By Al Horford couldn’t mask his smile on Thursday as a swarm of green amassed in front of Raising Cane’s on Boylston Street. The 38-year-old center expected Celtics fans to show out for his promotional visit to the fast-food joint. But to duck and weave through a raucous crowd gathered outside the fried-chicken chain jump into a waiting van — à la The Beatles from early ‘60s? Well, it didn’t come as much of a surprise to the veteran big man.
After all, things are just . Al Horford getting mobbed on Boylston as he hops into a car. “When I came here eight years ago, this is what I envisioned,” Just a day later, the decibel level on Boylston was understandably even louder as Horford and the rest of his teammates basked in the cacophony of cheers that reverberated from TD Garden down to the Boston Marathon finish line.
Friday’s parade in honor of the Celtics’ record-setting 18th NBA title marked the 13th championship cavalcade down Boylston since 2000. But one would be hard-pressed to discern any semblance of fatigue or apathy in a city whose identity is rooted in sports — and especially the bragging rights that come with being the last team standing. Long before the confetti first rained down onto the parquet floor at TD Garden on Monday night, the 2023-24 Celtics crafted a slogan that carried through the entire season: That mantra was put on full display Friday as the Celtics planted themselves atop the iconic duck boats and meandered from Causeway Street .
