Someone sent me this story from the Andover Townsmen which prominently features former LDNA Vice-President Paul Materazzo.<\/p>\n
Town enjoying Green spring: Celtics fans enjoy renewal By Judy WakefieldStaff Writer<\/p>\n Nine years ago, Paul Materazzo was just a guy from Cambridge who liked basketball and getting together with pals from his alma mater, Westfield State College, for a Celtics game. Now, he’s the Andover Planning Director \u2014 and with the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, heading to the new Garden has a whole new meaning. Game 4 of the NBA championship round will be tonight, Thursday in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n Sure, Materazzo may be too sleepy to talk about master planning on Friday thanks to the 9 p.m. start \u2014 but everybody else will be too. “Yeah, I’m tired, but so excited,” said Materazzo, who splits two coveted seats among five college pals. “We have been waiting for this. “For me, I remember Bill Walton coming to my school when I was a fourth-grader,” he said. “There’s that much more of a connection.”<\/p>\n Basketball fans know it’s been a long time coming. Andover High students \u2014 heck, most college students \u2014 who just graduated weren’t alive the last time the team was in the Finals, 1987. Howard Kessler is a self-described big basketball fan who is sitting pretty in the playoffs as he’s been a Celtics season ticket holder for 45 years. He, too, splits his tickets among friends. If the Boston Celtics join the elite 21st Century championship group, Materazzo said one thing will surely happen. “The fans will blow the roof off,” he said.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Someone sent me this story from the Andover Townsmen which prominently features former LDNA Vice-President Paul Materazzo. Town enjoying Green spring: Celtics fans enjoy renewal By Judy WakefieldStaff Writer Nine years ago, Paul Materazzo was just a guy from Cambridge … Continue reading
While this is a new experience for them, for longtime Celtics season ticket holders, this is a return to glory, like the 1986 Championship team. They have been patiently waiting for a stab at the championship in this land of the repeat winners, the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots.<\/p>\n
“They have come back fast this year,” he said. “And I feel pretty darn good about it.” Kessler counts Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo as his No. 1 players. “I really like all of the guys,” he said. “It’s a great mix of veterans and young players. I also like Leon Powe and (Glen) Big Baby Davis.”<\/p>\n