Milking It, By Dan Shaughnessy - Gordon Hayward Edition

This is the first time I can recall Shank writing about a Celtics opening night. It's simply an exercise for him to remind his reading audience how much this year's going to SUCK for the Celtics now that Hayward's out for a very long time.

The Celtics are a certified Boston brand, no less than the Pops, the Swan Boats, or the cream pie at the Parker House. They have brought 17 championships and global fame to our town and their first Garden game traditionally has been a feel-good date on the local sports calendar. Through the decades, the Garden opener has been a night for raising banners and hopes. Even Rick Pitino had a great home opener when his young Celtics beat the Michael Jordan champion Bulls way back in 1997.

This year’s Celtics home opener was wildly anticipated after a summer spree in which president of basketball operations Danny Ainge bagged Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving, Duke teen angel Jayson Tatum, and Gordon Hayward, the $128 million blue-chip free agent from the Hoosier heartland. The Celtics were championship-driven. They were a team on the way up and maybe even had a chance to return to the NBA Finals.

Nice of Shank to remind us in successive columns how much Hayward's contract is worth, isn't it?

And what would a Shank column on the Celtics be without the obligatory Larry Bird mention?