Faith Rewarded (for ages 20-30)

[the TRUTH]

i'm 27, and my first celtic memory is losing the '87 finals in LA. like buckeyecelt, i am from ohio. all you hear about is how lebron is the best player in the history of the game. all along, even last year, i kept telling all my friends that we'll win #17 before the cavs win #1.

as we get closer and closer to winning it, the constant criticism pierce and ainge have taken in the national media really comes to mind. until recently, the words "danny ainge" were literally a joke according to the national media. none of them had any foresight or intestinal fortitude to see what we had brewing. and even bill walton said a couple years ago that paul pierce is AT BEST a 3rd or 4th option on a championship team. so to all those critics of our team and us as fans, who's laughing now?

Where are you at in Ohio, I live down in Canal Fulton (Akron/Canton Area).

It's rough living in the front-running home of LBJ.  If I see one more of "Home of LeBron" Signs I might go crazy.

i grew up in columbus, and after college lived in cleveland for three years. i actually moved out to california a year and a half ago, but still go home frequently.

i've been to a ton of celtics games in cleveland. before lebron got there, you never heard a word about the cavs. you're totally right that 99% of cavs fans are total front-runners. once lebron got there, it was "cool" to be a cavs fan.

i was at the game in the middle of the 04-05 season at cleveland, when we came back and won in OT. the game was played on a saturday night, so no one had work/school the next day. as soon as the game headed to overtime, literally THOUSANDS of people LEFT THE GAME!!! i was shocked - had never seen anything like that. i mean, OT is the most exciting part of the game, and you LEAVE???

[CLeht11]

Yeah I don't really think age matters.  Lots of us kids are from Mass or at least New England and have at least known that the Celtics are YOUR team. 

I started paying attention as soon as I actually knew what basketball was.  Right around when Pierce came into the league I started paying attention to Celtics basketball, so I was around 8 or 9 or so.  I'm 17 now. 

I didn't get to see the Bird days, so these are my Celtics (and I guess New England Sports) Glory Days!  Us teenagers should be pumped about the sports scene here in New England because when these 25-30 year old guys were paying attention to New England sports we were basically cellar dwellers.  Besides the Bird days, of course.  After that though... 

[Redz]

I just had a couple of kids picking through the NBA section of the sports cards at my shop.  They were getting all excited about finding KG in a Celtics uniform, and Rodo cards etc...I've been in business for 12 years and I can't ever remember any kids getting excited about new Celtics cards (maybe an occasional Twoine or Pierce fan), but not the Celts in general.  It's great to see.

[jluce]

24 here. Born in '83. Been hearing all the stories from my dad on how great is used to be. I've been going to the games since I was very little. Sox/Pats/Celts fan here. New Englander.

Hopefully they get it done tonight. We've truly been spoiled in all sports the last few years. But whatever, we deserve this one.

[Raindog]

It’s something to hear from all of these Celtics fans from all across the country and the globe.  Makes me feel a bit luckier to have grown up in MA.  I got to watch every game on TV on a regular basis.  I got to watch a game in the Old Garden, a game the Celtics won.  I got to sneak a few steps on the old parquet floor itself during a tour…and ended up correcting our tour guide as to which retired number was which in the rafters.

Now at 29 years of age, as a Celtic fan for 18 years, I get to see them win #17 at home in Boston.  (God willing.)  The has to be the highlight of my life as a sports fan, no matter what happens in the future, if and when the C’s win this thing tonight…..it can’t get any better ever!

 

[bandonox]

Ill be 30 in October.... New Hampshire, born and raised....
My mom got me basketball "lessons" after school when i was in 1st grade. I was in love. Kevin Mchale was my first favorite player... My mom got me a basketball with his "autograph" on it, and i went EVERYWHERE with it.... I remember them winning it all in 86. My mom was a Red Sox fan. I would collect Bruce Hurst cards for her... and when the C's won it all, I remember her sayin' now it was the Sox's turn....ugh.
My friend downstairs lived with his uncle... who was from california, and once we got a hoop put up outside, we would play two on one... his uncle was the lakers, and we were the celtics... I always played Mchale and Chief, my friend was Bird and Ainge... we would call the play by play..."Ainge to mchale...kicks it out to bird... for three" as we were playing... his uncle was all "worthy.. to magic to kareem" and so on....I remember the day Len Bias was drafted.... and how excited everyone was...I clearly remember 2 days later, crying in front of the TV...i couldn't understand... I remember watching the news to see if Larry's back was gettin any better...Reggie...ugh...
I was 18 when I watched the Pitino Era start with a win against the bulls with the singer from Sam Black Church in Rochester, NH...


Great thread... I haven't thought about alot of this for a long time....