The Boston Celtics have been a tough customer for each team they’ve faced this postseason, and they’ve been particularly difficult at TD Garden.
Entering Wednesday night, the C’s are 9-0 at home, with three of those wins coming against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
And while Sixers star Joel Embiid tried to assert that Celtics fans weren’t really that loud, veteran J.J. Redick is singing a far different tune. In fact, Redick revealed on the Bill Simmons Podcast that every member of his team said the Garden was the loudest place they’ve ever played.
“They’re unruly,” Redick said of Celtics fans. “Every guy on our team afterward was like that’s the loudest place that they’ve ever played. I was a little worried, I can’t remember if it was Game 1 or 2, it might have been both of them but they were later games, I think they were 8:30 starts. And I was like, ‘Oh man this is three and a half hours of drinking when these guys get off work and come to the game, like that worries me, they’re going to be extra loud.’
“My parents were at Game 5 and I went and saw them after the game before we got on the plane, and my mom was like that’s the loudest arena I’ve ever been in. And she’s been in some pretty incredible arenas, including Cameron Indoor Stadium for some pretty big time Duke games. So for her to say that, it’s the truth. Their fans are nuts.”
Certainly some pretty high praise from a guy who has played on a slew of big stages over all levels during his career.
And now more than ever, the Celtics need their home crowd behind them. Boston will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals with the series even, and should the series go to seven games, they’ll have another chance to take the parquet floor.
