My
first trip to TD Garden is one that I will remember for the rest of my life. I
believe that all 18,624 people in the crowd can say the same thing. With the
exception of a few die-hard Celtics fans, we were all there for the same reason.
To see Kobe play one last time, or in my case, to see him play for the first
time. When I drove through Boston, the city looked the same as it had during my prior
visits. It was a typical Wednesday with the snow banks melting from the first
snow of the year which had occurred the night before. It was the day before New
Year’s Eve, so there was a lot of activity around Little Italy, where I would
be spending the night. I parked the car and walked to the hotel. I had the
inclination to yell out, “Kobe’s in town” to everyone I passed, but I
restrained myself.
About an hour before tip-off, I headed towards the arena. Here’s where I got my
first glimpse of all the purple and yellow. There was a sea of people wearing
#8 and #24 jerseys outside of the Garden. I walked across the street from the arena
to a sports bar, the name of which I can’t remember. The bouncer informed me
that they were at capacity and suggested I go down the street to a place called
Sullivan’s Tap. I didn’t have to go in before realizing this place was a total
dive bar. The place was basically one long bar that stretched the length of the
establishment. When I got my Harpoon IPA in a plastic mug I was not at all
surprised. The place was packed with Celtics fans and a few Lakers fans, or maybe
they were just Kobe fans. It was difficult to tell who people were routing for that
night.
After a few beers at Sullivan’s, the crowd started to migrate across the street
to the Garden. Vendors were perched outside with the typical scalpers, trying
to sell homemade “Kobe’s last game in Boston” shirts. It was a half hour before
the tip-off, but everyone had the same idea. Get in your seats to watch Kobe
warm up. I have never been so eager to get to my seat that early. I didn’t want
to miss a minute. The place went crazy when the monitor flashed over to Kobe.
He beamed a smile back at the crowd. When Celtics announcer Eddie Palladino
introduced the visiting team’s lineup, he did the typical monotone introduction
for the first four players in the Lakers lineup, leaving Kobe Bryant for last.
The crowd began to cheer before Palladino announced his name. Everyone in the
stadium was on their feet as he bellowed Kobe’s name over the speakers. The
entire crowd seemed to cheer for Kobe as he waved thank you to Boston.
Then the game started and I was reminded that we were still in Boston. The
first time Kobe touched the ball he was showered with boos. Something he has
without a doubt come to embrace during his 20 NBA seasons. Kobe has been the
villain for as long as I can remember and no one plays it as well as he does.
Kobe got off to a horrendous 0-8 start. He seemed to be pressing and it was
obvious that he just no longer has much lift to his shot. But every eye in the
arena was still glued to him. “Keep shooting Kobe” and “Give Kobe the freaking
ball” were common fraises in the upper deck. Some fans had payed upwards of
$200 to sit in the nose bleeds all to watch Kobe. They didn’t care how many
shots he took, they just wanted to see a few go in. After being held scoreless in
the first quarter, Kobe hit back to back inside shots with just under 4 minutes
remaining in the half. The crowd went nuts. “He’s on fire!” was screamed out in
a Boston accent by the guy sitting behind me. He was an unashamed Lakers fan
wearing a Kobe #8 jersey. A guy who had lived in Boston his entire life, but
loved the Lakers ever since watching Magic Johnson as a kid. A guy routing for
the Lakers, but first and foremost routing for Kobe Bryant. “Clarkson you bum,
give him the damn ball, you have 3 freaking wins.”
This was by far the strangest game I have ever been to. This is coming from a State
College native that went to the first Penn State game without Joe Pa. An
overtime, blizzard loss to Nebraska that I will never forget. But that was a
somber occasion, unlike that night in Boston, which was joyous. When Kobe
scored the place exploded. It wasn’t just Lakers fans cheering for Kobe, it was
almost everyone there. To have Boston fans cheering for a player from the other
team in the middle of a game is unheard of. The most similar situation I can
think of is when the Cavs would travel to Madison Square Garden during LeBron’s
first stint in Cleveland. With the desperate Knicks fans cheering “M-V-P” in
hopes that LBJ would soon join them in the big apple.
The scene in Boston was outrageous and it hit the climax with 1:39 left in the
4th quarter. With the Lakers leading 104-102 Kobe hit the most
important shot of the night, a 28-foot three pointer to put L.A. up by 5.
Everyone got on their feet and Brad Stevens immediately called a time-out from
the Celtics bench. This is when the Kobe Bryant chants started. Some die-hard
Boston fans tried to drown them out with boos, but the support for Kobe was
overwhelming. After the game ended, Kobe stayed on the court longer than any
Celtics player. He waved his goodbyes to the crowd and was showered in one
final “Kobe” chant. As I walked out of the stadium, I was elated to have gotten
the chance to see one of the greatest players in the history of the game that I
have grown to love play his final game in the city that has grown to hate him.
But on that night, respect overcame hate and with mixed emotions, Boston gave
him the farewell that a figure of his stature deserves.
Grayson Gold-Garvey, Follow on Twitter @TheGraygo
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