Johnny Damon Celebrates Link Between 2004 Red Sox, 2023 Celtics

Boston will attempt to make NBA history Monday night.

The Celtics are on the verge of becoming the first team in NBA history to win a series after trailing 3–0 following an unreal Game 6 win Saturday night against the Heat. And they’re doing it with the support of a former Red Sox star.

Former Boston outfielder Johnny Damon was seen at the Kaseya Center in Miami sporting his 2004 World Series ring to support the Boston squad during Game 6. That ’04 Red Sox team is the only squad in MLB history to win a series after trailing 0–3, and Damon addressed the comparisons between the two teams after Boston won Saturday, 104–103. 

“We have a chance to have another team in the conversation with our 2004 Red Sox,” Damon said, per the Boston Herald. “This Celtics team, they were down and out after Game 3, kind of like we were back in 2004, 19 years ago. They figured it out. People were calling them all kinds of names like, ‘Oh, they didn’t fight, they didn’t do this, they didn’t do that,’ but here they are. Game 7.”

Damon, who lives in Orlando, said he won’t be able to attend Game 7 at TD Garden on Monday night, but former Red Sox star David Ortiz likely will be at the game, per the Herald. The winner-take-all game is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

“It’s a very cool scenario,” Damon said, per the Herald. “You know what, hopefully they can get the job done so there’s another team in the conversation. But if they don’t, they’re going to have to keep talking about our team and how great we were and how much we had to overcome and how much we had to fight, and how much we had to do our shots of Jack Daniels and all that good stuff.”