Tristan Thompson says the Celtics aren’t intimidated by the Nets’ star power.
Could’ve fooled us!
In an entertaining session with the media Monday, Thompson declared the Celtics aren’t impressed with Brooklyn’s Big Three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden.
“We don’t give a s— about that,” he told reporters, including Jay King of The Athletic. “We’re not intimidated or anything like that.”
While it’s nice to know Thompson is confident, words are, of course, just words. On Saturday, Brooklyn’s Big Three combined for 82 points. The Celtics may not be scared, but they are undermanned. Jaylen Brown is on the sidelines with a season-ending wrist injury.
Thompson also cited the lack of crowds at the TD Garden as one of the biggest reasons for the Celtics’ gross underachievement. They’re currently down 1-0 in their series against the Nets.
“We just need some f—- fans in the arena,” Thompson said. “That’s what we need.”
With the Garden planning to (almost) open to full capacity this weekend, Thompson will soon get his wish. The question is, will it be too late? Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday. The series may already be over by then.
On Thursday, when the series heads back to Boston, the crowd will still be capped at 12 percent capacity.
The Nets filled up 80 percent of the Barclays Center for Game 1 against the Celtics on Saturday, totaling 14,391 fans. Across town, the Knicks almost welcomed a “pandemic sellout” of 15,000 fans to Madison Square Garden, contributing to a raucous atmosphere and the maturation of Trae Young as New York’s next basketball supervillain.
Undoubtedly, pro athletes feed off the home crowd. But Thompson’s expletive-filled words go a little too far. Every team in the league played in front of limited crowds this season, with many playing in empty arenas. The NBA Bubble was solely filled with virtual fans last season.
“Thank God I didn’t play in the bubble because I can’t play with no fans,” Thompson said.
Noted.
Thompson was unavailable for 18 games this season, winding up on the COVID-19 list twice. And when he has played, he hasn’t been very good, putting up just four points in 25 minutes Saturday.
Thompson may need fans. The Celtics just need him to be better.