The Boston Celtics hold 17 championships, the most in the NBA, and are located in the city of champions. New England sports are the best and they become a religion to most fans. If they win, you win. If they lose, you feel as if you lose or made them lose. The only thing you can do is to cheer them on until they win another championship.

I never played basketball growing up, I didn’t even watch the Celtics during the winter. On my thirteenth birthday, I got a basketball hoop for Christmas and started to play. Eventually, I started to use video games to learn who was in the NBA. I started fan pages on social media, posting all about the X’s and O’s of the team and telling a story about how the team is progressing. This lasted for quite a while until I was determined to play the game for a team.

My family brought me to some of the games, some regular season and playoff ones. The atmosphere was incredible with music, cheering, yelling, jumbotron lights and much more. There is always something special about the TD Garden, where they play. I’ve gotten to meet some Celtics legends and quickly interview some just by arriving early or staying after the event. The workers, news reporters, camera staff, mascot, cheerleaders and everyone all do their jobs with passion. There are many giveaways and sweepstakes that I’ve entered. One time I won a chance to play on the court, sponsored by AAA and spent a good day exploring the history of the Celtics and enjoying a once in a lifetime experience (unless I become an NBA player).

In addition to fan sweepstakes, the Celtics are very supportive of the community and surrounding areas of New England. I have participated in some of the Good Will of Boston clothing drives that have had many Celtics players meet and greet donators. They even gave away tickets! It seems like every month the Celtics are reaching out to those in need and possibly even more.

In November, they hold “Dunk for Diabetes,” which I am grateful for because my mom has had type one diabetes since the age of four and has always coped with living with it every day, monitoring insulin and high/low blood glucose levels. A cure is greatly needed and I thank the Celtics for their support in this cause. I am sure many other fans are grateful for the same reasons as I. Over the years there have been major improvements with players, coaching, arena maintenance and altogether the fan base. I am intrigued by how close the Celtics are to winning their eighteenth championship. The number of trades has been especially high for this team, especially when they released “The Big Three” (Kevin Garnett, Rondo, and Pierce). Fans still have trust in Danny Ainge (The CEO and former Celtic). I feel this was a smart but sad move for the organization.

Today, our team consists of Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, Gordon Hayward, and many other great team players. The Celtics’ record doesn’t speak as well for them as they’d like. The Celtics continue to perform better at home than on the road and are definitely showing the progression from the start of the season in late October. With Al Horford and Kyrie Irving as strong veterans, many of the Celtics’ key young players, such as Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum, will be entering their own prime time career. On top of this, the Celtics are owed some likely valuable picks from the Kings, Grizzlies, and possibly Clippers in the coming years. It’s easy to get excited about the future, but as fans, we must take things slowly and not put much pressure on a Celtics squad that seems to have a bright decade ahead of it. Just look at the Celtics bench, most of these guys would be starting for other teams in the NBA. This year is bright, energetic and a rollercoaster of a ride.

Let’s hope for a great rest of the season and hopefully a huge success from our rookies and veterans during the All-Star Break coming up! “Green Runs Deep!”