Will the departure of Stern, usher in a new golden age for the Celtics?

[TitleMaster]

Ok, now that David Stern, the alleged Mephistopheles of NBA, who'd attempted to prevent the Bird era from obtaining a 4th trophy ... by "rigging the lottery" to bring Ewing to NYC, by forcing Bias to stay on the books longer than necessary and then, his continuous reign of terror in promoting showmanship over team play, basically enforcing the Jordan/Shaq/Kobe, now LBJ, cult of personality league, are we seeing a new era?

Think about it, our 2008 title was a result of the C's, depicting extraordinary firepower and defense over a lackluster Kobe Ball Lakers, with an underachieving Odom. If Stern had his way, that series may have gone to the Lakers or the Cavs, if he could have sneaked in a few more crooked refs.

[Lucky17]

Stern's departure invokes a new era that effectively raises the bar for conspiracy theorists to find audiences willing to listen to their nonsense.

[staticcc]

Stern's departure invokes a new era that effectively raises the bar for conspiracy theorists to find audiences willing to listen to their nonsense.

TP!!!! If Stern really hated the Celtics, there's no way we would have won the title in 2008. Maybe we wouldn't have even made the Finals. We went through TWO Game 7s (one of which was against the "beloved' LeBron James); Stern could have rigged one of those if he really hated the Cs.

[BigAlTheFuture]

Things like this make me laugh. Why would Stern want the Cavs to win a championship? Over the Boston Celtics of all teams. Stern loves the Lakers so much that he vetoed the CP3 trade right.

[Boris Badenov]

Interesting. I'm going to put on my tinfoil hat and go sit in the garage for a while shotgunning Four Loko, snorting garcinia cambogia and inhaling carbon monoxide fumes.

I will let you know what truths I uncover and report back!

[BballTim]

Stern's departure invokes a new era that effectively raises the bar for conspiracy theorists to find audiences willing to listen to their nonsense.

  You have to admit, keeping Reggie on our active salary cap for years after he died wasn't done in the name of fairness.

  Aside from that, you'd have to go to some euro or south american soccer leagues to find officials that are as roundly seen as biased as nba refs, and he's done zero to address the situation. That's not a conspiracy against the Celts but it still sucks.

[badshar]

Stern's departure invokes a new era that effectively raises the bar for conspiracy theorists to find audiences willing to listen to their nonsense.

TP!!!! If Stern really hated the Celtics, there's no way we would have won the title in 2008. Maybe we wouldn't have even made the Finals. We went through TWO Game 7s (one of which was against the "beloved' LeBron James); Stern could have rigged one of those if he really hated the Cs.

At the time the Big 3 was formed, it was being marketed like crazy. KG-Allen-Pierce and the Boston Celtics were THE THING at the time. Why try to make LeBron win and have the team you are promoting lose despite three superstars when you can simply generate more NBA interest, excitement and money through promoting a superteam?

[badshar]

Things like this make me laugh. Why would Stern want the Cavs to win a championship? Over the Boston Celtics of all teams. Stern loves the Lakers so much that he vetoed the CP3 trade right.

The Lakers trade was vetoed because Stern was acting as an owner/gm of the hornets at the time. The league owned the hornets and Stern vetoed the decision as an owner/gm. We all knew how awful that trade would have been for the Hornets.

[LooseCannon]

Stern's departure invokes a new era that effectively raises the bar for conspiracy theorists to find audiences willing to listen to their nonsense.

  You have to admit, keeping Reggie on our active salary cap for years after he died wasn't done in the name of fairness.

But it was the NBA Board of Governors deciding to force the Celtics to abide by the terms of the CBA.  It wasn't Stern's decision to insist upon the strict rule of law in that case.

[indeedproceed]

Rumor has it that 2 nights ago Stern had Adam Silver meet him at a water fountain where they both wished simultaneously for something different. Adam Silver wished he could be the commish of the NBA, David Stern wished to be young again.

Adam Silver got his wish and became David Stern, only to find out that through meticulously filed legal papers, he would be ceding control of the league to Adam Silver the next day.

The new Adam Silver, the old David Stern laughed hollowly and enjoyed a thick juicy steak with extra salt.

[TitleMaster]

National Security has decrypted the following message:

"Back in the early 80s, I'd escaped from the Montauk research facilities in Montauk Long Island. The scientists thought they'd defeated me with a strong EM pulse cannon.

Well, they mistimed it, as I was able to hide inside the body of a David Stern, vacationing on the Island. Shortly afterwards, in Stern's body, I was made commissioner of the NBA. My first target was that disgusting city of Boston and its arrogant Red Auerbach and Larry Bird. In fact, it was MIT, who'd created the Montauk facilities, my aforementioned earlier prison.

And then it happened, like clockwork, the Ewing lottery pick, Bias, Bird's back, Lewis, the misplaced Duncan pick, and so forth. That franchise was easily a goner. I'd tried my best in '08, but something happened; the ghost of Auerbach foiled that game 7 against the Cavs and then, completely unexpected but Ray Allen's shot started going in, during the Piston series. And finally, when I thought we'd twisted Pierce's ankle, he'd pulled a Mr Miyagi and healed himself.

But we never gave up and kept stopping them in the years which followed. And now that Ainge has traded Pierce and Garnett, I can finally retire, and go back to my cubbyhole where I'd came from. History will remember me, as the Montauk Monster.

And I love Jack Nicholson movies."

[staticcc]

Stern's departure invokes a new era that effectively raises the bar for conspiracy theorists to find audiences willing to listen to their nonsense.

TP!!!! If Stern really hated the Celtics, there's no way we would have won the title in 2008. Maybe we wouldn't have even made the Finals. We went through TWO Game 7s (one of which was against the "beloved' LeBron James); Stern could have rigged one of those if he really hated the Cs.

At the time the Big 3 was formed, it was being marketed like crazy. KG-Allen-Pierce and the Boston Celtics were THE THING at the time. Why try to make LeBron win and have the team you are promoting lose despite three superstars when you can simply generate more NBA interest, excitement and money through promoting a superteam?

"But Stern hates the Celtics!" 

[vinnie]

The talk of conspiracies and Stern is beyond dumb.

[Schiller]

The talk of conspiracies and Stern is beyond dumb.

I agree.

Although if Stern really was against the Celtics wouldn't Adam Silver be too? Silver has been at his side for eight years now as his Deputy Commissioner. I don't see him being that different.

[lon3lytoaster]

The talk of conspiracies and Stern is beyond dumb.

I agree.

Although if Stern really was against the Celtics wouldn't Adam Silver be too? Silver has been at his side for eight years now as his Deputy Commissioner. I don't see him being that different.

Silver wasn't around for the Auerbach years. I guess Stern didn't much care for Red.

But no, Lakers/Celtics is one of the best things the NBA can offer. Stern would be foolish to dislike Boston.