But then he goes on and starts running his mouth about how the Celtics can't compete for a championship anymore? Now you got my attention, Al. And not in a good way.

You took the money and ran. Cool. But don't then turn around and act like you're some prophet telling us the dynasty is dead. You were PART of this thing. You were in the locker room when they raised that banner. You got a ring because of what Boston built. The coaching, the system, the culture — you benefited from all of it. And now you're on the outside talking down the program?

Yeah, Jayson Tatum's injury is real. Nobody's pretending it isn't. That's devastating. But let's not act like the Celtics were some paper tiger before that. These guys were defending champions. They didn't stumble into that. They EARNED it. Tatum goes down and suddenly the whole thing falls apart in your eyes? That's not analysis. That's just looking for an excuse.

Celtics fans gave Al Horford years of genuine love. Real loyalty. The kind of loyalty East Boston guys know something about. When he came back the second time, people welcomed him home like he never left. And this is how he wants to leave it? Talking noise on his way out the door?

It stings, honestly. I'm not gonna sit here and pretend it doesn't. Al was a real piece of what they built. But the Celtics don't need Al Horford to validate them. They were champions before this and they'll figure it out.

The program is fine. Horford made his choice. So did the front office.

Now let's move forward.

Here's what I say to that: we won because our teams were built right. We suffered for decades before the championships. Anyone from East Boston who remembers 1986, or 2003, or every Bruins playoff heartbreak from the 80s and 90s — we paid our dues. We didn't just show up when things got good.

The national media loves to crown their darlings. Cowboys, Yankees, Lakers. Those fanbases get treated like royalty no matter what those teams do. But when Boston wins, it's "ugh, them again." When we lose, the same people pile on like it's a moral victory for the rest of the country.

I'm from Bennington Street. My father's father watched Ted Williams. My father watched Carlton Fisk's home run. I watched the '86 World Series end the wrong way from a barstool at age eight and I never forgot it. We are NOT a spoiled fanbase. We're a passionate one. There's a difference.

So that's what this site is. TimmyTD.com is where Boston sports gets talked about straight — no agenda, no hot takes for clicks, no national media framing. Just a guy from East Boston who loves his teams and calls it how he sees it.

Thanks for being here. Let's have some fun.

You want to talk about Jayson Tatum? Fine. Let's talk about Tatum. The guy gets killed in the media every time he has a bad game, but when he drops 35 on the road in a playoff atmosphere you hear crickets from the same people. He's not perfect — nobody's perfect — but he's a legitimate first option on a championship-caliber team. You can't have it both ways.

And Jaylen Brown. Don't even get me started. Two-way player, can guard multiple positions, hits big shots when it matters. The narrative that he and Tatum don't work together is one of the laziest takes in basketball. Tell that to the banner hanging at the Garden.

Here's what I'll say about this year's team: the depth is real. When you've got guys coming off the bench who would start for half the league, that's when you're dangerous. That's Banner 18 kind of depth.

I know this town loves the Patriots and the Red Sox. Me too, always will. But right now, today, the Celtics are Boston's best team and they deserve their flowers. I'm giving 'em theirs right here.

Let's go Cs.

I grew up on Bennington Street watching this team from a barstool that had my father's name on it. I've seen 'em go cold in April and win it all in October. I've also seen 'em look like the 1927 Yankees in May and fall apart by August. April baseball means nothing. Nothing.

Here's what I know right now: Roman Anthony is the real deal — a 21-year-old who hits like a veteran and the future of this franchise. Jarren Duran is one of the most dangerous leadoff men in the AL when he's rolling. Garrett Crochet finished second in the Cy Young last year. The rotation is what it is — a little shaky in April, sure, but show me one that isn't. And the bullpen? Look, the bullpen's always gonna give you a heart attack. That's part of the deal when you root for the Red Sox. You signed up for that.

What I'm not gonna do is panic in the second week of the season. What I'm not gonna do is call into sports radio crying about the lineup. What I AM gonna do is crack open a cold one, settle in, and trust that by the time the calendar hits June, we'll know what kind of team this actually is.

They play 162 games. Let 'em play 162 games before you start writing the obituary.

That's it. That's the take. Welcome to Timmy TD — Boston sports, no filter, straight from East Boston.