This is It, Celtics Fans

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Something to think about today before tonight’s game:

February 16th, 2011. That was the last time Kendrick Perkins played a basketball game in Boston. Coincidently (or maybe not), that was the last time the Boston Celtics actually looked like the Boston Celtics. Now, exactly 11 months to the day that Perkins played his last game in the Garden, he’s having his homecoming.

It’s been pretty well documented and widely considered in NBA circles to be an accurate statement that the Celtics lost a little bit of their identity the day they traded Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green. Before that trade, the Celtics had 4 legitimate centers on their roster; notably Perkins and Shaq O’Neal. The two physical enforcers and bruisers on the roster. Then Shaq got hurt, Perk got dealt, and the rest is history; the team has never been the same.

Now, the once “team to beat” Celtics have fallen from Eastern Conference heavyweight to borderline lottery team seemingly in the blink of an eye. This Celtics team has been the opposite of impressive so far this year, and that is being generous. In their defense, they have nine new players on the roster. Eleven if you consider Jermaine O’Neal and Avery Bradley largely did not play huge minutes last year. They also didn’t have a real training camp. And it appears that both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett either officially became old (though both are younger than Ray Allen who has been on fire to start the year) or both are playing through injury in an attempt to get into “game shape.”

Either way, if this team legitimately has one more chance at glory; they need this game tonight. Out of their eleven games this season, Boston has played six against what are perceived “playoff teams.” They’ve lost all six.

And now, a player that was once a part of the “Boston Brotherhood” is coming home. With his new team. A legit Finals contender. And don’t get it twisted; I’m not by any means saying that Perkins would make the difference for the Celtics right now. I’m saying by absolutely no fault of his own, Perkins the symbol is greater than Perkins the player tonight. He represents the proud Celtics. And he’s coming back to Boston to play again.

This is it, Boston fans. The time is now. If the Celtics are ever going to beat good teams again, this HAS to be the night they make that statement. This HAS to be the night they get their identity back. Because the key departure that many would argue spawned this free-fall is coming back. And he’ll hug it out with the players. And he’ll get a standing ovation from the fans. And there will undoubtedly be a lot of emotion in that building. But make no mistake about it; that man wants to kick this team’s rear-end.

And if this basketball team has even an ounce of Celtic Pride left (the very notion that this is even a concern is mind-boggling), this has to be the night they stop getting pushed around. Kendrick Perkins wore green once. And he was a part of a very special thing. He left and something went amiss. With his return in new threads comes an opportunity. An opportunity for the Boston Celtics to come full circle.

So fans, work hard today at your job. Eat a sensible dinner. And crack open a Sam before the game. Because when we go to sleep this evening after the game, we’re going to be able to answer the question we’ve been asking for two weeks: are we deceased, or is there still some fight left in this dog?