*EXCLUSIVE*

WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY...

THE BOSTON CELTICS HAVE DEFIED FATHER TIME FOR YEARS, BUT IT LOOKS TO FINALLY HAVE CAUGHT UP WITH THEM THIS SEASON AS THEY SLIP FURTHER AND FURTHER AWAY FROM .500. WE SAY GOODBYE TO THE FIRST MODERN DAY SUPERTEAM...

My late great-grandfather used to have a small sign his bedroom. It read; “The golden years have come and passed, the golden years can kiss my ass!” This wonderful phrase came to mind the other day as I incredulously looked the Boston Celtic’s dismal record as it stands. Since the very formation of Boston’s ‘Big Three’, everyone knew the only thing that could deny this team success was Father Time. For years on end, Boston seemed to return to the fountain of youth and return strong. They even within one quarter of an NBA championship in 2010. 2011 was a bit of a reality check, ousted unceremoniously in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, yet coming into the season no one would write off the everlasting Boston Celtics.

The Celtics were slogged with bad news before the ball even hit the court, with the versatile Jeff Green ruled out for the season after discovering he required heart surgery. Already juggling an injury prone roster, captain Paul Pierce’s lingering ailments resulted in his missing the season-opener against the Knicks, and subsequently the next few crucial games too.

Simply put, the Boston Celtics have finally fallen to the other side of the hill and are sliding – quickly. Surely, they must hate it, seeing the San Antonio Spurs who have enjoyed a substantially longer championship window with more success, still succeeding while Boston struggles along in the early goings. But Boston has no one to blame but themselves, though I don’t think Danny Ainge or Doc Rivers would do it differently if they could. The Boston Celtics organisation is proud, and nothing but a title is accepted when a team is in its prime. Investing time in young talent? Irrelevant. Free agency? That’s where to pick up cheap veterans. The Celtics put short-term success ahead of long-term planning like the Spurs who have remained competitive through the likes of DeJuan Blair and Gary Neal, whose emergence has been wonderful.

There has been a generation of great teams that are preparing to slip off the throne and fall to the lowest depths of the lottery. A generation of Nash’s Suns, Kobe’s Lakers, Duncan’s Spurs, Pierce’s Celtics and Dirk’s Mavericks are looking set to fall in one way or another. The Suns were the first to slip, primarily due to the loss of Amar’e Stoudemire to the Knicks. The Spurs and Lakers have both looked vulnerable far more often as of late, but have managed to succeed enough to remain at the top of the Western Conference, while the Mavericks cling on to the elite class by a thread. The Celtics? They’re going to need a resurrection to touch the Larry O’Brien this season.

So here we are gathered today, to mourn the passing of a fantastic team – the first superteam in the modern NBA – and we look to the next of kin: Rajon Rondo. And let the trade rumours begin.