This story has been floating around for a couple of days now and I finally have to comment on it. Following the beat down in game one Mike Bibby called out Celtics fans for being fair weather fans. Now I followed the team last season and went to two games - Golden State (the last game Paul Pierce played before sitting down initially) and the double overtime victory against the Timberwolves. The place was packed both times and the Minnesota game was memorable as fans fought over whether we should root for or against Boston. At the same time I know a fair number of people who have jumped back on the bandwagon this year after mocking me for watching every game last season. And there are a lot of New England fans whose devotion goes Red Sox and Patriots in some order and then the Celtics. It's just the way it is. Meanwhile, Hawks fans obviously aren't too involved. But Bibby spent the bulk of his career in Sacramento where the fans are fantastic. At the same time those Kings teams were good. Long story short I'd argue that Bibby is wrong. There is a solid base of die hard Celtics fans that have stuck with this team. This is particularly impressive when it comes to people like myself who were too young to understand the Larry Bird era. What does it mean for tonight? Well Bibby was atrocious in game one, got a mock cheer at one point after finally hitting a shot and even pulled the old "hey everyone I've got an injury" card as he unwrapped his thumb when Mike Woodson mercifully pulled him. I envision some booing in his future.
Hat tip to SLAM ONLINE for the link above.