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Boston's Morning Newsletter
For $18, you can watch the Celtics' away NBA Finals games at TD Garden
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It’s getting so hot today that the even flamingos are getting confused. Let’s begin today with some indoor news:
The NBA Finals tip off tomorrow night between the Celtics and Dallas Mavericks. And while the first two games are in Boston, TD Garden plans to keep the party going when the Celtics leave town. For the first time ever, the arena will host watch parties for the Celtics’ away games during the finals. Games 3 and 4 next week will be broadcast live on the arena’s hanging jumbotron and fans will be able to come watch and buy food and drinks. “The goal is to kind of create the same kind of environment as when they are competing here on the parquet,” TD Garden President Glen Thornborough said.
- The watch parties are also being billed as a cheaper, family-friendly alternative to attending one of the Finals home games — with tickets for Game 1 tomorrow starting at over $700. Watch party tickets will be priced at $18 (in honor of the Celtics’s quest for an 18th banner, North Station parking for the watch parties cost is $18, too). TD Garden will also offer a special $5 value concessions menu in addition to the normal food and drink.
- How to attend: Tickets will go on sale to the general public tomorrow at 10 a.m. right here on the TD Garden website (after Celtics and Bruins season-ticket holders get first dibs today).
- FYI: There's no watch party planned for a potential Game 6. If the series goes that long, that game would be played June 20 in Dallas — the same night TD Garden is scheduled to host a concert by rapper A Boogie Wit da Hoodie.
- Outside the Garden: Boston will continue to close off Canal Street for the first four games of the Finals so fans can gather (for free) and restaurants can expand outdoor seating.
- In related news: After missing most of the playoffs with a calf injury, Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis told reporters yesterday that he plans to be ready for Game 1 against his old team.
The local angle: Gov. Maura Healey is praising President Biden’s announcement yesterday that he will place restrictions on migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. As NPR reports, Biden’s executive order suspends the processing of most asylum claims at the southern border when they deem it is “overwhelmed” (aka when the seven-day average of unauthorized crossings exceeds 2,500).
- Healey’s take: “President Biden took important action today by the executive order,” she told reporters yesterday. “So I strongly support that.” She also repeated her call for Congress to pass immigration reform and provide more funding for states dealing with an influx of migrants. “My focus is going to continue to be on getting people who are here work permits,” she said. “Four thousand people have been processed. Many of them are working right now and you know, I’m just continuing to send the message that we’ve really reached capacity here in Massachusetts.”
- On the other hand: Biden’s policy drew mixed reactions from fellow Democrats in Massachusetts’ congressional delegation. While Rep. Seth Moulton echoed Healey’s comments, Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Ayanna Pressley called on Biden to reverse course. “Congress’s failure to act limits the tools of the executive branch,” Pressley said yesterday. “That is clear. But this action falls short of our goal of a just and fair immigration policy.”
PSA: It may be beach weather today, but those frigid, spring New England waters aren’t the only thing stopping many from jumping in. Eighteen beaches in Massachusetts — including Quincy’s Wollaston Beach — are closed for swimming, mostly due to high bacterial levels.
- Bookmark this link for daily updates on beach closures around the state.
If you like pickleball: An indoor padel club — said to be one of the first in the Boston area — is set to open this fall in Dedham. Owners say Padel Boston will be located in an industrial area near the Legacy Place shopping center, not far off I-95.
- What’s padel? The sport, which originated in Mexico, is like pickleball combined with racquetball. Glass walls surround the court, the scoring is like tennis and the ball has low air pressure.
P.S.— The November election is now exactly five months away — and we need your help. What questions do you want answered from our election coverage over the coming months? What topics deserve more attention? Fill out this survey to let us know what you think.
