Warriors’ Game 3 warmup paused over incorrect TD Garden hoop height originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
BOSTON — Is the ghost of Red Auerbach at TD Garden for Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Finals?
About an hour and 45 minutes before tipoff between the Celtics and Warriors at TD Garden, Golden State players complained about the height of the basket they were shooting on in warmups, claiming it wasn’t set to the standard 10 feet.
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Garden staffers used a ladder to measure both hoops, and sure enough, the Warriors’ hoop was off.
The issue was resolved quickly, as both hoops were checked and set to the proper height, allowing teams to go about their warmups as usual.
Back in the Celtics’ heyday in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, some opponents accused Celtics head coach/team president Red Auerbach of messing with the visitors at the old Boston Garden, complaining that their showers didn’t have hot water, for example.
Before Warriors fans accuse the TD Garden staff of any chicanery, though, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr noted this isn’t the first time a hoop’s height has been off during warmups.
“It happens every once in a while,” Kerr said. “Players have a really sharp eye for that. Players can tell.
“I imagine somebody went out there, looked at it, didn’t look right. So as long as they take care of it, then everything is good.”
The Warriors hit 40.5 percent of their 3-pointers (15 for 37) in a Game 2 rout of Boston at Chase Center, so the Celtics will hope their shots are a little off at TD Garden on Wednesday night.
