Friday’s TD Garden crowd collectively let out a loud “Voooooch” as Nikola Vucevic checked in for his first shift as a member of the Boston Celtics early in the first quarter.
To be honest, that may have been the only thing they had to get excited about over the course of the first 24 minutes. Boston couldn’t buy a basket. They made just one of their 20 first-half attempts from three and found themselves down 21 points at the break. Meanwhile, the Miami Heat responded with a bucket seemingly anytime the Celtics tried to make a comeback effort.
As the hosts headed to the locker room, the “Voooochs” from the crowd sounded slightly different. They had turned into boos.
Message received.
“I thought that the crowd could have easily given up on us, deservingly so, and I thought they stuck with us and helped us on those runs, especially in the third quarter,” Joe Mazzulla pointed out postgame.
The second half showed Nikola Vucevic exactly why it’s #DifferentHere
Boston came out of the half with better energy, and the crowd gave it right back. They spent the first five or so minutes of the third working to cut into Miami’s lead, but weren’t able to make up much ground until the back half of the frame.
Over the final 7:06, a lineup made up of Vucevic, Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, and Sam Hauser put together a 25-7 run to close the quarter and bring the building to life.
Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Sam Hauser, and Nikola Vucevic in the third quarter pic.twitter.com/anLCVVSwQ9
— Sam LaFrance (@SamLaFranceNBA) February 7, 2026
“In the third quarter, once we started making that run, it was really fun to get the crowd into it,” Vucevic told reporters in the locker room after the win. “Obviously, it’s very loud — one of the loudest places in the NBA. I know, even from playing against the Celtics before, but it’s much nicer when the fans are behind you and supporting you.”
The newcomer played a large role in the game-changing push. There was a stretch where he scored eight straight for Boston, and the crowd absolutely ate it up.
Nikola Vučević is a stud!
— New England Sports Review (@nesportreview) February 7, 2026
“I think when you’re a guy, a new guy, playing in a situation like that, that just helps you want to play more, it makes you want to play better,” Mazzulla added. “I think it gives us life, probably gives him life too.”
Vucevic found his way onto the floor with 1:47 to play in regulation, while the Celtics were trailing by one. In his first game with the team, he earned Mazzulla’s trust to close with him, and he delivered.
The big man assisted on Boston’s final bucket of the night. He scrambled to get to a loose kickout from Jaylen Brown, drove past a close-out, then immediately found an open White in the corner.
Derrick White: the ultimate clutch player 💪 pic.twitter.com/Yr2QmxaLGy
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 7, 2026
What began as a disappointing start to Vucevic’s Celtics tenure ended in absolute euphoria. TD Garden got as loud as it’s been in any game over the past two seasons, including the playoffs. The fans couldn’t get enough of the fight and grit the team showed in the comeback win.
“Yeah, I mean, we have the phrase up there, ‘different here,’ and it’s the truth,” Mazzulla said. “And it just is from all levels, you know, from the city, from the organization, from the top to bottom.”
Mazzulla put it best. After spending five years in Chicago with the perpetually Play-In-bound Bulls, Vucevic was shown exactly why it’s #DifferentHere — on both ends of the spectrum. From “Vooooochs” to boos to absolute bedlam in the second half, the Montenegrin center sampled the entire range of reactions the fanbase can give.
More than anything, to him, it showed their knowledge and appreciation for the game.
“Boston fans really know sports, they really know basketball,” he commended. “I could really hear people cheer. It’s fun to hear my name getting cheered, and especially the ovation I got when I first got subbed in. I really appreciate that. It means a lot as a player, to get the support from the fans, so I think they definitely helped us, even, you know, get more momentum, and you know, play even harder.”