Wearin O' The Green

Shank's first column on the Celtics in over two months, unsurprisingly, comes after a loss.

I came to the Garden with the best of intentions.

Not that bad, I reasoned. The Celtics had lost seven of nine and were abysmal on a recent western road trip. They were two games under .500, not even playoff-worthy if the postseason had started New Year’s Day.

But I couldn’t believe it was that bad. Not after last year, and the year before. Those Celtics teams started slowly, then played great in the spring. They were a gift. They were aging overachievers. They had the right stuff. They were respected and feared, which is a great combination.

These 2012-13 Celtics?

Not so much.

Those of us who've been watching the Celtics with regularity in the same timespan could have told you anything Shank wrote in his column. And, hasn't Shank been harping on the age of the Celtics players, oh, for the past four years or so, and now he seems almost surprised at the result?