I was working out today, and the song from that commercial "I Remember Finding Out About You" came on. For those that don't remember, it was played all the time last season along with footage relating to the Garnett trade. I hadn't heard it in awhile, and it just put things in perspective and made me feel incredibly grateful. Thinking about everything we'd gone thru as Celtic fans, and then the feeling when the trade was official that we were finally legit contenders. There were no guarantees, but we all knew it'd be an exciting year. At the time, I'd just gotten a new job, and was working 16 hour days. I was basically a walking zombie. But when I got home that night and saw the news on this site, I was absolutely giddy. And fortunately, we all know how it ended...
WE'RE DEFENDING NBA CHAMPIONS!
And no one can ever take that away from us.
Just hearing people mention Banner 18 feels kinda strange to me, as for so long we all obsessed about Banner 17. Been there, done that!
One of the first thoughts that came to mind when I heard that song was how amazing it felt as the last few minutes ticked off the clock in Game 6 against LA, seeing the players go nuts, hearing the crowd, etc. And as elated as everyone in the Garden was in celebrating the title, David Stern was booed resoundingly when he was announced. That completely cracked me up. He totally deserved it, too, and I was proud of my fellow Celtic fans in attendance for giving him what he deserved.
As much as I'd wanted to win Game 5 in LA, looking back, what could have been better than winning on our court against our hated rivals, and just beating the ever living heck out of them? And to top it off, David Stern - who had probably just finished drying up his tears because neither Kobe nor LeCrabDribble could capitalize on the WWE officiating in their favor - got booed. We beat both Cleveland and LA, despite completely corrupt officiating that was constantly against us. And we blew the doors off of LA. We were that much better than both of them. Awesome.
One personal memory I have is that I went to Vegas a few days after Game 6. I wore a "Beat LA" shirt on the plane. As I was boarding the plane, some guy sitting down said "I really don't like that shirt." I immediately responded with "It's ok man, there's always next year," trying not to laugh hysterically at the pathetic Lakers fan. Later, as we entered the lobby of our hotel, some obnoxious Lakers fan told me that I "can't be wearing that here," as if Vegas is Lakers territory. I just grinned from ear to ear, and said "maybe next year, bud." Made my day.
Anyway, just felt like sharing. Feel free to add your personal 2008 Finals memories.
Here's to Banner 18!