If you’re here, you’ve already been bitten by the NBA bug. The symptoms are easily identifiable. We start by watching games at 3 a.m., and end up on a plane to Boston to make our dream come true. That’s good, today we’re escaping to Beantown with Hellotickets. No 3-day visit program but rather atmospheres and places, to make you feel a little of the smell of the home of the Celtics in the NBA without experiencing jetlag… for the moment. Meet at boarding gate L33!
The NBA player who symbolizes Boston: Bill Russell
He is quite simply the greatest champion in the history of the NBA, and quite naturally the greatest player in the history of the Boston Celtics, one of the most legendary franchises in American sport.
Bill Russell won… 11 championship rings (NBA record) under the green tunic of Boston between 1957 and 1969. 11, including the last two as player-coach. He was voted NBA MVP five times during that time and was also the league’s most fearsome defensive force at the time. In summary: Russell is synonymous with the Celtics.
But Bill Russell is not just the leader of the Boston dynasty of the 1960s. Bill Russell is also and above all a man who was very involved in the American civil rights movement, at a time when he had to fight daily against racism from many Boston fans and journalists. He defended the rights of the African-American community as proudly in the streets as the Celtics colors did on the floor, making him one of the greatest faces of American basketball.
As a symbol, after his death in 2022, his number 6 was retired throughout the NBA (a first in the League) to honor his legacy on and off the court. The Finals MVP trophy also bears his name, what could be more normal for the greatest all-time champion. Finally, if you ever walk in front of Boston Town Hall, you will see a statue of Bill Russell.
Immortal!
The NBA hall in Boston: TD Garden
The Boston Celtics have played at TD Garden – located on Legends Way – since the mid-1990s. This room perhaps does not have the prestige of the legendary Boston Garden, former garden of the legendary Celtics of Bill Russell (1960s) then those by Larry Bird (1980s), but she has been able to write her own story over the last three decades.
It was at TD Garden that the Celtics won their last NBA title. It was in 2008 with the trio Paul Pierce – Kevin Garnett – Ray Allen, against the historic rival called Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics Big Three version returned to the Finals two years later, still facing the Lakers of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, but with a defeat at the end this time.
C’s fans will then have to wait twelve years, until 2022, to rediscover the atmosphere of the Finals with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Co. However, following the defeat against Golden State, banner #18 is still waiting to be unveiled among all the others.
Great regulars in the NBA Playoffs, the Celtics can count on a loyal and passionate audience (18,600 fans) inside the TD Garden. So if you want to discover the atmosphere of one of the hottest rooms in the NBA, the Hellotickets platform allows you to buy tickets to see the Celtics on a 100% secure site and entirely in French. The view of the seat is even offered to choose your location and the tickets are digitalized to avoid hassle when sending.
Boston monuments not to be missed for basketball fans:
Larry Bird’s memorial plaque: with Bill Russell and former coach Red Auerbach, Larry Bird is obviously the other great legend of the Boston Celtics. Although he does not have a statue in Boston (he has one at Indiana State University), Larry Legend is still immortalized in Beantown through a commemorative plaque. On this one, we find Bird’s magnificent track record and… a pair of Converse. The plaque is located at 1 Faneuil Hall Market Place.
The statue of Red Auerbach: right next to the plaque dedicated to Larry Bird, we find the statue of Red Auerbach, legendary coach (1950-66) then manager (1966-2006) of the Celtics. You will be able to sit next to him, Red being quietly placed on his bench (sidelines) with his famous cigar in his right hand, and his game book in his left hand.
Matthews Arena : the name of this room may not mean anything to you. It has barely 5,000 seats and is occupied by Northeastern University. But Matthews Arena, formerly Boston Arena, is a historic venue. It is in fact the oldest sports arena in the world among those still in use. It opened in 1910 (!) and was the home of the Boston Celtics between 1946 and 1955.
Mission Hill Playground : If you are going to Boston and want to play a little basketball during your stay, Mission Hill Playground is the right place for you. Not only have the fields been recently renovated with shades of blue on the ground which look great, but the playground is located just behind the Notre Dame Basilica in Boston. This provides a sumptuous setting for testing the orange ball.
Le Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame : An hour and a half drive away, in the town of Springfield, Massachusetts, is the Hall of Fame of the Big Orange Ball. An entire museum dedicated to our sport with thousands of jerseys, shoes and objects that belonged to the greatest all-time players and obviously a bunch of Boston legends starting with Bill Russell. It would be a shame to miss this, right?
