Patriots fans can now find solace in that according to most NBA experts that they and the Celtics were underdogs when playing for the championship in their respective leagues.  Sounds pretty laughable doesn't it?  An 18-0 and 78-24 team viewed as the presumptive underdog?  As a fan of both the Celtics and Giants, all I need now is for the Steve Phillips' of the world to tell me how the Yankees won't win the World Series in 2008 and I'll be a very happy man.

If you've read my earlier columns, you'd know I've made clear my displeasure of these so-called "experts" not giving enough credit to the Boston Celtics.  Whether it was the league not liking the "bland, pale, un-marketable" franchise, which boasts the most tradition and titles.  Or ex-coaches, execs, players and commentators harboring old bitter feelings of jealousy, racism and hatred of the once and now proud franchise. 

The experts said the Celtics were stuck after the lottery balls went awry.  Blasted them for only getting Ray Allen and then questioned if they'd gotten rid of too much for Kevin Garnett.  Then went on to criticize the team as having no depth, "The Big Three and Scalabrine."  After that it was questions of age or if they could all jell and co-exist on the floor at the same time.

There were then questions as to whether the Celtics could topple teams in the Eastern Conference such as the Cavs, Pistons and Bulls.  Following that it was the matter of the Celtics being able to win against quality teams, then quality teams from the Western Conference, then win against quality teams on the road, then quality teams from the Western Conference on the road. 

Had the Celtics not lost KG to injury for a short stretch after the All-Star game and had they not just coasted down the stretch (though they won more of those games than not at the end) the Celtics probably could've bested or tied the Bulls record of 72 wins.  But it wasn't about the regular season for these Celtics, they had far greater aspirations as mentioned right from the beginning but few seemed to be listening or believed their lying eyes.

When the Celtics got to the playoffs questions arose about Doc Rivers ability to win in the post-season.  The Celtics at times during the Atlanta series never looked better or worse than they did the entire season.  The naysayers rose up again, if the Celts couldn't win on the road they were toast.

The Celtics then got to what ended up being their most difficult series against Cleveland.  Yet even as Boston knocked out the Cavs in a hard fought seven game tilt against the defending Eastern Conference Champs and quite possibly the best player in the world in LeBron James.  The experts seemed to forget those two "inconvienent" facts and still wouldn't give Boston any credit.

Moving onto Detroit, most picked the Pistons because they were battle tested, playoff proven and could win on the road.  Fair enough, though Cleveland and James had singlehandedly dispatched of them with ease in last year's Conference Finals.  What did the Celtics do but win more games on the road than Detroit did, including the series clincher on in The Palace at Auburn Hills.

Finally to the NBA Finals where everybody was drooling over Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson and how they'd breezed through a seemingly tough but beat up Western Conference and this time unlike the regular season they'd be bringing Pau Gasol. 

But to paraphrase the late Senator Lloyd Bensten, "the Boston Celtics had seen the Atlanta Hawks, they'd played the Atlanta Hawks and the Los Angeles Lakers were NOT the Atlanta Hawks."  Old "Head and Shoulders" wouldn't be passing "Red."  Kobe was barely Michael Cooper let alone Michael Jordan.  There was no Shaq, no Magic, they certainly weren't Worthy and By Scott did they ever get Kareem'd!  Heck after game six the Lakers might've well been that other team from L.A.

Perhpaps the "experts" were just trying to keep everyone interested by creating far sexier storylines than a 66 win team in the regular season coasting to a championship.  Be we fans know better, we know if the C's had lost, it would've rivaled the biggest choke 'round Boston since Billy Buck.  Instead the Celtics celebrated their first title since that fabled year of 1986 and brought it back home to Beantown, even though only one in five dentists agreed that they were truly the best.

I've been constantly going back and forth on the Boston Celtics trading for Kevin Garnett.  Listening to talk show hosts, fans and pundits on WEEI and ESPN as well as reading up on everything in the Boston Globe and Boston Herald.  The conclusion I've come to is this: When's the last time you've heard the words Boston Celtics and NBA Finals uttered in the same sentence in late July, early August?

Those thoughts right there are enough to make it worth it.  Sure the Celts are mortgaging the potential future of five players and two first round picks and folks are saying this team will be old and gray in four to five years time.  However do you really want to wait around another four to five years to figure out if Al Jefferson and Gerald Green with an older Paul Pierce can be NBA title contenders?  Because I at least know this now, for the next four to five years the Celts with potentially the best trio in the league in a weak Eastern Conference will be a shoe-in for 50 wins, Atlantic Division titles, Eastern Conference titles and quite possibly an NBA title.  The fact that I can even say that makes this deal worth it.

It is a testament to the ownership who are finally ready to spend what it takes to put a winner out on the floor.  Finally the Celts have brought stars to Boston, stars that want to play in Boston.  With apologies to Antoine Walker, the Celts have been searching for a second star to help Paul Pierce, they've now given him two.  After a huge drought from the Bird, McHale, Parish era, the Celts are back on the map and you can be other players (Chris Webber, Troy Hudson?) have taken notice to the Celts willingess to spend and are going to want to play with guys like Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.

All three guys are quality character stars who are hungry for a title.  In fact, if not for a draft day trade between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks, Allen and Garnett may have been teammates.  And one could sense from Pierce's smile at the press conference that he was like a kid on Christmas Day.

What this trade isn't, is a desperation move like signing Dominique Wilkins.  Prematurely dealing Chauncey Billups and Joe Johnson for the likes of marginal players like Kenny Anderson, Rodney Rodgers and Tony Delk.  The years of M.L. Carr, Rick Pitino and Dino Radja are long gone, as are the excuses and curses of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis.

The Celtics have a new trio, (not 'The Big Three') and a ticket that says: Boston Celtics Welcome Back to the NBA.

Kobe Bryant's father's nickname was "jellybean."  So why can't Kobe's nickname be "beantown?"  I know a Los Angeles Laker being traded to the Boston Celtics doesn't make much sense but the again neither did Celtic fans chanting MVP, MVP for Kobe this past February at Boston Garden.

When Kobe came into Boston and poured 43 points on the Celts, the crowd went wild and Bryant for his part was most appreciative.  The Celtics are at a pivotal moment in the franchise's history and are in dire need of a franchise player who is still in his prime.  Why not take a shot, what do you have to lose?

Besides the Boston fans would love the move as a comittment to winning again.  They've already lost out on the opportunity at a potential franchise player in Greg Oden or Kevin Durant.  And later next week might again be reminded for the 4th time how much it stung to miss out on Tim Duncan in the draft lottery ten years ago.

It's much easier to win in the Eastern Conference, which would be attractive to Bryant.  He could be the man in resurrecting title town of the NBA.  With the Detroit Pistons no longer invincible and the Cleveland Cavaliers made it on the back of LeBron James.  Imagine what the Celtics could do with Bryant teaming up with Paul Pierce?

Pierce could be Bryant's Pippen in a way Lamar Odom never could.  If there were to be a deal the Celtics have many chips including the 5th overall pick, Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Delonte West, Ryan Gomes etc.  Even if the Celts traded Pierce who grew up a Lakers fan in California and the 5th overall for Bryant, they could still build their young nucleus around Bryant. 

The Celtics wisely passed up Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett and while it's probably a pipe dream at best, the should try to strike while the iron is hot.  Go get Kobe Bryant and team him up with Paul Pierce and make the Boston Celtics matter again!