Pierce will have to put emotion behind him

Of all of the most beautiful things in the world – Megan Fox, a Stockton/Malone pick-and-roll, Vida Guerra‘s better half to name a few – there is one that we can only enjoy once a year. Charles Barkley‘s fleece suit. No, in all seriousness, the National Holiday that is opening night in the NBA.

* TNT broke out all the stops during their pre-game intro to the Celtics/Cavs, as they got two of the greatest Americans to talk about what a championship means: Jerry Rice, Jim Brown. There were some others mixed in there too – AI, Kobe, and for no good reason at all, T.O. Even though I’m a Birds fan, I’m not the only one who could have done without the human cancer.

* How hard will it be for the Celtics to put that ring ceremony behind them? Bill Russell might have done that 10 times, but he didn’t have that ridiculous 378-diamond studded paperweight hanging on his hand.

* James Posey did not come back for the ceremony, which left only two players from last year wearing suits: Sam Cassell and Scot Pollard. Pollard looked like he stepped off the set of a vampire movie to grab his ring.

* Watching Paul Pierce humbly shed a tear when he first received the Larry O’Brien trophy from the Celtics’ legends, and then again when his name was called last to receive the championship ring is simply what sports is all about. Plus, the Forrest Gump music took my emotion to the next level.