The Celtics Make an Ancient Statement
With the official signing of Shaquille O’Neal, it’s official. It’s more than official. If the Miami Heat have become cardholders of coming-of-age- youth, and the personification of players locked into peaks and strides, the Boston Celtics have become the grateful dead, or ancient pipe-smoking leprechauns.
There’s no other way to put it. New addition O’Neal is 38 years old. He joined Ray Allen, 35, Garnett, 34, and Pierce, 33 by the time the Celtics open on October 26th against the Miami Infomericials. There’s also Jermaine O’Neal, 32 in October. The question is, what is this all about? Is Danny Ainge seeking world domination by collecting basketball museum artefacts? Then again, the Celtics of the 80s were old: Larry Bird had no back, and Kevin McHale no foot. But their run was over. The difference here is that with the reconfigured Celtics, we have every reason to believe they’ll be doing much more than ‘giving it one more shot.’
Combined, these guys have a combined total of 71 years of NBA service, 5,655 regular season games, and 200,371 minutes. 51 All-Star appearances. Of course, it goes without saying that they also lead the league in O’Neals. Whatever else there is to be said, one has to admit Danny Ainge has guts, and an eclectic sense of creativity that might just pull its weight for him. It isn’t too difficult to imagine the young bucks in Miami becoming quick villains against the older, wiser Celtic team. Something about old age always rings with the good guys, and Boston would do well to use that life line.
The truth is that, if Miami hadn’t assembled unbelievable package No.1, the Celtics would now be the talk of the town and the league in terms of compiling the outrageous and unbelievable.
The first moment of reckoning will come with Miami’s opening game, in which the team is slated to play the Celtics.
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