Celtics Have Become Forgotten Team in Crowded Boston Sports Scene

by abournenesn

Dec 19, 2009

Celtics Have Become Forgotten Team in Crowded Boston Sports Scene What does it take for a team to get noticed in Boston?

A hockey game on a baseball field?

Adding $100 million to the payroll?

Being late for work, questioning your head coach and making Jetsons references?

The Celtics’ 11-game win streak was snapped by the Sixers on Friday night (more proof to never turn the channel before the final buzzer sounds),  but even before the loss, the C’s were running neck and neck with the New England Revolution and Boston Blazers for headlines. Losing to a 6-19 club isn’t going to help get the Celtics more pub in the Hub. Now, they no longer share the best record in the NBA with the Lakers. But winning or losing, the C’s have had a hard time getting recognized on Causeway Street this season.

These days, all the words coming out of New Englanders’ mouths are about the other guys. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are the old Big Three. This winter, the Bruins, Red Sox and Patriots have taken center stage.

The Bruins are preparing to invade Fenway Park and shoot hockey pucks over the Green Monster. Bobby Orr, the greatest hockey player who ever lived, is skating where Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived, went to war with Boston sportswriters. There hasn’t been this much excitement for a game on ice since the Americans beat the Russians in Lake Placid.

While the Bruins soak in the surrealism of the Winter Classic, off-the-field controversy has infiltrated Foxborough for the first time since Spygate, forcing Bill Belichick to designate players to defend Randy Moss on a daily basis. The Patriots are hoping their us-against-the-world mentality helps them pen a better ending than it did in the Super Bowl against the Giants two years ago.

Over at Yawkey Way, the hot stove is sizzling. Opening Day 2010 is 106 days away, and the buzz surrounding the Red Sox already is growing to a deafening roar. (In related news, the team is considering sending a scouting group to Mars to scout avatars.) Fans are counting down the days to an Adrian Gonzalez news conference the way New Year’s Eve partygoers wait for the ball to drop in Times Square.

Meanwhile, the Celtics are working undercover. They’re flying so low under the radar that they’ve been pushed underground. They have become the fourth wheel on a Big Wheel, the third wheel on a rickshaw. They are thinking about changing their mascot from Lucky the Leprechaun to Rodney Dangerfield because they aren’t getting any respect.

How about a little something for the effort?

Aside from their 2-4 record on Friday nights, the Celtics have been playing some good basketball. Their starting five is averaging double-digits in points. They lead the NBA in point differential and are allowing the fewest points per game. Kendrick Perkins leads the league in field goal percentage, and Rajon Rondo is tops in steals.

Paul Pierce has a new motto: The Truth is better than Fiction.

Kevin Garnett is still a beast. (He grew so tired about answering questions about his knee that he developed a chip on his shoulder. Now he dares anyone to ask him about it.) Fear is not in his vocabulary.

Ray Allen remains a Hall of Fame human being who’s so smooth he glides.

Rasheed Wallace has matured, but he hasn’t completely lost his temper and is ready to challenge Lamar Odom for the title of best sixth man on the planet.

Eddie House continues to shoot … and score.

Glen Davis
has become an expert in Madden while rehabbing his thumb.

And coach Doc Rivers is the glue holding everything together. After he threatened to fine his players a game salary for every game they lost, they stopped losing — until Friday against Philly. He was thinking about becoming a motivational speaker in his spare time, but those plans are on hold. Rivers still has work to do to keep his team focused for all 82 regular-season games.

Prior to dropping a game (they should have won) to one of the least impressive teams in the NBA, the worst news the Celtics had gotten in recent weeks was that co-owner Steve Pagliuca fell short in his bid to fill the Senate seat held by the late Ted Kennedy.

The Celtics will bounce back from their loss to the Sixers. Embarrassment can be a strong motivator. But it still is going to take some time to win over all of New England and prove they have a killer instinct like the championship team that won banner No. 17.

It’s like the old “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” riddle. If an NBA team keeps winning games and no one cares to pay attention, how long before David Stern schedules a visit to the crowded Boston sports market?

The Celtics are about to find out. And they hope to give the Red Sox, Bruins, and Patriots some competition.

I will be on vacation until Jan. 11. Happy holidays.

Previous Article

Randy Moss Takes Some Heat Away From Tiger Woods

Next Article

Report: UFC Coming to TD Garden in 2010, Fenway Park Eyed for 2011

Picked For You