BOSTON — Jae Crowder always will receive a warm reception at TD Garden, and he wants fans to know the love is mutual.
The 29-year-old — who now is on his third team, the Memphis Grizzlies, since being traded in 2017 — made another return to Boston on Wednesday.
Crowder deservedly received a nice ovation from the home crowd during the starting lineup introductions prior to the Celtics’ eventual 119-95 victory over the Grizzlies.
It always seemed Crowder wanted to stay in Boston long term, but the business side of things took over when Danny Ainge moved the forward to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of the package that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston.
So he’s happy whenever he gets to make a return to Boston.
“It’s always good to feel the love from the fans and see familiar faces,” Crowder said after the game. “It is always a good thing to come back here and feel the love, so it is always a good feeling.”
The 2016-17 Celtics, headlined by Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford and Crowder, were one of the most beloved Celtics teams in years. In terms of entertainment and personnel, this current group very well could eventually catch up to that squad in terms of how revered they are in Boston.
So what’s Crowder think about the 2019-20 Celtics?
“These guys are playing really, really good right now and moving the ball well. Everybody is a threat on the court,” Crowder said. “You can tell it is a really good team, they have good camaraderie. Brad (Stevens) is doing a hell of a job. They are moving the ball even though they have so many weapons — I think it is coming together beautifully. It is a tough team obviously, you see what they did to one of the best teams in the league, L.A. They are a tough team to beat especially on their home court. They played well tonight.
“Definitely for sure (there’s a difference in the Celtics’ chemistry this year),” Crowder later said. “These guys are all connected and they look like they are having fun. You can tell by how they play and the way they play. Guys are having fun with it. All guys are touching the ball, all guys are moving well, turning down good shots for great ones. When you see that as a team you have a good thing going.”
Stevens had nothing but good things to say about Crowder, so it’s only positive vibes coming from both parties.
