Celtics Fans Were A Little Too Nice To Dwyane Wade
By Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Dwyane Wade received a hero's farewell in Boston on Monday night, during what will likely be his final game at TD Garden. It was a little too much for someone who was once one of the biggest enemies of the Celtics.
Wade is retiring after this season and enjoying a grand sendoff wherever he visits. The future Hall of Famer was honored by the Celtics organization before the game, with president of basketball ops. Danny Ainge giving him a plaque that included a piece of the 2008 parquet floor and a picture of Wade.
"Thank you for your amazing career and inspiration. We've all benefited from it," Ainge told Wade. "You've been a remarkable player. We've had some good battles."
Ainge even joked with Wade after giving him the gift: "I now forgive you for messing up Rondo's elbow."
Whoa, whoa, whoa, Danny. Honoring a future Hall of Famer for a great career is one thing. Forgiving Wade for ripping Rajon Rondo's elbow out of its socket in the 2011 Eastern Conference Semifinals? Heck no!
That is really the one play Celtics fans should remember from all of Wade's battles with the Celtics, and it is the perfect summation of Wade's career; a great player who did some pretty dirty stuff on the floor.
That's why it was a little puzzling when Wade received applause not just for entering the game in the first quarter, but most times he touched the ball. Yes, Celtics fans love to cheer for just about anyone. But if a player is an enemy of the state, they usually hear it loud and proud. That should have been the reaction to Wade the rest of the way.
This was a guy who, yes, had many great battles with the Celtics, but also had a hand in ending the KG-Paul Pierce-Ray Allen Big 3 in Boston. He was a third of the Miami Big 3 that won not one, but two NBA championships in the smuggest way possible, and, again, had a penchant for taking liberties whenever given the chance -- because he was Dwyane Wade and could get away with it.
Danny Ainge may forgive Wade for his antics in 2011, but most Celtics fans shouldn't have. Unfortunately, that didn't sound like the case when Wade was serenaded with cheers throughout Monday night's game.
Wade scored 17 points off the bench for Miami's 110-105 loss to the C's, and after the game, the 37-year-old praised the Celtics organization.
"This is another one of those franchises that helped myself and this organization know what it took to win and get to that next level. We had to beat this organization to get there, so I appreciate them for pushing us," said Wade. "They were the big brothers for a long time, and then we were eventually able to match for a little bit. But we're thankful for what they did for us from that standpoint."
A rousing applause for Wade when he first checked in would have been more than enough respect from the Boston fan base, but the cheers that followed him throughout the game were too much. Wade is a great player and in a few years will take his rightful spot in the Hall of Fame, but he will always be a villain in the eyes of Celtics fans. He should have been sent off as such.
