In whatever manner Boston Celtics fans are regarded around the NBA, hardly anyone would use the worlds dispassionate or blasé.
Consistently packing the TD Garden — the Celtics’ home since 1995 — fan focus is always riveted on the parquet floor where their basketball heroes have delivered an impressive string of playoff appearances. Without a doubt, Celtics’ fans are known for their boisterous support that, at times, devolves into vulgar chants at the opponents and occasional boos of the home team if fans sense the effort is lacking.
Celtics fandom figures to ramp up even more next year when Massachusetts sports betting becomes legal.
That's especially true considering BetMGM Sportsbook Massachusetts currently has Boston as the favorite to win the NBA Finals (+500).
However, what about looking at it from another perspective: How have the Celtics rewarded their fan base?
Determining Most Rewarded Fans
BetMassachusetts.com developed a ranking system of the 30 NBA teams to determine what fanbases have been most rewarded over the last 11 seasons.
The methodology first involved developing a category of “Minutes Spent Per Win.” That metric was determined by taking the amount of regular season games played by each team (from the 2011-12 season to the 2021-22 season) multiplied by the average length of an NBA televised game (2 hours, 13 minutes).
Once we calculated that number, we divided it by the number of wins during those same seasons to arrive at a final amount. The final amount represents the minutes watched by fans per regular season win over the last 11 seasons.
The second category — “Points Deducted for Playoff Success” — was utilized to determine the value of seeing playoff success during those 11 seasons gathered in the first category.
The point values assigned were 1 point per playoff berth; 3 points per playoff series win; 3 points per NBA Finals appearance; and 15 extra points for an NBA Championship win. After adding all the points together for every postseason from the 2011-12 season to the 2021-22 season, the points were deducted from the first category to arrive on the final points and rankings.
Celtics Fans Near Top of List
The Boston Celtics, with 188 total points, were ranked No. 6 among the 30 NBA teams for rewarding their fans. The handful of teams that ranked above Boston were, in order: Golden State, Miami, San Antonio, Toronto and the Los Angeles Clippers.
On their way to consistently rewarding their fans, the Celtics had eight winning seasons in the recent 11 seasons that were measured, and they went to the NBA playoffs eight times.
The high-water mark was last season when Boston went to the NBA finals where they lost to the Golden State Warriors, 4-2.
It could be another very rewarding season for Celtics fans, as Massachusetts sports betting apps have Boston tied with Golden State and the LA Clippers for the best NBA Championship odds at +600.
Attendance has been generally quite good at the TD Garden. For instance, last season the Celts averaged slightly more than 19,000 fans at home, which is at the edge of capacity there.
When sports betting launches, BetMassachusetts.com will be your home for Massachusetts sportsbook promo codes.
