Do Celtics' fans really root for clothes?

Quoting Jerry Seinfeld the other day, a popular Celtics' site said that when you boil things down to the nub, Celtics' fans "root for clothes." In addition to being funny, the idea contains an element of truth. But only an element. Of course, the sentiment is another way of saying "we root for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back." And, again, when it comes to Celtics' fans, this is no doubt true.

But let me suggest there is more going on in Boston when it comes to the hardwood.

First, let's prove his point. For many years, one of our least favorite players was named Shaquille O'Neal. Well, at least until the dreaded Laker donned the Green. Then he became a fan favorite. Celtics' fans regaled in delight hearing stories about Shaq, KG, Baby, and others engaged in shenanigans of countless varieties, when only a few years earlier we might have responded by yelling "idiot!", "loser!," and similar invectives had Shaq been acting this way on a different team like the Lakers.

Now that we've proven his point, allow me to prove mine.

Celtics fans don't just root for clothes, we root for a brand.

I contend this is indisputable.

What is that brand? Any team comprised of players who put on a Celtics uniform?

Absolutely not.

Example?

Summer league.

Do Celtics' fan find themselves wrapped up emotionally in their team during summer league the same way we do during winter league (aka, the regular season)? Of course not. Even when the one or two players we care about has the ball, we simply aren't paying attention like we do during the NBA season. Sure, part of this has to do with the fact that summer league is meaningless. Then again, if it were totally meaningless, would we really be watching?

Instead, what's going on here is that the men dressed in Celtics' green aren't playing Celtics basketball. Ahhh. Yes. Now we are getting somewhere. Summer league, then, under this theory of Celtics' fanhood, is more like the 1978-79 Curtis Rowe Celtics, the ML Carr front office Celtics, the latter years of the Pitino Celtics, and the early years of the Doc Rivers-Danny Ainge Celtics. You can put a Celtics uniform on people like Marvin Barnes, Dominique Wilkins, AC Earl, Mark Blount,  and Dwayne Schintzius, but that doesn't make them Celtics.

What makes a Celtic, really, are the intangibles, and those intangibles can be summarized in three words: heart, desire, and passing. You gotta sweat green bullets. You gotta play every minute like it's game 7 of the NBA Finals. And you gotta share the ball with your teammates, and you must master this final skill to such a degree that experts (Celtics fans) understand you are doing your damnedest to play Celtics basketball. This is the Celtics' brand.

Celtics' fans, like most fans, have had their bouts with fairweatheredness. But it's not because the Celtics weren't winning. It's because whatever sport the team in the green uniforms was playing, it wasn't basketball, and it certainly wasn't Celitics' basketball. We don't have to win. We don't have to dominate. But their is a recipe, and dammit, we expect the men in green to follow it. Because when they do, and their is talent to support the brand, we all know what to expect.