Bob Ryan on the Celtics

Bob Ryan has a great article on the promise and reality of the Celtics that reminds us of why basketball writing is his bread and butter and how no one is better than he is at it. The Celtics are young, exciting, and in five years may be dominant. They are also young, inconsistent, and endlessly frustrating when they play like they did this year, which is poorly enough that they could not make the playoffs in the NBA's paltry Eastern Conference. The sobering reality is this: It has been twenty years since the Big Three last brought a championship home to the most stories franchise in NBA history. If you came of age in the Larry-Magic years that revived the NBA, you probably are feeling pretty depressed right now. I know I am.