It’s widely accepted that the Boston Celtics have some of the best fans in the NBA, if not the best. TD Garden is always near capacity, and throughout the regular season, the atmosphere is consistently at a playoff level.
During Joe Mazzulla’s postgame news conference, following Boston’s 129-116 win over the Miami Heat on Friday, Dec. 19, he took a moment to send a message of thanks to Boston’s fans.
“I would say that even when we were 0-3, or whatever the external expectations were, it was always humbling and grateful when everyone showed up to the garden,” Mazzulla said via CLNS Media. “And I think we were 0-3, 3-3, 5-6. Whatever the case was, I always turned to Sam Cassell, and I’m like, ‘man, this place is still packed.’ So, people just appreciate really good basketball, and I think that’s what makes one of the jobs so special, being here, and you always take a chance because of that. There’s a responsibility because of that. So I want to say thanks for that. And then again, I also have the fact that I couldn’t hear in the timeout.”
Coming into the 2025-26 NBA season, Celtics fans knew things weren’t going to be easy. Brad Stevens spent the summer ushering in a retooling phase, as the Celtics looked to trim luxury tax costs and build a younger, more dynamic roster around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Still, Celtics fans have continued to show up. They’re supporting the new, younger additions night in and night out. In return, Boston is defying expectations, boasting 16 wins in 27 games and sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference, just three games behind the New York Knicks, who hold the second seed.
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Until Jayson Tatum returns from his Achilles tendon injury, we won’t know how far off the current Celtics team is from being a contender. However, the fanbase will continue to turn out and tune in as they watch the development of the roster’s young talent..
With that in mind, Celtics fans will get another installment of their team on Saturday, Dec. 20, when they face the Toronto Raptors in what will be the second night of a back-to-back.
Featured image via Jesse Johnson/Imagn Images
