Keller @ Large: 'Good Job, Good Effort' Kid Should Be A Celtics Fan
BOSTON (CBS) - It was a bizarre end to a bizarre night, the sight of a young Miami Heat fan, maybe nine or ten years old, caught on camera calling out repeatedly to the Heat players as they walked off the court after their epic flop at the hands of the Celtics in Tuesday night's playoff game.
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"Good job, good effort," the kid kept saying as the Heat filed by, "good job, good job."
I searched the internet last night for further details on who the kid was and whether or not he was being sincere or sarcastic, without finding anything.
If you know where to find it, shoot me an e-mail and let me know.
But for the sake of our discussion this morning, let's assume he was being sincere, that he was a well-mannered kid who set his disappointment at the Heat's embarrassing loss aside to offer words of encouragement and consolation to his heroes.
If so, that was certainly a gracious and classy move by the young man.
But while it may have been the right thing to do, was he telling them the truth?
The answer is, of course, no.
The Heat did not do a good job in that game, they did a terrible job.
They let the most important game of their season, a game they should have won, slip away in a cascade of poor decision making and lackadaisical play.
And they did not give an especially good effort, either. Every loose ball that was up for grabs was grabbed by the Celtics.
If indeed they had a game plan, they did not follow it, so it was a poor effort both mentally and physically.
Perhaps at the level of sports where that young man competes, positive reinforcement is always offered, and that's as it should be. Youth sports should be more about learning and having fun and less about winning and losing.
But when he gets older, I hope he comes to realize that the Heat really didn't deserve his forgiving comments.
It was the Celtics he should have been praising.
Perhaps there's still time to convert him to be a fan of a team that earns its praise more often than not.
You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. and 12:25 p.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.
