So I just started reading Henry Araton's book
When the Garden Was Eden, and the prologue — titled "Paradise Lost" — starts off with a game on February 23, 2010 where the Garden honored the 1970 championship team at halftime.
A quote about the outcome of the game:
In the second half, a team of young players and short-term rentals—filling roster space as the front office readied itself for the unprecedented 2010 free-agent sweepstakes, the Sumer of LeBron—played miserably, falling far behind Milwaukee.
Then I'm like: wait, was I at this game? I remember being at a loss to the Bucks around that time—the last time to date I was in the audience of the Garden actually—and vaguely remember Clyde speaking at halftime... why can't I remember the rest of the scene Araton describes, with Walt, Willis, Dollar Bill, and family representatives of McGuire and DeBusschere?
All I can remember is the Celtics fan who sat behind us being a Brandon Jennings stan, yelling "YOUNG MONEY!" every time Jennings got a basket. And that happened a lot that game.
After some back and forth on text with the buddy I was at this game with, turns out I was at the OTHER loss to the Bucks in February 2010, the one on the 5th. The fact that made me sure of this is Ilyosova's stat line: he had a game- and career-high 25 at the game we went to versus the 10 points he got on the 23rd.
Y'all who were there for the glory days, count yourself lucky. I only have books and 30-for-30s to look at to see my team raising a banner!
P.S. — the reason Clyde spoke at halftime the game I was at — I think — was that Dick McGuire had just passed away, and I think he took to the floor to say a tribute.
