Along 2 miles of cheers & confetti, Celtics gave Boston a reason to revel once more
"When I came here eight years ago, this is what I envisioned."
Al Horford couldn’t mask his smile on Thursday as a swarm of green amassed in front of Raising Cane’s on Boylston Street.
The 38-year-old center expected Celtics fans to show out for his promotional visit to the fast-food joint. But to duck and weave through a raucous crowd gathered outside the fried-chicken chain and jump into a waiting van — à la The Beatles from early ‘60s?
Well, it didn’t come as much of a surprise to the veteran big man. After all, things are just different here.
“When I came here eight years ago, this is what I envisioned,” Horford acknowledged.
Just a day later, the decibel level on Boylston was understandably even louder as Horford and the rest of his teammates basked in the cacophony of cheers that reverberated from TD Garden down to the Boston Marathon finish line.
Friday’s parade in honor of the Celtics’ record-setting 18th NBA title marked the 13th championship cavalcade down Boylston since 2000. But one would be hard-pressed to discern any semblance of fatigue or apathy in a city whose identity is rooted in sports — and especially the bragging rights that come with being the last team standing.
Long before the confetti first rained down onto the parquet floor at TD Garden on Monday night, the 2023-24 Celtics crafted a slogan that carried through the entire season: Different Here.
That mantra was put on full display Friday as the Celtics planted themselves atop the iconic duck boats and meandered from Causeway Street to Boylston.
Two hours before Boston’s fleet of amphibious vehicles exited the Garden, both sides of Causeway were filled with fans — trading chants of “Boston!” and “Celtics!” in a verbal tug-of-war.
By the time the first horns of the duck boats blared and the confetti streamed onto a sea of green, the party was self-sustaining.
With every turn that the Celtics’ caravan of champions made onto a new street, a Boston crowd relishing a sought-after title seemed to swell. “Believe in Boston” and Dominican Republic flags — a tribute to Horford — were draped over the iron barriers siphoning a riled-up crowd away from the chugging vehicles.
Those barriers did little to dissuade the Celtics from sharing in the revelry with their fans, with Tatum at one point spraying champagne onto the crowd on Staniford Street.
As the parade marched past City Hall and traversed onto Tremont, the crowd grew to 10 rows deep on both sides.
Young fans — basking in their first Celtics championship — sat on shoulders in search of a better view.
Older spectators — seasoned at this point by multiple titles and perhaps further spurred by a steady stream of libations — clasped themselves to light posts and parked themselves atop bus stop shelters for an unobstructed vantage point.
In fitting Boston fashion, the posters and photos littered across the parade route were rife with braggadocious claims and dry humor.
“What they gon’ say now?” one sign read.
“You wanted Boston?” another declared.
One sign, featuring Derrick White’s shattered smile after Game 5, read: “That ChampionCHIP Feeling”
“Horford Para Presidente”
“Deuce has more rings than Embiid”
The list went on and on.
The roar of the crowd only grew louder as the parade neared its end by Copley Square, with the cheers continuing to echo down Boylston even as the newly crowned Celtics exited the route just past Hynes Convention Center.
Perhaps the five-year “drought” between titles in Boston spurred Friday’s wild festivities. Maybe it was the validation found in seeing Celtics stalwarts like Tatum, Brown, Horford, and others finally reach the summit.
Or maybe it’s just what this city does, especially when there’s another banner set to be raised.
As the media exited the parade trucks just past Hereford Street, one poster stood out among the rest.
“Banner 19, please?”
The Celtics would be happy to oblige.
And a city back on top of the sports world will be ready to meet the moment once again.
Different here, no doubt.
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