Sports Redux: Sweet Seventeen

This was just about as sweet as anything could ever be.

Was there a time when we wondered if Danny Ainge knew what he was doing when he swung the Ray Allen trade on Draft Day? (Well, yes, we did.) Was there any worry that three guys, who were used to being the big dog, would learn to share the ball? Was there frustration and terror after being pushed to the brink by a neophyte Atlanta team and an overmatched Cleveland team? Was all of New England petrified of the Celtics having to go out and win one on the road in Detroit? Was the mystique of Phil and Kobe going to overwhelm the boys in their first trip to the Finals?

Now the question is, who cares? The Celtics are World Champions for the seventeenth time, and they did it in style, in front of the hometown crowd, by blowing the Lakers off the face of the earth, 131-92. It was close for about a quarter, then the Posey and House show came in and built a lead, and the starters spent the third quarter hammering stake after stake into LA's heart, ensuring that there would be no dramatic second-half turnaround.

In fact, the C's set it up perfectly, so the entire fourth quarter was basically a prelude to the celebration that couldn't officially start until there was 0:00 on the clock. The Celtics' starters came out with a few minutes to go. There was hugging and clutching on the sideline, there was a bucket of Gatorade poured on Doc, there was Paul Pierce dancing during the Gino timeout. For Kevin Garnett (13 seasons), Ray Allen (12 seasons), and the Captain (10 years), it was a nice long stretch to soak it all in. Just like Doc's suitjacket.

Pierce, the backbone of the C's during some long hard years, was named the Finals MVP. And absolutely deserved it. But picking the Game Five MVP is probably better done with a blindfold and a dartboard. Pierce was good, Ray was great, Garnett was fantastic. Rondo found his shot and found it often. Posey and House led the aforementioned 2nd-quarter run, while Posey also kept Kobe Bryant locked down, possibly in the parking garage. Big Baby scored. Tony Allen finished an alley-oop. Perk, Powe and P.J. all chipped in too. Everyone got in the act. And, Doc, for all we've said and thought about you over the years...congratulations. You've earned this and more.

We'll post again later, when we have some good quotes and details on the (we can say it now) parade. But right now, where's that cigar cutter?

Photo by Charles Krupa/Associated Press.