The Celtics walked into the TD Garden locker room on Wednesday night to find a big surprise from one of their biggest fans. Or, rather … one of their smallest?
WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, the 5-foot-6 Filipino boxer known as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, delivered a stockpile of autographed boxing gloves to the Garden on Wednesday night. The C's arrived at the arena Wednesday to find an autographed one waiting in each of their lockers.
"Pacquiao's obviously a huge Celtics fan," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who also got a glove. "He tried to get to our shootaround before we played the Lakers [on Feb. 18] and he couldn't make it. So instead he just sent that to us, and it's nice. Good gesture."
The players seemed to enjoy the gloves, but they stopped short of actually pulling them on and using them. Perhaps that's for the best.
"Not on each other," Rivers joked.
Maybe not, but one way or another, the Celtics could use a little extra punch as they head down the home stretch this season. Perhaps the Celtics could find a little inspiration from Pac-Man.
