We Got A Rivalry - Thursday, July 10, 2008
345 Views :: 0 Comments :: :: Michael Bradley

   Real Philadelphia basketball fans had to be nauseated at the sight of Boston's winning the NBA title. Say all you want about the team's "star power", but anybody who has followed basketball for an extended period of time in this city knows that no team -- not the Lakers, not the Pistons, not anybody -- is hated as much as the Celtics are. Seeing them ascend to the top of the league is galling.

   Wednesday's official announcement of Elton Brand's arrival in Philadelphia did more than give the Sixers a real front line threat. It revived one of the NBA's best rivalries. No more will the Sixers watch Boston clinch the division title in December, or something ridiculous like that. No more suffering through national coverage of the Boston phenomenon. Yes, the Celtics will be good. They might even win it all again, although if they don't sign James Posey, it won't be easy.

   But there won't be a repeat of last year's dominance. There won't be anything like the runaway that happened from the start of the season. And there won't be a repeat of the several seasons leading up to 2007-08, during which neither team mattered. The Sixers-Celtics rivalry is on again, and that's great news for this city's fans. Oh, there are those out there who are rooting for Boston because they like Kevin Garnett or are starstruck by the Celtics' "Big Three." Let those frontrunners have their fun. We all know they aren't real basketball fans and shouldn't be allowed back on the Sixer bandwagon after providing support and comfort for the enemy.

   The Sixers are moving forward, and that means they can take aim at the Celts. Each time Boston comes to town this year should be a chance for fans to remember why we hate this franchise. The banners, the arrogance, the cigars. Philly and Boston were meant to be adversaries in the NBA, and Elton Brand's arrival allows the Sixers to keep up their end of the rivalry bargain. There is more work to be done; that's for sure. But pro basketball is relevant again in Philadelphia, and that means it's open season on the Celtics. Get ready for some nastiness, Philadelphia. You're going to love it.