BOSTON — Technically
, John Tonje has played in many a high-profile game at TD Garden. In a way, he’s actually been doing so for years.That’s because since he was a little kid in Nebraska, Tonje has set nearly all of his NBA 2K games at TD Garden, his favorite arena in the arena.
“I always play here [on 2k],“ Tonje told CelticsBlog on Sunday. ”I love playing here. Growing up, my favorite arena was always TD Garden. I just love it.”
Tonje made his official (non-video game) TD Garden debut in late February,
playing five fourth-quarter minutes in a blowout Celtics win.
But after the Celtics secured the No. 2 seed on Friday, Tonje knew he might have a chance to live out that dream in full, to play rotation minutes, to make an NBA basket. The Celtics ruled out 8 players ahead of Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Orlando Magic. And, Tonje knew that he very well could have the chance to play in front of a crowd that had almost become mythical.
“I woke up today knowing that I’m gonna have an opportunity to come out here and play and do what I love to do,” Tonje said, “and play in an arena like this.”
That he did.
The 24-year-old played a whopping 30 minutes in the arena of his dreams, and tallied 13 points — and his first NBA bucket — en route to an improbable 113-108 win over the Orlando Magic. And, he did it with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, Nikola Vucevic, Payton Pritchard, and Hugo Gonzalez all sidelined.
“Hitting my first field goal, that was huge,” Tonje said, noting that his only two NBA career points came at the free throw line. “To see that actual field goal go down, which was a three in the corner, it was great to see. And I was, like, ‘Okay, this is real.’”
Tonje was one of only eight Celtics available to play on Sunday. Of them, three (Amari Williams, Max Shulga, and Tonje) were late 2025 second-round draft picks. Three (Jordan Walsh, Dalano Banton, and Luka Garza) were second-round draft picks from years before. One (Ron Harper Jr.) was undrafted. Baylor Scheierman, the No. 30 pick in 2024, was the only former first-rounder available to play.
That didn’t stop the Celtics from pulling off what, on the outside, appeared to be one of the improbable wins of the NBA season.
“We expected to go out there and compete and win the game,” Scheierman said. “I know going into the game, that was our expectation.”
Here’s how they did it.
Luka Garza, Baylor Scheierman set the tone for Game 82
Luka Garza was the head of the snake when the Celtics took the parquet on Sunday evening, running onto the court first for warm-ups, with Scheierman, Walsh, Harper Jr, Shulga, Williams, and Banton all trailing behind him.
Garza had been awaiting this opportunity, too. The 27-year-old had plenty more NBA experience than a rookie like Tonje, but he did not take for granted the chance to have more extended minutes than he’s had all year. And, he took advantage, setting a career-high in scoring (27 points) and grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds in a season-high 38 minutes.
And, before tip-off, Garza made a point of instilling confidence in his teammates.
“Luka said it before the game, huddled up, ‘This is for all the times that we’re on the bench, all the times we want an opportunity, we have a chance to go out there and show it,’” said Harper Jr.
The message resonated. During layup lines, the available Celtics laughed as they realized just how short-handed they appeared.
“There was probably, on the outside, a lot of unknowns about what was going to happen looking at the lineup,” Scheierman said. “And we were even joking in the locker room, coming out in layup lines and looking at each other, like, ‘We got seven people out here?’”
But, the grittiness that has been on display all season was evident from the opening jump.
A mere eight seconds into the game, Scheierman drew an offensive foul. On the next possession, Garza hit his first three-pointer of the night. By the end of the first quarter, the Celtics trailed by 9 points — but it was clear they came ready for battle. Harper Jr., who poured in 12 of the team’s 20 first-quarter points, was particularly aggressive from the jump.
“We definitely didn’t go into this game thinking this is like David vs. Goliath, thinking we’re like ultimate underdogs,” Harper Jr. said. “We came into the game expecting to compete, and expecting to win.”
