It feels like a lifetime ago that Blake Griffin was suiting up for the Boston Celtics, when in reality, it was just two seasons ago. Simultaneously, it feels odd that Griffin ever wore the green and white. Known for his time with the LA Clippers, Griffin only ended up in Boston as quick stop to end his career.
Griffin gave the Celtics some important spot minutes throughout the 2023-24 season but decided not to come back for a second (despite the pleas of his now-former teammates). Wrapping up his career in Boston gave Griffin some important perspective about his time in the NBA.
And Celtics fans should want to hear it.
Blake Griffin liked Boston better than New York and LA because it was a Celtics town
During a recent appearance on 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony, Griffin spoke about his time in Boston, comparing it to his stints with the Clippers and Brooklyn Nets. (H/t Joey Linn of SI)
“Boston though, man, I loved Boston,” Griffin said. “I love those guys. I was so happy for them when they won. That is a different experience when you’re playing as an opponent, there is one thing you go play there, all those people are rocking with you who used to just be yelling crazy s—t. It's wild. All these people are rocking with you.”
“You got to understand that dude, I played in LA for the Clippers. I played in New York for the Nets. It's a Lakers town. It's a Knicks town. That was the first time I really played for a team where it was like, everybody in that city is rocking with you. I went out to dinner 10 times, no check.”
Obviously, Boston, New York, and LA are three of the biggest sports cities in the United States. However, New York and LA are objectively bigger markets. That is, until you consider that there are two teams in each city.
Griffin experienced the lesser of the two teams in each situation. At the time, the Nets and Clippers were better than the Knicks and Lakers, but that didn’t matter. Since the other two sides are objectively more popular, Griffin never got the experience of being truly beloved in his own city.
Well, until he got to Boston. The Celtics are all Boston has when it comes to basketball. So, even though Griffin wasn’t playing a ton of minutes, it didn’t matter. He was still treated like a king.
All three cities have their advantages, but for Griffin, Boston was just different.