Remember When the Boston Celtics Played in Portland, Maine?

With the Boston Celtics' preseason coming to an end and the start of the regular NBA season just around the corner, I thought it would be interesting to revisit the last time the Boston Celtics took to the court in our Pine Tree State.

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This took place on October 15th, 2014, at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine. The occasion was a preseason game against the Toronto Raptors. It's worth noting that this game did not happen at the same venue where the Maine Celtics, formerly known as the Maine Red Claws at the time, played. The Maine Celtics call the James A Banks Sr Portland Exposition Building, or simply "The Portland Expo," their home.

Given the Boston Celtics' *slightly* larger following compared to their G-League affiliate, it's understandable that they chose the larger venue to maximize attendance and draw more eyes to their team. The fact that the Boston Celtics hadn't visited Maine in almost two decades had Mainers eagerly anticipating this event.

According to the Associated Press, the attendance for the game at the Cross Insurance Arena was 5,909 fans.

The game itself was exciting, with Toronto's Louis Williams sinking a game-winning 3-pointer with just 0.6 seconds left, sealing a 92-89 victory for the Raptors over our Boston Celtics.

Leading the way for the Raptors were Jordan Hamilton with 16 points, Louis Williams with 15, and Terrence Ross and Patrick Patterson contributing 12 each.

On the Celtics' side, Marcus Thornton stood out with 17 points in 17 minutes of play, while Avery Bradley and Tyler Zeller each added 13 points. Even though it was a preseason match, it was a challenging period for Celtics fans.

Almost a decade has passed since that game, and the Celtics have yet to return to Maine. We, as Mainers, are eagerly awaiting their next visit, hoping it won't take another 20 years for them to grace our Pine Tree State with their presence once again.