It's official; I have become a fan again! It has been a slow process for me but this year's Boston Celtics have brought me back into the fold.

                                             

I turned my back on the NBA some years ago when the Latrelle Sprewell circus was going on. I wasn't totally happy with the game anyway. There didn't seem to be any "team" concept left in professional basketball. It had become an "it's all about me" sport.There was no defense played. Most of the players could not make foul shots. The rules had changed. Winning or losing didn't seem as important as getting oneself on ESPN's daily highlights. Larry and Magic were gone. And then the Sprewell fiasco came down. The only thing left worth watching was Michael but he wasn't a Celtic.

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I first became a Celtic's fan in the late '50s when I was about 12 years old. I had just joined the Boy Scouts and Tommy Heinsohn was a guest at one of our meetings. I was totally mesmerized by this man and started following the Celtics. Of course I was enamored with Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman and Frank Ramsey, but Tommy Heinsohn was my favorite because I had actually met him. It only took a couple of years for me to realize that the real star of those teams was Arnold "Red" Auerbach. He was the man who put it all together; and it never seemed to end. When players would get old, there were new ones to take their place. When Cousy and Sharman were done, Sam and KC Jones came along. When they were done, Havlicek and JoJo came along. When Russell was done, there was Dave Cowens. You never worried when guys were done playing because you knew that Red had somebody to take their place.

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The great thing about Auerbach was his ability to put a supporting cast around his starters. He brought in guys like Willie Naulls and Bailey Howell and Quinn Buckner and "Bad News" Barnes and Bill Walton and a whole host of others that understood what their roles were and contributed.

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This year feels like old times. Danny Ainge (who I thought was a joke for the longest time) has pulled an Auerbach. Not only has he built the nucleus of a winner by getting Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to play next to Paul Pierce, he has built one of the best supporting casts in the NBA. I believe that Eddie House, James Posey, Leon Powe and frequently Glenn Davis are the players who have made the Celtics the power they are today. My fear before the season started was that if the Celtics were going to be successful the big three were going to have to average over 40 minutes a game and suffer no injuries. I was obviously wrong. Ray Allen can go 3 for 20 and the Celts can still win. Pierce can be held to 12 points and the Celts can still win. Garnett (who is a special player) can miss a bunch of games and the Celts can still win.

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The moves last off-season are reminiscent of a time gone by. Do you remember Joe Barry Carroll? He was the guy the Celtics essentially traded to the Golden State Warriors for Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale. Last year the Celtics traded Jeff Green to Seattle for Ray Allen and Glenn "Big Baby" Davis. Sound Familiar? Maybe Ainge found a stash of the Redhead's old cigars in his desk and they had some magic power.

                                            

 Whatever the reasons for the success of the Celtics this year, I'll take it. It's just nice to be a fan again