As the Magic finished off the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA’s play-in round opener Tuesday night, Orlando fans made their desire clear. But they might want to be careful what they wish for in the NBA playoffs.
The Magic beat the Hawks, 120-95, thanks to a fourth-quarter flurry and big games by Paolo Banchero (17 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists) and Franz Wagner (13 points, 13 rebounds). Cole Anthony also put up his best game of the year with 26 points and six assists off the Magic bench.
Orlando pulled away late and outscored Atlanta, 44-21, in the fourth, so Magic fans were feeling pretty good about themselves late in the contest. The win secured the No. 7 seed for the Magic and a first-round matchup with the 2-seeded Celtics.
In the final minutes of Tuesday’s game, Orlando fans filled the Kia Center with a chorus of “We Want Boston!” chants. They’ll get what they wanted Sunday afternoon when the Celtics-Magic playoff series tips off at TD Garden.
It’s good that the Orlando faithful are confident in their team and welcoming a showdown with the defending NBA champs. But even though the Magic possess the NBA’s best defense and won two of three regular-season matchups with the Celtics, Orlando fans probably should have learned from several other fanbases from last postseason.
When “We Want Boston” goes wrong
The Celtics were the best team in the NBA heading into last postseason, and everyone wanted a piece of them in the playoffs. It didn’t work out well for anyone, as Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and company cruised to the franchise’s 18th NBA title. The Celtics lost just three games en route to their championship, and never trailed in any of their four series.
The “We Want Boston” chants started with fans of the Miami Heat before the playoffs got underway. The Heat were the 8-seed in the East, but brought a pretty successful postseason history against Boston into the series.
The Celtics won that series in five games.
Up next came Cleveland fans, who voiced their desire for a matchup with Boston as the Cavaliers put the finishing touches on a Game 7 win over the Magic in the opening round. Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell was not a fan of the “We Want Boston” chant late in the Game 7 victory, and told fans to pipe down in the closing seconds.
The Celtics won that series in five games, and Boston fans had some fun behind the Cavaliers bench during the team’s Game 5 clincher.
There were actually two fanbases that chanted “We Want Boston” ahead of the Eastern Conference Finals. New York Knicks fans jumped the gun and demanded a series with the Celtics after taking a 3-2 series lead over the Indiana Pacers in the East semis. The Knicks promptly lost both games to drop the series.
Pacers fans joined the chorus as they left the team’s Game 6 win in Indiana, and got their wish when the Pacers blew out the Knicks, 130-109, in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. While the Pacers played the Celtics tough in the Eastern Conference Finals, Boston swept the series to advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years.
Last but certainly not least came Dallas fans, who chimed in with a “We Want Boston” chant after ousting the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the Western Conference Finals. The Celtics won the first three games of the NBA Finals, and beat the Mavs in five games to claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The “We Want Boston” chants became such a big thing the Celtics used it in a hype video before the Finals, narrated by none other than Tom Brady.
The Celtics’ road to a title figures to be a lot tougher this summer, with the competition in the East much better than last season. And it’s no surprise opposing fanbases want a shot at the defending champs. Heck, fans should want to dethrone the champs.
But they might want to be careful what they wish for. It didn’t work out well for anyone last summer.
Matt GeaganMatthew Geagan is a sports producer for CBS Boston. He has been part of the WBZ sports team for nearly 20 years. He moved over to the web in 2012 and has covered all the highs (and a few lows) in Boston sports.
