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Hating teams from Boston has become a popular thing to do over the years, mostly because of all the success the various teams from that city have had but also because of how much Boston fans have enjoyed all of those victories over the years, as well.
But now in the NBA bubble in Orlando something weird is happening – the Boston Celtics are becoming a likable team, much to the dismay of a lot of NBA fans who suddenly kind of don’t mind cheering for – or at least respecting – as they continue their playoff run.
The Celtics, thanks to a red-hot Marcus Smart, went up 2-0 on the Toronto Raptors with a 102-99 victory on Tuesday. A quick Twitter search of “Celtics likable” during and after the game showed a lot of fans of other teams trying to come to terms with their enjoyment of watching this young Celtics team playing fun basketball.
I gotta admit, I’m from Boston and like the Celtics so I might be a little biased here, but the proof is out there on social media – this Celtics team is different than a lot of other Boston teams that have won big games in the past.
An easy reason to cheer for this team is that its young stars are a fun to watch. Jayson Tatum, who had game-high 34 points in Game 2, and Jaylen Brown are absolute ballers who go all out and come up big in big moments. Kemba Walker, who is in his first year with the team, is equally as good and equally as difficult to not like.
Brown has become one of the more inspiring players off the court, too. His activism during the protests before going into the bubble was fantastic to see. He drove 15 hours to Atlanta to take part in a protest march and did his best to help others who were also there spreading important messages. He has also been an important voice inside the bubble, especially in the meetings after the boycotts last week.
Oh, and did you see that video earlier this week of Brown and Enes Kanter teaching Tacko Fall how to swim? It was so great.
I know it’s weird and I know it’s hard for a lot of you, but this Celtics team is really darn likable and you might find yourself enjoying them even more as these playoffs go on.
Though I know a lot of you won’t be too sad if they get knocked out and have their season come to an end.
Tuesday’s biggest winner: The Kansas City Chiefs.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs got their Super Bowl rings during a ceremony Tuesday night at Arrowhead Stadium and these things are beautiful… and they each have 255 diamonds. Wow.
Quick hits: Marcus Smart had fans in awe… NASCAR GIF-by-GIF season recap… Fantasy football advice… And more!
– Marcus Smart hit five straight 3-pointers to start the fourth quarter on Tuesday and he helped lead the Celtics back to a huge 102-99 win over the Raptors and a 2-0 series lead.
– Michelle Martinelli has a very fun gif-by-gif look back at every NASCAR championship contender’s 2020 season.
– Here are eight NFL players, including Rob Gronkowski, who are getting drafted to high in fantasy football drafts.
– Andy Reid hopes the Chiefs’ Super Bowl rings will help him get free cheeseburgers.