Stay Classy Boston

Sure you may hear a random "Yankees Suck" chant emanating from Red Sox Nation (whether or not a New York team is within 1000 miles), but unlike a majority of Sox fans, Celtics fans have set the standard of class for NBA fans throughout the league.

The 'Beat LA' mantra started in 1982, when the Philadelphia 76'ers were on the verge of beating the Celtics in Game 7 at the Garden and advancing to play the Lakers in the title game. Suddenly Boston fans started chanting "Beat LA-Beat LA" at the end of the game. Maybe it was a bi-product of years of success or just a healthy respect for karma but bitterness never entered the closing minutes of the hard fought series. At the time, Boston was the defending NBA Champs and the Sixers were the Celts' biggest rivalry but the Boston fans sent their foes off to the NBA Finals with style befitting the organization. Other teams, like the Detroit Pistons, have chosen to show an uglier side in such a moment. When Michael Jordan and the Bulls finally got past the Pistons to advance to the NBA Finals, Isiah Thomas and the rest of the Pistons opted to head to the locker room before the end of the game instead of congratulating the Bulls' players.

So go ahead and call Boston fans 'bedraggled' Phil Jackson. Go ahead Derek Fischer and disrespect the accomplishments of the Celtics' organization claiming "it happened before you were born, so you don't care." You won't hear Doc Rivers calling LA fans 'fair-weathered' nor Ray Allen pointing out that 5 of the 14 Laker Championships occurred when they were in Minneapolis. You won't hear Celtics fans and players ripping the Lakers, because with winning comes responsibility, and with responsibility comes class. In case you need some pointers, just ask Jerry West.