The Celtics preseason schedule is out and not everyone is happy.
The Boston Celtics preseason schedule has been reduced to four games. There are only two home games, both of which are at the TD Garden in Boston. Apparently gone are preseason home games that used to be played in locations outside of Boston. In the past, the Celts played exhibition games in Hartford and Uncusville, Connecticut, Providence, Rhode Island, Manchester, New Hampshire, Amherst, Massachusetts and Portland, Maine. Some fans are not thrilled with the change.
One of the reasons for starting the regular season early was to decompress the schedule and allow the players more time for rest and recovery. That certainly makes sense. But there are many New England fans living outside the Boston area that looked forward to preseason games that were more accessible to them. That benefit appears to be gone, at least for now.
I remember attending a Celtics preseason game in Manchester, NH in 2006. The arena had easy access, and parking costs and ticket prices were moderate. Rookie Rajon Rondo and other Celts youngsters came into the lobby to greet the fans. Rondo looked like a deer in the headlights, and it was great to watch the young players get significant playing time. It all worked very well.
With only two preseason home games scheduled, wouldn't it make sense to play at least one of them in a New England location outside of Boston? I believe there are many fans who would agree.
Photo credit: The Ringer
One bummer about shortened preseason: Fans who in years past saw Celtics in Providence, Maine, Amherst, etc., no longer afforded that luxury https://t.co/Dkoca6PU9W— Ben Rohrbach (@brohrbach) August 7, 2017
One side effect of extended #NBA regular season is shorter preseason. Only 4 games for #Celtics - two @tdgarden starting Oct. 2 v Charlotte.— Scott Souza (@Scott_Souza) August 7, 2017
One of the reasons for starting the regular season early was to decompress the schedule and allow the players more time for rest and recovery. That certainly makes sense. But there are many New England fans living outside the Boston area that looked forward to preseason games that were more accessible to them. That benefit appears to be gone, at least for now.
I remember attending a Celtics preseason game in Manchester, NH in 2006. The arena had easy access, and parking costs and ticket prices were moderate. Rookie Rajon Rondo and other Celts youngsters came into the lobby to greet the fans. Rondo looked like a deer in the headlights, and it was great to watch the young players get significant playing time. It all worked very well.
With only two preseason home games scheduled, wouldn't it make sense to play at least one of them in a New England location outside of Boston? I believe there are many fans who would agree.
Photo credit: The Ringer