Closing Up Shop

For almost as long as I've had this blog, I've been thinking about how I might end it. I should clarify. I started writing RwH contemporaneous with my move to the West Coast for law school in 2008. We had just beaten the Lakers for banner number 17, we were favorites to repeat, and almost a third of our games were nationally televised. Among my friends, interest in the Celtics was at an all-time high, and I started the blog to keep the conversation going with people who were suddenly several time zones away.

I knew then that this wouldn't last forever. At that time, recall, the conventional wisdom was that Boston had a three-year window. We managed to keep that window open an extra couple of years, and the end, while not as messy as I thought it might be, was sad. But here we are: on the eve of our season opener in Toronto, Ray got his second ring, at a ceremony in Miami; Doc's debut as the Clippers coach was ruined by fourth-quarter surged from the Lakers' bench (the rare Laker victory that didn't upset me, I'm somewhat surprised to admit); and Paul and KG are getting ready to open their season in Cleveland with their new team, the Brooklyn Nets. Meanwhile, Boston is ushering in a new era with a new coach and group of players who will struggle to be competitive this year.

I really should have ended it last year, when I started my new job; as is clear from the fact that I haven't posted since last February, I didn't really have time to devote to it. In my head, though, I thought we still had a chance, and I think a part of me didn't want to let Ray Allen dictate when I decided this era was over.

So I've been thinking a lot about a perfect ending. Maybe a long, soul-baring post about what basketball and the Celtics, especially these Celtics, mean to me. Or a countdown of the most memorable moments from this era. I struggled with the composition of both of these ideas, though, and my search for the idea close to this blog continued.

Recently, though, I've come to realize that perfect endings are exceedingly rare in basketball. The Celtics certainly didn't have one. Tim Duncan didn't get his, at least not yet. Phil Jackson didn't have one. It doesn't look like Kobe Bryant will get one.

Russell got one. Red got one. MJ got one, only he didn't take it. That's about it. RwH will be no different.

So, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and to comment publicly and privately. Your kind words have meant a lot.

I'm going to leave this blog up for as long as I can, as a memento, and in case I decide I ever have time to start it up again. And to the extent that I continue to write about basketball, over at doctorslam.blogspot.com, I'll continue to write a disproportionate amount about the Celtics. I'll still watch all the games. But with the team less relevant and on TV far less often, the purpose -- to talk about the team with others who are following closely -- just isn't there anymore.

A final note: Every year, there are officiating "points of emphasis," rules that the league has instructed the officials to give special attention to, at least early in the season. There are five this year: 1) illegal screens, 2) contact on jump shots, 3) traveling, 4) discontinued dribble, and 5) delay of game (by touching the ball as it comes out of the net after your team scores, for example).

During the Magic-Pacers game Tuesday night, Quinn Buckner -- Indiana's color guy -- was discussing the delay of game emphasis, and singled out, among all NBA players, Kevin Garnett as the main perpetrator of this offense. Later, during the Bulls-Heat broadcast, Steve Kerr, the TNT color guy, referred to the emphasis on illegal screens as "the Kevin Garnett Rule."

Damn, I'm gonna miss that guy. And I'm gonna hate facing him.

Save us, Rondo. And thanks, again.