The Greatest Show On Earth

Despite the title, this post has nothing to do with a circus, at least not in the traditional sense. Instead, I'll be talking about the 'circus' I attended last night: Game 3 at the Boston Garden. Every single time I go to a Celtics game I'm left speechless by certain things I see. I feel selfish keeping all of these things to myself, so it's time to share with our loyal Takeover readers. Please note that even if you don't like hoops, you will LOVE this post because it's all about awesome and/or insane people in the general public.

Ready? Ok.

First of all, the fans in Boston are either awesome or obnoxious. And in some cases, they are both.And the experience at the Garden is always full of notable characters and situations.  Here are some pictures I snapped and some commentary about why a Celtics game is much like a circus.

1. Yup! You can actually BUY these giant heads at http://www.bigmugg.com/. I'm getting one ASAP. This couple was awesome. They were such great sports too, posing for pictures with people! I actually got my picture taken with a kid wearing a Shaq BigMugg. It was awesome. But if I showed you, I'd have to kill you.

2. Now, I've never been to another arena, so I don't know what happens elsewhere. I do know that in Boston, the Jumbotron is a source of endless entertainment, even when the game isn't going our way.  In addition to shout outs like the one pictured above, all sorts of awesome fans are showcased up there. BigMugg Mike and Tommy, for example. Even more entertaining are the shots of insane dancing fans played up there throughout the games or people who have no idea they're up there when they are. How about an Eddie Money look a like wearing a sports coat with NO shirt under it dancing as though he was having a seizure? That was awesome. Unfortunately, the picture came out blurry. Sorry!

3. Verbally abusive fans are the best. Boston's fans are the most verbally abusive ones ever. From what I've seen over 8 years as a season ticket holder, Boston would definitely win that award if the league was handing it out. Boston fans have been called classless for years, especially after some showed up wearing 'blood' covered wife beater T-shirts or signs declaring "Hey Kidd, this wife beater's for you" when the Celtics faced the Nets in the ECF's in 2002. I've heard older players harassed mercilessly with comments about nursing homes, walkers, wheelchairs, etc and when the C's used to play the Pacers, signs stating "Someone give Reggie Miller a protein shake" were not uncommon. Some fans are so sharp I don't even know where they come up with this stuff.  Profanity isn't cool because although I find it hilarious,  peeps pay good money to go to these games without having to be exposed to that. (Also, children should never have to be exposed to that). Some of the best in my area during Game 3:
 -"I'm going to punch you in the mouth"-Directed towards referee #26 who was hosing the C's at every chance he got.
-"Hey Lebronnnnnnnnnnnnnnn, you are a LOT like Judas, a LOTTTTTTTTTTT"-Directed towards Lebron during a break in the action. This dude was sitting just a row in front of us on the floor and he was remarkable. He also believed that throwing his green rally towel in the air would result in the Heat missing ALL of their free throw shots.
-"DWade Sucks"-Obviously directed at D-Wade when he 'helped' Rondo dislocate his elbow. There's nothing like 18,000 fans screaming this at a pivotal moment in the game.
-The "BOOS" heard round the world. I've NEVER heard ANYONE booed with more fervor and a louder volume than the Heat's starting lineup was last night.
-There were also random shouts directed towards Baby Bron Bron about him mom and Delonte West. "Lebron, how's your mother?", etc.  Those are always classic. Instant comedy.
So many others, so little blogging time...

4. Mascots. So, not only do we have Lucky the Leprechaun (and thank GOD the current incarnation is MUCH less creepy and cooler than the 'little man'/possible Level 1 Sex Offender before him), but we also have an unofficial mascot named "Aztec Gino" who is at EVERY SINGLE game. This dude also shows up at Red Sox games, on Boston radio stations, etc. I don't know what his deal is except that he's awesome. And yes, he is dressed like this every single game. I went to a game in the dead of winter once and he was wandering around outside in JUST this. No coat, no nothing. Now that's gangsta.
 

My picture wasn't good, so I had to find this one online.

So Lucky and Gino are fixtures at the games, no shock there. Lucky is paid, A.G. does it simply the love of the game because, the NBA? It's a hell of a drug.  However, last night, God proved that He really loved me by placing this very special man in our section who very clearly was on one hell of a drug:

"Say it loud, I'm a C's fan and I'm proud!"

Yup! "Belize it or not" with an "18" in the middle. I've got nothing else to say.

