It's time for the Garden to step up

[Tai]

4. The household names- Really lets be honest, the name garnett, allen, pierce  is known in almost every New England home now.....5 years ago most people couldnt name 3 people on the celtics. unless you were a real fan of the team. These names got people into the stadium, sold the tickets and left those real fans  on the outside looking in. So from a fans perspective the big 3 trading could be the worst thing for them,  whereas if the team drafted young talent, signed a few key guys and slowly worked their way up into relevance as they did in those early 00's playoff series, then the place would be like it was there because the right people were there.

If someone who went to the game to get drunk or only socialize went cause the Big 3 were there, I question their mental states. They just went cause the Celtics got good. It would be the same even if they had "homegrown" talent and got Banner 17 that way, especially assuming Durant probably woulda been on the team. I mean, everyone else in here says the 07-08 crowds were the best. That's probably because everyone was hungry for a ring, real fans and "bandwagoners" alike. Now, the bandwagoner pool has probably increased to the point that the real fans are being put up on the balcony, maybe.

[openairmovie]

Ok ....Ive held off on saying anything till I saw most peoples opinion on it....so here it is


All of this and last season, I've been irritated by a few things that the team decided to harp on. For some reason in the 07-08 season this wasnt the case, nor in the 06-07 season (That I can remember, I tried drowning most of those memories away)  or seasons prior.

The things I want to NEVER see in the Garden again

1. The Male Cheerleaders- backflips after made free throws? Holding signs saying "Its Jungle Time"  Parading and skipping around the floor area, if I had a BB gun....oh wait I cant say that.  But in all honesty they are annoying, they are in no way a part of the game and I cant think of ANYONE that cares that those baboons are there.

2. The new lucky.....he sucks   he is a glorified male cheerleader when doing his stuff, and when he isnt dancing around  he is nowhere to be found for the most part. I want the old coke sniffing, charity event  ditching   Lucky back,  he was at least cool

3. The socialized drinking-  I know this isnt going to be accepted well but my girlfriend and I dont drink,  just something we both decided on.  But one thing that we've noticed is that the amount of  social drinking that goes on at the Garden now is absurd. Guys take their girlfriends, the girl goes gets here beer then stays in the concourse to talk to people, and then the guy goes and stands out there with her.   Why are you even at the stadium man? Really?   And what I've noticed from about the 3 dozen games I've been to since the Big 3 is most of these guys sitting in my area who are indeed there for the drinking  really arent into the game at all whether its that headache starting to kick in or what .  Have your one or two  and be a part of the game.

I am not sure about some of the other stuff, but I agree with this.  I am fine with people who want to have a few drinks at the game, thats part of the fun.  However, if you are getting up every 10 minutes to get more beer, I have a bit of a problem.

For one, those are the people who spill their beer over everyone, as they are getting back into their row.  

More importantly, as someone who has end seats, it is very annoying when a group of college kids are sitting there, getting up every 10 minutes...each.  But they are not doing it together.  1 person gets up to get beer.  Then their buddy gets up 2 minutes later.  And then the third person.  And then they come back 2 minutes apart.  So when I really should have just had to stand up 2 times, it ends up being 6 times.  

And please, if you spill beer on someone...apologize!

Thats along the lines of what I was trying to say...you just said it better

We were at a regular season vs. pacers game, my girl was sick and we stood in the tunnel to watch  because for some reason being high up in the balc she was getting dizzy...so as I was standing in the tunnel I saw the same group of 3    ,  2 guys and a chick  go in and out of the tunnel to get their beers,  double stacked each trip. It was obnoxious. But to add to it, not only did they get the beers but they had no clue that they walked right in front of us watching the game, stood there and completely blocked our vision of the game.   Cant stand that crap.   And Tai...while you are correct about that,  a good number of the people I've watched in my pre game people watching  adventures at the Garden  have no clue what Paul KG or Ray look like...but they are wearing the jerseys. Its a status symbol now to go to a game. Much like how it is at the Sox

[Chris]

4. The household names- Really lets be honest, the name garnett, allen, pierce  is known in almost every New England home now.....5 years ago most people couldnt name 3 people on the celtics. unless you were a real fan of the team. These names got people into the stadium, sold the tickets and left those real fans  on the outside looking in. So from a fans perspective the big 3 trading could be the worst thing for them,  whereas if the team drafted young talent, signed a few key guys and slowly worked their way up into relevance as they did in those early 00's playoff series, then the place would be like it was there because the right people were there.

