Celtics/NCAA Tournament

While the Boston Celtics were putting on an impressive showing this weekend in Texas (pushing the Mavericks to the limit on Friday and beating the Spurs in San Antonio for the first time since 1990), the immediate future of the franchise was possibly being decided in the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament. That is because the promise of landing one of the top two picks in the NBA Draft has Danny Ainge following Ohio State freshman center Greg Oden and Texas freshman forward Kevin Durant. In the case of Durant, Ainge was following too close, as he was fined $30,000 by the NBA for improper contact with the mother of the nation's best player during last weekend's Big 12 Tournament. So as Paul Pierce, Al Jefferson, Delonte West, Rajon Rondo, and the rest of the Green were battling in the Lone Star State, the expected saviors of the Boston NBA entry were playing in their first March Madness. Oden and Ohio State, the No. 1 seed in the South Regional, made their way past No. 16 Central Connecticut on Thursday before surviving against No. 9 Xavier on Saturday afternoon. Oden struggled against Xavier and fouled out with under :10 seconds with his team trailing by two points. As a (miserably) diehard Celtic fan, I was at a loss for words because I could really envision Oden returning to THE Ohio State University to take care of some "unfinished business" if the Buckeyes lost. Thankfully, senior Ron Lewis nailed a game tying three-pointer and OSU rolled in overtime, extending Oden's season ... and hopefully hastening the process towards him declaring for the NBA. Meanwhile, Durant saw his season (and career?!?) end last night as No. 4 Texas lost to No. 5 Southern California in the East Regional. Durant had 30 points and 9 rebounds -- another great game for this extremly talented forward -- but it wasn't enough as they fell by an uneven score of 87-68. Was it Durant's final run as an amateur? We'll all find out soon enough. It is my opinion that both Oden and Durant will skip out on term papers and community bathrooms to enter the NBA. I usually like to see college stars hang around but this is a special case ... both players are certainly ready for the NBA and it just so happens my team could use the services of either. So, let's pull for Ohio State to make the Final Four and for Durant to say good-bye to the Longhorn faithful. Oh, and for the C's to yank the No. 1 pick in the Draft. And then let the debate begin. Oden v. Durant -- the decision that will decide the Celtics fate for the next 15 or so years.