Before and After Basketball (+How I Became a Celtics Fan) Part 1

Before you continue to read on, please be aware that I'm no bandwagon fan. Na - uh. You know why? My following post will tell you precisely when and how I became a Celtics fan, and how I went through all the lackadaisical days of the C's, the continuous growth of hope and faith between off seasons, the grueling challenge to stand loyal and support the dying desire of winning in a basketball team and in the end, the dreams that become a magical reality.

First off, I was never a fan of basketball. The only sports I loved growing up since 9 years old was, well, wrestling. I knew wrestling isn't a 100% legit sports, but it was pure entertainment and it was the golden ages of wrestling at the time. I remember one time, when me and my family visited my cousin's house in Singapore, there was an NBA match showing on the TV, and my dad, who was a school player for basketball during his younger days, grabbed my attention as he told me a basketball match was going on. I looked like i never bothered anything, I just glanced, and that was it. There was no interest at all in my eyes.

Few years later, 2004 precisely, I went to this game store to stock up on latest games. For sure, I was still a wrestling fan during the time, and I have always been an avid video gamer since I was small. So, normally I would check on Gamespot for the latest video games released, and I would always buy most of the best rated games, since I love trying all genres possible. In the batch of May 1st 2004 video games, one of them was NBA Ballers. Don't get me wrong, I have a few basketball games before this but they were all courtesy of my brother's. Surprisingly, that was the very first time that I, Benyamin Abd Halim, bought a basketball game.

After playing with the game for awhile, honestly saying, I was hooked with its creative gameplay and stunning (yes, very stunning even for today's standards) graphics overall. All of a sudden, basketball meant something to me. I would say that this game was one of the most important turning points in my life. I started playing basketball, researching basketball and yes, watch the NBA. During the time, I never knew much about NBA teams except for the Los Angeles Lakers (since they were heavily publicized, with Shaq and Kobe running the show). So, when the 2004 NBA Finals were on, I, as a noob, fresh casual fan of the game, (sadly) was rooting for the Lakers against the underrated Detroit Pistons team. A bandwagon fan would understand why (because they will root for the BEST and most favored team.. True Story).

Post NBA Finals, I started digging in the NBA deeper, with researches online and purchasing video collections of the league's history. I became an NBA history addict, and learned slowly how the league started, and all of the important figures and moments in NBA history. Then, something stumbled across me. That one franchise which displayed richness in history as well as championship pride written all over them. Their name was mentioned in almost all important aspects of the league. From championships, to Hall Of Fame members, to successes, EVERYTHING. That franchise was the Boston Celtics.

Another coincidental incident was me and my brother playing a quick game of NBA in ESPN NBA Basketball video game. We were playing All - Star teams, with me choosing the East and my brother the West (or was it the other way around?). Anyway, on a random in - game play, a goaltending occured. Usually, a player's name and picture will appear corresponding to the foul/turnover that happened. In this case, the goaltending was made by an unheard of player, named PAUL PIERCE. That was when both me and my brother knew the name, one of many NBA players.

In some other time, I played basketball with my brother and dad. Out of the blue, my dad mentioned about the success of the Boston Celtics during the 80's, and their unmatched, utterly ridiculous dominance of basketball in that era. My dad then asked me, "Who was the best player for the Celtics?", and I proudly answered "Larry Bird!" since I have done a lot of studies about the history of the league. My dad, then continued asking, "Who is the best player for the Celtics now?"... me and my brother both threw blank stares at each other, not knowing the answer to it.

I just couldn't keep my hands away from researching more and more about the NBA from the Internet. In one of those researches, was when I found out, that the "goaltender", Paul Pierce, is actually the current best Boston Celtic. Well, my research answered my dad's question. Then, everything just came into place. Me acknowledging the Boston Celtics as the most historic franchise in the NBA, the weird incident with Paul Pierce, my dad's surprising questions.. What did all that mean? From then was when I have decided on who I want to root for, who I will be following in the future and who I will declare as my basketball idol: BOSTON CELTICS, and Kansas forward PAUL PIERCE. It all seemed right, and it all was fate.

PART 2 WILL BE COMING SOON.. STAY TUNED.. ;)