It’s been a long time coming for the Boston Celtics (C’s) and its fans. On June 17th, they finally make history (again) after bagging the 2008 NBA Championships playing against long standing rival, Los Angeles Lakers.

It is truly sweet victory for them for it is not only their 17th Title but their first one in 22 years! The last time they won was in 1986 against Houston Rockets. It is also the 11th time they face the Lakers in the finals.

Last night’s game was one of Boston Celtics’ finest moments! They beat the Lakers with a final score of 131-92. They practically humiliated the Lakers making them look like amateurs as the Celtics keep scoring and further widening the score gap. The C’s defense was remarkable.

…The Celtics were playing like a real basketball team instead of playing individual basketball…

They were on top of the situation getting turnovers from loose balls, steals and rebounds! Their assists were impressive! You can see the desperation play of the Lakers by the end of third quarter and they can’t control the situation anymore. The Celtics was unstopable at that point.

The Celtics were playing like a real basketball team instead of playing individual basketball. That’s the problem when you have probably the current best basketball player in the world in your team in the person of LA Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and the team depends solely on him. While on the other, the entire team depends on each other’s strength to lead them to victory. Well, Bryant isn’t Superman afterall.

Boston Celtics’ Paul Pierce unquestionably deserve the Most Valuable Player award for the playoffs but you can name at least five other Celtics players who did really well in getting them the championships. You have the magnificent shooting guard Ray Allen, power forward Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe, small forward James Posey, and point guard Rajon Rondo giving their share. Whereas the LA Lakers has Kobe Bryant, Kobe Bryant and Kobe Bryant with some help from Pau Gasol and maybe Lamar Odom.

Congratulations Boston Celtics! Congratulations Boston Celtics fans!!

I was going to watch the NBA Finals at the historic TD Banknorth Garden, Bostons premier Sports arena- in my dreams! The tickets were literally outrageous if you can get them! I searched online in Craigslist and saw one person selling his 2 floor tickets for $40,000.00!! WTF?!! A real nice SUV with the works costs 40 grand! Why would anyone spend it on a 3-hour game and then the money is gone?! I wanted to ask if it included a night out with the whole team after the game considering the ridiculous price! I wouldn’t be surprised though if some brainless but filthy rich person actually pay for it!

My next shot was Ebay. I looked and saw the bids going between $720.00 and $10,500.00!! Click on the above photo to peak. At that instant, I was resigned to just watch it on television. Sigh. Perhaps in the opening season and in the early games, I could afford the tickets. I am a basketball fan but not that diehard… or I should just stick to watching sports on TV.

photo credits of the Celtics lifted from ESPN.com

UPDATED: September 09, 2008.

In my four years stay in the US, I have never watched a professional sporting event. Other than the fact that season tickets are way beyond my budget, (talk about spending hundreds of dollars to watch one game of players throwing and hitting balls!), they’re almost always impossible to get, and I am not a huge fan of sports except swimming and watching the Olympics.

I used to enjoy watching professional basketball in grade school up ’til High School. Thanks to my ‘famous’ Uncle back in the Philippines who introduced us to basketball early on, all my cousins including me fell in love with the game! My Uncle breathes and lives for basketball. It wasn’t hard to have the same devotion when you’re exposed to it. We met big names in basketball, rubbed elbows with the players and basketball hotshots in exclusive parties, saw them come and go at my Uncle’s house where I spent most of my summers growing up and having lived with him and his family during my High School days in Manila. But I was young then and didn’t really care that much. And then I grew up. Suddenly interests change. I was watching less and less basketball until I watched no more. My Uncle is still huge in the Philippines! He is the longest-serving Governor and Team Manager in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), the Philippines’ counterpart to NBA in the United States. His team Sta. Lucia Realtors, entered the professional league in 1992 and still currently among the best Philippine Basketball teams out there. In fact they just won this year’s 2008 Philippine Cup championship!

Fast track to present day. I was browsing through channels on cable last week and Game 1 of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Championship was on between the Los Angeles (LA) Lakers and Boston Celtics. I sat through the entire game very excited and memories of my ‘love’ for basketball came rushing! I think I am hooked again! And what great timing to be back on when the Boston Celtics are making a great comeback after all these years of not being on the championships. The Celtics won Game 1 and won two more games after that. They’re up 3 to 1 against the Lakers and they only need to win one more of the best of 7 playoffs!

photos from: ESPN.com

Game 5 is on this Sunday, June 15th (Father’s Day!) at the Staples Center in LA. I almost wish the Celtics will lose so I might have the chance to watch Game 6 at home court here in Boston at the TD Banknorth Garden. I’ll scalp for tickets if I have to to get in! If they win this Sunday’s game- it’s all over. If not, then they will play Game 6 and 7 here in Boston. Holy cow, if they win, they are going to be victorious after 23 years of drought and their 17th NBA championship! They have to win. They should win and regain its glory.

My NBA teams have been Chicago bulls, LA Lakers and Boston Celtics but since the Lakers and Celtics are rivals this year, I’m rooting for Boston just because I live here and I love underdogs. I love comebacks. The LA Lakers come only second (Boston is first) overall carrying 14 NBA titles but they have dominated the NBA over the last 20 years. It’s time for Celtics to reclaim the crown and redeem themselves as champions.

Get the championships! Go Boston Celtics!