And, to onlookers, nothing on the Celtics’ side seemed to indicate they were overwhelmed or intimidated by the lineup on the other side, a group of proven Magic players that included Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane, and Jalen Suggs. To make things all the more wild, the Magic were vying for Play-In positioning, hoping to secure home-court advantage in Wednesday’s Play-In game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
But if someone were to turn on the game, they’d never guess that the Celtics were the ones with nothing substantive on the line.
“We said it all year, 1 to 15, whoever steps on the floor, there’s an expectation to put us in position with the opportunity to win,” said Joe Mazzulla. “Stick to the process of winning; today is no different than the other 81 games.”
The tides drastically turned in the third quarter, when the Celtics outscored the Magic 42-20 and built a double-digit lead. Scheierman hit stepback threes like he was James Harden en route to a 30-point, 7-assist, 7-rebound career night.
After each bucket, the TD Garden crowd exploded as though it were a playoff game.
“I thought the crowd was tremendous for us tonight,” Mazzulla said. “I think they helped us get our third-quarter run, and I think they kept us in it. The great thing about our fans is, 1) they’re smart – they know good basketball, 2) they care about winning. They care about playing the right way. That’s what they want to see.”
The game was tied with 35 seconds to go when Garza hit the go-ahead three-pointer with a hand in his face.
“I was like, ‘Yeet,’” Scheierman said, laughing. “We wanted to get him a three. That’s not necessarily how we had it drawn up to get there. But yeah, chicken.”
That improbable shot capped off an improbable night that capped off an improbable season.
“It was so awesome,” Garza said. “Seeing it go in, just feeling the crowd too. It was definitely a top moment for me.”
Nearly everyone on the Celtics’ bench jumped to their feet, rejoicing the clutch basket. Tonje said the presence of the sidelined Celtics was particularly energizing.
“It meant everything to see D-White, JT, all the older guys come up, and meet us at half court and dap us up and just give us energy,” he said. “It was so, so great.”
In the background was the reality that Sunday also doubled as the Celtics’ Fan Appreciation Day. Before the game, Jordan Walsh thanked Celtics fans for being the best fans in all of sports.
Aftewards, Scheierman emphasized Walsh’s pregame message.
“That’s what makes Boston, in general, just super special — the support we get,” he said. “You could have seen the injury report last night that said a bunch of people were going to be out, and people could have just not shown up, knowing people weren’t going to play. But the Garden was packed, and it was rocking like it was a must-win game for us. And so I think that’s super special, and we got to give a lot of credit to our fans for coming through and creating that type of atmosphere.”
On Sunday night, Ron Harper Jr’s dreams were validated
Ron Harper Jr, who began the year with a training camp contract and not even the promise of a two-way, reflected on his journey after a 27-point, 4-rebound, 3-assist, and 3-steals night that just so happened to coincide with his 26th birthday.
Harper Jr. had been through it all.
He went undrafted in 2021.
He bounced around the league on four different two-way contracts.
He tore his labrum in 2023.
He was waived after the Celtics’ training camp in 2024.
But he opted to return to Boston for a second chance at Celtics training camp in 2025, a decision he hoped would pay off, and one he made in large part due to just how much he took away from his first training camp in Boston.
“It was a little bit of a gamble,” Harper Jr said. “But even last year, when I got waived off of the Exhibit-10, and I was in the G League, it was never any hard feelings. I felt like I learned a lot that training camp, being around a team that had just won a championship, those experiences, it’s unmatched. You see how those guys grind, see how they play the game. You see how they work out. You see how they approach the day-to-day. It’s just something I try to take with me throughout my journey.”
“The whole year has been rewarding,” Harper Jr. “I had a great stay in Maine when I was there, won Player of the Month, me and my teammates were able to compete in the showcase tournament in Orlando. That was a great experience.“
In February, Harper Jr. started his first-ever NBA game, and the Celtics blew out the Houston Rockets on the second night of a back-to-back. He was tasked with guarding Kevin Durant, and he, somehow, outplayed the Hall of Famer. It was that moment that reiterated to him that a second training camp with Boston was the right call.