If someone who went to the game to get drunk or only socialize went cause the Big 3 were there, I question their mental states. They just went cause the Celtics got good. It would be the same even if they had "homegrown" talent and got Banner 17 that way, especially assuming Durant probably woulda been on the team. I mean, everyone else in here says the 07-08 crowds were the best. That's probably because everyone was hungry for a ring, real fans and "bandwagoners" alike. Now, the bandwagoner pool has probably increased to the point that the real fans are being put up on the balcony, maybe.

I agree.  Its all about winning.  Boston is a frontrunning town, and when its teams do well, it becomes a social event.  It has nothing to do with the "names", it has to do with the fact that the team is relevant because they are good.  

And personally, I would much rather have to deal with some casual fans than losing.

And lets also remember, the reason they have all of these things like the dancers, and jumbotron entertainment is because people stopped showing up when they were losing, so they needed to find a way to fill the place back up.  And casual fans love that stuff.  And honestly, I can't complain about it too much, because it keeps my fiance happy when she goes with me.  

[openairmovie]

4. The household names- Really lets be honest, the name garnett, allen, pierce  is known in almost every New England home now.....5 years ago most people couldnt name 3 people on the celtics. unless you were a real fan of the team. These names got people into the stadium, sold the tickets and left those real fans  on the outside looking in. So from a fans perspective the big 3 trading could be the worst thing for them,  whereas if the team drafted young talent, signed a few key guys and slowly worked their way up into relevance as they did in those early 00's playoff series, then the place would be like it was there because the right people were there.

If someone who went to the game to get drunk or only socialize went cause the Big 3 were there, I question their mental states. They just went cause the Celtics got good. It would be the same even if they had "homegrown" talent and got Banner 17 that way, especially assuming Durant probably woulda been on the team. I mean, everyone else in here says the 07-08 crowds were the best. That's probably because everyone was hungry for a ring, real fans and "bandwagoners" alike. Now, the bandwagoner pool has probably increased to the point that the real fans are being put up on the balcony, maybe.

I can't complain about it too much, because it keeps my fiance happy when she goes with me.  

im with you there...

[muddy02]

4. The household names- Really lets be honest, the name garnett, allen, pierce  is known in almost every New England home now.....5 years ago most people couldnt name 3 people on the celtics. unless you were a real fan of the team. These names got people into the stadium, sold the tickets and left those real fans  on the outside looking in. So from a fans perspective the big 3 trading could be the worst thing for them,  whereas if the team drafted young talent, signed a few key guys and slowly worked their way up into relevance as they did in those early 00's playoff series, then the place would be like it was there because the right people were there.

If someone who went to the game to get drunk or only socialize went cause the Big 3 were there, I question their mental states. They just went cause the Celtics got good. It would be the same even if they had "homegrown" talent and got Banner 17 that way, especially assuming Durant probably woulda been on the team. I mean, everyone else in here says the 07-08 crowds were the best. That's probably because everyone was hungry for a ring, real fans and "bandwagoners" alike. Now, the bandwagoner pool has probably increased to the point that the real fans are being put up on the balcony, maybe.

I agree.  Its all about winning.  Boston is a frontrunning town, and when its teams do well, it becomes a social event.  It has nothing to do with the "names", it has to do with the fact that the team is relevant because they are good. 

And personally, I would much rather have to deal with some casual fans than losing.

And lets also remember, the reason they have all of these things like the dancers, and jumbotron entertainment is because people stopped showing up when they were losing, so they needed to find a way to fill the place back up.  And casual fans love that stuff.  And honestly, I can't complain about it too much, because it keeps my fiance happy when she goes with me. 

