The people wanted it, and the people got it.
With the Celtics leading the Cavaliers by 14 points and under three minutes to go Wednesday night, fans at TD Garden made their Christmas wish known.
“WE WANT JOE! WE WANT JOE!”
They had waited long enough. The win was now secure enough. It was time to see Joe Johnson playing in a Celtics uniform for the first time since Feb. 16, 2002.
They got their wish when coach Ime Udoka sent Johnson into the game with 1:57 to go. The chants switched to, “ISO JOE! ISO JOE!”
They wanted to see the isolation play that earned Johnson his nickname over the course of his 17 NBA seasons. They got it. And after Johnson passed out of his first couple touches, he knocked down a pull-up jumper with 23 seconds to go -- his first NBA bucket since May 26, 2018.
“It felt great. It’s great to be back here 20 years later,” Johnson said after the game. “I couldn’t have thought of nothing like this, but it’s been amazing. Still surreal to me, but I’m happy for it. … It’s special. I’ve never been a part of nothing like that. I really appreciate these Celtics fans.”
The Celtics signed Johnson, now 40 years old and now a two-time BIG3 league MVP, to a 10-day contract earlier Wednesday under the NBA’s hardship exception, which they’ve been granted because they currently have seven players in health and safety protocols.
It was an unexpected development that provided the exact kind of lift these Celtics needed. It got fans excited to see the player their team drafted 10th overall 20 years ago, and it got players excited to play alongside a seven-time All-Star many of them were fans of growing up. One of those was Jaylen Brown, who watched Johnson with the Hawks as a kid in Atlanta.
“A lot of memories. A lot of those runs in Atlanta, I got to go to a lot of those games,” said Brown, who led all scorers with 34 points Wednesday night. “I remember when the Hawks went to seven games with KG and Paul Pierce. I remember that was a big deal in the city. So definitely a childhood icon. To have him here in the locker room is great. We need some of that leadership. We need some guys to kind of get the energy, the tone, the pace, the maturity level to where it needs to be. So I’m all for it.”
Watching these Celtics hasn’t always been fun this season. There haven’t been a ton of feel-good moments. But this was definitely one of them.
What it means going forward remains to be seen. No one’s expecting any miracles from Johnson, and it’s entirely possible his contract doesn’t get extended beyond 10 days. But Brown, for one, sees real value in having him around.
“He’s in good shape, he’s shooting the ball well, still scoring, as you saw on that last play. He’s still got a lot in the tank, if you ask me,” Brown said. “I watched him in the BIG3, I watched him before that, and I watched him growing up. He still looks like he’s got something in the tank, so I’m happy to have him on board, just to hear his voice, hear his advice, stuff like that.”
Johnson, for his part, is just taking this one day at a time and isn’t taking anything for granted.
“At my age, man, you just try to relish every moment, enjoy the process, and live in the moment,” Johnson said. “That’s kind of what I’m doing right now, just living in the moment. It’s fun.”
Regardless of where this journey goes from here, for one night, Johnson’s return was just the kind of story the Celtics and their fans needed.