Maybe it was the dismal way the Celtics ended their playoff run last year. Maybe it is because New England is so well endowed in the arena of professional sports that the average Bostonian has little time for a bunch of losers.
One can imagine many different reasons for the decline in basketball's popularity in Boston over the last decade. There was a time when getting a ticket to a Celtics' game involved giving up a left leg or a right arm. Those days have gone.
The new TD Banknorth Garden cannot depend on Larry Bird or Red Auerbach to put people in the stands.
The Celtics need to rely on a group of young, talented kids and a whole lot of optimism to start attracting attention like they used to.
Basketball experts throughout the league agree that this will not be the year the Celts make a turn around. They point to the incredibly young nucleus of players (the average age of the Celtics is 24.75 years) and to the mental immaturity of the team's veterans when asked to explain why the Celtics will miss out on the playoffs this year.
These same critics have predicted a mid-season trade involving Paul Pierce. For the critics, this is the year that Pierce bolts and takes all of the team's credibility with him. If, in fact, this does occur the Celtics will not go anywhere, but if the team does manage to hold onto him, they might just find a way to succeed.
In reality, such a trade would be extremely difficult to negotiate because it would be almost impossible to get equal value for one of the game's premier superstars. When one combines this with the news that Pierce has just bought a home in the New England region for an estimated $2.5 million, it becomes clear that he will be in town for an extended stay.
Both Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge were overwhelmed by Pierce's performance in the preseason.
According to Ainge, "Paul has embraced the role of mentor with these guys," which could be vital to the Celtics' fortunes this year. The fact that training camp was a resounding success should contribute to this enthusiasm. The Celtics didn't outperform anyone in their preseason games, but they did emerge with a clear identity. All the young guys (especially Al Jefferson, Delonte West, and Orien Greene) seem ready to make meaningful contributions to the team.
Many people within the Celtics' organization maintain that these three have been consistently underrated in all these early predictions. This may be why the team has been overlooked when searching for the next possible Atlantic Conference champion.
All conversations about the Atlantic Conference seem to start and end with the Nets. One or two people might add the Knicks to the equation, but when it comes to the Celtics, the defending champions of the conference, there is only pessimism and disbelief.
These experts seem to be ignoring the fact that Pierce is still one of the best weapons in the NBA. If he can be supported by Ricky Davis and his young second unit, there will be no ceiling on this team's potential.