Duncan) despite having the best odds in the lottery, and all seemed dire for 2008. However, GM Danny Ainge traded for veteran sharpshooter Ray Allen on draft day. This was followed not long after by the blockbuster trade for forward Kevin Garnett that changed everything. With these two All-Stars now paired with talented forward Paul Pierce, the team made it clear they were going for it this year and the stage was set for a memorable 2008. While it is the first NBA championship for all three guys, I am most happy for Finals MVP Pierce as he endured some absolutely dreadful seasons and plenty of trade rumors in his 10 years with Boston. More than any other current Celtic, he earned this.

With the Red Sox currently in first place, the Patriots poised for another run in the fall and the UConn men looking loaded for 2008-09, I'd say my sports run is far from over.