Fan Support Appreciated, Players Realize They Are Lucky

http://bostonherald.com/sports/celtics_nba/boston_celtics/2014/04/fan_support_appreciated_players_realize_they_re_lucky



Fan support appreciated, players realize they’re lucky



Photo by: Christopher Evans (file)

Saturday, April 12, 2014
By:  Steve Bulpett




On Wednesday, they played in Atlanta, where the Hawks were fighting for a playoff berth and where fans fight with empty seats for numerical superiority.

Last week, they were in Washington on the night the Wizards clinched a playoff berth, and the crowd was less than a sellout and less than loud.

But the Celtics, with 55 losses in tow, returned home to a sellout for last night’s visit by the Charlotte Bobcats, a team that trails the C’s 17-10 in the championships-to-years-in-existence count.

The Bobcats are coached by Vermont native Steve Clifford, who is a great guy with a lot of friends. But these weren’t all his people filling the Garden. The Celts sold out the Philadelphia game last Friday and the building will be sold out again for the final game of their season next Wednesday against Washington.

And they appreciate it.

“All day long,” said Rajon Rondo. “Every day of the week.”

The support the Celtics receive would be admirable in its own right. Heading into last night’s game, they were playing to 97.1 percent of their 18,624-seat capacity.

So they were tied for the third-worst record in the league and had the 11th-best attendance relative to their arena size.

Boston can’t promise 70 degrees in January, but it can promise a warm welcome in the Garden.

“I know that would be a big reason why you wouldn’t want to leave a city like Boston,” said Rondo, “because every night, even with the season we’re having, we’re probably still leading the league in attendance or at least up near the top.

“I mean, the fans in Boston, they know the game. You can’t cheat the fans. They know the game. It’s fun to play there. It’s definitely something you appreciate even more once you go on the road and see other teams that have like 6,000 people in the stands. Every night, it’s 18,000 in Boston.

“So you don’t take that for granted,” Rondo said. “I know I don’t. I’ve been in the league for eight years, and in Boston the crowd is consistent. They’re always there.”

It may sound a little sappy, but trust us: this is something that hasn’t gone unnoticed around the league.

Joel Anthony came here from Miami, where the fans are perhaps most noted for walking out early on Game 6 of last year’s NBA Finals and missing the Heat comeback. He didn’t have anything bad to say about the Florida crowds, but he’s not shocked at all by what he’s seen here.

“I’ve known for a while that Boston has had amazing fans, so it’s not surprising,” Anthony said. “It’s amazing to see when you’re playing for them, but we’ve known for years that Boston has an incredible fan base.”

A Montreal native, Anthony had a hockey analogy.

“It’s like with the Canadiens,” he said. “The fans bleed for those teams, and a lot of it is because they’ve been around so long. In hockey, Boston and Montreal have had franchises since the beginning of the league. There’s obviously that long history.”

The Celtics have some, as well, a fact evident just by glancing up at the Garden ceiling.

“We’ve got a lot of history,” said Jared Sullinger. “We’ve got 17 banners up. We’ve got some great players. We’re known for being a sports town.

“I always tell our fans I appreciate them, because they come to every game. It doesn’t change. They come and support us every game.”

Said Brandon Bass, “It’s really a blessing to have fans like we have. They’re always there every night cheering us on, win, lose or draw.

“For other teams, I guess their fans are being the best fans they can possibly be, you know?” he added with a laugh. “I’m just grateful for our fans. And we’ve got fans all across the world.”

Avery Bradley was on board with that.

“Yeah, man, the fans have been great this year,” he said. “They’ve always been great since I’ve been playing for Boston, no matter how we’re playing. They’re always into it, and that’s why we appreciate them so much.

“But, no, I’m not surprised. That’s how the fans are in Boston. They’re just passionate about all their sports. I think no matter who’s on the team or no matter what kind of year the team is having, the fans are going to come out and support.”

The Celtics have been pushing that “no matter what kind of year” envelope a bit this season. But even on a night when the team was finishing its stagger to the draft lottery and the Red Sox were playing the Yankees, the people showed up. Which speaks either to their loyalty or their ability to withstand pain.



bob
Go Celtics.  Go Lucky!





.

I said it Friday night, last Friday game for Celtics and they had a full house or just about.

Never give up on them, they will return! It may take a couple of years but they will be back in the thick. I have been a fan for over fifty years, so I can attest to that.

Rosalie

RosalieTCeltics wrote:I said it Friday night, last Friday game for Celtics and they had a full house or just about.

Never give up on them, they will return! It may take a couple of years but they will be back in the thick. I have been a fan for over fifty years, so I can attest to that.

Rosalie

Wish there was a LIKE button

beat

The Celtics are quite the opposite of the Hawks; the Hawks are playoff bound and you couldn't pay people to go watch them.


KJ

There is just nothing like a Boston crowd.  At least in basketball, basketball and hockey.  Just watch crowds in other cities and revel in the fact that you're a Boston fan.  It has been that way since the late 20s for the Bruins, since the 50s for the Celtics, and since the late 60s (the Impossible Dream Year) for the Red Sox.  I think the Patriots have great crowds, but I don't see them as being any more fervent and knowledgeable than fans in several other NFL cities.  (I'm basing my evaluations on quality not quantity of attendance.)

Sam