On Tuesday night, I got to go to the Boston Celtics Opening Night, but it wasn’t just any other opening night. The Celtics were taking on the New York Knicks, and before the game, the Celtics raised banner 18 to the rafters at TD Garden. I was fortunate enough to attend with my father, and I wanted to share my experience in this article. This could be helpful if you haven’t been to TD Garden or are thinking about going to a Celtics game for the first time.
When someone asks where I’m from, I joke with them and tell them that my home is at TD Garden—not because I’m there all the time, but because some of the happiest moments of my life happened there. Moments like Jayson Tatum’s buzzer-beater in Game One of the playoffs with my brother, Game Seven Bruins-Maple Leafs OT goal from David Pastrnak, and seeing Drake live with my best friend. I could go on and on about all the memories I have in that building.
Photo of me before Game 5 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.
Now, to get to TD Garden from Dean, I take the commuter rail from Franklin to Ruggles. Then, when I get to Ruggles, I take the Orange Line and head up to North Station. From there, I meet my father at North Station. I stay in Boston for the night.
If you’re going to TD Garden, my advice is to take the train. Even if you cannot take the Orange Line, you can always take the Green Line in and out of North Station. There are plenty of things you can do before the game. I love going to Faneuil Hall. It is a ten-minute walk from the Garden with restaurants and shops. There are lots of places to eat on Causeway Street, including one of my favorite pizza places, Halftime King of Pizza (Dave Portnoy rated it a 9.2). Not to mention the North End, which is the city's version of “Little Italy.”
The line to get in.
Once I meet up with my father, we walk to the Garden. There was a long line to get into the Garden, but it went by pretty quickly, to my surprise. I got a T-shirt—which by now I probably have over 30 Celtics T-shirts because they always give out shirts. Since my father is a Boston Garden Society member, we get in two hours before game time. Our seats are in the Cross Insurance Boardroom, which is one of the many club seating options they have at TD Garden. The food is always great—it has pizza, appetizers, drinks, dessert, you name it, they have it.
Before the game, I always talk with Rich Lemay, who works for CLNS Media. Rich is a photographer for them and takes photos for both the New England Patriots and the Boston Celtics. I met Rich years ago when we were both trying to get autographs at one of the Celtics games. It is always nice chatting with him.
Me and Rich.
For the banner ceremony, it started at 7:00. Growing up, I always saw the NBA 2K cutscenes of the ring ceremonies, and I thought they were cool. To be in attendance for it was amazing—you see all the phones capturing the moment as, one by one, each player received their ring. To hear the ovation from the crowd is pretty special. Once you see the banner go up, it’s a moment you will never forget.
Boston Celtics 2024 Banner.
As for the game itself, going into it, I thought it would be somewhat competitive. However, the Celtics had different ideas. In the first quarter alone, they went 10-for-16 from the three-point range. By the end of the first half, the score was 74-55 Celtics.
At halftime, I ran into various Celtics superfans. @Greenrunsdeep on Instagram had organized a halftime meet-up. There were probably 30-40 people, including James Stewart, who is the producer for Felger and Mazz on 98.5 the Sports Hub. Fake Jaylen Brown was there, who went viral last year, as well as Caveman on Causeway, who I met at the parade and is one of the many Celtics superfans you will meet. There was also GRD, who I have known since 2017. I didn’t expect that many people to show up for this halftime meet-up.
Me with Caveman on Causeway and GRD
The second half of the game was interesting. While the Celtics were up by 30 points at one point during the game, Al Horford hit a three to tie the record for the most three-pointers by a team in a game. The Milwaukee Bucks held the record with 29 makes in a game back in 2020. The Celtics went on to miss 13 consecutive attempts to break it. In the end, they didn’t break the record, only tying it. However, they picked up the win in dominant fashion, 132-109. Jayson Tatum led the way with 37 points and 10 assists.
On the whole, going to a Celtics or Bruins game at the Garden is always fun. There is plenty to do before the game, and the atmosphere is amazing during the games. Every possession, the crowd is always into it. I’ve been going to Celtics games for years now, and I’ve met some amazing people—it’s always a fun time. If you would like to see more in-person games message me on IG @Harrison.soep. Thank you so much for reading and GO Celtics!
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