NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
From my seat in press row at TD Garden, you can see the entire arena. The benches, the matchups, the way a possession starts to form before it fully develops. It’s a different way of watching the game, a little more removed than being down by the railing before tip, where everyone is leaning forward trying to catch a glimpse of warmups or an autograph from their favorite player.
My view for Game 5.
Just a few hours earlier, that’s where I was, moving along the baseline and talking to whoever had gotten there early enough to be close to the action. Different groups, different ages, different reasons for being here, but the conversations started to reveal similar themes after a while. Some people were born into loving this team. Some picked it up along the way. Some had a specific player that pulled them in. Others couldn’t really explain it beyond the fact that it stuck.
Advertisement
Now they’re all somewhere in the building, scattered across different sections, watching the same game unfold.
Everyone gets here a different way
About 45 minutes before tip, I had stopped near the sideline and talked to a father and his son, both born and raised in Boston. The father didn’t hesitate when I asked how long he’d been a fan. “I’m 42,” he said. “So we can say 42 years.” His 13-year-old son followed right behind him with same answer in his own way. “You were born into it,” his dad said, smiling. That part didn’t need much explaining.
The kid was wearing a Tatum jersey, but it didn’t stop there. He lifted it to show the Tatum shirt underneath. Tatum socks. Tatum sneakers (“The new 4s”, he told me, a non-sneakerhead who still wanted him to think I knew and loved them). His dad laughed and said it didn’t matter the time of year or the time of day, he was probably wearing something with Tatum on it.
Advertisement
When I asked what stood out about this team, they answered right away. “We’re so deep,” he said. “Every single person that comes onto the floor can score, they can defend.” His son nodded. Same answer.
Early on, it didn’t look like that depth was going to matter. The Celtics…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/magic-game-5-didn-t-094900807.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-04-29 09:49:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
