Heat Fans Echo Familiar Dooming Phrase As Celtics Matchup Forms
The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat will meet in the NBA playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.
The previous three meetings came in the Eastern Conference Finals. Miami won the series in 2020 and 2023 while the Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals in 2022.
This matchup looks a bit different, especially given that Miami is without star scorer and Boston’s kryptonite in Jimmy Butler, who suffered a significant knee injury during the Play-In Tournament that could sideline him for several weeks. Boston swept the regular season series from Miami with three victories.
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That adversity did not stop Heat fans from showing their belief in their team in the fourth quarter of their Play-In victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night at Kaseya Center.
Chants of “We Want Boston” echoed throughout the Arena as the Heat cruised to a 21-point victory, earning a date with the Celtics later this weekend.
That chant has worked wonders for other fan bases facing Boston in the playoffs, right?
Right?
Let’s check.
The chant initially went viral in the modern era when the New York Yankees closed out the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 American League Wild Card Game at Yankee Stadium. That set up the American League Division Series against the 108-win Boston Red Sox. Boston earned the series win in four games, including a 16-1 Game 3 win and eliminating the Yankees on their home field.
How about in basketball?
The Brooklyn Nets had championship aspirations with Kevin Durant and ex-Celtics guard Kyrie Irving in 2022. Nets fans gave their own rendition of “We Want Boston” as the regular season ended, only to be swept out of the playoffs by the Celtics days later in the first round.
As the Eastern Conference rivals engage in another playoff battle, it’s time to see if the dooming chant of opponents changes fate.
The No. 1 seeded Celtics host the No. 8 seeded Heat in Game 1 on Sunday at TD Garden.