![\"Ted](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MVAA7AV2VJGQXEL5BCSZV2QCYQ.png\")
Ted Lorden and his two sons, wearing No. 7 Boston jerseys in background, photobombed Lakers legends with the Celtics in Los Angeles.Courtesy of Ted Lorden<\/p>\nGet Starting Point<\/p>\n
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/p>\n
It was then that the \u201cLet\u2019s Go Celtics!\u201d chants grew louder but so did the disdain of the Lakers fans. That\u2019s when Ted Lorden and his two sons, sitting a few rows above the Celtics bench, were exchanging words with Lakers fans who began pelting insults at Celtics players.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe went to the game with our Jaylen Brown jerseys knowing we might get some chirping at us,\u201d Lorden, a season-ticket holder, told the Globe. \u201cSo during the game, the LA fans were saying a lot of nasty things at the players and we would say things back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some Lakers fans shifted their insults to Lorden and his two sons and the two parties began talking trash as the Celtics were running away to victory. That was not what Lorden had planned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told them you wouldn\u2019t talk like that if you saw these guys somewhere else,\u201d Lorden said. \u201cThen it turned a little personal and they started saying stuff to us and they didn\u2019t like us standing up. And then they really crossed the line with a couple of things I won\u2019t repeat and that\u2019s when we went into the aisle and they went into the aisle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Comparable to Yankees-Red Sox or Bruins-Rangers, the two parties faced off against each other during the game, about eight rows up and it nearly became physical. That\u2019s when arena security stepped in and decided to eject Lorden and his two adult sons.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought it was going to be friendly banter for a while but they were down by 25 points so they were getting kind of sour,\u201d he said. \u201cThey had been drinking, too, so it kept getting worse. And we weren\u2019t going to have it. It got to that point.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when the Lordens were kicked out of the arena, and the scene shifted from the blowout game to three Celtics fans walking up to the concourse and other Celtics fans cheering them on as the \u201cLet\u2019s Go Celtics!\u201d chants grew louder. Suddenly a potentially embarrassing moment turned viral when several Celtics players on the bench looked up and saw Lorden, a 20-year season-ticket holder and familiar TD Garden front row fixture, exiting to a mix of boos and cheers.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of the Celtics fans, because [the Lakers] fans had left, came over to our side and were high-fiving us and the \u2018Let\u2019s Go Celtics!\u2019 chants,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was kind of funny.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many Celtics fans walked up with the Lordens and met them in the concourse for encouragement. Crypto.com security reiterated their clear message to depart the premises.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was only a minute left in the game, so it didn\u2019t work out so bad,\u201d he said. \u201cI looked back and I made eye contact with Jaylen and I just gave him a fist bump [from afar]. We\u2019ve been big supporters of him. We love this team and we love to support them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Celtics faithful travel well, but they come to Crypto.com Arena for Boston\u2019s annual visit in hordes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe saw them outside because we had jerseys on and they\u2019d come up to you, but they were coming out of the woodwork at the end of the game,\u201d Lorden said. \u201c[The Lakers fans] didn\u2019t like that either. We were just having fun but it turned a little ugly pretty quick but we weren\u2019t going to put up with any of that. We had put up with a lot to that point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ted Lorden and his two sons, wearing No. 7 Boston jerseys in background, photobombed Lakers legends with the Celtics in Los Angeles.Courtesy of Ted Lorden<\/p>\n
Lorden said he and his two sons travel to multiple Celtics road games per season and had already visited Milwaukee and Miami. This was their first time visiting Los Angeles to see the Celtics. And it ended unexpectedly but was still a thrill, especially after a dominating Celtics win on a day when a statue of Pat Riley was erected and Lakers\u2019 legends such as Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was in the house.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m an 80\u2019s kid so I grew up on the Lakers-Celtics rivalry<\/a>,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a dream come true because Pat Riley being honored.\u201d<\/p>\n And to no surprise, Lorden and his sons, sitting in the front row, were able to photo bomb a halftime shot of Riley and the Lakers\u2019 legends at midcourt.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had fun,\u201d he said. \u201cMy boys, they know don\u2019t cross the line. You have to have respect for the other team and other fans. But [the particular Lakers fans] were disrespectful, especially to the players. We feel like we know a lot of these guys just from being around them, so it was hard to not take it personally. They were doing that the whole game and it was irritating.