One week ago, little did the Celtics know they would be taking the court in the most meaningful game of the season. Thats right, I am referring to the game against the Memphis Grizzlies. You think to yourself, "No thats crap. That was the most disappointing part of the season that proved the Celtics don't have a snowballs chance in hell at winning the championship." To that I respond, "Nay".

On that night, the Celtics grasped the understanding of what it meant to be embarassed. In the past 2 years they have been living in a shell. 2 years ago the team was expected to win a championship. They showed the whole year that they were championship bound, and finished it out. Then last year, KG got injured, and no one really expected the team to go too far.

Well this year, the motto to begin the season was, "Championship or Bust". In fact Doc said in the locker room in the opening game against Cleveland, "Guys, we are going to win the championship this year." The team set the expectations for the fans, and the fans ran with it.

Well for some reason the team thought they could coast. They thought it was okay to just walk through the regular season and then get into a sprint come playoff time. Everynight they would walk off the court disappointed. For whatever reason they thought teams would roll over and play dead because they were the "Celtics".

Reality set in on March 17th, 2010. The team felt the shock of a lifetime. The C's went into the half down 22. The same fans that would cheer them to victory every night, turned on them with disgust. (I can only imagine) If you want to feel the epitome of what it means to be embarassed, and feel like you have let down thousands upon thousands of people, walk off your home court as everyone boo's you for the lack of effort you just put out on display.

There was no hiding from it that day. No, there was no more just saying "I'm sorry, we'll fix it" to the media- to 20 people who will write about you the next day (the same stuff players don't read). It was time to face the facts, and the fans filled them in on the situation that was at hand right then and there. That was Boston fans everywhere way of saying, "This isn't good enough. We expect more heart, pride, dedication, and focus."

To say it is just by chance, that since the Garden crowd lit into the team, the team would watch Gino play on the jumbotron 3 straight home games is absurd. The fans did this- they flipped the switch. The players then let it sink in, that the same people who celebrated with them during game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals, and the fans who partied with them during their parade, were disappointed. .

Since then it has been awesome to watch the effort the Celtics put out from the opening tip, until the final horn. This is why fans say "we" when speaking of the C's. Diehard fans of the team have earned that right by becoming "one" both inside and outside of the Garden walls.

(Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)