How far would you walk to watch the Celtics take on the Lakers in the NBA Finals at the TD Garden? For Tyler McGill, it was 200 miles and then some.
According to the Portsmouth Herald, McGill, a resident of Rye, N.H., accepted a bet with his buddies to walk 218 miles from Boston to his friend’s apartment in Manhattan, N.Y., in exchange for second-row seats at midcourt for Game 3 of the NBA Finals at the Garden on Tuesday night.
McGill finished the five-day trek on Sunday night, the same night the Celtics topped the Lakers in Game 2 in L.A. He then returned to Boston on Tuesday night with an hour to spare before Game 3.
The 27-year old McGill, who started his journey last Tuesday, will also be in attendance for Games 4 and Game 5 with his buddies.
Sitting courtside on Tuesday night, McGill did all he could to absorb the moment.
"I would definitely do the whole thing over again," McGill told the Portsmouth Herald. "I would’ve walked to Florida or skateboarded to Alaska for these seats. I didn’t care."
His friends doubted he would collect on the bet.
"They thought I was a heavy underdog to make it to New York," McGill told the Portsmouth Herald. "However, once I got past the first day, they were rooting me on. They wanted the challenge to be hard, which it definitely was, but they were pulling for me as the days went on."
Now that’s dedication.
