Stocking-stuffers for Ainge: Continued health and humility for his team

This is the time of year when readers of the sports pages can expect the inevitable “All I want for Christmas” column. You know, the one where the writer explains exactly what their team is missing in order to win a championship. I was looking forward to writing that column, and breaking down the Celtics’ strengths and weaknesses. I was particularly looking forward to discussing what players Danny Ainge would like to find under his Kelly-green Christmas tree. The only problem is that this year’s edition of the Boston Celtics is as close to perfect as an NBA team can be. The fact of the matter is that through the first third of the season, this has been the greatest display of basketball dominance the city of Boston has ever seen. The only thing keeping the Celtics from repeating as NBA champions is themselves.A couple of stocking-stuffers Ainge will be counting on are health and humility, the first of which the players have almost zero control over; however, it is these two intangibles that will determine the fate of the 2008-09 Celtics. Can a core of players over the age of 30 stay healthy? Can Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen continue to push back the clock rather than give in to Father Time, and can Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins continue their progression into legitimate stars? If the answers to the above questions are both “yes,” then how will the Celtics remain humble? For it is their humility that will keep them on top, their unique ability to continue to strive to get better. Players with both the personal and (now) team accomplishments that the Big Three have could easily rest on their laurels, but all three are the first ones to practice and the last ones to leave; they truly take pride in setting an example for their younger teammates.Celtics fans will be eagerly anticipating their late-day Christmas gift when the Green take on the Lakers in a Finals rematch. The Lakers, who are off to a hot start, will no doubt use this game as a measuring stick of sorts; however, Kobe Bryant still thinks that his Lakers “are the better team.” One Laker in disagreement with Kobe is five-time World Champion, and newly-hired ABC analyst, Magic Johnson, who recently told the media that last year’s Finals still does not sit well with him, saying, “To me, that was an embarrassment for the Lakers, and those guys have got to come out and really prove something to themselves and show the league that they are really ready to challenge the Celtics. Because right now, the Celtics really believe that the Lakers can’t beat them. So it’s all about the Lakers on Christmas Day.”Clearly, this game means more to LA; after all, the Celtics have nothing to prove.