Celtics vs Lakers , This time I'm rooting for the Home team?

Well here we are just a few days from the start of the 2008 NBA Championship series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. Something strange has happened since these 2 teams last met over 20 years ago, I've become a fan of the home team, something I swore I'd never do. Growing up in Boston during the glorious days of the Championship run of the 80's I found myself rooting for every team that stood in their way? I was a Detroit Pistons fan, Laker fan, 76er fan(much love Dr.j), Houston Rocket supporter, you name any team besides the Celtics and I was their biggest cheerleader. But it's funny what two decades of time can do to a person, now I find myself yelling at the TV set with a passion and voracity that was solely reserved for the opposing team when they'd do something stupid to blow the game (Think Isiah Thomas ill fated pass). What changed, (I don't know maybe I've grown fonder of this City, or maybe I've just embraced the old style tradition that Bostonians are famous for) yeah right and maybe we should all just hold hands and teach the world to sing!

What changed is a greater appreciation of the make up of the current team and coaching staff, they are predominately African-American. Something that I thought I'd never see in this City. I was too young to remember any of the Celtics Championship teams that were so dominant during the Bill Russell era, but I heard and read stories of how disenfranchised Russell became with some of the narrow minds of the area's local sports fanatics who despite having the player many regard as the greatest ever in their midst, many of them could not see beyond the color of his skin to welcome him as a neighbor. That fact that an African-American man was leading a team aptly named the "Celtics" I imagined was tolerated, but not beloved. In my opinion, I think it would be years later that people truly appreciated what Russell and his teammates accomplished.

Many of today's fans don't remember the Celtics of days gone by, the teams that drums up all kinds of nostalgia are the Larry Bird led teams of the 80's. What's the difference between the two era's (take a good guess) that's right Bird , who had multiple skills a little "Flash" and was considered an over achiever from small town USA, just happened to be White, and in a City with a deserved or not reputation for being a tough place for people of color, it was easy to see why so many people packed the Old Boston Garden to see the man who delighted in letting his defenders know they were in a for a long night. There's no denying the fact that Bird is one of the greatest players ever to lace them up, but his championship run pales in comparison to Russell, yet Birds face became and still is for those who like to reminisce the face of the organization. Be honest how many people remember that K.C Jones Coached a couple of those teams? K.C an African-American former player was never given real credit for being a good coach (much like Doc Rivers today) it was widely considered that he won because he had TALENT!

I use to hate the hype that those Celtic teams and their illustrious leader would generate, I'd swear there were times in the game that if you even breathed on Larry it was a foul. And no matter how much the team won, I couldn't bring myself to root for them, maybe it stemmed from my deep seeded animosity I harbored from witnessing turbulent times when forced busing was implemented and Blacks could not venture into certain neighborhoods for fear of their lives. (Boston still remains one of the most segregated Cities in the US) or maybe that despite my young age, it always bothered me that the fans never revered Bill to Birds status or maybe it was just reverse racism. It just seemed everything was great in the City as long as the Celtics were led by a White Superstar. Whatever the reason, I just couldn't stand the Celtics, I never attended any of the victory parades, never wore a shamrock shirt or hat, nothing with Green and black would adorn this physique, with the exception of my high schools green uniform( I had no say in the matter). If you think I was alone on this boat , you are sadly mistaken, I recall a Boston Globe article that was written during that time, when the Celtics were facing the Lakers and it touched upon the split facet of the fans and their rooting interests in the respective teams, it came as no surprise that an overwhelming number of blacks and perceived liberal whites interviewed were pulling for the Lakers, who were led by Black Superstars (Magic Johnson and Kareem).

The Lakers represented Fast break basketball a style that's commonly associated with inner-city youths, they had the bling, and all of the glamour, style and sizzle your heart could stand, plus all of the celebrities from Hollywood would pack the Forum for a chance to get free face time from the CBS TV camera's while sitting at court side.The Celtics were polar opposites, their style of play reflected the characteristics of the Blue Collar worker , deeply rooted in Old World tradition of hard work, getting your hands dirty, doing the little things to get the job done without all of the hoopla and although we certainly know that this description is without racial classification, it was more widely associated with white America.

Flash ahead twenty plus years and the aforementioned description of the 80's Celtics, is exactly what you could say about today's team and coach. Maybe that's the reason I am cheering for the men in green. Because I truly want to see them win the Championship, I LOVE KG's intensity that he brings every night, I've become a legit Paul Pierce fan and have learned to appreciate his game and skills(not flashy or a sky walker) and I'm pulling for Doc Rivers(how many coaches have been raked over the coals more than him win or lose?), and lastly as I get older and realize these type of parades come few and far between, I'd like to make up for lost time and attend a victory parade to exclaim that the Celtics are the best and attest that Boston has come a long way.