Champion Celtics visit White House

Sep 19, 2008 - 11:00 PM WASHINGTON (Ticker) - The NBA champion Boston Celtics visited the White House on Friday to meet with President George Bush.

In June, the Celtics defeated the arch-rival Los Angeles Lakers in six games to win their 17th NBA title and first in 22 years.

During an often humorous five-minute speech, Bush referenced the 44-game improvement made by the Celtics, who posted the greatest turnaround in NBA history. The Celtics went 66-16 last season after posting a 24-58 record - the second-worst in the league - in 2006-07.

"It's funny how sports work, isn't it," Bush said. "At the beginning of the season, few would have predicted how it ended. The two-decade championship drought was likely to continue. At least that's what the experts said. There's a lot of experts in life these days. You probably hadn't noticed."

During the Celtics' run to the title, coach Doc Rivers used the word "Ubuntu" - which is African for unity - to describe the team's closeness.

"I appreciate very much the use of the word 'Ubuntu,'" Bush said. "I'm been looking forward to saying that with a Texas accent."

The Celtics begin defense of their title at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 28.

"I wish you well for the very next season," Bush said. "Should you win it, you can find me in Texas."