"Confidence is high!": Celtics fans celebrate Game 6 win over 76ers
BOSTON - The Celtics live to play another day after defeating the 76ers in a pivotal Game 6 in the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals. The victory came down to the final minutes, and left fans sweating.
"Confidence is high! The boys always come through," says Celtics fan Rachael Bellwood, "We are Boston. We got a lot of titles. We will get more."
The Celtics faithful packed into bars outside the TD Garden, despite the game being played in Philadelphia. Fans we spoke with were cautiously optimistic before the game. They already saw the Bruins make an early playoff exit and feared the C's would suffer the same fate. After the game ended in a win, fans faced a wide range of emotions.
"I'm stunned. I felt like they had us, and then Jayson Tatum truly came out and wowed," exclaimed Aaron Fatato after watching the game in a bar.
"We are going to come home, and we are going to move on and regroup. I'll feel confident," answered Jordan Diamond. He specifically planned his attire for Game 6, "I'm not wearing a Celtics shirt because when I wear one, they lose, so I won't wear one, so they win tonight."
Speaking of superstitions, Scores is a new bar near the Garden that officially opened its doors shortly before tip-off of Game 5. They are housed in the space that used to be The Fours. After Tuesday's loss, they were trying to keep from becoming a curse. Thankfully, the Celtics saved them.
"No way! No way! Not in this legendary building! we have a lot to live up to being the old Fours," laughed Scores General Manager John Daly when asked about a curse, "Give all the good juju to the Celtics for sure!"
For Garden area businesses, their success is directly tied to these teams. Dana Rosenblatt owns Sullivan's Tap and Scores next door.
"I try not to put too much into these games, but the Bruins loss was a killer. I was violently irate. It was terrible," joked Rosenblatt.
The Celtics will host the 76ers in Game 7 at the Garden on Sunday.