“The most rewarding moment was probably when I started the first game,” he said. “That’s something that I dreamed of for a while. Thinking about where I came from and how the year was looking, I definitely didn’t think this would be the year where I start a game.”
Since that first start, Harper Jr. has had several standout moments. There was a 22-point outburrst against his brother, Dylan, in a game vs San Antonio. There was a big first quarter against the Charlotte Hornets last month.
And, there was Sunday’s career-night, a 27 point outing in which Harper Jr. was the guy spearheading the offense.
His two-way contract was converted to a standard deal earlier in April. It was a moment that was special for Joe Mazzulla, too.
“It really starts with him,” Mazzulla said. “He’s done a lot for us, especially this season — playing in Maine, playing in the Stay Ready games, playing in NBA games, being ready. He’s a competitive guy. It’s a testament to who he is, so I’m really happy for him.”
“I’m just really grateful to be in the situation,” Harper Jr said.
For John Tonje, the quiet work came to fruition
Before Sunday, Tonje had played a total of 12 NBA minutes in his rookie season. Joe Mazzulla said the behind-the-scenes work with the team’s player development staff is what prepared him.
“He hasn’t played in an NBA game — he’s played in Stay Ready games. He’s played in optional shoots,” Mazzulla said. “He’s gone through reads – it’s the exact same thing. All those things are just as important.”
“The coaching staff does an amazing job just trying to get us better, put us in situations that we’ll see in the games,” Tonje said. “And I think those Stay Ready games are there to prepare us for moments like this, and just – hats off to the coaching staff.”
Tonje especially credited his player development coach, Nana Foulland, for preparing him mentally.
“He’s been great,” he said. “He’s tough on me, which is what I need. And, he doesn’t always have the sweetest things to say, which is great. He’s helping me get better.”
Still, there’s no way to truly emulate the environment of playing at a packed TD Garden.
“I’d be lying if I said it and didn’t feel different,” he said with a smile.
TD Garden was as loud as it’s been all year — as loud as it was in Tonje’s video games growing up.
“I know that a lot of those guys who haven’t got a lot of opportunity, they’re super grateful for that, that they got an opportunity to play in that type of environment,” Baylor Scheierman said.
Garza, Harper, and Scheierman led the way, but they didn’t do it alone. Dalano Banton, who was on a Ten-Day contract with the Celtics in February, was signed to the Celtics’ 15th roster spot on Saturday, and laced up a day later. He tallied 7 assists and 4 blocks in 36 minutes in the win.
Jordan Walsh posted 9 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, a block, and a steal. Max Shulga earned his first career NBA start, finishing with 3 points and 3 rebounds in 18 minutes. And, Amari Williams played 9 minutes off the bench.
None of it surprised Mazzulla, who has stressed all year that every single player on the roster could impact winning.
“It’s a validation of what we’ve been talking about,” Mazzulla said, crediting the team’s player development staff for putting players in this position. “And the most important thing is our guys, it’s very easy if you’re constantly in an optional shoot or playing in a Stay Ready game, you can see as if your job is meaningless, but they have to stay ready, because any moment, as soon as they step on the floor, you’re held to the same standard. And I think that’s what guys who are on the court today are looking for. And so it’s more of a validation to the staff, but really to the locker room. And they care about winning. They care about playing great.”
As the final buzzer sounded, the veterans rejoiced, dapping up nearly every player on the roster.
Jaylen Brown walked through the tunnel in disbelief, and almost immediately turned to social to media to Tweet: “I love this team.”
Players signed as many autographs as they could. A John Tonje signature had never held more weight at TD Garden.
The page will now turn. The Celtics will begin a week of practice ahead of Sunday’s playoff game, where the stakes will be higher than they’ve been all year. Players like Tonje, Williams, Shulga and Banton might not lace up for meaningful minutes all spring.
Regardless of what happens next, one thing is certain: Game 82 captured the magic of the 2025-2026 Celtics — a team that came into the year with minimal external expectations and turned into a championship contender.
