Tym Glaser

OH HAPPY days are here again … After a decade and a half of irrelevancy, my Boston Celtics are a force in the NBA and, to paraphrase Kermit the Frog, it's beautiful to be green again.

From the retirement of Larry Legend to the untimely deaths of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis in the late '80s and early '90s , the Celts, the league's most successful franchise with 16 titles, have been a virtual non-factor as Chicago, Houston, the LA Lakers and San Antonio Spurs have established dynasties of varying lengths.

But now the Cs are back, baybee! We got the big man, Kevin Garnett, poppin' in about 20 a night while pulling down 10 boards; sweet shootin' Ray Allen on the perimeter and long-suffering Celtic slasher Paul Pierce driving to the hoop.

Staff support

There were concerns about the support staff for the Big Three but it has come through in spades. Second-year point Rajon Rondo gets better by the game while Kendrick Perkins, rookie Glen 'Big Baby' Davis and Leon Powe clog up the lanes.

Meanwhile, Eddie House and James Posey are spark plugs off the bench. Oh, and did I forget to mention we've now picked up two seasoned campaigners in journeyman forward P.J. Brown and guard Sam 'I Am' Cassell?

Having already locked up a playoff berth and boasting the league's best record, can it get any better than this?

Well, yep; if they can go all the way and put banner No. 17 up in those Garden rafters.

That's not gonna be all that easy because there are a couple of roadblocks in the way in the East. The first play-off round should be a doddle but then the Cs would most likely face 'King' James and his Cavaliers or Orlando and the best centre on the planet, Dwight 'Superman' Howard.

Then there might be the matter of the pesky Pistons in the Conference finals. Sure, we beat 'em two of three but each game was play-off tough and you can't ever underestimate championship pedigree.

Thankfully, if the Celts survive those challengers, they only have to face one team from the stacked West.

At the moment on the Left Coast there are nine sides playing ball well over .500 and nine into eight don't go, so a team like Phoenix, Golden State or Denver could win 50 games and still miss the post-season!

Winner from the west

Yao Ming-less Houston and the upstart New Orleans Hornets are playing out of their skins now and Dallas are dangerous but the winner from the West should come from defending champs, the Spurs, underrated Utah or the Lakers, who pulled off the steal of the century by acquiring Pau Gasol to complement Kobe Bryant - sheesh!

In a perfect flashback world, I'd love to see us play the Lakers in the NBA Championship series.

Back would come the ghosts of Bird, Parish and McHale and Magic, Kareem and Worthy and the reason I started watching the bouncing ball game in the first place in the oh-so-long-ago early '80s.

But, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself just yet. I am going to live in the moment and enjoy being green again.

Take it away, Kermie:

When green is all there is to be

It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why

Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful

And I think it's what I want to be

Later …

Feedback: tym.glaser@gleanerjm.com.