From across the ocean to between the lines: my first covering the Celtics at TD Garden

I grew up in the French Alps, far from the cheer and fanfare of TD Garden. My introduction to the NBA wasn’t through late-night broadcasts or a childhood idol; it was through NBA Live 2008, a game my dad bought on sale in 2010. The Boston Celtics were the best team in the game, so I picked them. Over time, that choice became something more, a passion that led me to analyze every detail of their play, to break down schemes and tactics, and eventually, to write about the sport.

I started covering basketball in April 2023, and by summer 2024, I had published my first piece for CelticsBlog. A few months later, I found myself stepping into TD Garden, no longer just a fan watching from afar but a writer looking to tell the stories happening beyond the parquet.

For two weeks, I watched seven games unfold, not just in the action but in every corner of the building. Players fighting for contracts, coaches orchestrating strategies, media members navigating their own chessboard.

But beyond the excitement, I faced my own battles, fears, doubts, and the uncertainty of this new path. This is the story of what it’s really like to experience the NBA from the inside, beyond what the cameras show.

Three-dimensional chess

What struck me after spending time at TD Garden for a couple of weeks, before and after games, was how many different things are at stake. The game of basketball itself is just the tip of the iceberg, there’s so much more beneath the surface. On game day, the Celtics aren’t the only ones looking to perform and hoping for a breakthrough. Even within the Celtics roster, the goals aren’t the same.

While Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the rest of the Celtics starters arrive a couple of hours before the game, other players are already in the arena and working on their craft — the stakes couldn’t be more different. Before the March 2nd game between the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics, Anton Watson was already active on the court with the Celtics coaching staff while some of the stars were just arriving at the arena. Later that evening, mere minutes after the game, Anton Watson was waived by the Boston Celtics.

Watson is just one example of the different chess games unfolding around NBA games. While some players fight to keep their contracts, others, like Jayson Tatum, are building a legacy that will echo for decades. But the players are only a fraction of the lives moving within the building.

One other game I was able to witness, and participate in, was the media chess match. Like chess pieces, members of the media don’t all have the same ability to move and interact within the arena. Senior media figures like The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn have a room with dedicated tables for experienced writers. They also have seats close to the court and more freedom of movement, including the ability to step onto the court before games to chat with players and coaching staff. They have these privileges because they started playing this game long ago, while I am only just getting started.

As a junior writer, despite not benefiting from all the perks, you still have room to grow and, much like an NBA two-way player, work on your craft. The few hours before tip-off, when TD Garden is nearly empty, offer a unique opportunity to observe how players and coaches prepare in warm-ups and film study; it’s a behind-the-scenes look at the game before the bright lights come on. It’s also a rare privilege to enjoy a quiet moment in the Garden, looking up at the rafters and realizing you’re inside a building with an enormous history. Then come the press conferences with the coaches, the quintessence of the NBA media experience.

Among the brightest minds

For someone who lives 3,682 miles away from TD Garden and has analyzed every Celtics game from afar, being in the same room as Joe Mazzulla and opposing coaches is a blessing. For years, I had to keep my questions to myself. Thanks to CelticsBlog and the Celtics PR team, I was finally able to ask some of the brightest minds about the art of basketball. From conversations with my media colleagues, I learned that some writers waited months or even years before asking their first question, but time is a resource I don’t have.

So, I seized the opportunity to ask Joe Mazzulla about his defensive approach, challenging my own beliefs and statistical analysis to write a story on the Celtics coach’s tactical ingenuity in protecting the basket. This was also a rare chance to speak with some of the other great minds in the game, such as Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson and former Celtics assistant Will Hardy.

Atkinson shared valuable insights on his relationship with France and Vincent Collet, head coach of the French national team, who also serves as a consultant for the Cavaliers and as Atkinson’s mentor.

Hardy reminded me how much he and his entire staff are, at their core, just like us: “basketball psychos.” He spoke about the influences of European basketball and the NCAA on his coaching philosophy, and how his innovative offense is made possible by his staff’s expertise and his players’ complete buy-in. My understanding of basketball has been shaped by strong beliefs, but I had never been able to test them against reality, until now.

The brightest minds, however, aren’t just found on the sidelines. Some of them are sitting among us in the media seats. One of them is former CelticsBlogger and currently at The Athletic, Jared Weiss. Jared is someone I can call a friend, a friend who sat with me from midnight to 2:00 AM in TD Garden’s cafeteria, sharing wisdom on how to craft a great story. But Jared’s generosity and kindness are not exceptions among the TD Garden media folks.

The constant support between reporters, despite their supposed competition, is refreshing. Jack Simone, another former CelticsBlogger, whom I first met last year while covering the Celtics for a small French outlet, has been my guide through the infinite doors, corridors, and rules of TD Garden. Jack is also someone I consider a friend and an inspiration, as he continues to grow year after year within the Boston media landscape. But it’s not just Jared and Jack; there’s also current CBers like Bobby, who invited me onto one of his podcasts, Sam, who introduced me to Rhode Island’s delicious specialties, Cameron, with the constant positive vibes, Noa, who always came through with press conference videos, Justin, with his endless LeBron references, and Khari, with his fresh perspectives.

