The Time Of Their Lives: How The Celtics Have Changed, And Why

Not very long ago, in an arena far, far away, the Boston Celtics lost a basketball game to the Los Angeles Lakers. So? Well, this was no ordinary game, no ordinary loss. It was Game 6 of the '09-'10 NBA Finals, and the Cs didn't just lose it... they lost their identity at the same time. Which is exactly what they most needed to do then, because the team they had become was born to lose. Let's be glad that team died; may it never be resurrected.

The Celtics threw that Game 6 away, with both hands. They played like they could hardly care less, like they KNEW they were the better team and would therefore win Game 7. (Forgetting, incredibly, that any NBA team can beat any other NBA team in a single game. But I digress....) Some of us thought they played like they WANTED to lose, like maybe the millions of dollars involved tempted them to the Dark Side. Nobody knows why they somnambulated through that game. I don't think they themselves could tell you.

Looking back on that 'retched' day now, it's almost impossible to believe that that crew and the Celtics we see today are the same team. Why? Because they're not. The current version of the Celtics is in some ways 180 degrees opposite that of last season. How is that possible? What about all the same players inhabiting both versions?? Well... it's not the players' identities that are different, it's who they are on the court and their approach to the sport that's changed so dramatically.

As you may remember, the '09-'10 Celtics basically blew off most of the regular season. Then they turned it on for the playoffs and got all the way to Finals Game 7. The dynamics of why they chucked the regular season, and how it all happened, are explained here, if you really want to get into that painful memory. The short version is that Rasheed Wallace brought with him a new attitude, theretofore unknown in Boston: regular games don't matter, only playoffs matter. And too, the soul of the team – which would normally stand in resistance to such apostasy – was injured at the time, physically and mentally. That's how KG's intensity gave way to Sheed's indolence, and how gradually, this new attitude took root in the Cs' locker room.

Back then, the logic of "regular-season games don't matter" seemed pretty strong. (Here is an example, from that time.) Because in fact, they don't matter. All you get for winning more pre-playoff games is slightly better seeding, which could be good or bad depending on matchups. The whole system is so nebulous, that it seemed correct to say "the hell with it, let's just wait for the playoffs." For one thing, less wear and tear on the players meant that more of them would likely be healthy come playoff time – and that logic boiled down to the argument that not only do regular-season games not matter, it could actually be a bad thing to try too hard to win them. 'Sheed's creed' seemed like a good idea back then.

But there was a fatal flaw. Oh, it wasn't in the logic of it all. That still stands. The regular season, as constructed by the goofs that run the NBA, still doesn't matter much. And if players had computers for hearts, it would be a good idea to save themselves for the playoffs.

But of course, players are very human. Indeed, the very best teams use their emotions to make themselves better. The Celtics certainly do. But in '09-'10, that emotional component was short-circuited – ruined by all the losses. Losing and winning are habit-forming occupations. When you've lost a lot of games – even though they might not have actually 'mattered' much – you do get used to it. That too is part of human nature. Our skin grows thick in response to bad events.

The bottom line to all this is: only the '09-'10 Celtics could have played Game 6 of the Finals the way that team played it. Only that team, inured to losing (by their regular season), could have conceived of throwing away Game 6 like it made no difference. To this day, I can't be certain of exactly why they did it. But it's important to recognize what allowed it to happen. It was the regular season. Sheed's creed.

But wait! Rasheed himself flipped his switch for the playoffs, didn't he?!?

Yes, he did. Too late. The poison had spread, like dark dye on soft wool, into the team's psyche. Losing is no big deal. There's always the next game. It's ok, we'll take it in Game 7...

Flash forward to today's Celtics. It's UNIMAGINABLE that today's team could blow off any playoff game. Heck, they can't even stop themselves from winning in the regular season. They play sick... sometimes very sick. And they love what they're doing. Did you see their joy at winning in Philly the other night? Nate jumped on KG's back. Baby looked like he was gonna bust out cryin' in KG's arms. The whole team was ecstatic – even the vets – because they beat the 76ers. The 76ers! In December. Who cares?!! WHAT ARE THEY, NUTS?

They're not nuts. Neither are they anything like last year's team: they're the diametrical opposites. They revel in regular-season wins. Any win is great. Why? Because it is what it is: A WIN. And they play... TO WIN. Not just for the ring at the end of the year. No, THEY JUST PLAY TO WIN. For it's own sake. Because they love it.

That's the thing that all the logic of Sheed's creed missed. Yes, it's true that regular-season games don't matter. Except for one little thing: Losing them does matter to the heart and soul of a team. Losing begets losing, or at least makes it 'ok' to lose. The damage done by losing games, even when they 'don't matter', cannot be boxed up and shipped out of the players' hearts in time for the playoffs. The Celtics tried to do just that last season. And they almost succeeded. Except they didn't. When all the chips were down, they were capable of putting forth that nauseating <insert-adjectives-of-your-choice> Game 6... only because of their history of losing.

Today's team could not do that. It would be impossible for them. Which is why today's team is destined to go all the way. (Health is the only wild card, as always.)

And just for the record, WHY is this team so different this time around? Well,......

#1) Sheed is gone. He brought the seed of Sheed's creed to the Cs' locker room, and his absence is now addition by subtraction.

#2) KG, the keeper of the flame, is healthy again. And with the complete healing of his leg has come the complete healing of his heart. Now he's back in full force... and there's no opposing force in the locker room.

#3) The new team members make a difference, chief among them Shaq. Oh, he's certainly a comedian and sometimes, he does seem like a clown who doesn't care one way or the other. But no... Shaq has pride. He hates losing. The calendar holds no sway over him... he wants to win in whatever he does. This complements and strengthens KG's fire... as opposed to the twisting and diminishment of it that Sheed accomplished back when KG was too weak to fight.

#4) And let's not forget the looming CBA debacle. Normally, when the coming of something bad is widely anticipated (think stock market crash), that bad thing doesn't happen -- because people take action to forestall the badness that they know about in advance. But normal human logic apparently doesn't apply to the NBA ("where stupidity happens"). For many reasons, it now seems almost inevitable that a lockout will come in 2011. For a lot of the Celtics' older guys, that year is either their last in the NBA, or its antecedent. KG has made this very point about his own situation. And there should be little doubt that many of the team's vets feel the same way. Even if they think they might stick around a year or two after the lockout, they have to be cognizant of the fact that some key Celtic pieces may not be there. So this year could be their last real chance. Their last chance! That's no small matter. This alone pushes them every day.

They want to savor the moments... eat them... remember them forever.

This is the time of their lives. Right now. Wherever they are. (Yes, even in Philly.)

Some of us fans lost our love for this team when they so clearly lost their heart in Game 6. (Guilty as charged, your honor.) But this team, today, is NOT that group. They're the opposite. Who can resist who they are today? You gotta love these guys. Not because they play in Boston. (A geographical accident.) But because of who they've become.

A team this intense, this emotional, this deeply dedicated to winning, and winning well, will not lose. I think it's safe to say that many great memories will be made this season.

And when we watch them play, whenever we support them, however we can... let's remember that we are watching a once-in-a-generation legend unfold. Arguably, this is the time of our lives, too.