The crowd at TD Garden is widely regarded as one of the best and loudest in the NBA, if not among the top in all of sports. They provide an infusion of energy and have willed their team back into games. Some opponents relish playing there. Others shrink.
A defining characteristic of the TD Garden faithful is their unwavering love for the most controllable aspect of a basketball game: effort. You don't have to be the best, and while there is a high standard, you don't even have to win. If it's apparent that you left it all on the parquet, that crowd can make you feel invincible.
On Wednesday, in an NBA Cup contest against the Detroit Pistons, the home fans were thrilled by what they saw from the Boston Celtics.
The hosts were welcoming the top team in the Eastern Conference. The franchise from "The Motor City" entered this once great rivalry with a 15-2 record. Beyond that, they had won 13 straight games. That matched the longest winning streak in Pistons' history.
What the Celtics showcased is that they can play with and beat anyone. Small-ball lineups, featuring Josh Minott or Jordan Walsh at center, relentlessly fought for every defensive rebound. They flew around to challenge shots and limit Detroit's production in the paint.
Derrick White went supernova in the second half. In the final two frames, he matched his season high for a 48-minute contest. He generated 25 of his 27 points after intermission. He buried six of his eight three-point attempts and seven of his 10 field goals.
There was also Baylor Scheierman stepping up against the Pistons' star guard Cade Cunningham. Amari Williams, just called up from the G League, earned rave reviews from Jaylen Brown, stepping up for a team missing starting center Neemias Queta.
It was a total team effort. From the opening tip, the TD Garden faithful expressed their appreciation for that. After Boston's 117-114 win, the Celtics returned the favor.
Celtics' superlative statement about TD Garden crowd
One of the many moments that brought the raucous home crowd to life was when Derrick White, in trademark fashion, sprinted nearly the length of the floor, back-tapping the ball to steal it from Jaden Ivey. He then raced down the other end and lofted a lob to Josh Minott that sent the building into a frenzy.
"Playing in the Garden's always a blessing, especially a game like that, competitive, physical, hustle plays," said White after the victory. "The Garden lives for stuff like that."
Noting how his team fed off the home crowd's fuel, Joe Mazzulla expressed, "I want to thank the Garden for that. They appreciate great basketball."
Jaylen Brown, who led the Celtics in scoring with 33 points, rebounding, grabbing 10 boards, assists, dishing out five, and matching Amari Williams's two rejections for the most blocks on Boston's side of this matchup, declared this the best crowd they've had at TD Garden to start the current campaign.
"This is the best crowd we [have] had all year," stated Brown. "You could feel the energy. You could feel them behind it, and it was great. I love to see it."