How many of you here were/are real boston fans before KG?

[vct33]

I was born in '73 and started rooting for the Celtics in about '79. My older brother was a big Walt Frazier/Knicks fan and he hated the Celtics. I started rooting for them just to be different from him. Coming in right at the start of the Bird Era helped accelerate my fanhood. By the time I was like 10, almost my entire school wardrobe consisted of Celtics gear. When I graduated High School, instead of going to the beach for senior trip, I drove from Ohio to Boston to see the garden (it wasn't even basketball season). I actually talked an employee into letting me on the court to shoot around. Then I left Boston and drove to French Lick to see Larry's house. I ended up meeting his mom and actually played ball on the court in his back yard. I always brag to my friends that I'm one of a very rare group that has made a 3-pt shot on the old parquet and on Larry's private court.

[MyInsatiableOne]

I was born in '73 and started rooting for the Celtics in about '79. My older brother was a big Walt Frazier/Knicks fan and he hated the Celtics. I started rooting for them just to be different from him. Coming in right at the start of the Bird Era helped accelerate my fanhood. By the time I was like 10, almost my entire school wardrobe consisted of Celtics gear. When I graduated High School, instead of going to the beach for senior trip, I drove from Ohio to Boston to see the garden (it wasn't even basketball season). I actually talked an employee into letting me on the court to shoot around. Then I left Boston and drove to French Lick to see Larry's house. I ended up meeting his mom and actually played ball on the court in his back yard. I always brag to my friends that I'm one of a very rare group that has made a 3-pt shot on the old parquet and on Larry's private court.

Dude, awesome! Thanks for sharing this cool story!

[vct33]

Dude, awesome! Thanks for sharing this cool story!

You bet. A lot of cool things happened on that trip and the story of Larry's house is pretty funny. When I finally made it to French Lick, I quickly found Larry Bird Boulevard and me and my buddy took some pictures with the street sign. Then we went to Springs Valley High School which is on Larry Bird Blvd. We made our way to a little diner and asked where we could find Larry's house. He actually lives in the next town over called West Baden. It wasn't hard to find his house. It stood out like a sore thumb. It is a completely gated estate and it had "NO TRESPASSING" signs posted everywhere. However, the driveway gate was open and we took that as an invitation . We went right up to the front door and rang the bell. Larry's mom answered the door and I said, "Hello Georgia, is Larry home?" LOL, the look on her face was priceless. As it turns out Larry was out of town. Bad timing on our part. However, Georgia was very nice and she gave us permission to go down to the court to shoot around and take pictures. We had been shooting around for a few minutes when a blue pickup truck came flying down the driveway towards us. Some guy jumped out and informed us that we were trespassing but I let him know that Georgia had approved. He said he was the gardener but he was acting more like security. I suspect he was a bit of both. He probably was the one who left the gate open to begin with. Anyway, after talking to him for a bit he ended up giving us a full tour of the estate.

We ended up staying at Larry Bird's Boston Connection Hotel in Terre Haute. I still have a drawer full of Larry Bird soap, shampoo, conditioner, hand lotion, pens, pencils, toilet paper etc... I even kept one of my room keys. Room 307 for the record. The only thing I've ever stolen in my life. I didn't feel too bad because I spent like $500 in the gift shop. I made friends with the gift shop manager and asked if they had a mail-order catalog that I could take with me. They were out of them so he took my address and said he'd mail me one. Several months passed and I hadn't received the catalog so I was giving up hope. It finally came and to my amazement it was inscribed on the front with the following message "Dear Vince, thanks for staying at my hotel. I hear you are quite a fan. Larry Bird."

All in all, it was a very memorable trip.

PS - I also kicked off a little piece of parquet while I was shooting at the garden. I guess I'm a vandal and a thief.

[Truthiracy]

Personally, and I think I speak for most when I say this, I was more into the Celtics when they were losing. The pipe dreams of a 2001-2002-2003-2004-2005 championship run, I'll never forget those times!

[Bigmiketruth]

Ha @ the Jiri Welsh jersey, almost as bad as a J.R. jersey

[bruno sundov]

I remember being excited that we got vitaly potapenko. People shavind their heads outside the fleetcenter to look like him. Then we eneded up losing out on Andre Miller because of it and i held it against him. Even though he had nothing to do with it. God we were so bad for so long.

[MyInsatiableOne]

I remember being excited that we got vitaly potapenko. People shavind their heads outside the fleetcenter to look like him. Then we eneded up losing out on Andre Miller because of it and i held it against him. Even though he had nothing to do with it. God we were so bad for so long.

Same here, me and my buddy Jim used to bring this up everytime Pitino did something else stupid!

[Barry Lird]

We ended up staying at Larry Bird's Boston Connection Hotel in Terre Haute.

I went there too, in about 86 or 87. It was pretty cool. Like visiting a shrine

I grew up in LA and was a Lakers fan when West played. I hated the Celts as a kid. I then got stationed at Ft. Devens, Mass back in the late 70s and have been an avid fan ever since.

Have not lived in NE since late 80, but read and saw everything on the Celts all through the glory years, and through the lean ones too. And it was tough getting news not living in NE back then. It was really before the internet, so had to buy USA Today papers, and go to the library to read the Sunday Globe, and subscribe to Celtics Pride magazine. Anyway, they've been a passion since 79.

Had to listen to game 7 of our comeback from being down 3 games to 1 in the ECF against the Sixers in 81 on the radio, while stationed in Panama. Didn't even get to see it on TV til many years later, but it was thrilling hearing it on the radio anyway.

Thank goodness for the internet and League Pass these days. It makes it really easy to be a Celts fan and not living anywhere near New England. I never miss a game. Kind of cool to be able to chat with fellow fans while watching the games too.

I used to post on this forum for a few years under a different screen name. I remember well all the discussion about Ainge and the direction of the team. Seems like a different lifetime almost. It's good to be on top of the basketball world.

LOL at the OP. Bandwagoners my arse.

[MyInsatiableOne]

Great post (and avatar!) Barry Lird!

[giambijuice]

watched russ and satch and kc etc.

[djdjdj28]

Wasn't alive for the glory days but I started watching the celtics when PP and Antoine were running the show