Boston sports fans were a huge selling point for Tristan Thompson when he decided to sign with the Celtics this offseason.
He’d seen the packed crowds at TD Garden during playoff games when he was playing against Boston as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers and wanted to be on their good side, but with the COVID-19 pandemic throwing a wrench in things, he hasn’t been able to play in front of 20,000 Celtics fans.
But now that Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker has lifted all COVID-19 restrictions across the state effective May 29, that could change for the center.
“Wearing the Celtics green, I mean it’s like history, it’s pride. This franchise has a lot of history behind it,” Thompson said after practice Monday, per the team.
“Of course, being part of that is definitely an honor. I remember always battling against them and always love playing in the Garden because it’s how the fans are. So that’s what I missed the most and that was a big reason why I wanted to be a part of this team, is because of the fan base and how much they bleed that Green so, they just need some (expletive) fans in the arena, that’s what we need. We need that, I want to experience it — that’s why I came here. So that’s what we need.”
Attendance still will be at just 25% for Games 2 and 3, but Game 4 on Sunday will go to “almost full capacity.”
So, how many games Thompson gets to play in front of a full crowd will depend on if the Celtics can make it more than four games against the Brooklyn Nets.
They play Game 2 on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
