Boston Celtics: Why the Big Three Need to Win Another NBA Title

It can be both a blessing and a curse to play for the Boston Celtics. The blessing is the history. Players look up and see the rafters chock full of white and green banners. Look closely and you'll find that none of them are honoring division, conference, or attendance champions. All you'll find hanging from the ceiling of the Garden are 17 World Championship banners. These banners hang right next to the 22 numbers that have been retired by the team, the most of any team in North American sports history. 15 of the former players and coaches that have had their numbers retired are Hall of Famers. The curse is living up to the history. Everything that the Celtics do is based on the past. Players are expected to live up to the standards that the legends like Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, and Larry Bird have built. And Celtics fans know all about those standards. Boston fans are spoiled. While some other teams' fans ...