TD Garden’s cafeteria is also a place where some of the most major basketball actors and artists gather. Through various lunches and dinners, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting professional scouts and staying in touch with them. It was also an opportunity to meet Celtics photographer Brian “Babs” Babineau and radio play-by-play announcer Sean Grande, legends I had followed from France since I was a teenager.

The cafeteria became a privileged space to connect with members of the Celtics PR team, like Christian, who surprised me with his great French accent. This room was where I felt most connected to the basketball world, a focal point where all the different chess games intertwined. In this space, your title or background didn’t matter. Everyone was there to share a great meal and talk about the game that was about to begin, no matter who you were or where you came from.

Game Time

Dinner is done, coffee is hot, the elevator is full, and I am now on the 9th floor, ready to analyze a Celtics game. While every game brought a certain excitement, there was a different kind of energy when the game against the Lakers was about to start. You could feel it in the air; you were about to witness history.

Yet, the most memorable night might have been the game against Portland, where Derrick White and Payton Pritchard each wrote a new chapter in Celtics history. But let’s not forget the two potential NBA Finals previews against Denver and OKC, or the thriller against the first-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. Even the game against the Jazz was a battle, and only the Sixers game ended with Gino Time.

Every game was fascinating, but transitioning from analyzing games at home to breaking them down live almost broke me on my first try. My first game at TD Garden, against the Cavaliers, was the day after I landed in Boston. I was still on French time, so when the game was going on, my body was desperately seeking rest and sleep. Instead, I had to focus harder than ever, especially since I wasn’t always able to get my French League Pass to work and couldn’t rely on the rewind function. Despite the struggle of not having replays and the constant need to stay sharp, I enjoyed the view a lot.

As someone who loves tactics and schemes, watching the game from above was a blessing. The court geometry, the play-calling, the defensive alignments — everything unfolded right in front of me. From the 9th floor, I had the best vantage point to witness what the coaches were designing. It doesn’t get better than that. I felt like I was dreaming, asking myself if I even deserved to be this lucky, and wondering how I could share this experience with CelticsBlog readers to give them the best possible insights.

This is one of the questions that constantly lingers in my mind, but it wasn’t the only one. Before stepping into TD Garden on February 28th, the past few weeks had been an ongoing battle with anxiety and fear.

In this article, I wanted to paint a picture of the NBA experience that fans don’t usually see from their TV screens. Whether watching from a couch in the U.S. or from a computer somewhere in Europe, what spectators see is limited by the camera’s perspective. What is visible is only what is filmed, but there’s so much more happening beyond the frame. Yet, this painting captures only how I perceived it. To truly tell the full story, I can’t ignore what was going on inside my own mind.

Inner Battle

These past few months have turned my life upside down. Since leaving my usual office jobs last July, I have been focusing 100% on basketball, trying to break through as a basketball analyst in France while getting started as a writer for CelticsBlog, with no guarantee that it would lead anywhere. At the end of 2024, I also lost someone who was at the very foundation of the person I am today. I entered 2025 with more doubts than ever, holding onto only one certainty: I had to try and give it everything I had.

So, on December 31st, I spoke with my editors at CelticsBlog, Bill Sy and Jeff Clark, about my plan to come to Boston in March to cover the Celtics from the ground. I believed this experience could help me grow as a writer and be a life-changing step in my new career. What I expected to be a “No” turned into a “Yes, but…”. While CelticsBlog wanted me to cover the team in Boston, they didn’t control who received credentials. With no guarantees but high hopes, I planned my trip; and that’s when the anxiety really hit.

As I recently started therapy to deal with grief and a feeling of depression, my therapist quickly identified two of my biggest anxiety triggers. The first was emptiness, which can lead to a panic attack if I picture myself in, for example, a plane. In the week leading up to my flight to Boston, my mind constantly reminded me of the looming journey, leading to several sleepless nights.

The second trigger was the fear of not being accepted. As a child, I often felt unwelcomed. This led my mind to create anxious scenarios before birthday parties, imagining that the party had actually been moved somewhere else or that my invitation had been a mistake. In the weeks before my trip, I started doubting that I would receive my credentials, convincing myself that I didn’t deserve them anyway. The days leading up to my first game felt like months. My mind couldn’t rest, constantly anticipating rejection at TD Garden or replaying my fear of flying.

In the past, these fears would have stopped me. I would have found a way to stay in France, choosing to give up rather than risk failure. But thanks to the love and support around me, I knew I couldn’t quit. Even as my mind spiraled into dread, I was convinced these fears were worth fighting through; and I was right, for all the reasons mentioned in this article.

This trip won’t change my life. It wasn’t a breakthrough, and it wasn’t a turning point; it was simply a step forward. Like with grief, progress takes time. There will be ups and downs, and that’s why we move step by step. I’m grateful to have taken this step with CelticsBlog, alongside all the incredible people mentioned above. Now, it’s time to look ahead, because, just like the Celtics, there are still many battles to fight, and the best is yet to come.