Shrek and Donkey join the Celtics

The celebratory trumpeting of the vuvuzelas had waned. The shades were drawn. The only sign of life just a few hours before dawn in our sleepy surfer town was a 24-inch TV.

Top priority after watching the USA vs. England match was watching the Celtics in the NBA finals. In terms of classic sports events, a Celtics-Lakers Finals is as good as it gets. The two teams have met 11 times in the NBA Finals, and the Celtics have come home with a banner 9 of those times. For most of me and my housemates' lives Celtic pride was talked about in the past tense. Before 2008, the Celtics' last championship banner had been hung a few months before our births in 1986. We made do with celebrating the little victories: Eric Montross making a free throw, Dee Brown winning the dunk contest with an accidental sneeze, winning low draft picks, and Dino Radja stringing together a sentence in English. But with the addition KG, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, and some quality bench talent (and the departure of Antoine "Black Hole" Walker) our generation is beginning to talk about the Celtics' glory days in the present tense. In 2008, I watched the Celtics win their first championship of my lifetime while I was in Beijing. And now we're in South Africa hoping for a second. Watching the Finals' games has never been easy.

When we first arrived in Cape Town we only had 4 or 5 channels, and the Celtics' games were not going to be on any of them. Luckily the cable guy came just before Game 5 and hooked us up to watch one of those games that makes your blood turn shamrock green. The game started at 2AM. We were fading fast, but the Celts put on a great show. Pierce was on fire. KG peppered the Lakers defense with hook shots and mid range jumpers. But the story of the night was the Celtics' bench. After spending most of our lives rooting for bench-type players coming up all-star-type performances (Walter McCarty, Eddie House, Dana Barros, etc), it was especially exciting to see the Celtics' bench take control of the game. Glen Davis, Nate Robinson, Rasheed Wallce, and Tony Allen played well into the fourth quarter extending the lead enough to give the Celts' starters a nice cushion in the final minutes. The Celtics came away with a convincing victory and a 3-2 lead in the series, and we went to bed with big smiles just as the vuvuzelas were beginning crow.

The heroes of Game 4 were Glen Davis and Nate Robinson. Big Baby and Robinson made a exciting duo off the bench. They didn't really complement each other's play as much as they complemented each other's energy. Baby was drooling as he flexed his biceps at halfcourt after a 3-point play. Robinson jumped on his back. And the Boston crowd went wild. The two not only ended up stealing the show but also the postgame interview:




Unfortunately, Shrek, Donkey and the rest of the squad weren't able to keep us awake through Game 6. The game started at 3AM, and we dropped off to bed one by one as the Celtics just couldn't hold Kobe. The last of us hit the sack after the 3rd quarter. The Celtics were down 25 and there were no signs of a comeback.

So it comes down to Game 7, Lakers vs Celtics, tonight at 3AM. Right now we're watching the S.Korea vs Argentina game, but our thoughts are with the Celtics. Plans are to go to bed early and wake up in time for The Game. It's been an unexpected bonus to have the Celtics in the NBA finals as we watch the South Africa World Cup. It's meant a lot of time in front of the TV, but it's been well worth it. Go Celts!

-david