The New England Patriots reached their ninth Super Bowl in franchise history after their 36-17 rout of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Those nine Super Bowl appearances are an NFL record, and the Patriots’ greatness has other Boston sports franchises pulling for them to capture their fifth Lombardi Trophy, especially the Boston Celtics.
Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas, who is a Seattle Seahawks fan and Tacoma, Wash. native, has split his fan hood between the Seahawks and Patriots since he met quarterback Tom Brady last summer while the two were recruiting then-free agent Kevin Durant to join the C’s.
The two Boston sports stars now “frequently exchange text messages” and the C’s point guard told the media on Monday that the Patriots set the bar for the Celtics.
“It’s amazing. They’re the team you want to be,” Thomas told reporters. “Every year they give themselves a chance. From top to bottom, they are 100 percent professional and they think championship every year. And that’s how we should be.”
“We want to model that. And hopefully they can go out there and win it, and then we can try and piggyback on what they do.”
Thomas showed up to the Patriots’ AFC divisional-round matchup against the Texans wearing a Tom Brady jersey but didn’t make the trek to Gillette Stadium for the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.
While there is no doubt who Thomas will be cheering for on Feb. 5, his teammate Jae Crowder might have a more difficult time picking a side. Crowder, a Georgia native and Falcons fan, has also become a member of Patriots Nation thanks to his friendship with Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount.
“I’m torn in between the two, to be honest with you,” Crowder told reporters. “I’ve been cheering for the Falcons all my life. I’m here in Boston; I’ve been a Patriots fan. Blount texted me last night, he knows I’m in between.”
The Celtics currently are in third place in the Eastern Conference as the NBA season heads toward the All-Star break.
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
