As the Boston Celtics and NBA face a new reality in which any games that will be happening for the remainder of the 2019-20 season will be almost certainly be without any fans, it’s hard not to think back to the recent past of full arenas with seats full of fans.
It’s safe to say that when the league returns to a schedule permitting people to attend in person again, demand will likely be as high as at any time in recent memory.
But what were the most in-demand games of Boston’s recent past?
Starting with the question of what demand is in the first place, well — there’s a lot of ways you could define that.
But the Celtics Wire turned to the experts at Vivid Seats to hear how they define it — and which Boston games were at the top of the list.
The popular ticket marketplace measure demand as the average cost of a ticket sold to an event, and they put together the following five games as the most in-demand Celtics contests of the last eight seasons.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics – January 3rd, 2018
In a highly-anticipated rematch of the 2017 East Finals — but with point guard Kyrie Irving now with Boston and Isaiah Thomas a Cavalier just returned from the hip injury that took him out of it.
This time around, Boston won 102-88, but with IT on the bench, still easing his way back into the game.
4. Los Angeles Lakers at Boston Celtics – January 20th, 2020
Arguably the best game of the 2019-20 season so far. After the role of Klutch Sports and LeBron James and the pursuit of Anthony Davis in last season’s dysfunction in Boston, the stage was set for an epic showdown.
Add the revival of Lakers-Celtics intrigue, and you only had to add a dash of sizzling play heading into the contest from wings Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to understand why demand was so high.
It would end in All-Star point guard Kemba Walker’s first win over James, and a 139-107 route of the Lakers punctuated by Brown’s posterization of LeBron.
3. Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics – January 7th, 2019
Well before the plans for Irving to decamp to Boston’s draft pick pantry for many seasons were common knowledge, a renewed rivalry was already brewing between the East foes.
As the Nets began to emerge from their self-imposed, draft asset-poor version of The Process, their success under now-fired coach Kenny Atkinson developing internally and building chemistry made the contest a popular one.
Very much so, in fact — but it wasn’t enough to get Brooklyn past the Celtics. Boston would come away with a 116-95 blowout signaling little of the drama that was just months away.
2. Golden State Warriors at Boston Celtics – January 26th, 2019
In many ways, the contemporary style of the Celtics is a descendent of the Warriors’ style of play, and Boston has been one of the few teams able to beat them on their home floor in recent years before this recent stumble of a season.
While Boston didn’t pull out the road win this time, they very nearly did so, falling 115-111. “Two great teams going at it,” Dubs star point guard Curry said at the time via the Associated Press. “We bring the best out of each other.”
It’s not hard to understand the demand here.
1.Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics – February 11th, 2018
The most in-demand Celtics game of the year ought to be a no-brainer, given the context it was played in. Another Cavs-Celtics showdown with James still on his hometown squad would have been enough to get in the ballpark of making this list.
But the real star of the night was Celtics legend Paul Pierce, present to see his jersey go up into the rafters. The Boston icon got the signature Celtic honor after the game was over, but was nearly upstaged by his old rival even then.
LeBron and the Cavs carried the night on the court with a 121-99 blowout, but the Truth is — and will be — hanging in the rafters long after both are gone.
