ANYTHING IS POSSIBLLLLLLLLLE

Something happened last night that I never expected. The champagne scene in Wild Things became my second favorite champagne memory of all time. But, I'll get to that later though.

It all starts with expectations. They are unsteady and fickle; they can change after any minor or major event (say a PJ Brown jumpshot or a Paul Pierce twisted knee) and as far as I can tell, they aren't consciously controllable. Maybe just my expectations are erratic and unstable...

Lets just say this, before the playoffs started, I didn't think Game 5 tickets against the Hawks would be worth the effort of a deposit. Expectations were Snoop Dogg high. Then out of nowhere came the Joe Johnson debacle, which is like calling it the Spygate misinterpretation. Sure the C's Papelbonned Game 7, but who could be sure which team would face the Cavs in the next round.

Next, LeBron came to town, making already-wavering expectations recede like the S&P 500 (shout out to my good-for-nothing 401k!!). Again my Celtics expectations elevator rose up to the penthouse and then back down to the lobby as their jerseys switched from white to green. Ya know that feeling when a 6-year brat jumps in your elevator and hits all the buttons and you have to deal with that herky-jerky ride up and down, never knowing the next stop or where it will end? That was the Cavs series. Another 7 games of the expectations elevator acting like Disney's Tower of Terror. Luckily the S&P Celtics used the TD Banknorth Fleet Center Shawmut Center Garden like Harry Potter used his cloak of invisibility; lots of close calls, but ultimately were protected the prized possession (the parquet).

It was at this point where I felt like watching the S&P C's wasn't fun and certainly wasn't healthy. Maybe I'm a pessimist but the pain of 3 losses was becoming greater than the joy of 4 wins. This wasn't the basketball team I had rooted for all year. This wasn't the best team in the NBA that played the best team basketball in the NBA. It was like looking for American Beauty and Usual Suspects Kevin Spacey, but finding the guy who was in K-Pax. 

Oddly playing Detroit made things better when I expected worse, and all of a sudden it was time for Kobe and the Condiments. Again the yo-yo expectations carried me through to game 6, where I didn't know what to expect. I wanted to believe in the team but even more I didn't want to be heartbroken again.

Yet, there I was last night watching a 10 point lead jump to 20, jump to 30, jump to 39 before I had time to chew my fingernails down. Take that lowered expectations!!

And this is where we get back to the champagne. Expectations be damned, I defied them and headed to Davo's (apparently we have good luck squinting at his little TV) with a bottle of champagne, just in case. And then, with Eddie House dribbling the clock out, Davo and I popped the cork, sprayed the bottle, and cheers'ed to Paul, Kevin, Ray, Kedrick, Rajon, Eddie, Tony, James, Leon, Glen, PJ, and even to Sam, and Doc. We drank, hugged, drank, called our dads, and laughed at Kevin Garnett seizuring with delight. No longer will Neve Campbell, Denise Richards and Matt Dillon be my Big Three of champagne.