... to say thanks for the magical run. ... to say our goodbyes. ... to heal all the hurt.

There should be no shame in pushing our rivals to the brink. In the end, the guys were running on pure spirit and adrenalin, even in Games 4 and 5 in the Garden. In the end, the home court disadvantage got the best of them.

But the core will still be around for next season, and there is a lot to look forward to. The players have done their part, now it's  Danny and management's time to turn the C's into a solid 9-man rotation.

No. 18 is still around the corner as long Paul and KG have at least two more seasons in them.
 

remember those days when it was either parish's ankle, mchale's knees, or bird's back? i remember when the c's were like the walking wounded during playoff time. little did we know then that we were at the front end of a major title drought. i'm sure the situation today can differ but being nervous about kg, paulie, and god-knows-who-else reminds me of the old days. i hope TA and BBD (also shelden) contribute big time off the bench, and that marquis daniels gets healthy.

there is such a thing as frontloading. i know everything eventually evens out, but winning early -- done by the lakers thus far mostly at home -- establishes momentum and an intimidation factor that may carry through the entire season. i just think it's unfair for a team to be playing fewer road games than the rest of the league. i noticed san antonio has the next fewer road games at 6. who draws up these schedules, anwway? does stern have any hand at this?

A rollercoaster season if you're a Celts fan.

An NBA record 11th 60-win season. A franchise-best 18-game winning streak in November and December. Point guard Rajon Rondo's promotion to the rank of certifiable court general. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen bravely holding the fort. Eddie House setting the highest 3-point shooting percentage in team history.

Losing James Posey to free agency. A mercilessly mercurial bench. Dropping the season series to them rivals out West ... they-who-must-not-be-named.

Most of all, losing Kevin Garnett for the entire playoff run. The C's already lost him for 25% of the regular season. In his absence, they had a lower winning percentage and have allowed opponents six more points per game.

The Celts win more and defend better with KG. Period.

Boston Globe scribes Jackie MacMullan and Dan Shaughnessy have already written off the C's for the championship. They may be right.

I say on a torrid shooting night, my Celts can turn lights out on Eastern rivals Lebrick and his band of pretenders. So at least an Eastern Conference title may be in the offing.

But in Boston, EC titles are not what it's all about. And to be honest, without KG I'm not sure how the C's can hold their own against that team out West.

Throughout the 20-year championship drought, a dominant interior presence has always been the missing piece in Beantown.

With KG gone, it's almost automatic to revert the boys back to mortal status.

But the fight rages on. It's never a Celtic championship drive without that invincible dramatic flair. So ...

GO CELTS!