A Boston Apology
Be forewarned the the title and tone of this piece might come off as slightly condescending or even bitter by the end. That is not my intention. This is a sincere apology to a fanbase that is about to go through a process they are wholly unfamiliar with.
What is this process? For Boston fans the unfamiliarity is certainly not in the winning of a championship. Their various franchises have won 12, that’s right 12 championships since the turn of the century. What they are not familiar with is what the most recent turn of the news cycle has revealed. This iteration of this Boston Celtics has a fatal cultural flaw.
What is it? They were a league best 64-18. They won the Eastern Conference by a staggering 14 games. They have only lost TWO games thus far in the postseason. By every on court metric. They are the definition of dominance and excellence. However they have one 21st century specific issue. They are not— interesting.
How do I know this? Just a simple scan of the media space we all live in. After going up 2-0 in the NBA Finals. The Celtics are arguably the third biggest headline in the sport. Behind Dan Hurley turning down the Lakers. I believe that point is unassailable. I would further argue they are behind whatever the topic of the day regarding Caitlin Clark might be. This week it is getting left off the Olympic team.
Heck if you want to get really anecdotal and hyper local. Look up the Savannah Bananas at Fenway Park. Baseball’s version of the Harlem Globetrotters sold out the hollowed stadium the night before game two. Local scribes said the stadium was as electric as a playoff victory (perhaps this says more about the Red Sox and baseball but I digress)
As this shows. In the Year of our Lord 2024. It is not enough to just be really good at something. You must also be interesting. If you are a bland person. I would posit that Caitlin Clark is a somewhat bland personality. You must fit into a larger social narrative or talking point.
So why do I feel sympathy for a fanbase that has seen so much recent success? As a fan, I have been in this uncomfortable and frustrating position. Trust me it doesn’t feel good to see greatness being ignored. This is not a new phenomenon that can blamed on America’s favorite punching bag— social media. Let’s turn the clock back an even 20 years to see how the media handled a similar team.
The 2004 Detroit Pistons
I was fresh out of college and newly married. I had cut my teeth in basketball fandom with the Bad Boys of the late 80’s and early 90’s. After a long period of futility. My guy— Joe Dumars had led the Pistons back to relevance. The 2004 NBA finals were the culmination of so many things that I enjoyed about basketball. My youthful idealism and view of the world was about to change.
The Detroit Pistons played the “right” way. They were built organically through shrewd drafting and trades. Their “star” Ben Wallace was an undrafted emotional leader and perpetual underdog who made minimal offensive contributions. Let’s dispel a popular notion. The Pistons were most certainly an interesting bunch.
All I need to do is type the name Rasheed Wallace. Nothing boring or uncontroversial there. Nomadic and media starved Larry Brown might have carried the most baggage/drama of any coach in recent basketball history. The aforementioned Ben Wallace was anything but conventional as a superstar. So after a “five game sweep” of the heavily favored Los Angels Lakers. The Pistons should have become “America’s Team”. Pulling one the greatest upsets in Finals history. Or at least the team people loved to hate. That was how the Bad Boys were treated after vanquishing Michael Jordan in my youth.
As anyone from Michigan knows. That was not their fate. The national talking point quickly became “what went wrong with the Lakers?” I remember watching the post game SportsCenter. They cut to Phil Jackson’s entire post game press conference. He brought his kids out with him. His words were dissected as it appeared he was saying goodbye to the game. I watched it incredulously. This was the losing coach. Cue the Allen Iverson voice….. not a player…. a coach. What was going on?
Do not read this as an anti-ESPN or media rant. I went onto work in the media later and lived the cold hard reality of the situation. The Lakers were and were always going to be the story of that series. No dark meeting rooms or conspiracies. Just simple business realities.
Taylor Swift could have been dating Rip Hamilton and I’m not sure the Pistons could have topped the drama surrounding that Lakers team (that might be a stretch) A generational big man who had worn out his welcome. Feuding with an enigmatic superstar fighting off a criminal rape charge. Aging legends in Karl Malone and Gary Payton chasing their first rings. Multiple books have chronicled this soap opera. I would argue Bryant’s untimely and tragic death has dulled the absurdity of this circus.
All that being said. That was of little solace as a 23 year old Pistons fan. It still felt disrespectful. I believe this was the genesis of the “Detroit vs Everybody” mantra that has fueled this historic sports town. Which brings us back to Boston. Another defiant and historic sports town.
The 2024 Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are not AND were never going to be the story of the 2024 NBA Finals. I’ll go one step further. They were never going to be story the last time they appeared in the finals. The 2022 finals were a referendum on the greatness of Stephen Curry. No matter which way the series broke. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are great players and a devastating duo. They just don’t move the needle like Curry.
Likewise, this years version does not pop like the Kyrie Irving redemption tour. You can dissect the reasons ad nauseam. But a Luka Dončić and Kyrie duo are box office. If the Minnesota Timberwolves would have won. The headline would have been the arrival of Anthony Edwards and the basketball world’s love/hate relationship with Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns. Yes Boston, you would have played second fiddle to a team from Minnesota. Welcome to 2024.
They had one chance and it’s a bit of a stretch. In an Olympic year. They could have been the American team trying to fend off the coronation of a foreign superstar in Nikola Jokić. If I squint I can see it. But I’m not sure this jingoism would fly in a polarized American political climate.
You just can’t escape narrative realities. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are highly drafted home grown players. There is nothing surprising or novel about two #3 picks developing into superstars. It’s what’s expected. My wife doesn’t congratulate me when I take out the trash. It’s what’s expected of me.
Yes, the path of the Tatum and Brown duo has not been smooth. However this turbulence does not include trouble with the law or trade demands. Outside of a semi brief Anthony Davis flirtation. In the midst of the growing pains. The Celtics seemingly never once considered breaking them up.
When Jason Kidd suggested that Jaylen Brown was the Celtics best player. The media dutifully ran with it. It didn’t gain much traction. They posted the headlines and addressed it. But like a late career fighter holding on for a paycheck. You could tell the pundit’s hearts just weren’t in it.
Beyond their headlining duo. Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday were all high draft picks in their own right. In parlance a Boston fan would understand. There is no Tom Brady or David Ortiz on this team. Just a group a highly rated players fulfilling their role and potential.
As we saw in 2004. A group of players excellently carrying out their role is simply not enough the enter the cultural zeitgeist. If this is the first of many titles for this group (possible) This trophy could one day be historic. However up 2-0 in a series. The Celtics are expected to win.
So enjoy your parade Boston. You’ve had plenty of experience. Just be prepared to be overlooked when news breaks that Philadelphia plans to select Bronny at #16. One pick before the Lakers. And what this could mean for LeBron’s future and free agency. Coming up next on….
Don’t say I didn’t warm you.
