I'm not in a position to say which building in the NBA is the loudest. I haven't visited every venue, let alone collected multiple samples from each site. But this isn't a comparative exercise. Besides, comparison is the thief of joy. It's often an energy-draining, not infusing practice.
However, I've been at Madison Square Garden on a playoff night when New York Knicks fans entered the building consumed by concern, but left in a euphoric state, thinking about a trip to the Finals and the end of a 32-year championship drought.
I've also been at Crypto.com Arena, the artist formerly known as the Staples Center, as the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers squared off in a matchup showcasing the league's most iconic rivalry.
There have been trips to some of the other candidates that have a compelling case, but at its peak, the loudest venue this author has enjoyed a game from is TD Garden. What separates it is how small the drop is from its peak on a winter weekday against a sub .500 opponent.
If the Celtics are playing on the parquet, their fans are showing up and showing out. The latest example occurred in Boston's regular-season finale against the Orlando Magic.
Celtics fans create unforgettable moment in Boston's finale
The home team entered Sunday's matchup with eight players ruled out. That included the entire starting unit. As Baylor Scheierman said after the game, the hosts would have understood if the building was more vacant than usual.
"I think that's what makes Boston in general super special, is the support we get," said Scheierman after the Celtics pulled off a 113-108 win against a Magic opponent that was 12.5-point favorites. "You could have saw the injury report last night that said a bunch of people was gonna be out, and people could've just not showed up, knowing people weren't gonna play, but the Garden was packed, and it was rocking like it was a must-win game for us. And so, I think that's super special. And we got to give a lot of credit to our fans for coming through and creating that type of atmosphere. And I know that a lot of those guys who haven't got a lot of opportunity like [that], were super grateful for that, that they got an opportunity to play in that type of environment. So, credit to them."
For those whose minutes typically come in the G League and are fighting to earn a spot in the NBA, that experience on the TD Garden parquet was one they'll likely cherish for the rest of their lives.
Feeding off the energy from the home crowd, they channeled that support into a win that could pay dividends for Boston in the postseason.
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