Novemeber 7, 2007

Cautious optimism be damned...
Celtics opening night 2007

Bill O'Connor | managing editor

“Don’t you touch him!”

That’s what the 30-something guy wearing the Paul Pierce jersey two rows in front of me started screaming when Kevin Garnett was pushed to the ground in the first few minutes of the Boston Celtics season opener last Friday night.

And that’s how most people in the arena felt when we saw our new superstar go down, because most of us (Celtics fans, that is) still believe that this is all too good to be true. Something’s got to give.

In the decade since the Celtics' last world championship in 1986, so much bad luck and misfortune has befallen the green machine that it has left its fans scarred and battered.

From superstar prospect Len Bias’ death just nights after he was drafted by the C’s to this past years draft lottery debacle, Celtics fans have been through so much false hope and disappointment over the years that although we’re ecstatic about Kevin Garnett’s presence, there’s still that little bit of doubt in the back of our minds, just waiting for the bottom to drop out.

Rather, there was a little bit of doubt, until Friday night.

The night began with many questions needing to be answered. How would the team’s new “Big Three” of Paul Pierce, Ray “Jesus Shuttlesworth” Allen and Garnett play together? Would the supporting cast around the three stars (with only five players returning from last season) be able to play well enough to succeed? Would Pierce, Allen and Garnett’s egos be able to coexist on the same team?

Well, after 48 minutes of solid fundamental basketball, resulting in a 20-point Celtics victory over a Washington Wizards team that should be an Eastern Conference playoff contender, the Truth was evident.

Not only did the big three play well together, they shined. Pierce finished the night with 28 points and four assists, Allen with 17 points and two assists, and Garnett with a most impressive 22 points, five assists, three blocks, three steals and an amazing 20 rebounds.

But that isn’t even the beginning.

These three players performed at such a high caliber that they made everyone around them better.

Fledgling point guard Rajun Rondo had 15 points and four steals. Six-foot-four guard Tony Allen muscled his way to five rebounds in just 16 minutes of playing time. The Celtics even got 20 quality minutes out of forward (and comical fan-favorite) Brian Scalabrine, who finished with nine points, three assists and a steal.

The Celtics moved the ball well (they had 20 assists compared to Washinton’s 11), got everyone involved on offense (every Celtic who had at least 10 minutes of playing time scored) and hustled and made plays on defense (with 10 steals, six blocks and 24 points scored off turnovers). In other words, it was like watching a college team play.

In their first regular season game together, this Celtics team looked unstoppable. Every player took the court with a ferocity that has been lacking on Celtics teams of the past few seasons, and it led them to a 20-point victory in which the team shot 48 percent from the field.

And then there’s my favorite part of the entire game the Celtics underachieved!

Though the C’s clearly played a good game against an overmatched Wizards team, they still have plenty of room for improvement. Improvement which is almost sure to take place with competitors as fierce and dedicated as Pierce and Garnett, whose work ethics are highly praised throughout the league, driving this team towards excellence.

It was only opening night, with a long 82-game season lying ahead, but the show put on by the Celtics energized the fans. The atmosphere at the TD Banknorth Garden was nothing short of electric. The intensity and joy of the crowd was clearly visible, and was unlike that of any other crowd I have seen at a Celtics game since the team’s last playoff run in the 2001-2002 season.

Walking out of the arena, fans were chanting, “let’s go Celtics,” and banging on walls and clapping their hands, something I can’t ever remember happening after opening night at the Garden (the TD Banknorth Garden at least).

Walking out and seeing how excited and invigorated the crowd was, I knew that little bit of doubt had been erased from the collective minds of Celtics fans and a new era was about to begin.

And like clockwork, as if to validate my conclusion, my good friend Steve turned to me and said this, with a smile stretching from ear to ear: