Author Topic: What got you through those "down" years?  (Read 8690 times)

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Re: What got you through those "down" years?
« Reply #15 on: June 04, 2008, 01:22:30 PM »

Offline Cassidy122690

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What got me through the down years? 

1.  Hope.
2.  NBA League Pass:  growing up in the south, the league pass and the internet definitely helped fortify the "connection" with the team and the compelling personalities.  At least one player on each bad team was compelling, either in a good way (Eric Williams, Barros, Sherm, Fox, Stith, Strickland) or in a bad way (Toine, Vin Baker).  The net and league pass served me much better than my "Celtics Pride" subscription ever did.  Any one else get that mag in the 80s/90s?
Out of Ireland have we come, great hatred, little room, maimed us at the start. I carry from my mother's womb a fanatic heart.  W.B. Yeats

Re: What got you through those "down" years?
« Reply #16 on: June 04, 2008, 01:26:56 PM »

Offline tenn_smoothie

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i fell in love with the Boston Celtics during the 1969 playoffs when the old champions fought their way through the East and then beat the heavily favored Lakers of Wilt, West & Baylor.

the 70's were my magical decade since i was in high school with that team.
Dave Cowens will always be my all-time Celtic.

i was in my hard-partying 20's during the 1980's run - so you can imagine the fun i had watching those titles ............... and numbing my pain after game 4 in 1987.

so i'm always gonna be a Celtic ..... and they were still my team these past 20 years when they have struggled so badly. it broke my heart to see them become like every other team in the league ......... i still think the deaths of Bias and Lewis were the result of karma for all the good fortune of the thirty year dynasty.

for me, it's still not quite the same - i can't get used to the wacky road unis or the new building w/ requisite loud music and strippers, uh, dancers.

worst of all, Red is gone.

having said that, i want this banner in the worst way. it's time to blast back for all the bad luck of the past 22 years, and at the league for not giving the franchise a break for the losses of Bias & Lewis, at the Lakers who now fancy themselves as the top franchise in the league.

many of the Celtic titles have been won against some tough odds. it's time for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to make their bones. Go Celtics !!!
« Last Edit: June 04, 2008, 11:15:35 PM by tenn_smoothie »
The Four Celtic Generals:
Russell - Cowens - Bird - Garnett

The Four Celtic Lieutenants:
Cousy - Havlicek - McHale - Pierce

Re: What got you through those "down" years?
« Reply #17 on: June 04, 2008, 03:22:51 PM »

Offline 2short

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Gotta say the previous post almost could be by me.  Grew up with Cowens and I guess my attitude in sports was a lot like him.  So I got to see the good years and was old enough to truly appreciate the bird era.  Post '87 I enjoyed watching McHale, Parrish, Bird etc grow old with OUR team.  I enjoyed sherm douglas, reggie lewis, eric williams work ethic, xavier mcdaniel.  Jim O'Brien's teams were good to watch.  Pitino  >:( stopped watching them for the only time in my life, pitino and antoine out of shape walker.  Thank God for Paul Pierce coming to the team.  While his spin moves and attitude at times bother me, he's been great. 
Oh and guiness. ;D
and actually tommy, the older I get the more I appreciate his one sided calling, feel lost without it (sorry espn)

Re: What got you through those "down" years?
« Reply #18 on: June 04, 2008, 03:40:00 PM »

Offline Zarex

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An irrational sense of hope.  And the feeling that, after the joy the Celtics provided for me during the 80's, I couldn't abandon them when they were down.

Re: What got you through those "down" years?
« Reply #19 on: June 04, 2008, 03:52:48 PM »

Offline Bleedgreen

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I was at UMass during the Dark Years, so the fact that Campy an dRoe were so good and taking us to the NCAAs made watching horrific games easier. Although I remember my friends and I used to laugh at how that UMass team probably could have beaten that putrid M.L. team.
As far as playing, I didn't care who guarded me - red, yellow, black. I just didn't want a white guy guarding me, because it's disrespect to my game.
-Larry Bird

Re: What got you through those "down" years?
« Reply #20 on: June 04, 2008, 03:59:07 PM »

Offline BigAlTheFuture

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I guess the Sox got me through some of the down years. I'm not a Pats fan. Watching Paul Pierce play when he was young and explosive wasn't that bad, though. But this is so much better.
PHX Suns: Russell Westbrook, Chris Bosh, Tristan Thompson, Trevor Ariza, Tony Allen, Trey Lyles, Corey Brewer, Larry Nance Jr., Trey Burke, Troy Daniels, Joffrey Lauvergne, Justin Holiday, Mike Muscala, 14.6

Re: What got you through those "down" years?
« Reply #21 on: June 04, 2008, 04:05:23 PM »

Offline Gino

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I'm 27, so they've all been pretty much "down years" for me.  My friends and I always went to games anyway and enjoyed following the team and going to games.  Until this year, 2002 was the best Celtics memory for me.

Re: What got you through those "down" years?
« Reply #22 on: June 04, 2008, 04:19:28 PM »

Offline Employee8

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I ran away to California.  ;D

I lived there for 6 months last year for an internship and couldn't catch a C's game on national TV.  I had to settle for the Fakers and Clippers.  It was good to tune the Celtics out though, I would've been a wreck after the end of the season.  I'll admit I was a bad fan last year.

I went to a Celtics/Lakers at Staples Center though and caught a couple more in Boston.  It was more about the atmosphere.  I didn't have Cable TV growing up so I didn't know the Celtics existed until after 2002 (grew up in Western Mass and without Internet or cable TV, you're practically living under a Sports rock).

