In the first edition of our theoretically four-part series, check out 34 reasons why Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics should win the NBA championship this season. Some are serious, others cynical and sarcastic, but feel free to add your own.

1. They have the Three Amigos.
2. So it’s not an San Antonio Spurs-Detroit Pistons matchup. The grind-it-out Spurs-Nets Finals a couple years ago was horrendous. The Phoenix Suns may have been eliminated from the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean the fast break has to be. (Yes, I know, the Spurs play great basketball that should be enjoyed by all true fans of the sport).
3. The Celtics won the season series against the Pistons 2-1. And they’re only loss was by a mere two points.
4. They’re from Boston. The Patriots, the Red Sox…it’s a pretty successful city.
5. The Celtics don’t have to play the Washington Wizards.
6. Kevin Garnett deserves a championship ring. There aren’t any “lifetime achievement” awards, but if there were, KG would deserve one. One of the top five players in the league throughout his career, Kevin Garnett is the glue of this Celtics team.
7. Not only do they have one deserving star, they have three. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, no member of Pierce/Garnett/Ray Allen trio has won an NBA championship.
8. They’ve already won the Eastern Conference.
9. It’s got to be the luck o’ the Irish.
10. Even after a rough Game 4 loss, one game doesn’t make a series.
11. They have a better record against teams in the Western Conference that the East. If any team in the East can overthrow the Western dominance (for a year), it’s the Celtics.
12. The team started strong, what’s to say they won’t finish strong? The team started 27-3 start, tying the historic record for best record through 30 games.
13. Somebody else has got to step up, aside from Pierce and KG. (see exhibit A and exhibit B)
14. They’ve got home-advantage all the way through.
15. Hollinger has them at number one.
16. Playing at home, the Celtics have a great opportunity to take Game 5 and a 3-2 advantage in the series.
17. Not everybody is a bandwagon fan.
18. Paul Pierce has stepped to his role as leader of the team.
19. Everybody wants to see a 1980s Lakers-Celtics rematch. Or at least that’s what the NBA’s PR department wants us to believe.
20. The Celtics must be the most blogged about team in the league, not only on overall posts, but also based on the number of blog dedicated solely to the Cs. Not sure what that has to do with anything, but they’ve definitely got enough media coverage, depending on whether you count blogging as “real” media or not.
21. The team has managed to overcome a transparent Ray Allen in the postseason. I thought Shuttleworth “got game?”
22. Rajon Rondo has played well for the Celtics at the point guard (combo guard?) position. And he’s not Sam Cassell.
23. They’ve played in two Game 7s so far. Sure, it may be exhausting, but the Celtics aren’t getting rusty any time soon.
24. They led the league in scoring margin through the regular season, outscoring their opponent’s by over 10 points per game.
25. Two-thirds of SportsNation believes in them.
26. They’re the only team in the league to beat every opponent at least once.
27. A championship redeems Danny Ainge. A year ago, fans called for his removal. Now, Ainge has been named the Executive of the Year after the Cetlics broke the record for the best single-season turnaround, 42 games.
28. They’re old. Not as old as the Spurs (average age: 31.6 years), but they’ve got some decent experience.
29. They’ve got the Legacy.
30. The Celtics blew out the Lakers twice. If the Lakers are still handed the Western Conference championship on the silver platter, the Celtics should like their odds.
31. In addition, they swept the San Antonio Spurs in their season series, pulling off a couple close victories.
32. The Celtics can play on the road. It’s hard to believe, after it took them a half-dozen tries in the playoffs, but the Celtics had the best road winning percentage in the league.
33. They’re the Boston Celtics, for crying out loud. They’ve already earned 16 championships — the city is destined for another one.
34. Did I mention we don’t want another boring Spurs-Pistons matchup?

Are you cheering for the Celtics? Feel free and leave a comment on why you’re a fan. Bandwagoners need not apply.