BOSTON — Going into the night, teams were supposed to keep score. But around halfway through the evening, Leon Powe took the microphone: There were some suspicious scoring decisions. Luka Garza agreed. “There were a lot of problems with the scoring,” he said. So, everything ended with a bowl-off.
Each team sent up one kid to take their shot for them. After a couple of zeros on the board, Jordan Walsh’s team was up.
“At the end, his kid stepped up and hit a big shot,” said Garza.
Before Walsh’s team’s turn, nobody had knocked down any pins. It was gutter ball after butter ball. Then, his squad got five.
“Shoutout, Jeremiah,” Walsh said with a smile. “The moment came, there was no pressure, [and] he took advantage. Everybody else felt a little pressure. Jeremiah stepped up like he's the man.”
Jeremiah came out of nowhere.
“It was weird. He didn't even want to bowl,” Walsh said. “He didn't want a bowl at all. I was like, ‘Bro, you got this.’ And he was like, ‘You know what? I'm gonna strike.’ He got five. That was good enough. That's all it took.”
Nobody matched the five pins that Jeremiah hit, and Walsh’s group walked out with victory in hand.
“I’m up 1-0,” said Walsh.
“This hurts the legacy. Hurts bad,” said Garza. “But we'll try to work on it and get better for the future.”
Celtics always ready to show love to the community
It was a Surprise and Dlight event presented by the Celtics and Xfinity. Fifty kids from the Boys & Girls Club of Boston (BGCB) Orchard Gardens’ STEM program and “You Got It Girl” program were in attendance.
Walsh, Garza, Powe, and Neemias Queta took part, bowling, signing autographs, and even enjoying an intense game of Uno with some of the kids. “I was competing,” Walsh said of the card game.
Uno brought out the best (and worst) in the Celtics. Walsh was begging for draw-two cards to prevent the kids from winning, though no one ever actually won the game. “Kind of a questionable ending,” said Garza. “It was kind of just who got the lowest cards.”
Regardless of the outcome, everyone enjoyed the competition. Whether it was Uno or bowling, the smiles never left anyone’s faces, the players included.
“I think it's great,” said Walsh. “I mean, it's not costing anybody here anything. W'ere just here to come out, give support, show love, and make some kids' days. Sign a few autographs, take a few pictures. I feel like there's nothing better to do. If you have time, if you have the resources, you should give back.”
This is Garza’s first season in Boston. He spent one year with the Detroit Pistons and the past three with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but the Celtics community has swept him up.
“This city is amazing. I love it here,” he said. “But it's awesome to see how how the community embraces the Celtics, and it's awesome we have a chance to kind of give back and do the same to them. Their support of us is incredible, but especially with the little kids, looking up to guys in the Celtics, it doesn't matter who you are, just putting that name across the chest, you automatically become a role model.
“So, you have to step into that, and obviously, when you get a chance to interact with them, try to make a positive impact.”
The Celtics make it a priority to integrate themselves in the Boston community. Whether it’s a basketball clinic, a Playbook Initiative workshop, or simply bowling and card games.
Even on their off-day, the Celtics were more than willing to show out.
“I got back to my place at like 2:15 [in the morning],” said Garza. “It was and off-day today, so I slept til like 12. It was a slow morning getting up. Watched Netflix. Got up, honestly, went to Newberry street, walked around, got some food, and then came here.”
“I slept til like, 105:0, 10:30ish,” said Walsh. “Got up, made some breakfast, cleaned my house, and then was just playing the game all day until this.”
It was a no-brainer.
Garza got a taste of the Boston community before he even played a game in a Celtics jersey. He participated in a Jr. Celtics Academy summer camp. Walsh has been a part of plenty of events since getting drafted in 2023.
The team’s efforts to stay ingrained in the community are constant, and everyone does their part.
“If it's something fun like this, like bowling, that's super fun. Who has anything better to be doing right now?” Walsh said. “So, why not be here? I'd be at home playing the game or something. So, coming here and being a part of this is something special, and I would never pass up this opportunity.”