This column originally ran in The Standard-Times on Dec. 31, 2004.

By Nick Tavares

I don't usually believe in New Year's Resolutions. Ignoring the fact they're almost never kept, it's never made sense to me why anyone would wait until Jan. — to, say, go on a diet or start going to the gym.

But this year, I'll be breaking my own rule I'm resolving to watch the Boston Celtics.

And it looks like I'm alone.

Playing in the depressingly bad Eastern Conference, the Celtics are a pretty good bet to make the playoffs, but that's not a good enough reason for anyone to pay attention now.

But the way Doc Rivers has them playing should be.

A good draft and some semblance of a plan by Danny Ainge has landed the Celtics a talented core that are playing hard night after night.

And with the state of the NBA these days, that's going above and beyond the call of duty.

So, as it stands, the Celtics are 12-16, 3? games behind the Knicks in the Atlantic Division and mired in a ratings black hole in the Boston television market. This past Sunday, the Celtics earned a 1.2 rating for their game with the San Antonio Spurs.

To counter, the Patriots-Jets game earned a 30.3 rating, the New York Giants-Cincinnati Bengals earned an 11.5, NBA Hangtime on Channel 5 earned a 3.4, the Holiday Festival on Ice nabbed a 2.6, the Hawaii Bowl got a 1.5, and Bump N' Jump skiing got a 1.3 rating.

Seriously, Bump N' Jump really beat the Celtics.

The Celtics probably aren't going to win their 17th title this year, but a 1.2 rating is still incredibly low for any of the four major teams in New England, and even worse when you consider the Bruins won't even step on the ice this year.

But the real shame is there is a lot to like about this year's squad that's going virtually unnoticed.

To start off, Gary Payton has done a complete about-face from his miserable campaign with the Lakers last season. During their finals disaster against the Detroit Pistons, he looked like the oldest, unhappiest player in the history of the NBA. No one had ever looked more ready for retirement.

Factor in his anger at being traded to Boston, and it's amazing how well he's played. He has emerged as the unquestioned leader of this team, coaching Marcus Banks and Tony Allen, the point guards of the future, and getting tough on Paul Pierce when the star attraction starts to lose his cool.

There's also the group of young guns who could, in two or three years, become the core of a solid, competitive team.

Al Jefferson has been the most impressive. At 18, 6'10" and growing, "Big Al" has held his own and shown flashes of being the dominant big man the Celtics have been missing since Robert Parish was teaming with Bird and McHale on the front line. Kendrick Perkins, 19, is coming along at a slower pace, but he too could be a great player in the league one day.

Allen, Banks and the currently injured Delonte West are a trio of young guards who have also shown a lot of promise and, more importantly, have shown they're willing to learn.

Pair that with a semi-healthy Raef LaFrentz and an entertaining teammate who happens to be Ricky Davis, and you've got yourself a nice little squad.

Will they make another run at a Finals appearance? Probably not. But they're a fun group, and it might not be such a bad idea to give them a chance.

Nick Tavares is a columnist for The Standard-Times. E-mail him at ntavares@s-t.com.

This story appeared on Page C1 of The Standard-Times on December 31, 2004.