I remember watching the developing news story on TV, absolutely numb. Reggie Lewis, heir to Larry Bird’s franchise player crown, had just died unexpectedly. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, it was at that moment that I began to lose interest in the Boston Celtics.

With Reggie’s death came a prolonged period of futility for our basketball team, one which would cause many fans to lose touch with the green and white. I was one of them.

In my youth, the C’s had always been my #2 team, a distant #2 behind the Red Sox, but a strong enthusiasm nonetheless. Sadly, other things began to occupy my mind. College and the miraculous combination of alcohol and uninhibited co-eds, the resurgent New England Patriots, stealing music on this new thing called “World Wide Web”. The Celtics became an afterthought for me.

By the time Rick Pitino was in the midst of his ill-fated tenure, I was barely watching at all. This lasted up until the beginning of this year, when I shamelessly jumped back on the bandwagon after the acquisition of the two stars who would combine with Paul Pierce to form “The Big Three”.

My hat goes off to the fans who did what I could not. The fans who have stuck by this team through the Dino Radja years, the Jiri Welsch years, the years of watching lottery balls in desperation.

This one is yours.