Jrue Holiday Impressed By Passionate Celtics Fans In Preseason Opener

Jrue Holiday got his first taste of how intense Boston fans whom he endearingly called “insane” on Wednesday can be in his Celtics preseason debut on Sunday night at TD Garden.

In his preseason debut for the Celtics, Holiday scored six points in 22 minutes off the bench.

“The crowd was crazy,” Holiday told reporters following the game, per team-provided video. “Energy in the building was crazy. … You can feel it from the crowd. You feel they want (a championship) bad. Again, preseason game, it was loud. It was crazy. Even down to the last seconds of the game. You can see how much they’re into it. Definitely a good feeling to have.”

Holiday was acquired by Boston last Sunday in a blockbuster trade that saw the Celtics send Robert Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, a 2024 first-round pick and a 2029 unprotected first-round pick to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for the NBA champion.

The two-time All-Star said that while the whirlwind journey ended with him suiting up for the Celtics, he’s already moved on from the trade and just trying to get acclimated to a new city and teammates.

“I think I’ve over (the trade at this point),” Holiday said. “Just trying to focus on the season, trying to get acclimated and go out there and have fun.”

Holiday said having Kristaps Porzingis in the middle is not only going to open his game up but also Jayson Tatum’s and Jaylen Brown’s. Porzingis scored 17 points in his Celtics preseason debut.

“You have to guard him. If you don’t he’s going to do what he did tonight,” Holiday said. “I think the driving lanes are going to be a lot more open. (Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum) are going to get to the basket easier and it just makes the game easier for everybody.”