Opposing Fan's Rant Gives Boston Celtics One of the Best Compliments They Can Get

Many athletes will tell you that as much as love and support from home fans feels good, silence and anger from opposing fans might be more satisfying.

There's nothing quite like quieting a road crowd, or better yet, getting them to break down and boo their own team.

Breaking opposing fans is fun.

And with that comes what might be one of the best compliments someone has paid to the Celtics this season. It’s from a purported Sixers fan who posted in the Bill Simmons subreddit under the headline, “The Celtics being this good has broken me.”

I can’t share the whole thing, because it’s filled with NSFW language, but here’s the gist (edited down and grammar cleaned up):

“With the Celtics 20 games over .500 … despite losing Tatum, Porzingis, Horford and Jrue, has broken me. I can't do it anymore. I am literally Jessie Pinkman now- they can't keep getting away with it, man. I can't do it anymore. I can't watch them be disciplined on defense and win the math on offense every game. I can't watch a postseason where they are both the best team and the house money team at the same time … I can't watch Brad Stevens outclass the league as a GM. They have broken my spirit. I am no longer alive.”

It’s hard to find a more sincere compliment because saying these things about the Celtics causes this Sixers fan great pain. There's nothing quite like hearing about how disciplined and committed to their system they are from someone who wishes they weren’t.

The Celtics are 41-20, so who they are is well-established. Their time as a surprise in this league has passed. The sample size is big enough that no one can deny how good they really are. Time and time again, they've shown incredible discipline and commitment to the system.

Just this past week, with chances to let down against Brooklyn in the first game back from a long road trip, or against Milwaukee on their fifth game in seven nights and missing Jaylen Brown and Neemias Queta, they came through with convincing wins.

“One of the strengths of the locker room has always been being able to win games when guys have been out … that's just kind of the DNA of the locker room,” Joe Mazzulla said after beating the Milwaukee Bucks. “I think everything starts with those guys, their competitive character, their understanding of the process and their professionalism.”

While Mazzulla credits the players, the players are just as willing to credit Mazzulla and his staff.

“I think it's a [credit] to the staff, holding us accountable,” Payton Pritchard told reporters in Milwaukee. “I also think it's Brad [Stevens] getting players that he knows love to play basketball and will be ready for every moment possible. So it's a characteristic trait, I believe.”

To Pritchard’s point, a guy like Luka Garza would have every reason to be upset about how his season is going. He’s been benched a couple of times, but he’s stepped onto the floor in his next opportunity and performed very well. Even after the Nikola Vucevic trade when he was sent back to the end of the bench, he was never pouting while watching games.

Pressed into service against Milwaukee, he gave Boston 20 good minutes, with seven offensive rebounds (10 total rebounds) and seven points. Anyone Boston with rare exception, has something positive to show for it.

Would Hugo Gonzalez really go 28th if they re-did the 2025 NBA draft? Would Neemias Queta have been cut by the Kings if they knew he had this in him?

That must be really annoying for a Celtics hater. No one has a crystal ball, so they couldn't have seen these performances coming. But that just makes it worse for their fans.

How do Stevens and Mazzulla keep finding treasures in the scrap heap?

That visceral hate is a great compliment to Boston’s discipline, character, and competitiveness. The love from the home fans is sweet, but that kind of hate from opponents has to be incredibly satisfying.