72 reasons to be excited about the Atlanta Hawks: #39 Disliking the Boston Celtics

by hawksdawgs on Sep 22, 2009 8:45 PM EDT Comment 9 comments

Hate is a strong word. Really, it is kind of a bad word. And sometimes I use it a bit too casually since real hate exists in the world. That being said, and now completely ignored, in the past, I had no problem saying I hated the Boston Celtics.

Yet, it was not necessarily true. I meant it in a way, but I never really believed it. I mean before game four of the 2008 playoffs I drank beer in the CNN center with three Boston fans. We had a jolly, good time. Probably because they were sure they were going to win that game, but still, there was no hate, only good banter. At worst, my feelings against the Celtics were wussy, behind their back dislike and more likely, it was just competitive disgust.

What ever you want to call it, no one who roots for the Hawks has kind feelings for Boston. It has become a bit of a rule. You are naturally not going to like some players, and it just so happens the Celtics have four starters that are in most Hawks fans not so top 15. (Way to go Ray Allen!) The whole thing is not mean spirited. It is actually quite fun. I don't wish harm on Celtic players, just poor performance. This disdain arises out of a mix of envy, annoyance, and competitiveness.

Yes, Hawks fans are envious of Boston sure. Really, right now only one team has the right to not be envious of them. But Atlanta is not whole heartedly inspired by jealously. We just enjoy having Boston as our nemesis because, quite simply, we enjoy not liking them. It is easy, you don't have to look hard to find reasons, and our team seems to rally around our dislike. So we enjoy the Celtics most as enemy. There is nothing wrong with that. The league would be boring if it was Pacers vs. Hawks for 82 games.

The four contests against the Celtics this year may not be rivalry games. Boston is annoyed by us and they are ultra competitive so that combination might be enough to up their play, but they don't take joy in it. They don't see the Hawks as any kind of equal. And it doesn't even matter. These games matter more whether anyone likes it or not. I didn't hear Paul Pierce saying another player choked after any other regular season game like he did with Joe Johnson. The ante is upped for these game, and for Hawks fans, where for so long the ante was not upped on anything, it is pretty exciting to circle four games as must see TV.

0 recs | Comment 9 comments |

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

What a painful one that was.

Worst Marta ride back ever.

But as a Duke fan I sympathize with Boston when the Hawks try to call it a rivalry, like Maryland or Wake Forest or NC State trying to have a rivalry with Duke.

The bottom line is the Hawks have to win some of those games to call it a rivalry. We can’t go 4 straight possessions w/o a basket like they did in that game against Boston. But we’re getting there I think. 3/4 regular season games last year were competitive, which is 3 more than 2007-2008 regular season.

I think to get over the hump the Hawks have to learn not to come out flat and game-by-game consistency. No 30 point losses at home to Clippers.

by coachkcastellon on Sep 22, 2009 10:38 PM EDT reply actions

agreed on winning and rivalry

got to win. the only people i think that would disagree are pre 2004 red soxs fans. they had a decent rivalry going with the yankees without winning. or so espn told me.

the hawks do need to win, but at least for a year or two (or as long as both teams are playoff teams) these games will be one’s of significance. maybe ratched it up more on one side and maybe trailing off as the season goes on, but i think you protest too much if you say the level of intensity is totally normal for those first couple of celtic/hawks games.

also, please never bring that clippers game up again.

by hawksdawgs on Sep 23, 2009 6:40 AM EDT up reply actions

Ugh, not this again

I completely disagree. Stating that the Hawks have to win some games before it can be called a rivalry shows that you are completely ignoring the history between these two teams. Looking at only 08 to now, sure we haven’t won many games, but the ten years before that we had a winning record over the Celtics. I understand there are a lot of young fans who weren’t around when Nique and Byrd were going at it, so maybe that’s where this nonsense comes from.

If you are only concerned with numbers (i.e. win-loss records) between the two teams, then I’ll simply refer you to the detailed fanpost I put up about this very topic a long while back. The Hawks have won against the Celtics and these two teams have been going at it for decades. I just love how the Celtics win a rin and suddenly everyone has a very short memory about how horrible that team was for the last decade.

Winning or losing doesn’t make a rivalry, but the way the games are played, the intensity of the games, players, and the fanbases, that’s what makes a rivalry. If it wasn’t a rivalry, it wouldn’t be on this list and we wouldn’t talking about it. If it wasn’t a rivalry, ESPN and TBS wouldn’t make those games a national viewing affair.

"This is America, if we can’t self-righteously look down on others and blame them for our faults, the commies win."-----Cormican on Bleeding Green Nation w/r/t fans overreacting to the Eagles signing of Michael Vick

by Jesse28 on Sep 23, 2009 7:52 AM EDT up reply actions

I love this matchup!!

If the Hawks got up for every game like they do when they play the Celtics, we would be an unstoppable force. I actually hate the Cavs more. Bogus calls seem to be more prevalent when we play them.

by dstdeelite on Sep 22, 2009 11:08 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

Bogus calls are pretty common

when we play the Celtics too. Especially anytime Paul Pierce touches the ball and a Hawk looks at him mean. That man can apparently be fouled from across the court. If Joe Johnson got calls the way Pierce does, he’d score 20 points on free throws every night.

More than anything else, that’s why I hate the Celtics. Paul Pierce is like Dwayne Wade on that front. (Also on the crybaby the three times a game he doesn’t get “fouled”.)

by BeauGust on Sep 24, 2009 12:24 AM EDT up reply actions

Good for the game

I’m a C’s fan in Atlanta, and I for one look forward to watching the Hawks and C’s go at it. Whether or not its a rivalry and even whether the Hawks are a bit overmatched, neither team is going to just mail it in. There’s emotion to the games and a history between these players, and since the 2008 playoffs I’ve certainly never taken a Hawks-C’s game for granted.

That said, I dreaded the matchup with the Hawks back when ’nique and Fratello were there.

by Thruthelookingglass on Sep 24, 2009 11:01 AM EDT reply actions

OK...

for one thing Paul Pierce is easily the most disrespected superstar by the officials in the NBA. Do you Hawks fans forget the ridiculous FT disparity in our playoff series in 2008?? Shooting that many 3’s and still getting every call your way was ridiculous to me. And while I like it that Hawks fans don’t like us because it adds to the games, you’re not our rival at all. Even when you had Nique trying to beat Bird you weren’t a rival. You were always a good team that we respected but knew we would beat regardless. Our rivals are LA, Cleveland, Detroit, and maybe NY. (NY only because they’re our natural rival in everything.) The Hawks main rivals should be the Cavs or Pistons in my opinion. Not the Celtics though, you’re just a bug on our windshield that can easily be flicked away.

by sexyscottish on Sep 24, 2009 11:54 PM EDT reply actions

I don't hate the Celtics

In fact, I was happy that KG finally got his ring, but to say the Hawks were nothing but a “bug on your windshield” is a bit much. Were you one of the ones sweating like a whore in church when the series went 7 games? Nobody can tell me they are 100% sure of a win in a Game 7 situation because ANYTHING can happen. I would imagine that it’s fans like you and rude comments like that which makes the general non-Celtic fan loathe you and your kind. Everybody knows about the fairy tale history of the Celtics and the 17 banners hanging, but a little humility every now and then could go a long way.

by dstdeelite on Sep 25, 2009 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions