BOSTON - Welcome to the Jungle, where they Boston Celtics brought their 'A' game. Boston was propelled on by a sellout crowd of 18,624 screaming fans at TD Garden as the C's posted a 96-85 win over the Detroit Pistons in their home opener on Friday night.
It was the first game played at TD Garden since last May (when the Celtics were swiftly eliminated by the Miami Heat in the playoffs) and was the first game post-lockout played in Boston. As expected, it was great to be back for the Celtics.
"It's always fun to be back in the garden," said Jermaine O'Neal, who finished with a team-high 19 points and seven rebounds in Boston's first victory of the 2011-12 season. "It's an energy boost for us, even when we physically feel tired the fans always find a way to give us some energy, so it feels good to get back home and get a win. It's always tough trying to get a win after losing a couple in a row, it was a great team effort."
The Celtics won't play at home again for the rest of the year (there's only one more day in 2011, you know), as they will take on the Washington Wizards in the first game of a back-to-back swing on New Year's Day. Boston will return home on Jan. 2 to host the Wizards, where they will look to improve to 2-0 at home. The C's were 33-8 at home last season.
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