Professional sports franchises in Boston:
- Boston Celtics (NBA)
- Boston Red Sox (MLB)
- Boston Bruins (NHL)
- New England Patriots (NFL)
- New England Revolution (MLS)
If Boston is sometimes considered the greatest sports city in the United States, it is because it has legendary franchises in all US sports. Franchises that have built their prestige through numerous titles and great rivalries, thus nourishing the limitless passion of Boston fans.
While the Celtics hold the local record with 17 championship banners, the New England Patriots are the NFL franchise that has won the most Super Bowls (tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers). 6 titles between 2001 and 2018, under the Tom Brady – Bill Belichick dynasty.
The Boston Red Sox, historic rivals of the legendary New York Yankees, have 9 World Series to their name, third highest total in MLB. Under the leadership of David “Big Papi” Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia in particular, they have won four over the last twenty years, after… 86 years of drought (“The Curse of Bambino”).
As for the Boston Bruins, the city’s hockey team and oldest NHL franchise based in the USA, they have won the Stanley Cup 6 times. The Bruins notably triumphed in the early 1970s with the great Bobby Orr, and were brilliantly represented by the legendary Ray Bourque for… 21 seasons (1979-2001).
All this to say that there is more than just basketball in Boston.
If you want to watch a Bruins game, it’s also happening at TD Garden between October and April, like the Celtics. The Red Sox play – from the end of March to the beginning of October – in the legendary Fenway Park (located on Jersey Street), dating from 1912 and the oldest MLB stadium. To watch the New England Patriots between September and early January, you will have to leave the borders of Boston since the Pats play at Gilette Stadium in Foxborough, about thirty kilometers from Beantown.
Les “must-see” de Boston :
An American city with European influences, Boston offers the perfect balance between the two continents. For entertainment, it is mainly sport that we will have to turn to. The Boston public is known as one of the hottest (and most chauvinistic) audiences in the country. You only have to look at the track record of the city’s different franchises to understand that Beantown is above all a sports city. Fortunately, other places are still worth a detour during your visit to the capital of Massachusetts (with four S’s and two T’s).
Boston is famous for the quality of its higher education, starting with Harvard University and MIT. Like all American university campuses, these brain magnets are open to the public all year round and you can also opt to an accompanied visit. If you don’t come across Mark Zuckerberg and Jeremy Lin who have already completed their studies, you might come across the next successful American entrepreneur or a future Nobel Prize winner without knowing it at the corner of a corridor.
The Freedom Trail is a four-kilometer walk that allows you to discover the city’s main monuments such as King’s Chapel, the Old State House and the Massachusetts State House. With its red line drawn on the ground, it is impossible to miss it and it is one of the must-sees during a stay in Boston.
With its golden dome, the Massachusetts State Capitol is the most photogenic building in Boston. It is located in the Beacon Hill district with its red brick terraced houses which sometimes make us doubt whether the plane really crossed the Atlantic Ocean or whether we are in England. Not far away, Boston Common is the oldest public park in the country.
Boston’s cultural references
Let’s talk little, talk well. It is inconceivable to leave Boston without having tasted a lobster roll. Little recce of the house? At Pauli’s, 10 minutes walk from TD Garden. Ideal for debriefing and treating your taste buds after a Celtics match.
For movie buffs who want to get into the atmosphere of the city, The Social Network retraces the beginnings of Facebook, created between two classes at Harvard University by a group of students including Mark Zuckerberg. Lovers of words will be delighted to know that Goodwill Hunting also takes place in Beantown just like the thrillers Mystic River and Spotlight.
How not to mention the Boston Marathon which brings together nearly 30,000 athletes each year. Even when it comes to culture, we often come back to sport. Unfortunately, this global sporting event was also marked by a double attack on April 15, 2013. The film Boston Hunt and the docuseries American Manhunt available on Netflix look back on these tragic events.
And to end with a big banger, the excellent film The Town by Ben Affleck also takes place in the streets of Boston with a legendary scene in the Red Sox den, at Fenway Park. A good action film with heists in all directions and nun masks, everything we love for a Saturday evening while waiting for the night’s NBA games.
Some images from Boston… to warm up before the big departure?
2024-05-21 13:04:00
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