Celtic Pride

I grew to love the Celtics when they were really bad. 

Andrew Declercq bad.

Anytime my dad told me stories about the Celtics glory days and watching games at the Garden with an obstructed view, I would interrupt and ask, “Dad, do you think you can build a franchise around Travis Knight?” He would just shake his head, and curse Rick Pitino.  In Boston, we always knew he was a scumbag, even before he had too much fun on a pool table in Louisville. Who else would try to tell us that Ron Mercer would be the next Reggie Miller?

When I wasn’t dribbling around our driveway pretending to be Sherman Douglas, I was thinking about who the Celtics could get if they traded the X-man. Though the Celtics are now a great team, I have not lost my passion for the Celtics role players that only Tommy Heinsohn praises.

When I’m not analyzing Semih Erden’s finishing skills around the basket, I’m working on a new start-up with friends called Swellr. Swellr combines online crowdfunding and social commerce to build deeper offline collaborative connections between local citizens, local businesses, and local teachers. Previously, I spent four years doing Hurricane Katrina related recovery work in New Orleans. When the Celtics won the championship in 2008, I watched the game with Boston ex-pats at the Balcony Bar on Magazine Street. I also felt validated: when I was a senior at Umass-Amherst, I argued passionately to whoever would listen, “if the Celtics get Kevin Garnett, we would win the championship.” Back in 2006, who would ever think we would have Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal, Shaq….and Von Wafer?

I am now glad to be back home in the Boston area, where I can enjoy Paul Pierce torching opponents (and faking injuries) and listening to Heinsohn give out “Tommy Points.” I look forward to sharing my views on our historic franchise, and please let me know if you see Nate Robinson dancing down the aisle at your local movie theatre (it happened to me).