Think of it as the beer cup half full:  these guys are pumping beer money into the team so we can pay the luxury tax and hit that free agent market

[Chris]

4. The household names- Really lets be honest, the name garnett, allen, pierce  is known in almost every New England home now.....5 years ago most people couldnt name 3 people on the celtics. unless you were a real fan of the team. These names got people into the stadium, sold the tickets and left those real fans  on the outside looking in. So from a fans perspective the big 3 trading could be the worst thing for them,  whereas if the team drafted young talent, signed a few key guys and slowly worked their way up into relevance as they did in those early 00's playoff series, then the place would be like it was there because the right people were there.

If someone who went to the game to get drunk or only socialize went cause the Big 3 were there, I question their mental states. They just went cause the Celtics got good. It would be the same even if they had "homegrown" talent and got Banner 17 that way, especially assuming Durant probably woulda been on the team. I mean, everyone else in here says the 07-08 crowds were the best. That's probably because everyone was hungry for a ring, real fans and "bandwagoners" alike. Now, the bandwagoner pool has probably increased to the point that the real fans are being put up on the balcony, maybe.

I agree.  Its all about winning.  Boston is a frontrunning town, and when its teams do well, it becomes a social event.  It has nothing to do with the "names", it has to do with the fact that the team is relevant because they are good. 

And personally, I would much rather have to deal with some casual fans than losing.

And lets also remember, the reason they have all of these things like the dancers, and jumbotron entertainment is because people stopped showing up when they were losing, so they needed to find a way to fill the place back up.  And casual fans love that stuff.  And honestly, I can't complain about it too much, because it keeps my fiance happy when she goes with me. 

Think of it as the beer cup half full:  these guys are pumping beer money into the team so we can pay the luxury tax and hit that free agent market

True.  But can't they coordinate to get up the same time as their friends?  Is that too much to ask?

[PierceMVP08]

I would argue that when the team plays aggressive, energetic, focused, and gives 100 percent out there the fans follow suit. I don't buy into the thought that the fans owe the players a rowdy energetic atmosphere. The players owe the fans the energy and effort which automatically brings that out of the crowd. If they come out with no focus or intensity and don't give the effort they should, as we saw many times in the regular season, then they deserve to hear boos instead. Fortunately I don't think this is what you will see out of this team during the playoffs. I do think they were saving themselves in the regular season for good or bad. Please starters. Give us a reason to cheer.

Great crowds are rocking before the tip.  They provide the energy that the team feeds off, consequently the team plays better and the fans get more to cheer about.  Even when the Celtics go on big runs, the crowd doesn't react.  Just look at game 2 against the heat.  It was pathetic.

[PierceMVP08]

Guys, this is very important.

Someone create a facebook group.  Tell Jeff to put this on the front page.  Wake up Bill Simmons.

Our crowd is the only way we can win this series.  Period.  We have to win all three in Boston - I firmly believe that.

We need a crowd like we had in 02 and 03 (I agree those were better crowds than our 2008 crowd sans Game 6 Finals.)

We had all sorts of chants then, everything.  We need chants again.  Bill Simmons suggested chanting New-York-Knicks when LeBron was at the line.  That would be great.

But EVERYONE needs to make noise.  We have 3 days to put to something together.  It is up to us who will be attending games to make noise.  We have a huge impact on the game.

But someone, please, do something.  Get the word out, twitter, facebook, front page here, etc -- WE HAVE TO BE AS LOUD AS EVER, especially for the critical Game 3.

If we have a crowd like Cleveland did, we will lose.  We have to be louder than we were against Miami.  Louder than ever.

I love everything you just said but the only problem is how do we get the info to the people who are actually at the game.  We can post this all over but i feel like 60-70% of people at the games are only there just to be there and don't much follow the team when they're not at the game.  Hence, they won't be reading a Celtics blog or anything.

I completely agree that the crowd could take us to these victories.  Maybe we should create of rules (or guidelines) for proper fan behavior at a game.  My first rule would be "NEVER tell a fellow Celtics fan to sit down!  No one blocks your view at home.  If you dont' want to get up an cheer, your living room is a safer enviroment.

this is why I'm glad I have front row seats

honestly, if everyone else is sitting, you should too - it's ok to try and get everyone else up, that's cool, but if you're the ONLY one up, you look like an idiot and you detract from the experience of others

Way to sound like an elitist jerk.  Congrats on your front row seats.  You have no idea what I was referring too.  I've been to plenty of games, and big games, throughout my life.  I know when to stand and when to sit. When the Celts go on a run, come up with a big defensive play, run a great fast break, I'm going to get out of my seat.  YOU SHOULD TOO!  Don't tell me I look like an idiot because I think you look like a bigger idiot sitting on your hands at the biggest game of the year.  I'm glad we have guys like you all over the Garden ruining the atmoshpere.

