17! 17! 17!

I was ten years old when the Boston Celtics last won a world championship. It was their 16th title, an almost obscene number in a league that, at the time, had only been around for roughly 40 years. No one knew then, nor had any reason to suspect, that they would go without another championship for 22 years. The reasons why are many, but this morning they are unimportant.

What is important is that the drought finally ended last night, that Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Kendrick Perkins, Rajon Rondo, Leon Powe, PJ Brown, Big Baby Davis, Tony Allen, James Posey, Eddie House, Sam Cassell, and Coach Doc Rivers are finally champions.

And because of that, because of this great team that won 66 games in the regular season, 16 more in the playoffs, returning basketball to relevance again in the city of Boston along the way, because of all that we as a region get to update our lexicon of sports phrases. They are no longer "The 16 time NBA Champion Boston Celtics." Last night when the buzzer sounded for the final time these Celtics became "The 17 time NBA Champion Boston Celtics."

I like the way that sounds.