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.