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Confessions of a Celtic fan..........

As a child growing up in a small somewhat squalid town three hours north of Manila, we savored the NBA games broadcast on TV via a delayed telecast that graced our lives all but once a week. My life outside of my family, friends, and school belonged no where else but to the Hard Courts. It was what i loved the most and week-in and week-out, my Basketball life culminated to that much anticipated NBA Game... The 80's of course belonged to the revered "Showtime" Lakers and their unforgettable battles against the NBA's most storied, the Boston Celtics. The 90's era would undeniably belong to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls but that's a different story...

I have a vivid memory of being the only child on my block and in my High School who was a fan of the Boston Celtics. Everyone seemed to have been engrossed in Magic, Kareen, and James Worthy's mystique. I never denied the Lakers Greatness -I mean no one could- but my heart had a soft spot for Larry Bird and his Boston Celtics. In fact the first ever poster that made it on my wall was his! Perhaps the color Green had something to do with it, it has always been my favorite color. But i think overall it was Larry Bird that swayed me. I liked him because he was not your prototypical NBA specimen. He was tall and yes she could shoot lights out, but other than that it seemed like it was sheer determination and heart that got him by (not pure skills). The guy was so slow it was almost painful to watch him run up and down the court, and he couldn't jump either lol. So perhaps in some respect Larry Bird defied convention and physical inferiority. And that, to me, was his superiority....

And I will admit, up until and for the better part of this decade I still had a soft spot for my beloved Celtics. I had high hopes when the legendary Rick Patino held the helm in Boston, and although the dynamic duo of Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce produced no more than a brief stint in the playoffs, it was a real thrill to watch them try. I think we can all agree it is difficult to withdraw from our fanatical childhood, right? But please don't admonish me just yet because adopting L.A. as my new home pretty much makes me a Laker Fan, albeit short of lifelong. Lest we forget being a fan or becoming a fan needn't mean one must bleed and breath Purple and Gold. If it means living and dying on every possession and being there through thick and thin, then i have done that... If it is wearing ones Laker Gear proudly then you can check that off too. Or better if it means dismissing work to bask in the Championship Parade on a Monday afternoon and or applauding and honestly appreciating the teams efforts in losing Seasons, I'm your man... I am not claiming I have paid my dues and can be labeled a True Die-Hard Laker fan, but I can tell you one thing - Laker Games have lifted me from the slums of some of my darker hours in my life, and some have dilapidated me in more ways than one -. I have paid unreasonable sums of money just to be there in a decent seat and have spent some games in the Peanut Gallery as well. I believe that is more than what some of you True Laker fans can say...

Is it beginning to sound like i'm trying to convince you? Perhaps but how about this... A few years ago during Kobe's contract negotiations and as much as the organization would have hated and perhaps had been embarrassed to see Kobe walk away, I was asked how I felt about it. Without hesitation I said "We're lucky to have had Kobe in the Squad, and I am a fan of Kobe but I am a bigger Laker Fan and an even a Bigger NBA or Basketball Fan for that matter". Of course it would have been heartbreaking even for me to see Kobe don another Jersey, but the Lakers are the Lakers with or without Kobe as far as I'm concerned... A Franchise's ability to draft, deal, and retain players is clearly a key to success, but as a loyal fan I love a player who exhibits similar loyalty (i.e. John Stockton, Hakeem etc...). Certainly the era of free agency had undoubtedly diluted some of the fan experience...

The breaking news that the storied franchise had been able to sign KG and Ray Allen took the NBA world by storm. And to me it was terribly exciting! Because why? Well because on paper they would seem to be a contender. And the possibility of a Laker vs Celtic Championship was too delicious to ignore. And a contender they were... Except of course they really really did it against my beloved Lakers. Yes i said it "My Beloved". As a basketball player myself and as a long time fan of the Celtic Franchise or for any Basketball fan for that matter, it was easy to appreciate what Boston was able to accomplish. They rose from the depths of over two decades of obscurity and catapulted themselves back into the franchise's familiar fold - Winnings Championships!-. I was very happy for local kid Paul Pierce who stuck it out in Boston and their woeful fans. And you sort of have to appreciate our ironic similarities; I grew up a Celtic fan now a Laker one, whereas Paul Pierce grew up a Laker fan and now a Celtic Champion... *shrug*

It seemed like my bittersweet longing for Celtic success had abruptly ended after they had clinched the NBA Championship on their home floor last June however, at the Lakers expense... It is sweet success for any Team to clinch a Championship against a hated rival but that was a pretty hard pill to swallow for me. The Lakers had become my team and my childhood team had just beaten it to an embarassing and unrecognizable pulp...

The Lakers defeating the Celtics this new season on Christmas Day was obviously just a small victory of sorts, and leading up to the 2nd game at Boston, I felt nothing but disdain for my former beloved. Perhaps I have been completely converted to Purple and Gold or at least on my way there? In fact before the broadcast on TNT I hated them so much for what they did to the Lakers that I started a long texting string of Celtic bashing with my cousin that went crassly like this; "F*** Larry Bird", "F*** Robert Parish", "F*** Danny Ainge" etc etc etc... Words I never imagined I would ever utter in this lifetime....

I hated the Boston Celtic color of green for once in my life my favorite color. In fact the only green I could tolerate at least during the game were the Celtic Cheerleaders lol. And because the Lakers were nearing the end of a 6 game East Coast swing, and a back to back games no less, I gave the Celtics a slight advantage. In fact I told some of my friends my prediction was a 1-point game. I was just wrong about the winner... neat huh?

In conclusion I confessed my Celtic-ness to a certain someone who calls herself a "Laker Cutie" of sorts... "Gross" she abhorred. And I couldn't agree more....

Posted by: Marc Gabay
Friday, February 06, 2009