On the eve of the biggest Eastern Conference matchup of the year thus far I’m happy to report I no longer feel guilty for hating the Celtics. I cut my fanhood teeth on the Bad Boys, so I’ve always despised the Celtics. There’s been times when the Bulls topped the list of most hated or for awhile the Pacers and recently the Cavs, but Pistons V Celtics trumps them all.

Just as important as rooting for your team is having a rival to root against.

It’s been awhile since I could truly root against the Celtics because they’ve just plain stunk the last few years and It’s only fun to kick a team while their down for so long. Imagine if your arch nemesis was in a coma for a long time because a vending machine fell over on him/her while they were reaching up in it trying to get some free sour patch kids. At first it’s funny but after awhile you hope they get better because wanting to pummel someone who’s in a coma just isn’t as rewarding. Sure, that’s not the best analogy but it’s what I’ve got right now.

So, now via a couple of trades the Celtics are relevant again. They’re 20-2 and the darlings of the league. I give them credit for beating the teams they should but until tomorrow they’ve yet to play us. They’ve also not faced Dallas, Utah, San Antonio, or Phoenix. So, they’ve really not been tested by the leagues best teams.

I hope Kevin Garnett doesn’t keep Pistons’ fans from hating the Celtics. It seems everyone just loooves KG. Well, not me. Never have. The Celtics landing him was the icing on the cake for me. Yes, ok, I respect his talent but I can’t stand that dude’s screaming and pounding his chest. What some call ‘heart’ I call mugging for the cameras. Also it seems like more than anyone else I’ve seem KG trying to mix it up with guys until they come back at him and he wants none of that. (if you’re wondering about the photoshop to the right; a friend of mine pointed out to me that Garnett bares a strong resemblance to a burnt match and I’d have to agree.)

I suspect this will be a great game. Although I hoping for something like this, I suspect this will be a close one. Both teams are coming into the game on two days rest. The Celtics are undefeated at home and the two games they lost were by a combined 7 points. Their wins on the other hand have been done mostly going away. One thing that surprises me is the level of defense the the Celtics have been playing, only 3 opponents have scored 100 or more points against them.

I’m getting tired of checking out the score ticker just to see Boston racking up the W’s. It’s time for a team (Pistons) to bring them back down to earth. Let’s get read to humble!