But Wednesday, for the first time since he was a member of the Celtics, he’ll hear his name called as a starter in a city that appreciates him as much as any NBA community cares for any opposing player. “It’s real, genuine love from the first day I got there,” Thomas said. “And then, I went through a real-life situation there that they went through with me, so I think that love is going to be forever. Actually, I know that love is going to be forever. I was only there three years, and you would think I won a championship there how much they love me. … Even on my social media, that’s all it is. That’s forever.”