Re: What got you through those "down" years?
« Reply #23 on: June 04, 2008, 05:16:33 PM »

Offline D Dub

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Watching Al Jefferson and Paul Pierce.  Despite the losses, they always put up good performances.  I loved watching Big Al on the block, a unique talent.

Re: What got you through those "down" years?
« Reply #24 on: June 04, 2008, 05:17:49 PM »

Offline The Walker Wiggle

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Era 1.  Chris Ford. I know Montross and Dino Radja and Rick Fox and Sharman Douglas weren't great, but they were decent, and I liked watching them. Tommy could keep it fun. I figured this era would last a short time till we got good again.

Also, NBA Live 95. But, more seriously, great topic TP.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2008, 10:56:28 PM by The Walker Wiggle »

Re: What got you through those "down" years?
« Reply #25 on: June 04, 2008, 05:44:30 PM »

Offline Toine43

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What got me through the down years was knowing that eventually we'd make it back to the finals, and that once we got there I could honestly say I stuck with this team ever since I was old enough to root for them. Oh yeah, maybe that helped a bit too - being so young and naive that I didn't know what type of basketball I was missing. I was born almost 5 years after our last championship. During my first days as a fan I cheered on Fox, Mercer, Minor, Cheaney, Billups, Walter, etc. And to me, that was fun...


Eddie House - for THREEEEEEE!

Re: What got you through those "down" years?
« Reply #26 on: June 04, 2008, 05:53:58 PM »

Offline Jon

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When it looked like we'd never be good again what kept you watching the Celts? I'd say usually the players and Tommy

I'd say there were five distinct eras and each one had its pros and cons. I am just barely old enough to remember Larry

Era 1.  Chris Ford. I know Montross and Dino Radja and Rick Fox and Sharman Douglas weren't great, but they were decent, and I liked watching them. Tommy could keep it fun. I figured this era would last a short time till we got good again.

Era 2 ML Carr.  I wanted to kill myself but hung in there for Duncan and possibly even Keith Van Horn. Toine gave me hope and so did Eric Williams. I try not to think of this time

Era 3 Pitino. I usually try not to think of this either. That first game was awesome. I had all the faith in the world in this guy. I attended the first preseason game. Then it was like pulling teeth till he left, except the brief tremendous happiness when Paul Pierce fell to Pitino 10th in the draft, and Pitino was like "I don't have to worry about Paul getting in shape cause Roy Williams already has him on my regimen"

Era 4 Jim O'Brien.  Thank God for this era. It was like watching a rocket car thinking "How far can it go"? Very enjoyable era except that horrid trade, but if it hadn't happened I'm not sure they would have gotten to the EC Finals

Era 5 Rebuilding. As much as this was a painful era I loved nearly all the players. Danny Ainge was so good at drafting we were always getting better, even the year we did horrid. This might have been my favorite era, although Era 1 was also enjoyable.

Tommy Point for you, good topic.

That first game of the Pitino Era was awesome.  I think Walker dropped 31 as the new look Celtics (Travis Knight and Andrew DeClercq being the center combo) beat Jordan Bulls.  I really thought that we had something. 

As far as getting through the Dark Year, three things stick out. 

1) The Draft - For most of us, this was our NBA Finals the past 15-20 years.  I always could hope we'd hit it big with the next superstar.

2) The Red Sox

3) The Patriots

As bad as the Celtics have been, at least the past 5-8 years we've had the Sox and Pats. 

Re: What got you through those "down" years?
« Reply #27 on: June 04, 2008, 08:15:22 PM »

Offline Thruthelookingglass

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Hope.  Hope.  Hope.

Hoping Wilkins still had some life.  Hoping the X-Man was the one to lead us back.  Hoping 'Toine was the one to lead us back.  Hoping Rick was the savior.  Hoping that Mercer, Johnson and Billups would be great (for us!).  Hoping Paul Pierce would be the one to lead us back.  Hoping Obie was the anti-Rick.  Hoping Ainge knew what he was doing.  Hoping Delonte, Perkins, Jefferson, Gomes, would be the golden future we were promised.  Hoping the ping pong balls would fall our way.

That said, our overmatched Celtics teams produced some gritty performances over the years.  Radja, Abdelnaby, Pinckney, Kleine, Montross, Douglas, and plenty more passed through the door.  They wore the Green, they were my Celtics.  So I cheered them on and I hoped.  They are part of the tradition too.  I sure hope they feel a sense of pride watching this year's roster compete.

Re: What got you through those "down" years?
« Reply #28 on: June 04, 2008, 08:29:32 PM »

Offline Frontierboy

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Knowing that we couldn't continue as the Clippers of the east forever.... something had to give....most teams go through down years ( except the Clippers who stay down consistently ) and up years..... I just hoped we'd be good by the time I died ( I'm 29 right now) so I could at least see the C's win a championship.

I was always loyal to the C's even when they were the worst team.  I'd wear my Celtics T-shirts everywhere and people would make fun of me ( which is funny cause I live in Dallas where they where the Mavs were and aweful team back in the day, and when they became good, they couldn't win in the Finals and got swept in the first round---- Mavs fans here are clueless)..... guess who's laughing now.

Re: What got you through those "down" years?
« Reply #29 on: June 04, 2008, 10:02:37 PM »

Offline Eja117

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Yeah I'd say during a bunch of those years the team was good enough that there was nothing to be ashamed of and a lot to be happy about.