And so it ends

Are we back to LoserTown in Boston?

I'm joking. But damn, last week Boston was going 3-0 on most nights, with the Bruins, Red Sox and Celtics winning their games. Much has changed.

The Bruins lost in overtime at the hands of a player who should have been suspended. The Celtics blew a nine-point lead in Orlando. The Red Sox go 2-4 on a West Coast road trip with Big Papi suffering a horrendous 0-for-7 night with 12 runners left on base.

The Red Sox just lost two of three to a bad Mariners team and on Sunday night the Celtics said goodbye to their season after losing to the Magic. Not the best week, but who am I to complain? Boston has had it good the past few years.

This loss does not sting too badly. With no Kevin Garnett, any hopes of a title were unrealistic. Brian Scalabrine played big minutes. That tells you all you need to know how depleted they were. Despite some real shaky play and tons of careless turnovers, the Celtics played their guts out.

Normally, I save those sentiments for Little League. Pro sports is about winning. Playing hard is expected. No, it's demanded. I just had no expectations this time. They gave us a great series in Round 1 and came out on top. Everything from then on was gravy. This is different than a certain Patriots' loss in Arizona. They were the better team and lost thanks to some very bad luck and refusal to pounce on 40 fumbles that would have changed the game. That killed me and still does.

This Boston Celtics team, sans KG, just did not have the edge in talent. And they lost. What more can be said? They defended their championship with guts but lost to a better team.

The Cavs would have smashed them anyway.

And tomorrow, I say goodbye to Season 7 of 24. What an emotional few days!!