Welcome to Media Day

Cheers to MasterPO. It’s almost soup, man.

What a weird couple of seasons we’ve had. Bubbles in Disney World, a run to the Eastern Conference Finals that was ultimately swatted away, heightened expectations, and then one long dud of a season that led to an extreme makeover that would make HGTV proud. All of that was shoved into a blur of a schedule that didn’t allow for much in the way of breaks or offseasons or even summer leagues.

So I was actually relieved when the Celtics’ season came to a merciful end and both the team and the fans had a chance to step away, refuel, and recharge. Not that we ever really stopped thinking about the team around here. If anything, the revolving door of transactions from the front office to the coach to the players has made it a very interesting summer. But the weight of the season hasn’t been on us. The wins and losses at this point are all still theoretical. We aren’t living and dying by the bounce of a ball each night.

For the first time in the 2020’s, the team has had a fairly normal (albeit a little shortened) offseason. Guys with bumps and bruises have had a chance to heal. Players needing to add to their game have been able to meet daily with trainers to develop good habits and muscle memory.

I too took some time to do some (responsible) family traveling that I had put off due to COVID. I worked on projects around the house, read some good books, and binged on a few TV shows. It was a good kinda-sorta-getting back to normal-ish summer for me. But I’ve got to admit. The last couple weeks have felt pretty boring. There’s a basketball shaped hole in my life and I’m craving it like a sweater-weather wearing Karen seeking out pumpkin spice lattes.

So from a perspective of “the players are real people that need to rest and have normal-ish lives of their own” - the longer offseason was a real blessing. From a selfish consumer of NBA basketball, I’m very much ready to have the league back playing basketball again.

Last year is history. The future is still bright in my green tinted eyes. Between the better balanced roster, a fresh head coach voice that the star players are highly motivated to see succeed, and the lowered expectations, I could see this being a very strong bounce back year for the team.

Let’s watch some Celtics basketball. Let’s go, Celtics.