\u201d<\/p>\n But the Lordens made their point. They represented Celtics faithful, watched their team win and were the leaders of Celtics nation for a day.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would do it again,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was fun. We had a good time. It was the time of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n CATCHING UP<\/p>\n Good ol\u2019 Grant stops by<\/p>\n He was on the bench, still taking nights off as he completely recovers from a torn ACL, but Grant Williams had a lot to say \u2014 as usual about his Hornets and his time with the Celtics.<\/p>\n Charlotte came to Boston on March 4 and stomped the Celtics, 118-89<\/a>, using their balance of youth and athleticism to overwhelm Boston with 3-point shooting and paint scoring. Williams was cheering vigorously from the benchas part of a young, rising team for the second time.<\/p>\n Williams spent four seasons with the Celtics, helping the club to the 2022 NBA Finals and the Eastern Conference finals in 2023. He went to the Mavericks in a sign-and-trade deal in the summer of 2023 and then moved to the Hornets in February 2024.<\/p>\n Since he\u2019s been in Charlotte, the club hired new coach Charles Lee and drafted Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Knueppel. And former lottery picks LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller have developed into cornerstones.<\/p>\n \u201cThis team, we always knew we were talented,\u201d Williams said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a matter of focusing on the little things that matter, improving every single day. And now you see the growth that LaMelo, Brandon, Kon and the rest of group is showing.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams has paid attention to what\u2019s happening in Boston. The Celtics entered Friday\u2019s game as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference despite losing Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Luke Kornet, and Jayson Tatum for 62 games before he made his season debut against the Mavericks.<\/p>\n Jaylen Brown has put the franchise on his shoulders and gotten help from unexpected sources such as Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Neemias Queta, and Luka Garza. In addition, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard have assumed bigger roles.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have a whole understanding but the Celtics from a group perspective, they had starters on the bench,\u201d Williams said. \u201cPeople wrote them off at the beginning of the season, didn\u2019t think they\u2019d be as talented as they are but Jaylen was prepared for this moment.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cAnd guys like Derrick White, probably one of the most underrated players in the league before he got here and now that he\u2019s here, I still think he\u2019s underrated, the same with Payton Pritchard. The group has rallied around one another. They compete hard. Joe Mazzulla has coached them super well.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams shared a close relationship with Tatum during their Celtics years and they still talk a few times during the season. When the Celtics and Hornets were both in Houston in early February to play the Rockets, Williams decided to call Tatum and check on his rehabilitation.<\/p>\n Tatum made an improbable return from a torn Achilles<\/a> after just 10 months.<\/p>\n \u201cI talked to JT a couple of weeks ago, talked about what the process was like, asked him about the returning to play progressions,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m just happy to have him back on the floor. Basketball misses him. I think this team misses him and they\u2019re going to roll with him when he gets back.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams endured a similar rehabilitation journey after tearing his ACL in November 2024. He returned to action on Feb. 10 and has played in 20 games, getting an occasional night off to rest his surgically repaired knee.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can get monotonous,\u201d he said of the rehabilitation. \u201cEspecially sometimes you feel isolated, lonely. But at the same time I was surrounded by a great support system. I felt really really slow, especially at certain moments when you stop making huge gains.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cAll my friends, I tell them I\u2019m a resource. You can call me. Sometimes you reach out. I called him one day. Talked about 15-20 minutes and I was grateful he was in a great mind space because it can be dark.\u201d<\/p>\n The mental side may be the most difficult. These young men are physically invincible until they\u2019re not. It was the first serious injury of Williams career and he said he started crying in the locker room after he was informed he was seriously hurt.<\/p>\n \u201dEverybody was trying to be optimistic,” Williams said. \u201cMy mind is always pessimistic so I thought worst-case scenario. After all those emotions come into your mind, you take it as a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams is one of the more friendly and affable NBA players and has been accused of talking too much in the locker room. When the Celtics were warring against each other after a Game 2 loss to the <\/a>Heat<\/a> in the bubble, Williams tried to intervene. He was told by several teammates and coaches to be quiet.