Being a Celtics fan from the other side of the ocean





















Cup of coffee in the dark, hard sofa welcoming you in the middle of the room, laptop or tv set with cable on...and a big wide yawn that soon will expire. The lights are fast moving and your eyes take little time to react to the vision of a new game. The same competitive effort and will that Celtics Ubuntu bring to the table is what drives a diehard Celtic fan in Europe to sit at that time of the morning to see your favourite team on earth.


Kevin Garnett´s scream to the crowd is a wake up call to the pride of fans that live across the ocean and want to enjoy the magic of the NBA game live. Paul Pierce looks focused on the horizon and it seems as if he was looking at the fan eye to eye, making him focus too on the task of defeating yet another team among the hords of squads willing to step on the Shamrock legacy. And yet, all those teams with more or less glamour will consecutively fail once and again in their goals.


The first quarter has already started and your Celtics are rolling. Rajon Rondo has already 4 points and 3 assists while your coffee has barely entered your system. Ray looks smooth and classy has his first 2 three pointers of the game are already on the score. The Rockets call time out, and the Celtics lead by 10.


By halftime the score has become meaningless. You know that the Green will win again, and you say to yourself that it would be better to go back to bed. You know you will be very tired in the morning, that your boss may question your lack of commitment to your job, and that your mood will be irregularly consistent during the next hours...but even though you are fully aware of the circumstances of the near future, you don´t move from the sofa. Maybe, just maybe, you will go to the fridge in the quest of some drink or snack to keep you entertained while the commercials are on. But nothing is more quenching than the savour of Celtics wins. You are up to savour the win, the passion of the game, the tradition and the pride to know that your team represents the good values of sport: teamwork, passion for sport, and love of the game.

The fourth quarter is on its way, and you wonder on the minutes of Giddens, Shelden Williams or another bench player that you want to watch. Until the last second, you keep tasting the success and pride of another Celtic win until the screen shows the final score: The Celtics win.

You finally leave the room and realise that the sun is rising, your muscles are sore, and your eyes are red. As you get back in bed, you realise your heart is beating hard. Your eyes are closed but you still revisit the game, the KG dunk, the Rajon pass, the Pierce free throw. It´s hard to sleep when the game is still on in you.

Until the next game, until the next win