popularity

There were plenty of tough times: March 1, 2000 when Pitino vented after Boston's loss to Toronto on Vince Carter's 3-pointer at the buzzer; last season's 24-58 record; and most of the seasons in between.

All those people will see ads plastered throughout the arena. The team also has sponsorship deals with an airline, a real estate company, a bottled water firm, the state lottery, a doughnut company - and many, many others.

The Celtics missed the playoffs the past two seasons and lost in the first round in the two before those. They were Gotham's first four seasons with the team, but it still managed to increase sponsorships and television ratings even when losing.

"Until you've gone out there and won the games, it's a risk," he said, "and our owners were willing to take that risk and invest in the team."

"Last year it was about us creating demand for the Celtics," team president Rich Gotham said Tuesday before Boston took a 3-2 lead into Game 6 of the NBA finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, "and this year there is excess demand."

That helped the club increase player payroll by about 30 percent this season, Gotham said. And that ability to spend - on valuable backups like James Posey and Eddie House as well as stars like Garnett and Allen - finally built a team that could contend for the championship.

But there was no guarantee that spending so much on players would lead to a 17th championship banner.

But last summer Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen did walk through that door - and fans, sponsors and plenty of revenue followed them in.

"We had no shortage of sponsors (last season) where they said, `We're interested,' got close, but didn't necessarily end up in a partnership," Gotham said. "This year they're signed on board, so you can never underestimate the positive halo that winning provides."

Then the Celtics traded for the two All-Stars and, suddenly, potential sponsors who had to think twice before signing on eagerly hopped on the bandwagon, hoping to capitalize on the popularity and success of the team whose winning tradition had been dormant for more than 20 years.

BOSTON (AP) -After one of his many losses as coach of the Boston Celtics, an angry Rick Pitino admonished those who wanted instant success.

"Larry Bird is not walking through that door, fans," he said. "Kevin McHale is not walking through that door, and Robert Parish is not walking through that door."

The club set aside 65 percent of its capacity for season tickets and all were sold. Gotham said that number is expected to increase by about 1,500 next season.