[tfwhiteiii]

I'm going to the Garden dressed up as a ghost, hahah.

[BBS]

Everyone sitting behind the baskets need to throw towels in the air when the Cavs are shooting free throws for Danny.

[Mr October]

Everyone sitting behind the baskets need to throw towels in the air when the Cavs are shooting free throws for Danny.

That would be a beautiful sight.

[cdif911]

4. The household names- Really lets be honest, the name garnett, allen, pierce  is known in almost every New England home now.....5 years ago most people couldnt name 3 people on the celtics. unless you were a real fan of the team. These names got people into the stadium, sold the tickets and left those real fans  on the outside looking in. So from a fans perspective the big 3 trading could be the worst thing for them,  whereas if the team drafted young talent, signed a few key guys and slowly worked their way up into relevance as they did in those early 00's playoff series, then the place would be like it was there because the right people were there.

If someone who went to the game to get drunk or only socialize went cause the Big 3 were there, I question their mental states. They just went cause the Celtics got good. It would be the same even if they had "homegrown" talent and got Banner 17 that way, especially assuming Durant probably woulda been on the team. I mean, everyone else in here says the 07-08 crowds were the best. That's probably because everyone was hungry for a ring, real fans and "bandwagoners" alike. Now, the bandwagoner pool has probably increased to the point that the real fans are being put up on the balcony, maybe.

I agree.  Its all about winning.  Boston is a frontrunning town, and when its teams do well, it becomes a social event.  It has nothing to do with the "names", it has to do with the fact that the team is relevant because they are good. 

And personally, I would much rather have to deal with some casual fans than losing.

And lets also remember, the reason they have all of these things like the dancers, and jumbotron entertainment is because people stopped showing up when they were losing, so they needed to find a way to fill the place back up.  And casual fans love that stuff.  And honestly, I can't complain about it too much, because it keeps my fiance happy when she goes with me. 

Think of it as the beer cup half full:  these guys are pumping beer money into the team so we can pay the luxury tax and hit that free agent market

True.  But can't they coordinate to get up the same time as their friends?  Is that too much to ask?

this isn't actually true - all concession stands go to Sinden and the owners of the Bruins/Garden who the Celtics pay rent to....

[Rondo_is_better]

There seems to be a lot of resentment of the upper class in this thread. You guys should realize that getting drunk and arguing with the guy behind you about your standing the whole time makes you look like an asshat. I cheer the whole game, and I'm loud, but I'm not blocking anyone's line of vision and then getting belligerent when they ask me to sit. You can cheer and be active and still be respectful to the people around you.

[cdif911]

There seems to be a lot of resentment of the upper class in this thread. You guys should realize that getting drunk and arguing with the guy behind you about your standing the whole time makes you look like an asshat. I cheer the whole game, and I'm loud, but I'm not blocking anyone's line of vision and then getting belligerent when they ask me to sit. You can cheer and be active and still be respectful to the people around you.

agreed, TP

[openairmovie]

There seems to be a lot of resentment of the upper class in this thread. You guys should realize that getting drunk and arguing with the guy behind you about your standing the whole time makes you look like an asshat. I cheer the whole game, and I'm loud, but I'm not blocking anyone's line of vision and then getting belligerent when they ask me to sit. You can cheer and be active and still be respectful to the people around you.

its not a resentment of the upper class....its the people that think sitting courtside is a status...I sat right front row, right where the tunnel to the celtics locker is, to the point wherE I was seen on TV each time they went in and out of the locker room....loved the seats  but everyone sitting there was SO not into the game....there were enough blackberrys in use to feed a small village for ten years!  If your going to go to the game, sit that close and focus on emailing your co workers or whatever,  give the seats up to a kid that will be wide eyed the entire game and have heart palpations just because he is 50 feet away from Paul Pierce