 I don't know who he is, or what he is, and I've NEVER seen him there before. But he was awesome, and I've named him "Blucky the Bleprechaun". (Black Lucky the Black Leprechaun). Dude was dancing around, high as a kite, the ENTIRE time! His eyes were completely glazed over. I tried to get better pics, but he moved more quickly than my camera could capture. At one point, he and Lucky (White Lucky) even teamed up for a performance. Thank God Blucky didn't think he could do back flips or else it may have ended tragically. Bonus: When they started playing Bob Marley at the end of the game, this man was literally in Heaven, swaying back and forth, pointing to the sky. I'm hoping he starts showing up a LOT more often next season, I want to be best friends with him.

5. Asians. Don't get me wrong. I am not saying this in a racist way. I'm giving Asians (at least the ones who were at last night's game) props for being AWESOME. If you need proof read and see below:

Ah, Ray Arren and Kevin Garnett, I love you long time!

Halftime show? Asian woman on a unicycle catching plates on her head! All I can say is show me a white girl with that kind of talent.....ok, didn't think so....I wouldn't be surprised if this woman does perform in a circus somewhere.

And finally, I was unable to capture a picture of this, but it was my favorite. During the game, two signs kept being shown on the Jumbotron. We couldn't see the people as the signs were huge and held in front of their faces. One said "LAKER CAN'T" and the other, held next to it, said "BUT WE CAN". Yup, LAKER can't, not a typo. So, I was wondering why there wasn't an "S" at the end. I wonder this for about 40 out of 48 minutes. Well, the last time they were seen on the screen, I noticed that Asian people were holding them. Awesome. These people make everything THAT much better! They made the Celtics victory even sweeter and, had they lost, they would have taken some of the sting away just by their very presence.

There are plenty of other things as well, but this post is far too long, so I will stop here. Hopefully you enjoyed reading nevertheless. I know that all of these things make it much easier to pay $25 to park,  $5.50 for a pretzel with cheese, and $4 for a kid sized soda.

-KC Jones

Oh What a Night!!

*Ok, so I have a serious post about the Celtics. Serious is something we don't do very often here at "The Takeover". Stay tuned for a more typical post following this one.

When Mr. KC Jones and I headed into Boston last night to see Game 3 of the Celtics/Heat series, I'll admit, I was nervous. Truthfully, after the disasters we witnessed in Games 1 & 2, I can't say that I would have been shocked by another collapse in Game 3. Not because the C's aren't great, but because they are tired, their starters are older and injured, and about half of the roster is completely inexperienced in these situations (thanks Danny Ainge). Anyway, all I knew is that I would have been happy with a 1 point win, in double overtime if that's what it took.

But from the second we entered the Garden (despite looking like drown rats due to downpours), you could feel it was going to be an outstanding night for the boys in green. Now, you all know how the game went, so I don't need to get into it. The Celtics brought it, and they brought it big time. It was a totally different team compared to the one that showed up in Game 2. They played like men possessed, realizing the importance of the task at hand. With an immeasurable amount of passion, determination, and stifling defense (the final score reflected that as the C's were able to hold the Heat to 81 points in 48 minutes), the Celtics put the Heat back in their place and I can guarantee that they will feed off this energy for the rest of the series, and they will emerge victorious.

 Consider what happened: They were down 0-2 and could have folded easily because they truly do have every excuse in the book. Fortunately for Boston fans, they don't use excuses. Shaq returned, and despite injury and age, he was all in. His numbers weren't great, but his presence was. It's the intangibles, which are all too frequently overlooked in sports. Once again, the Celtics were victims of the worst refs in ALL of professional sports. Then, the unthinkable, Rondo's elbow was dislocated with a little help from D-Bag (aka DWade). We were pretty sure that was the end of him for the series, and we KNEW it was the end of him for the night. Guess we don't know anything at all though, because he returned, playing using only ONE ARM...and doing it well, along with a guarantee he WILL be playing on Monday night as well!

So, for all the ribbing I take from Big Ran and others for being a sports bigamist, etc, I just want to end this post by saying the Celtics deserve respect. Like them or not, they are unbelievably hard workers, and, in the words of Tony Allen, they 'nerquit'.  This doesn't mean I don't love my Spurs. This doesn't mean I don't love other players on other teams and love the league in general. But, what it does mean is that the Celtics are where my heart is.

-KC Jones