I wasn't even there and I could feel the power of the crowd last night. That was nuts. I'll let Bob Ryan explain it further:
Garnett thinks he's going to like playing here.Hats off to everyone that was in the crowd last night. You made that game special. Keep it up, it is a special season!
"This place is crazy," he noted. "Tonight was rockin', man. I couldn't even help it. This place was rockin'. Paul [Pierce] told me what it would be like. I got a little taste during the exhibition games, but this was like a playoff atmosphere."
What he may not grasp is that he was the primary reason TD Banknorth Garden was so electric last night. The building's been open for business since 1995, and anyone who goes there regularly knows how few regular-season games have stirred legitimate passion in the joint.
All the booming NBA noise and screaming PA have never been able to masquerade the fact that the honest, spontaneous, Old Garden-style enthusiasm that was so much a part of the Celtic experience for about 30 years has largely been absent. Oh, there's been a lively night here and there, but this place has been reflective of the fact that the Celtics have been a dismal product for far too long.
Now ask yourself: When's the last time there was an unorchestrated, "Let's go, Celtics!" cheer reverberating through the building before the game even began? I think perhaps when Kareem was playing.