Boston Garden, home of the Celtics, in these days vibrates in the final against the Golden State Warriors.
There is no parquet in the basketball more recognizable than that of the Garden. His legend was born during the Second World War. The lack of wood, intended for the construction of military ships, forced the Celts to put together small pieces of different colors to build their track. That park is NBA history.
“There are stadiums that awaken ghosts and Garden is one of them,” Richard Johnson, director of the Museum of the Celtics since 1982, told EFE.
From Red Auerbach and Bill Russell, to Larry Bird, through the trio Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, to Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown. the Celts continue to expand their legend and they fight in these NBA Finals for what would be their 18th title, an all-time record. The iconic Boston parquet was the common point between the legend built in the 1950s and the new ambitions of this already unforgettable 2022.
Responsible for preserving the priceless history of the Celtics is Richard Johnson, the director of the ‘sports museum‘in Boston, located inside the TD Garden, where you can admire trophies, historical photos and memorabilia of one of the most traditional NBA franchises.
A Celtics fan since the age of 8, Johnson has been in charge of the museum since 1982 and is a true living manual of the history of the team and the Garden: “There are stadiums that awaken ghosts, like Anfield, or the Bernabeu. The Garden is one of them“, invoice.
Jayson Tatum is looking to give the Boston Celtics their 18th title and make them the most successful player in the NBA. Photo: Maddie Malhotra / Getty Images / AFP.
The crisis of wood, the key to a unique parquet
There is no parquet in the history of basketball more recognizable than that of the Celtics. However, his legend forged over the years originated from a simple necessity.
The parquet was installed in the Garden in the early 1940s, in the midst of World War II, when the United States used large quantities of wood for military purposes, such as building ships, to defend the country.
In that time it was very difficult to find wooden boards of the same color and for this reason the parquet in the garden was made up of pieces of different colors.
“The wood was of good quality, it was just a different color and it became a recognizable element of the team. I can’t think of other teams that have parquet that is really their ‘particular brand’,” Johnson acknowledges to EFE.
And why did the other teams have parquet of the same color? Boston did not start out as the basketball capital, but became the basketball capital in the following years, based on legendary triumphs. Other cities in the United States, such as Philadelphia, Chicago, or New York, previously had basketball stadiums used by university teams, when that wood crisis did not yet exist.
The Garden two-tone parquet, a tradition that remains in history. Photo: Jim Rogash / Getty Images / AFP.
No air conditioning for the Lakers
“You wanted your opponents to come to Boston with the feeling that the Celtics had a brutal advantage on the home court. There was a legend that there were softer pieces of wood in some areas of the court and the ball didn’t bounce normally. . I actually played basketball on that floor and it didn’t. Sometimes it could happen that the ball bounced a little less, but it wasn’t something that pronounced, “says Johnson.
“There was no air conditioning at the Garden years ago. 38 years ago Pat Riley, then Lakers manager, complained to the NBA that the guest locker room did not have air conditioning, although there was a rule that foresaw. The NBA called Red Auerbach and he hung up the phone“, invoice.
Eventually Auerbach had to accept the NBA’s request, although he did so by preparing a ‘surprise’ for the Lakers.
Argentine Manu Ginobili and his time at the Boston Garden, in this case facing Ray Allen, in a 2011 match. Photo: Elsa / Getty Images / AFP.
“The Lakers arrived and that day it was very hot, more than 37 degrees, and they found the air conditioning machine in the locker room. The only thing is that has not been installed and cannot be used“, to remember.
It is one of the many stories that contributed to creating the legend of the Garden and Auerbach himself never hid that his goal was precisely to make rivals uncomfortable, who “hated” playing in that stadium.
Among the many enemies of Garden was Bill Laimbeer, center of the Detroit Pistons, one of the great rivals of the Celtics in the 80s, who used to “spit on the goblin logo before every game” on that track.
Red Auerbach’s signature appears next to the Boston Celtics logo in the heart of the Garden. Photo: EFE.
The new parquet
In the current stadium, where the Celtics have played since 1995, no wooden planks from the original Garden are used. Mind you, it stood for four years, until 1999, before being completely refurbished.
However, the franchise honored that tradition and continued to use different colored wood to build its track.
The current parquet is third generation, since the NBA introduced a rule that requires teams to renew their track every ten years.
“The rule is relatively new and the floor has only been renewed three times. It’s remarkable when you consider that it’s the third in the franchise’s 75-year history,” Johnson points out.
Source: EFE
Source: Clarin