<\/p>\n Now that has changed. At age 27, Williams is a veteran leader on the Hornets. He is encouraged to speak his mind and offer his thoughts because he has been to the Finals. He has enjoyed team success.<\/p>\n \u201cI give a lot of credit to my time in Boston,\u201d he said. \u201cIt allowed me to be myself. It allowed me to make mistakes that allowed me to be that young, sporadic, competitive but also crazy young player and I think that has allowed me to step into this role with a lot more security and confidence. I understand you don\u2019t have to be the loudest voice in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams has matured over his years. He\u2019s on his third team. His experience in Dallas was uneven at best. In Charlotte he and his opinions have been welcomed. He is part of the team\u2019s core.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s funny the difference between coming here to Boston and you say a couple of words and everybody yells to you shut the hell up,\u201d he said. \u201cBut now everyone tells me to talk more. It\u2019s cool to see how things that has time has gone on but also I just think the building of relationships helps too. When I was here in Boston, I always said that these guys are some of my closest friends, especially in my younger career and it allowed me to be more confident in myself to understand that this is a good environment. It\u2019s polar opposites, you see the Grant Williams of today versus the Grant Williams of 20 years old when I first got here. I would be able to tell you a lot of things.\u201d<\/p>\n As Williams mastered the board game Catan<\/a> during his time in Boston, he became a sports memorabilia collector during his rehabilitation. He has become a massive card collector and has used the hobby to bond with his fans.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s something I think brings communities together,\u201d he said. \u201cIt allows a group of individuals who may not necessarily play on the court to also have the same love for the game. Kind of be GMs off the floor doing a hobby.\u201d<\/p>\n With the Grizzlies essentially tanking for a premium draft pick, it will be unlikely Ja Morant will return this season. The club released an update on his sprained right elbow showing progress, but it is not healed. He will be reexamined in two weeks but that may be fruitless to bring the former All-Star back with the Grizzlies already prepping for next season. The club has already shut down center Zach Edey and swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with season-ending surgeries. The organization also dealt two-time All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah. The Grizzlies are stockpiling first-round picks with the trades of Jackson and Desmond Bane. They have two first rounders in 2026 and three in 2027 \u2026 The Wizards brought back Trae Young<\/a> for Thursday\u2019s game against the Jazz, although it\u2019s uncertain how much the point guard will play for the remainder of the season. Anthony Davis, acquired from the Mavericks, is making progress from a ligament injury in his left hand and scheduled to begin one-on-one training. He will be reexamined in two weeks, although it\u2019s likely the Wizards won\u2019t bring him back this season. The plan is for a fully healthy Davis and Young to start as a pair on opening night next season along with a lottery pick \u2026 Former Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton could have been an attractive piece for a contending club, but he has decided to remain with the Mavericks this season, playing out the final year of that three-year, $102 million contract he signed with the Bucks in 2023. While there was expected to be a lucrative buyout market for contending teams, it never materialized after Denver snapped up Tyus Jones from the Mavericks \u2026 The Celtics did not re-sign Dalano Banton to a second 10-day contract and re-signed John Tonje to a two-way contract, leaving one two-way slot open with Amari Williams<\/a> having signed a standard NBA deal. The Celtics are in no hurry to fill their two-way slot and there could be several candidates that come from the 2026 draft. But they will have to fill another roster spot with a 10-day player in coming days. Players who are eligible for playoff rosters needed to be waived by March 1, so the market has already been set. The Celtics did not want a buyout player to hinder their salary cap strategy to stay under the first apron. <\/p>\n Boston Globe Sports Report: Episode 18<\/p>\n With the NHL trade deadline looming, will the Bruins buy or sell? The Patriots enter free agency next week and Jayson Tatum\u2019s return is imminent.<\/p>\n Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Hornets](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/YHZ7FRYXW6E3LWPLNB7KSJJL2I.jpg\")
Hornets forward Grant Williams, now in his seventh season, has developed into a veteran leader.Nell Redmond\/Associated Press<\/p>\n![\"Grizzlies](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/J5NNF4KINIWDIMXKLV3TFIP3FM.jpg\")
Grizzlies former All-Star guard Ja Morant is unlikely to return this season with an elbow injury.Brandon Dill\/Associated Press<\/p>\n