Win it for...

With the Celtics on the precipice of a second title in three years, I can't help but be reminded of why I love following sports in the first place. I have been known to say that the only things that one needs in life are sports and a few people who love you. I love the competition, the spontaneity, the excitement of something unchoreographed unfolding before your eyes. I love how sports can prove that hard work does pay off, that intense dedication to perfecting one's craft makes the difference between the legends and the merely great. The world's greatest chess player has few interests outside of chess, likewise, no one worked harder at being a great basketball player than Michael Jordan. I love how sports spark constant arguments over who's better; I love how sports can always be analogous to other aspects of life. I love how rooting for a sports team can bring family, friends, and community together.

We've been so lucky to have great teams in Boston since 2001. The great lesson I learned when the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVI was that a team working as a cohesive unit can overcome any individual greatness. That lesson has been reaffirmed time and again, as the Patriots won two more Super Bowls by working as a team and not caring who received the credit for their success. It was proven once again when the Celtics won the title in 2008, beating both Lebron and Kobe and the Kobettes in the process.

The 2010 Celtics are once again reminding us that basketball is a team game. They have beat 3 of the touted 4 best players in basketball and are in the process of dismantling the 4th. ESPN's John Hollinger ran an article today proving Kobe's statistical dominance in this finals, going as far to say that he should win Finals MVP even if (read when) the Lakers lose. The Celtics have no MVP for this series; no player has stood out above the rest. Read that again: no player has stood out above the rest.

It's possible this could be the last run for this current group of Celtics. It's possible next years' team could have a very different look. If this is the last run, what a gift this group can give us by proving once again that a great team will always beat a great individual. It's true that as one gets older, professional sports lose their magic a bit every year, as fans are bombarded with facts about players salaries and read columns by cranky columnists lamenting how selfish players have become. People learn that their favorite golfer is a liar and a womanizer, or that their favorite quarterback (or shooting guard) is a rapist.

So Celtics:
Win it for those who still think that sports offer the very best in entertainment.
Win it for those who have been suffocated by sensationalist and negative stories and have forgotten to breathe in all the great stories sports offer.
Win it for those who believe that teamwork trumps selfishness.
Win it for those who buy season tickets with money they don't have instead of getting tickets through their agents.
Win it for kids who would rather practice Rondo's passes than Kobe's fadaways.
Win it for me!

I'll see y'all at the parade. cue the duckboats!

-Aloy