Give Boston Some Credit

As a New Yorker, I really don't like anything about Boston.  As public transportation systems go, the T pales in comparison to the New York City subways.  The sites are pretty much all academic and remind me of my fifth grade overnight trip (which, admittedly, was a huge deal at the time).  Things close too early at night, the weather's too harsh and cold and, perhaps worst of all, you constantly run the risk of bumping into kids from Harvard or MIT.  Combine all of these factors with the fact that you're always surrounded by Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics fans, and it's pretty much the most miserable place on Earth for a New Yorker.  I mean, if you ask someone in Boston where to get a good bagel they'll send you to some place called Finagle a Bagel.  Seriously.  

Every once in a while, though, I have to give the city of Boston credit where credit is due. While Boston sports fans might be annoying, overconfident and speak with a ridiculous accent, they do love their teams. On Thursday night, with the Celtics getting crushed by 20+ by Miami, the Boston home crowd got a thunderous "Let's Go Celtics" chant going, energizing the team in preparation for Game 7 in Miami on Saturday night. As much as I love the Knicks and their fans, I can admit that Madison Square Garden would have been empty by this point in the game had New York been down 21 to LeBron & Co. Watch the video below and tell me it's not one of the more impressive fan-related things you've seen in a while.



Part of what makes the MLB, NBA and NHL playoffs great (as opposed to the NFL or NCAA basketball) is the series structure.  While the one-and-done nature of the NFL playoffs and March Madness is incredibly exciting, you don't get the opportunity for stuff like this in those sports.  In the NBA, one loss (usually) doesn't mean the end of the season, and it's up to the players to shake off an ugly loss (and Boston's Game 6 was certainly ugly) and get ready to win the next one.  Had I not seen the video above and only heard the final score, I would have said with confidence that the Celtics would get smacked around by the Heat in Game 7.  Now after seeing this?  I'm not so sure.

I spend a fair amount of time thinking about what players "owe" their fans.  At the end of the day, we all know sports is a business and that most of the athletes are playing more for the paycheck and the popularity than for their city or their fans.  The relationship between player and fan is one of employee and customer, and rarely much more.  But I think if I were sitting on the Celtics bench listening to this chant at the end of an utterly terrible game, I'd be really fired up for a chance at redemption in Game 7.  I don't know if the Celtics players will show up in force on Saturday night, but after seeing this video I'm pretty confident that the Celtics fans will.