Tuesday, June 17, 2008

The Legend Lives On in Boston

Once again, a professional sports team from Boston has won the world championship. This time, it's the Celtics winning the NBA title, a 131-92 blowout over the Los Angeles Lakers to take the series in six games.

The Celtics are no strangers to NBA supremacy, having won 17 championships (nine against the Lakers). But this is their first since 1986. They also managed to stop Lakers coach Phil Jackson from surpassing Red Auerbach's record for most championships.

At what point did the Celtics win the series? It was Game 4, when they rallied from a 24-point deficit in the final quarter on the Lakers' Staples Center court.

Kevin Garnett, who scored 26 points in the final game, deserves this title more than anyone else after what he's been through in Minnesota. As it is, he'll share the prize with teammates Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, both of whom also came from mediocre teams.

While this was going on, the NBA was rocked by a former referee who alleged that officials manipulated the outcomes of two playoff series in 2002 and 2005 to get certain (read: more marketable) teams to advance to the next round. That former referee, Tim Donaghy, pleaded guilty to felony gambling charges and is awaiting sentencing. He has admitted to betting on NBA games.

But that's for another day. Right now, Garnett, Allen and Pierce join Bill Russell, John Havlicek and Larry Bird in the category of Celtics who have won championships. Kobe Bryant? He's already had his.

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