2008 was supposed to be our year. We stayed healthy and hungry enough to win it all. It was our year.
2009 we looked even stronger despite losing Posey. Rondo took it to the next level and the Big Three looked even more comfortable together. 29-2 with no signs of slowing down. Then the injury happened. It was supposed to be our repeat. It was a thrilling first round series and an embarrassing G7 loss at home to the Magic.
2010 we reloaded. We were healthy again. We use out MLE on a championship-experienced 'Sheed and brought in 'Quis for cheap. Both underperform, and the nagging injuries pile up. Several months later we are a game away from hoisting Banner 18. Injuries and fatigue deprive us of that.
This season, for the majority of the season, without Perkins, we were the best team in the league, despite the gaudy record of SAS or the point-differential of MIA. We were big, we were balanced, we were hungry. Then Shaq goes down. 'Quis follows. And then "the trade." We struggle down the stretch, but not that unusual for any of our teams as we prepare for the second season. But Shaq never came back. Then Rondo gets hurt. The trade was more an excuse than the actual reason. We got size back. We got a premier backup SF/PF. Team morale and cohesiveness may have been damaged, but we were more talented post-trade than pre-.