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Chisholm will have to grapple with record-breaking payroll and a huge luxury-tax bill while the franchise loses out on some revenue streams by not owning its home arena. (Delaware North, run by longtime Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, owns TD Garden.).
What are the top NBA arenas to attend games across the league? HoopsHype polled 35 media members who’ve traveled to arenas across the country to find out which are the best in the league. Their criteria ranged from the crowd’s atmosphere and energy to the quality of the arena, culinary offerings, and lighting. Below are the results of the poll, including a fiercely contested three-way battle for the top spot between New York, Los Angeles, and Boston. 1st: Celtics: TD Garden. Share of the vote: 74.86 percent of maximum amount possible. Opening: 1995. Capacity: 19,156 Who plays there: Boston Celtics and Bruins (NHL) TD Garden, which underwent a $70 million renovation in 2014, was narrowly voted the NBA’s top arena and received six first-place votes among media members in our HoopsHype media poll.
Jeff Goodman: UCLA freshman big man Adem Bona will declare for the NBA Draft, but will keep his options open about returning to college, source told @Stadium. Bona averaged 7.7 points and 5.3 boards last season for the Bruins. One of the hardest-playing big men in college.
On Thursday, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu approved changes around TD Garden that would create a “playoff hub” for the Bruins and Celtics on game days. The plan will focus on making Canal Street, which intersects with Causeway Street, right in front of TD Garden, a car-free zone on certain occasions.
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“With both the Bruins and the Celtics in the playoffs this year, we’re excited to give Boston fans a space to safely gather, cheer on their favorite teams, and support our local businesses,” Wu said. Fans will first get a chance to take in the car-free environment on Saturday when the Celtics take on the Hawks at home at 3:30 p.m.
The home of the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins will be known as the TD Garden through 2045. TD Bank and the building's owner, Delaware North, announced a 20-year extension for the arena naming rights on Thursday. The agreement, which began in 2005, had been set to expire in 2025.
UCLA took him anyway. The Bruins were five years removed from their latest Final Four and reopening a spritzed up Pauley Pavilion. A top recruiting class not only could cure what ailed UCLA but also fill the seats. The whole thing ultimately devolved into a fiasco, the NCAA suspending Muhammad before the season opener, only to double back a week later after a lawyer told the Los Angeles Times that the boyfriend of the lead investigator was bragging that his girlfriend long knew Muhammad was ‘dirty.’ The official party line from Indianapolis was that Muhammad repaid the $1,600 in travel expenses and that the three games missed was the appropriate time served for such an infraction. But the NCAA also fired the lead investigator, and plenty of people — some sporting ‘Free Shabazz’ T-shirts — saw the whole thing as a clear case of the national governing body prejudging a kid.
The Celtics do not own TD Garden, which is a major issue. The Boston Bruins own the arena and therefore the two franchises that have a terse relationship would have to collaborate to bring the game to Boston. For current Celtics ownership, all the hurdles and applications aren’t worth it financially, so they have passed. It would likely take intervention from Mayor Michelle Wu, but there is an open slot for the game in 2025.
Tim Bontemps: While Boston announced a vaccine mandate for indoor entertainment venues to begin next month, the mayor’s office says all professional athletes are exempt, meaning it won’t have any impact on either the Celtics or Bruins.
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Fans planning to head to TD Garden to watch the Bruins or Celtics this season — as well attend concerts — will need to pack a copy of their coronavirus vaccination proof or get a negative COVID-19 test.
UCLA star Johnny Juzang won’t be joining the 2021 NBA Draft class. Instead, he’ll be returning to the Bruins for another shot at the NCAA title. Juzang announced the decision on Instagram, noting that while he had an “amazing experience” going through the NBA Draft process, he couldn’t help but return to college basketball and “go to war” with UCLA. “Going through the draft process has been an amazing experience. I was blessed to connect with great people, learn and grow, and get a feel for life at the next level. I want to thank everybody who has helped me in this process including my family, trainers, school, and especially my dad who helped for countless hours!” Juzang wrote on Instagram.
Knicks to start allowing fans on February 23
Mike Vorkunov: MSG announces they'll allow 2,000 fans at each game, starting with Knicks-Warriors on Feb. 23 and Rangers-Bruins Feb. 26, after Gov. Cuomo announced that arenas are open for fans again at max 10% capacity and with PCR tests for fans 72 hours before the event.
Thread Sports Management, an NBA player representation firm owned by veteran agent Bernie Lee, has merged into Quartexx Group, a firm that is owned by Lino Saputo Jr., one of the richest people in Canada. Financial terms were not disclosed. But the basketball player practice will now be known as Quartexx Basketball. Quartexx Group is based in Montreal and is the parent of Quartexx Hockey, which represents many top NHL players, including Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, Coyotes wing Taylor Hall, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, Maple Leafs wing Mitch Marner and Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse.
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